Chapter 144- New Test

Chapter 144: Chapter 144- New Test

Chapter 144- New Test

The moment the two heard that, their expressions changed from delight to seriousness instantly. They had been waiting for this moment for two days and trying to guess what the second part of the test could be. They were worried that it was something that inherently would be disadvantageous to them if they finished the test as soon as possible, but since it was all done now, they couldn’t really change the outcome no matter what happened next.

They had to deal with the consequences if it came down to it. Rize clenched his fists subtly as he focused on Melissa.

"The second test is a physical one and a mental one," Melissa explained. "It will be testing every aspect of your ability to endure and figure out solutions on the spot to maximize your chances of success. It is far harder than the first or second test, and it will be the true challenge that you came here to face." Melissa explained with a solemn tone, giving the two a cold feeling just from those words.

"What is the test about?" Rose asked.

’A test of endurance, huh? If the first one was a test of power and fighting ability, and the second one is an academic and intelligence test, then the third one will naturally be about endurance and your ability to last long.’ Rize thought to himself. ’Hm, now that’s a bit interesting...’

Melissa looked at the two before she stood up from her chair and walked to the window. She looked at it for a second before she stepped to the side and pointed outside.

"What do you see from here?"

The two instinctively stared outside, and all they saw was the cityscape, as they were on the highest floor of the building. Then, in the far distance, was the colossal mountain overlooking the entire city.

For a second, neither understood what Melissa wanted them to look at. But it didn’t take a second longer for them to realize what she was insinuating.

"Are you saying...?" Rize asked as his eyes widened.

"Yes." She nodded her head. "Your next test will be climbing that mountain."

"..."

"..."

The two were completely speechless as they looked at the mountain again. Even if they ignored the fact that it was utterly colossal to the point where it passed through the stratosphere and reached high into the sky, climbing it looked like a damn near impossible task.

"... We need to reach the very peak of it?" Rose asked.

"Yes," Melissa said. "You have exactly 2 weeks to try and climb it to the top. Where you stop after the end of the test will decide your position in the rankings."

’They’re actually not joking.’ Rize thought to himself. ’That mountain is utterly ridiculous to look at, let alone climb. I can’t even see the damn peak from here, and we’re over a hundred miles away.’

Even though it fascinated him and gave him weird feelings for the longest while, Rize never even thought about climbing it. But with the test requiring him to do exactly that, he realized that he had no other option at that moment.

"You will be handed supplies that will last you the first three days, and after that, you’re all on your own to fend for yourself and survive while climbing the mountain," Melissa said.

"What about safety, Miss Melissa? Will there be supervisors to save those who are in trouble?" Rize asked.

"Of course, there will be supervisors. However, we have been ordered to not intervene as much as possible. This is a test of survival and endurance. If the candidates have the comforting idea that they will be saved... they would never be able to experience the true essence of this test."

Melissa’s words were akin to the final nail in the coffin. Rize was utterly speechless. Everything Venera said was true and perhaps even a bit underwhelming. Melissa just simply said that the supervisors won’t really save the candidates and that they truly are alone.

’The academy is actually going to put its students’ lives in danger. They don’t care anymore.’ He thought to himself. ’This is huge... No, this is utterly crazy. The moment the news comes out to the world, it will be chaos for a while. I don’t even know how people will react to this.’

Just imagining the uproar and all kinds of opinions being formulated about it. Many might disagree, but Rize’s suspicion that the reaction will actually be overwhelmingly positive only grew by the day. People in this world are batshit crazy and power-hungry more than back on Earth. They don’t value their lives as much as normal humans and find power to be far more enticing, and Rize understands why.

The euphoria of gaining essence and feeling your body evolve rapidly was extremely good and rewarding. People were ready to die to gain more power and reach the peak of this world, and the academy was just another perfect tool for that.

"After you leave this building, you have the full freedom to start your climb whenever you wish. Feel free to also not climb, but that naturally will lead to disqualification." Melissa explained. "Any questions?"

Rize looked at her and then at Rose before he asked. "What will happen once we reach the peak?"

"You will be told what to do once you make it there, Mr Rize," Melissa replied.

"..."

"Any more questions?"

Neither of the two spoke for a second before Rose suddenly asked. "Are there monsters lurking on that mountain and the surrounding forests? And if that is the case, what kind of monsters are they?"

"Good question. Yes, there are monsters, and as for the kind, there is a huge variety. That is why we have added a manual of all the possible monsters you might encounter in that region to your watches. It is uploading as we speak."

Just as she finished those words, the two received a notification of a file being sent to their watches. They checked the name, and it said ’Monster Manual IV’ with the symbol of the academy plastered on it.

"You will have the time to check it and make your preparations."

"What about our phones and other belongings? Will we get them back?"

"No, you will be handed your belongings once you’re done with this test." The woman said. "Also, here are your bags. They have everything you might need. You are allowed to buy more supplies like food and potions, but that will be on you to carry."

As she said those words, two spatial storage devices manifested in their hands. Inside them were cans of food, healing and stamina potions, clothes, and even survival items to start a fire and other kinds of tools for camping.

’They’re all pretty handy.’ Rize thought to himself as he checked the contents of the device. ’But this storage device is so small, so it can’t really contain much more than this. I guess that’s why they took our spatial devices, so we don’t bring everything with us and make the test completely trivial when it comes to the survival aspect.’

"Now, I have to go back to the class, so I wish you two good luck in your journey, and may I see you on the other side," Melissa said as she walked out of the office.

The two remained silent for a bit before Rize sighed and stood up. "Well, that’s the second test. It seems finishing early was indeed a good idea. At least we get more time than the others to prepare." Rize said.

"This is not going to be easy. The weather has been deteriorating over the past few days, and I heard a storm is coming soon. The temperatures will plummet quite a bit soon." Rose said. "Especially at high altitudes, people will freeze to death."

"Yeah..." Rize muttered. We will be thousands of feet up there, and the temperatures will keep dropping. I think even with our evolved bodies, surviving that will be hard.’

Even at this low level, Rize needed to wear thick clothes to protect himself from the cold. So, up there, it will be at least -50 or -60 degrees, and that was more than enough to freeze the liquid within his body.

But that was something for future Rize to worry about. For now, his first goal was to prepare for this trip. He needed more stuff than just the things the academy handed him. Especially clothes; he needed special clothes for this kind of adventure, and he knew where to get them.

"What are you going to do now?" Rize asked.

"I will be buying some things and heading there as soon as possible. No point in wasting this precious time we have." She said. "But now that I think about it, she didn’t say whether we can team up or not."

"Hm? I’m sure it’s allowed. It’s already hard enough to survive as a group."

"So, how about we team up then? What worked once surely could work twice."