Valdis endured the added weight as he continued climbing the mountain. He didn't break a sweat as he climbed the mountain, his steps steady, not pausing midway to catch his breath.
Behind him—
The others followed, and almost immediately, chaos erupted.
"Ghh—!"
A trainee staggered forward, his knees buckling the moment he crossed the boundary. The sudden weight crushed his stance, forcing him to the ground.
Another tried to push forward, only for his legs to give out entirely.
Crack.
A sickening sound echoed as someone's arm snapped upon impact with the rocky terrain.
Immediately, panic spread. The trainees behind them hesitated for a moment before crossing into the mountain domain, as they knew that if the instructors had to expel them from the training due to cowardice, their status in their various families would decline, and the resources they usually got would be reduced.
And because of that reason, most of the trainees steeled their hearts as they crossed the boundary, but unfortunately for them, this trial didn't test will but the individual's physique, and as soon as they crossed the boundary, the formation quickly reminded them what the true test was about.
"This—what is this weight?!"
"It's too much!"
"I can't—!"
Some immediately tried to retreat—
But the moment they stepped onto the mountain, the formation had already locked onto them. The pressure did not lessen.
Instead—
It intensified.
A few crawled desperately, trying to adjust.
Others couldn't even move.
Instructor Alaric remained in the sky, his gaze cold and unmoving.
Those who could not endure were instantly eliminated.
One by one, faint flashes of light appeared as injured or incapacitated trainees were removed from the trial, and in mere moments, the number of participants who had begun the trial was significantly reduced.
But Valdis, regardless of the commotion behind him, never looked back as he was completely focused on what lay ahead.
His breathing was steady as he had quickly adjusted to the added weight, with his body gradually aligning with the pressure. Although his muscles were slightly burned, it was manageable.
For now.
Step by step, he gradually continued his ascent up the mountain as the path leading to the peak narrowed slightly and the slope steepened, with the air growing heavier with each passing second.
And suddenly—
Thud.
The weight increased.
Not as violently as before, but enough to make Valdis' upright back bend slightly, his steps slowed for a fraction of a second as his body quickly tried to adjust itself to accommodate the extra weight.
Behind him, several trainees groaned as the added burden pushed them closer to their limits.
"This weight increases?"
"No warning at all?"
"Now I understand why people hate the initiate training," Silas said as he gritted his teeth, adjusting his footing as he tried to put up with the added weight.
Cassian exhaled sharply, his usual smile now gone, his gaze completely focused; his playful expression nowhere to be seen.
The twins pressed forward without complaint, though their pace slowed slightly; they still didn't look like they had reached anywhere close to their limits, as they still had energy to spare for a light conversation as they ascended.
The silver-haired girl remained steady, her movements precise and controlled, not resembling someone who was climbing up a mountain with additional weights on her shoulders.
Looking at her, Valdis's eyes flickered briefly as he felt something familiar about her, but couldn't put his finger on it.
But after thinking for a while, Valdis shrugged and thought, 'After this trial, I'll ask Silas about her. He should know her background.'
The trainees kept on moving, but past a certain point, disaster struck
The ground shifted.
A faint click.
The sound was almost inaudible, but to Valdis, who had been fully alert from the start to the second part of the trial, heard clearly, and instantly his eyes sharpened.
He immediately turned backward towards Silas, Cassian, the twins, and the rest of the trainees behind him and shouted.
"Move."
As the words left his mouth, his figure blurred towards one side of the mountain.
His voice sharply cut through the, but unfortunately, it was still too late for some.
And without warning, earth spikes erupted from the ground, shooting upward with lethal force.
A trainee behind him screamed as one pierced through his thigh, pinning him in place, and before he recovered from the initial injury, another earth spike emerged, aiming directly for his head.
But before the earth spikes could cause any fatal injuries to any individual, a silvery light would immediately arrive, whisking them away from danger, which also symbolized their automatic disqualification.
Another barely managed to leap aside, rolling across the rocky surface.
Valdis, on the other hand, stepped lightly, his body shifting just enough to avoid the spike that shot up beneath him.
