Infinite Undying [Post-Apocalypse LitRPG]

How many hours had they actually been climbing?

Zeph truly felt like every finger had gone completely numb. Even when he tightened his grip, he could no longer tell whether he was holding on firmly enough or not. Even the burning ache running through his arms and shoulders had become so constant that he had almost stopped noticing it.

The higher they climbed, the more obvious it became that the other participants were spreading farther apart. Whether they were on the same side as Zeph's group or on the opposite cliff, some had already climbed far above them while others were still trailing behind.

It turned out they had been climbing nonstop for two straight hours, but it honestly felt like they had spent an entire day hanging on that cliff.

Eventually, they found a small ledge that was just wide enough to take a break and catch their breath. It was only a narrow patch of rock, barely enough space for them to sit, and even then they still had to keep themselves balanced to avoid slipping.

It felt unbelievably wonderful. Being able to finally let their bodies rest, even for a moment, was incredibly comfortable and almost too good to be true.

Zeph pulled out a bottle of water, then another one, handing them to Suki before passing the rest around to the others.

Earlier, he had already asked everyone to leave behind anything they did not absolutely need. Zeph had even carried several of their belongings himself, especially the things they felt comfortable entrusting to someone else. Their main weapons, of course, stayed with each of them.

“Uwah, this is incredible,” Suki said with a quiet laugh.

She turned toward Zeph. The tie holding her hair had already come loose, leaving her long hair falling freely around her shoulders.

“Thanks, Zeph. You're seriously a lifesaver. This water is still cold. It honestly feels so refreshing.”

Zeph simply smiled and gave a small nod.

“Why do I have to be stuck in a situation like this...”

They heard someone's voice, and when they turned toward the far right, they saw the complaint had come from Malon.

“You've done an amazing job, Malon. You made it this far. You should be proud of yourself,” Hugh said.

“I've been relying on you way too much. If you weren't beside me, I probably would've chosen to jump off a long time ago,” he said again.

“You're much stronger than you think you are. We only made it this far because of your decision to analyze every possible route. We chose this side, and we haven't been chased by any monsters.”

“I didn't make the decision. I only gave my analysis. Zeph was the one who decided. Without you and Zeph, I would've never made it this far,” he replied, looking incredibly gloomy.

So even someone as brilliant and intelligent as Malon had his own struggles. In his case, it was a painfully low sense of self-worth.

They remained there for a while, quietly enjoying the rare chance to rest, doing their best to recover their strength before continuing the climb.

Zeph turned toward Malon once more.

“How long do you think we can rest here, Malon?”

The boy looked back at Zeph with a terrified expression, both of his hands trembling.

“We can't stay here for long. This route already takes much longer to climb. There'll be another obstacle waiting in the third stage once we get up there. I'm sure the time limit is going to be extremely tight if we waste any more time.”

Zeph nodded once again.

“Okay. Two minutes. Recover as much energy as you can. Then we keep moving. We should be getting close now.”

Was the entrance trial for Hunter Academy really this brutal?

No wonder people always said Lumeris Hunter Academy produced some of the finest hunters on the continent. Even though many of its graduates eventually left Lumeris to build their careers in other cities, the academy's reputation had never faded.

After their short break, they continued climbing with what little strength they had managed to recover.

The distance they had thought was already halfway… Turned out to be nothing more than an illusion.

Another two hours passed before they found another place where they could stop and rest. Even then, there was still no sign of the summit waiting for them.

Still, the higher they climbed, the easier the terrain gradually became. Almost every few dozen meters, they could at least find somewhere to press themselves against the cliff and catch a brief breath. Every so often, there were even small rocky ledges they could actually stand on for a while before continuing.

At least the academy hadn't made the entire climb a completely vertical wall from bottom to top.

Finally, after nearly seven exhausting hours, they reached the very edge of the cliff.

The final pull.

Zeph pushed himself upward with everything he had left until a wide stretch of solid ground welcomed him.

Without caring about anything else, he threw himself forward and collapsed onto the ground the moment he made it to the top.

This was absolutely insane.

Was the selection test finally over?

Surely plenty of people had already given up before reaching this point.

[First Trial Completed.]

[Participants Remaining: 542 / 2,300]

[Time Limit Remaining Until Sunset: 5 Hours 41 Minutes]

[Second Trial]

[Continue toward the setting sun. Reach the destination before nightfall.]

[Failure to arrive before the time limit expires will result in immediate elimination.]

Zeph read the system notification before slowly sitting back up and scanning the area around them.

Only then did he realize that the top of the cliff connected no matter which side the participants had climbed. A natural path linked both routes together, making it easy for everyone to cross over.

The two climbing paths had ultimately led to the very same destination.

He then looked up at the sun hanging high overhead. From up here, its scorching heat felt even more merciless. The temperature had to be at least fifty degrees Celsius. It was unbearable.

An ordinary person would have already collapsed from dehydration under conditions like these.

“We've still got more than five hours until sunset,” Zeph said. “Time flows differently inside this Rift. The daytime here isn't the same as outside.”

Malon, whose face had become frighteningly pale, took another long drink from his bottle before replying.

