Chapter 34

Chapter 34

At the teleportation practical training ground, students from various classes, not just Class Seven, began to arrive at the peak, which stood a thousand meters high.

After today, one student from Class Seven would advance to Class Five. Considering it usually took more than two years to advance a single class, in the worst-case scenario, a student who was four years junior could potentially be joining Class Five soon, which explained the keen interest of the assembled onlookers.

“Wow! So this is the Pathless Bridge. I’ve never been here before,” one of the students participating in the test marveled at the immense scale of the practice ground.

From the peak, seven hundred meters away, the instructors and senior students looked like tiny dots.

“But why is it called the Pathless Bridge? There’s no bridge,” a student questioned.

“Look over there,” another pointed out, gesturing towards a thin rod connecting one peak to another, about the thickness of a forearm.

The iron rod, extending seven hundred meters in a straight line, challenged the usual expectations of material capabilities. Its length suggested it was composed of something far beyond ordinary metal.

Some students cautiously peered over the cliff, expecting safety devices, but found none. “What? There’s nothing here!”

“Don’t worry. We’ll be watching you all,” assured Thad. He had just been on the opposite peak moments before and was now standing behind the students.

One participant questioned, “But haven’t there been fatalities during teleportation practice at other schools?”

“That’s true, but in any course at any magic school, there’s always the possibility of fatalities. You, as students engaged in these classes, should be well aware of that. What I’m telling you not to worry about is falling from the mountain. Incidents at other schools usually involved student collisions, not falls.”

“Does that mean it’s dangerous to collide with each other?” a student asked.

Thad’s expression turned grave. “If you’re afraid, it’s okay to withdraw.”

Silence ensued.

“It’s wise to continue training until you’re more adept at controlling your abilities. In fact, that’s what the school recommends. However, this is an early advancement test meant to select students who believe they are ready for Class Five. If you’re feeling unprepared, it’s not too late to back out.”

No one forfeited, but the tension was evident in their eyes.

As Thad walked away, a subtle smile crossed his lips. “Heh, they’re utterly petrified.”

Though the faculty’s vigilant oversight provided a measure of safety, the students were facing their first real test.

Heightened tension prevents accidents. But that’s not what makes this test dangerous. It’s the predatory spirit in those who had overcome their fears, Thad mused. Drawing in a deep breath, the sight before him exemplified his musings. “Just as I was saying... A predatory spirit, alive and present.”

Well-known figures from the school had also gathered across on the opposite peak.

“It’s been a while since we’ve been here. Amy, let’s head over there for the best view,” Seryel suggested, taking her friend’s hand.

Amy looked reluctant but followed without protest. “I’ve told you that I don’t want to watch. The skill level of Class Seven is predictable. This is a waste of my time.”

“What are you talking about? Today’s the day your boyfriend confidently advances to Class Five. How do you expect to score points with him if you don’t root for him on a day like this?”

Amy clicked her tongue. “Cheering or not, those who pass will pass, and those who fail will fail. That’s all there is to it.”

Although she tried to seem indifferent, Amy’s curiosity about the outcome was stronger than anyone else’s. She wondered if Sirone had managed to improve his teleportation skills in a month. Actually, can he even teleport at all?

Practical training was recognized as the most effective method to master teleportation. It typically started only when one could at least maintain their physical integrity, given the excruciating nature of the process.

Amy, always one to take the plunge, had found it manageable thanks to her Schema. But it’s likely not the same for Sirone. Nonetheless, he’s not one to easily give up. I really hope he’s in good shape today. Class Seven, despite their youth, had shown notable talent. It wouldn’t be a shock to see any of them get disqualified.

“Huh? But why isn’t Sirone here yet? I can’t spot him.” With a puzzled expression, Seryel tilted her head.

Amy quickly grabbed her binoculars and started scanning the area. Among the twenty students by the cliff, Sirone was notably absent. “Huh? What’s going on?”

“Do you think he failed to learn the spell?” Seryel inquired, concern edging her voice.

Amy remained silent as her certainty wavered. She had entrusted Sirone with the task, but she knew all too well the difficulty of self-teaching such intricate magic. Amy gritted her teeth in frustration. What is that idiot doing? Where in the world is he?

In the warm embrace of the sunlight, Sirone’s eyes slowly opened. The sky stretched vast and high above him, and as a jay hopped curiously toward him, the details of his situation came flooding back.

“Aah! What the heck?”

He found himself in the middle of the training ground, exactly where he had collapsed from exhaustion the night before. The sleep deprivation and physical toll had reached a point where losing consciousness was no longer shocking.

The advancement test! A surge of panic propelled Sirone to his feet, and without a moment’s delay, he dashed toward the training ground. There was no time to check the clock. The quickest way to ascend a thousand meters was to run unhesitatingly.

Please! Let me make it in time!

The Pathless Bridge

“Shall we begin, Headmaster?” Sienna asked.

“Yes, please proceed.”

As Sienna launched the flare spell into the sky, a palpable tension swept over the training ground.

Etala, stationed on the participants' side of the cliff, arranged the students in a line. “When I signal, run toward the cliff. The one who teleports the furthest will pass.”

The students nervously swallowed. The challenge of the Pathless Bridge was rated level one due to the absence of physical obstacles, yet the fear induced by the sheer altitude seemed insurmountable. The students doubted their ability to traverse the seven-hundred-meter gap. A simple calculation revealed that they would need to chain together an astounding seventy teleportations to cover the entire distance. Any disruption in their rhythm would mean succumbing to gravity, and the terror of falling could shatter their focus.

