Chapter 15: Spy Training (Part 2)
Immediately following the death of one of the awakeneds, palpable tension filled the air as everyone continued their climb.
The summit seemed even more distant than before, with each climber's heart pounding as they ascended. Their bodies felt heavier, even though nothing had actually changed. This peculiar sensation was all too recognizable—it was fear.
'Everyone's slowed down… they're scared.' Dawn concluded, maintaining his initial climbing pace.
His energy circulation had been momentarily disrupted upon seeing the dead body, but he managed to regain control swiftly by adjusting his breathing.
Death was a phenomenon he had grown accustomed to. Although he was a coward who feared losing his own life, he was oddly able to keep his cool in times like these.
Thanks to this composure, he managed to overtake Karol and the other awakeneds ahead of him.
The naturally awakened were already at the top, and most of the forcibly awakened remained below them, still reeling from the exhaustion effects of their forced awakening and the solitary confinement.
Surprisingly, however, a few of the forcibly awakened were keeping pace with the naturally awakened. Among them was Dawn, who despite starting from the very bottom was rapidly ascending through the ranks.
'Ah, am I moving too quickly? I can already feel Rek's gaze on me; I'd rather avoid drawing any more attention than necessary.' Dawn thought to himself, intentionally slowing his pace.
'Still, nobody else seems to have fallen since they're being cautious. Perhaps I was worrying for no reason—'
Splat!
Dawn was interrupted by the all too familiar sound of bones crunching as something crashed against the ground below him. He and the others glanced down to find another person had fallen—it was one of the forcibly awakened, one of the few Dawn had just overtaken.
Despite the startling noise, unlike before, the awakeneds continued their climb and ignored it. They had gotten quite high, and the sight of the fall in itself could greatly interfere with their concentration.
Moreover, many of the naturally awakened, like Dawn, were channeling the energy within themselves to maintain their climbing speed. Disrupting that could easily be the difference between life and death, so they pressed on.
"A lot of them have caught on quite rapidly and started channeling their inner energy... They might be able to avoid dying at this rate…" One of the guards standing beside Rek muttered excitedly.
"Nope, they're still going to die, just like many from the first and second generations did. I'll bet a quarter of them this time around." Another guard muttered.
"I'm betting a fifth. It's only the first day after all…" A third guard pitched in.
The guards continued bantering joyously, seemingly oblivious to the children fighting for their lives. Dawn and the others in the process of climbing could hear their conversation, causing an additional layer of distraction.
Likely, the guards' distractions were intentional, and they seemed to succeed since some of the awakened began to struggle. Dawn, too, paused, but not for the same reason as the others.
His attention was focused on a screen that abruptly appeared before him.
[You sense an increase in your strength.]
[Your proficiency in channeling your inner energy is steadily improving.]
Both notifications popped up on separate screens, yet despite their promising messages, he didn't notice any changes.
'System, show me my status.'
[Dawn Goldblood.]
[Race: Human.]
[Core Rank: Awakened.]
[Level 1 (0/50)]
[HP: 76/100%]
[Energy: 91/100%]
[Strength: 3]
[Agility: 3]
[Stamina: 4]
[Sense: 5]
'Just as I thought, there are no changes to my status besides a slight increase in my health and energy after sleeping…' Dawn thought.
He pondered on the notifications a bit longer.
'Maybe these are indicators that one of my stats will increase soon? In other words, if I keep getting these notifications, something might change…'
He gazed at the screen for a moment longer before shaking his head and resuming his climb. Understanding the notifications was not the priority for now; he had to concentrate on the immediate task.
'Let's keep climbing…' He muttered, lifting his arm to hoist himself further up.
-
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"Wow... I did it..." Dawn muttered, panting heavily as he hoisted himself over the edge of the cliff.
While a few were still climbing, the majority had already reached the top. Dawn could have completed his ascent sooner but had chosen to hang back to avoid attracting attention.
However, he felt this effort was somewhat wasted since Rek's gaze had been fixed on him throughout his climb.
'What a nuisance…' He thought dejectedly, glancing downhill at Rek, who was still stationed at the base of the cliff.
Only two bodies lay at the foot of the cliff. Just two of the awakened had fallen, which was considerably fewer than everyone had anticipated.
'I expected a lot more to fall, this isn't bad at all. But it's not over yet...' Dawn thought to himself as he surveyed those before him.
Many of the awakeneds were visibly exhausted—some were lying, faces downcast, while others were sitting. Yet, surprisingly, a number of them still seemed full of energy despite their ordeal.
"I was the first to reach the top." Mason asserted, grinning.
"Are you blind? It was clearly me," Blaise retorted.
"Quit it! You two reached the top at the same time, and you weren't even the first ones to get here." Freya interjected. "You were too focused on each other to notice, but she was the first." Freya continued, pointing at Aella who stood apart from the group, remaining silent.
At Freya's proclamation, Aella briefly cast a glance at Freya before looking away as if to dismiss her claim. Due to Freya's words, the attention of the other awakeneds was now on Aella.
Mason and Blaise, however, were not willing to accept this.
"What?! What are you talking about? We took the lead from the start and didn't slow down once."
"Yeah! How did she possibly reach up here before us?!"
"Believe what you want," Freya retorted, crossing her arms. "Ayleth saw it too. Didn't you, Ayleth?"
All eyes turned to Ayleth, who responded with a confirming nod.
"That's correct; she reached here before both of you."
Upon hearing this, Mason and Blaise squinted, a sense of defeat creeping in. Clearly, they were still struggling to accept the result.
Like Aella, Dawn tuned out the squabbling and focused on their surroundings. In front of them extended a long passageway that ran deep into the cave. It seemed they had ended up in a different section of the Labyrinth.
'I wonder what lies in that direction… could it be another—'
His thoughts were cut off as a voice suddenly projected from behind him.
"Once those who are still climbing reach the top, you'll start your endurance run. The reward for reaching here early is this moment of rest, be grateful."
Dawn's eyes widened as he instantly turned towards the source of the voice. Standing there, right behind him at the edge of the cliff, was Rek.
'When did he get here?! He was just at the bottom…!'
"Again, I won't assist you. This endurance run will not end until you reach the end of the path. The same rules apply as before, you are not allowed to rely on your ability, but you can enhance your physical prowess by channeling your energy."
"The run will start once the last person reaches the top of the cliff. The first five to reach the end will be rewarded. That is all."
With that, Rek's figure vanished from sight, disappearing without a trace. Everyone glanced left and right, searching for him, but found nothing.
"All we have to do is run through that cave? Sounds easy," Blaise commented, positioning himself to run.
"Too easy… there's probably something shady going on." Mason added, also getting ready to run.
"Even if there is, are you scared?" Blaise taunted.
"Me, scared? Just watch. The moment we start, I'll leave you all in the dust," Mason boasted confidently.