Chapter 105: The One Who Keeps Moving Forward
Dune kept moving.
Each step carried him farther from Ned. It wasn't fair. Ned had trained just as hard as anyone, no, even harder. He had fought, bled, and survived countless battles. But here, in this test, all of that didn't seem to matter.
Dune clenched his fists as he walked. Ned shouldn't give up. He can't.
He thought of the determination in Ned's eyes during every fight they had fought together. The way he pushed himself beyond his limits over and over. That was what mattered. Not some arbitrary test. Not some glowing gates that tried to define their worth.
Dune exhaled. He'll be fine. He has to be.
Beside him, Atlas walked at the same pace. Dune could feel the weight of the test pressing against them, the same invisible force that had crushed so many others.
As they passed the 40th gate, something changed.
The crowd, tens of thousands of spectators seated above them, erupted into noise.
"Look! They're still going!"
"They passed forty!"
"No way, these two are real monsters!"