Chapter 126: There’s a limit to one’s tolerance.
Chapter 126: There’s a limit to one’s tolerance.
He had a feeling, a deep and unshakable intuition, that the imposter was more than capable of handling this test entirely on his own if circumstances required it.
Grey and Snow most likely had a higher chance of passing this test than anyone else in the group, their supernatural natures giving them advantages that ordinary humans could never hope to match.
Their group continued to climb and climb as the hours passed, the sun slowly tracing its arc across the sky above them. Little by little they gained more ground, ascending past one landmark after another, but they also noticed something accompanying their progress that they wished was not present at all.
The moment they had crossed the three hundred meter range, the pressure on the mountain had suddenly increased by twofold, doubling without warning.
Their muscles tensed and their breathing grew slightly more labored. At this point, none of them felt much discomfort from this increase, although it was something they didn’t want either way.
But after reaching six hundred meters the next hour, the pressure had increased by fourfold compared to what they had felt at the base.
This time everyone within the group could not help but frown, because now it felt as though they each had an extra forty kilograms pressing down on their shoulders, a weight that accompanied every step and made each movement require just a little more effort than it should.
Lucuis raised a hand, signaling for the others to stop, and turned to face them with an expression that allowed no argument. "I think we should all pause here for a while and rest. Pushing forward without adjusting to this pressure will only wear us out faster in the long run."
Snow’s reaction was immediate and predictable, her serpentine eyes narrowing as she fixed him with a look that could have curdled milk. "What are you talking about? We can still cover more ground if we continue. Stopping now is just wasting time that we could be using to climb higher. The summit is not going to come to us while we sit around doing nothing."
’If we stay here.’ she thought to herself, her mind working through the implications of his suggestion. ’ Then we will be forced to endure this pressure constantly without making any progress.’
’ Can he not see that it is already wearing some of us down?’
’ Every moment we spend resting here is a moment that pressure continues to press against us, draining our strength without any gain to show for it.’
Lucuis met her glare with perfect calm, his voice remaining steady and untroubled despite the hostility radiating from her direction. "The examiner never said anything about there being a time limit for this examination, did he? No, let me rephrase that."
" He told us we had to reach the summit before sundown, but he did not say we had to maintain a specific pace or reach certain checkpoints by certain hours. That means we have the freedom to manage our own progress however we see fit."
Snow’s expression grew even more displeased at his words, her jaw tightening as she prepared to argue further. "And that means it is acceptable for us to slow down like this? To just sit here doing nothing while the sun continues moving and the summit remains as far away as ever?"
"Well, if you are so eager to speed up and leave the rest of us behind, the path is right there." Lucuis casually gestured behind him toward the slopes continuing upward, his tone carrying no challenge or mockery, merely the simple statement of fact.
"No one is stopping you from climbing at whatever pace you prefer. If you think going faster is the right choice, by all means, demonstrate your wisdom by doing so."
His nonchalant attitude, plus the infuriating calm in the face of her anger, only made Snow’s gaze turn into something approaching a genuine glare, a look that promised future retribution for her current annoyances.
Her hands clenched at her sides, and for a moment it seemed as though she might actually accept his challenge and storm off on her own.
But before she could act on that impulse, and allow the tension between them to escalate any further, Amy suddenly stepped forward and placed a gentle hand on Snow’s shoulder.
Her touch was light, almost hesitant, but it carried a warmth that seemed to cut through some of the frost radiating from the serpent woman.
"I think he is right about this one, you know." Amy’s voice emerged soft but firm, carrying none of the confrontation that had colored the previous exchange. "There is no need for something as minor as this to cause us to start arguing with each other. We are supposed to be working together, not fighting amongst ourselves, our common goal is still to conquer this mountain, right? "
Snow turned to glance at her, those cold eyes searching Amy’s face for something, perhaps hidden motives or insincerity. But whatever she found there, whatever she saw in that gentle expression and those earnest eyes, it was enough to make her remain silent rather than continuing the argument. She did not agree, that much was obvious from the set of her shoulders and the tension still visible in her posture, but she also did not speak, which was probably the best anyone could hope for under the circumstances.
With Snow finally silenced, at least for the moment, Lucuis took the opportunity to continue explaining his reasoning before anyone else could interrupt.
"Like I was saying before someone interrupted me with unnecessary objections, if we make an attempt to rest every once in a while along our journey up the mountain, we should gradually get used to this artificial pressure eventually. Our bodies will adapt to the weight, learn to work with it rather than against it, and when we resume climbing we will find that the effort required has actually decreased compared to what it would have been if we had just pushed through without stopping."