His actions were precise and calculated, achieving results using the smallest movement.
The spikes didn't remain as quickly as they came; they vanished.
They retracted just as quickly as they had appeared, leaving behind blood and fear.
"Pressure-triggered? Who in their right mind sets up such a trap in a trial like this?" Cassian muttered, eyes scanning the ground carefully now.
Silas nodded and said, "It seems the instructor wasn't joking when he was explaining the difficulty of this trial."
"Cassian, it would be nice if you could stay completely silent throughout the trial," Thorne said
"He's right, the trial is already difficult, hearing your voice through it all will just make it unbearable," Tyras added
Listening to their conversation, Valdis sighed but continued moving as he knew complaining wouldn't solve anything at this point.
The trainees continued their climb, but once again, past a certain point, an additional weight was added to their already difficult burden.
Thud.
Valdis's breath deepened slightly.
Still controlled, still steady, but the effect was quite noticeable now.
Behind him, more and more trainees began to fall behind. Some slowed to a crawl, others collapsed entirely.
And while they were still complaining about the cruelty of the trial, with some of them cursing the nine generations of whoever set up this hellish trial.
Suddenly, the air around them distorted without warning.
A sharp whistling sound filled the path.
Valdis's instincts screamed danger.
His body moved instantly as he pushed himself to the ground.
Slice—!
A thin, nearly invisible blade of wind cut through the space where his head had been, and the rock behind him split cleanly.
Seeing the damage resulting from the attack, Valdis' eyes widened in shock, knowing that if he hadn't reacted as fast as he did, he would have been instantly eliminated.
"…Wind blades," he muttered.
They came in bursts.
Unpredictable.
Fast.
Most of the trainees behind him failed to react in time, leading to their immediate elimination.
Shhk.
Hearing the sound, Valdis turned to the source of the sound only to see a trainee who had failed to react fast enough to the emergence of the wind blades with a deep cut that tore across his chest, with blood flowing freely.
He dropped instantly, but before his body could hit the ground, a light flashed, and he was gone.
The others, seeing such a brutal scene, swallowed hard.
Valdis, on the other hand, quickly snapped back and, after a few deep breaths, continued moving.
But this time, his senses were pushed to their absolute limit, as he weaved through invisible attacks, his movements were efficient and minimal.
No wasted motion.
But after a short distance, the weight increased again.
Thud.
This time,
Even Valdis's steps slowed slightly.
His muscles strained more, and his breathing deepened.
The weaker trainees had already been weeded out, and only those with real strength remained.
But unfortunately for them, the mountain wasn't done tormenting them.
And once again past a certain threshold, the world changed.
The path blurred, and the mountain vanished.
Valdis's eyes narrowed.
He stood still.
Because he was no longer on the mountain but in his bedroom, and before he could react, his mother entered the bedroom, her face still carrying her usual warm smile as she approached him.
Without any warning, she hugged him the same way she usually does while patting his head, and for a moment, Valdis felt completely at peace.
But before he could immerse himself in such a wonderful feeling, his blood grew turbulent as a blue flame quietly engulfed his soul, invaded his mental space, pulling him back to reality.
Valdis eyes opened, and the first word that appeared in his head was.....
Illusions.
It seems the trial aimed to wear down the body, which would wear the mind down eventually.
As they were not only physically exhausted but mentally exhausted as well, and while they were busy guarding against physical attacks, the trial targeted their minds instead.
Attacking when their mental defenses were at their lowest
Some trainees froze.
Others lashed out wildly at things that weren't there.
One fell to his knees, clutching his head.
"No… no…!"
Valdis saw all this and felt pity for most of the trainees, but he knew he could do nothing to aid them.
Arriving at this conclusion, Valdis let out a helpless sigh
Looking forward, Valdis discovered that they were already close to the peak of the mountain, and taking one last look at them, he began moving
He hadn't taken up to ten steps when he heard movement behind him, and immediately, he turned, and to his surprise, the person behind him was none other than the silver-haired girl, with her face sporting her usual cold expression.
'It seems illusions don't affect her as well.' Valdis thought before he turned and continued moving towards the peak