No one can complete it anyway. Is there truly no safety measure when falling is inevitable? If we’re relying on the professors to catch people as they fall, what happens if they miss? one of the students thought.

Even those who knew the professors’ capabilities had doubts as their lives hung in the balance. The true test was whether they could execute teleportation above the cliff while ensnared by fear. Alpheas had chosen this method to measure the students’ resolve.

Mark, however, was the picture of calm. I’ve been practicing every day. As long as no one interferes, I should be able to do seventy repetitions.

Sirone’s absence added an unexpected element to the situation. Rumors of his slow progress were one thing. His actual absence was another.

Seems he couldn’t do it after all. He’s nothing special without his Spirit Zone.

On the other hand, Amy was visibly affected by Sirone’s absence, her earlier pretense of indifference replaced by anxious pacing and bitten lips.

“Amy, look there!” As Seryel pointed to the opposite peak.

Amy immediately brought the binoculars to her eyes. There was Sirone, gasping for air at the peak. Dirt smeared his clothing, and bruises were evident on his exposed skin.

“What took him so long? That idiot!”

Seryel exhaled a sigh of relief. “At least he made it in time. But will he be okay to start? He must be worn out.”

“As if I care! He’s lucky he wasn’t disqualified before it even started!”

Amy’s irritation stemmed from her concern, but Sirone’s presence at the test site implied that he had, against all odds, mastered the spell. Then... Those injuries… Having learned teleportation through her own rigorous efforts, she guessed at the extent of Sirone’s training.

Seryel remarked, “The wind is quite strong today. This test will be even more challenging.”

In nearly sub-light speed conditions, factors like wind and air pressure became critical.

The same conditions apply to everyone. It’s up to Sirone to overcome them, Amy thought.

The other students, primed for the test, were taken aback by Sirone’s sudden appearance.

“Tsk! He must have planned to show up late to throw us off,” one muttered.

“He’s craftier than he looks,” said another.

While Sirone had indeed unsettled his competitors, he was already on the brink of physical exhaustion, gasping for air after his race to the peak.

Etala, observing Sirone’s labored breaths, hesitated. What should we do?

The test was predicated on equal conditions for all, and Sirone’s state cast doubt on the fairness of proceeding immediately. Etala fired an orange flare into the sky.

In their predetermined code, orange indicated hesitation. The professors on the other peak saw the orange light and deliberated. They were torn between commencing the test forthwith or allowing Sirone a brief respite.

“What’s your decision, Headmaster?” Sienna asked.

“Let’s proceed. Managing one’s condition is also a test of a student’s abilities. We needn’t interfere.”

“Very well. Then...”

When Sienna launched the red flare to signal the start of the test, Sirone, staggering with exhaustion, made his way between the other students.

“Over here, Sirone.”

To his surprise, they parted to make room for him, a gesture that seemed kind but was, in fact, part of a tactic devised by Mark.

Tension among the students reached its peak with each breath growing heavier. Despite their extensive training, none had practiced on a cliff a thousand meters high. They were on the verge of entering new territory, unsure of the sights and sensations awaiting them or the intensity of the fear they would feel when the sky opened up beneath their feet.

“We will now begin the Class Seven early advancement test. Get ready.”

The students assumed their running stances. With the pounding of their heartbeats in their ears, Etala cast a light spell, sending a red orb soaring into the sky. On the opposite cliff, professors prepared with clipboards in hand as the students shot off the ground.

Lead! I must take the lead! As long as I stay in first, I can make this work!

With similar strategies in mind, the students surged forward. Sirone was exhausted and slightly behind, but he held onto the possibility of a comeback. As they neared the cliff, each faced a critical decision on when to teleport, a moment reliant on personal resolve.

The ideal strategy was to leap from the cliff and then teleport, but there weren’t many who could execute such a daring move. At the brink of the test, with tensions at their peak and facing an altitude they had never experienced, the students were challenged by varying wind speeds, air pressures, temperatures, and other environmental factors that differed from their practice conditions. A lapse in concentration, spurred by the shock of the leap, could lead to failure before even attempting to teleport.

Barely five meters from the cliff’s edge, several students, succumbing to fear, activated their teleportation spells too soon. Confusion spread, and others began to teleport, one by one.

In the vanguard, only Mark had yet to teleport. No! Just a bit further! The cliff loomed, and a wave of vertigo washed over him. What if I fall? Doubt crept in, a natural response in the face of real danger, despite his confidence during practice.

Two members of Mark’s escort team succumbed to the pressure and teleported ahead. “Those idiots!” As his supposed protectors disappeared into the distance, Mark could no longer resist and cast his spell.

Only three seconds had elapsed since the test began. Many students from the middle of the pack had already teleported off the cliff, yet Sirone was still running toward the edge.

The strategy team assigned to hinder Sirone tensed up.

That crazy bastard! Why is he still running? He’ll fall off the cliff!

As Sirone neared the cliff with only two steps remaining, even the two members of the strategy team activated their teleportation.

Not yet. Sirone pressed on further. For him, who had grasped the true nature of danger, fear was merely an illusion. I need to catch up now.

Since none of the competitors had completed their first teleportation yet, if Sirone timed his start correctly, he could make up for the ground he had initially lost.