“Yes. This will probably be another endurance test. They're making us run toward the destination while dealing with whatever obstacles they throw at us. Monsters, difficult terrain, environmental hazards, or perhaps even something we haven't encountered yet.”

Hugh planted his feet firmly on the ground, sending several loose pebbles rolling back toward the edge of the cliff.

“Let's go. We can do this. If any of you get too tired, I'll carry you,” he said confidently.

“As much as I'd appreciate being carried, I refuse to embarrass myself like that, Hugh,” Malon replied as he slowly got to his feet. “I'd rather give up and come back next year. I'm still young. I'll push myself much harder before taking the trial again.”

“Yes, at least this part is easier,” Suki said with an encouraging smile. “Running has to be better than climbing, right? We can do this.”

Zeph stood as well, stretching his stiff body before preparing to move again.

Several other teams had only just managed to climb onto the plateau, while others had already recovered and started running ahead.

“Well,” Zeph said, looking toward the distant horizon where the sun would eventually set, “let's get moving.”

“Time to run.”

They started running together, and every footstep Hugh took felt heavy enough to make the ground around them tremble.

Looking at him, most people would probably underestimate him because of his soft, chubby appearance. But the strength hidden inside that body was absolutely incredible. Every stride carried overwhelming power.

Suki, on the other hand, looked bright and carefree, almost delicate at first glance. Yet she was surprisingly athletic. She had barely complained during the entire climb, and her body control had been almost flawless. Even now, as they ran, her form remained perfect as she effortlessly matched the team's pace without wasting a single movement.

Malon might have been the one who complained the most or constantly put himself down, but his determination was unbelievably strong. No matter how little confidence he had in himself, he never stopped moving forward. He was tougher than he gave himself credit for. On top of that, he was incredibly intelligent and always approached every situation with calm logic.

Then again, Malon was also the one who had brought Hugh and Suki together.

He was the one who had invited Zeph to join their team as well.

Zeph silently made up his mind.

He would do everything he could to make sure all four of them passed this selection test together.

“Malon, we're going to pick up the pace if you can handle it,” Hugh said as he gradually increased his speed.

“Please, don't treat me like I'm made of glass,” Malon replied between breaths. “I can force my body to keep going. Until I physically collapse, I'll keep running. I've already relied on you far too much. I'll only be fighting from the back lines later. The last thing I want is to become even more of a burden.”

Suki let out a cheerful laugh before suddenly accelerating past everyone else.

Then she turned around and ran backward with effortless balance, waving both hands enthusiastically.

“Come on, everyone! We can all do this! This is so much fun! I love this! I love you guys!”

She finished with another bright giggle.

Zeph smiled and gave a small nod before focusing on the road ahead once more. He kept running, doing everything he could to maintain the same pace as Hugh and Malon while conserving enough energy for whatever awaited them next.

Several times during the run, Zeph pulled out bottles of water and tossed them to the others without slowing down.

“Zeph, are you sure you've got enough water for yourself?” Hugh asked after catching another bottle. “I can keep going without drinking if I have to.”

Seeing that, Suki lowered the bottle she had just opened and glanced back at Zeph.

“No need to worry,” Zeph replied. “I brought enough water for even you to take a bath in, Hugh.”

For a moment, Hugh and Suki literally froze with their mouths hanging open in disbelief.

Only Malon seemed completely unsurprised, as though he had already expected Zeph to prepare something ridiculous like this.

“No, not that much,” Zeph added with a small laugh. “But seriously, don't worry. We've got enough.”

After that, they each took out energy bars and dried jerky, eating while they ran to replace at least some of the strength that had been drained by the relentless heat.

This was pure torture.

It felt like they were running around the edge of a massive lava lake, even though the landscape was nothing more than an endless stretch of dry, cracked earth. Sparse shrubs and a few withered trees were the only signs of life scattered across the barren plain.

“Let's go!” Suki shouted after finishing another bottle of water before casually tossing the empty bottle behind her. “Let's run even faster!”

Eventually, they spotted several other participants lying ahead on the ground.

Some were completely sprawled out, others could barely sit upright, and a few looked so weak that they could only breathe heavily while shielding themselves from the blazing sun.

“They've given up,” Malon said. “They should be removed from the Rift soon.”

Just as Zeph and the others ran closer, those exhausted participants suddenly reacted.

One after another, they forced themselves to sit up before stretching both hands toward the approaching group, desperation filling their faces.

“Please... give us some water! Just a little! We'll pay you anything once we're back outside!” one of them shouted.

"Please! I don't want to fail like this! Just one bottle is enough!"

"We're begging you! Please help us! We only need enough to keep going!"

"Please... even a few mouthfuls! Don't leave us here!"

Zeph and his team continued running, drawing closer until they were almost alongside the stranded group.

At that very moment, Hugh and Suki both turned to look at Zeph.

Neither of them said a word, but the expressions on their faces made it obvious they were waiting to see what he would do. Would he share the water with them, or would he leave them stranded there, thirsty and on the verge of elimination?

Meanwhile, Malon quietly clicked his tongue. It was as though he already knew exactly what choice Zeph was about to make.