"...Why can't I move...?"
A slew of voices murmured in confusion, barely able to utter a word. They lay sprawled across the staircase, unable to even lift a finger.
"I see..."
Zeke muttered to himself as he approached the stairs, already having an idea of what had hindered the foolhardy candidates.
"You managed to figure out this mess already?"
"I believe so. Just follow my lead for now."
He replied to Liz as she and Kenshin trailed behind him.
Upon reaching the wide staircase littered with struggling candidates, Zeke casually grabbed one of the crumpled bodies blocking his path and tossed him aside by the collar.
"You bastard, who do you think you're—? I mean, thank you for the assistance, my good sir..."
The young man began to complain before quickly changing his tune after receiving a malicious glance from Zeke.
Ignoring him, Zeke turned his attention back to the towering staircase and took his first steps upward.
Immediately, an overwhelming pressure descended upon him.
It felt as if the weight of the entire world had been placed squarely upon his shoulders.
Experiencing it firsthand confirmed his suspicion.
The gravity affecting these stairs was at least ten times stronger than normal.
Yet Zeke wasn't perturbed in the slightest.
To everyone's surprise, he continued climbing with apparent ease.
"He did it..."
"How is he able to overcome something that toppled people twice his size?"
"If that boy can do it, then there shouldn't be any reason why I can't do the same—or better."
Their pride ignited.
The spectators who had remained cautious finally began advancing toward the staircase, eager to test their own strength and resolve.
Zeke paused on the twelfth step, taking a moment to observe the unfolding scene.
Despite the immense pressure bearing down upon him, his thoughts remained clear.
He suspected Haruto had activated a formation known as the Gravity Field.
This specialized array amplified the planet's gravitational force within a designated area.
To resist such pressure, a martial cultivator needed to continuously reinforce both their body and internal organs with Qi.
For Zeke, this was a relatively simple task.
For everyone else, however, it was far easier said than done.
A reality that Kenshin and Liz soon discovered for themselves.
Both collapsed onto the stairs almost immediately.
Looking utterly lost, they struggled to move.
Seeing this, Zeke sent a voice transmission to each of them and began guiding them through the process.
As his impromptu lesson continued, every candidate eventually attempted the climb.
Only around one hundred managed to move beyond the growing pile of bodies accumulating at the base.
While observing the crowd, Zeke caught sight of several familiar faces advancing ahead without sparing him a glance.
'Taki's group...'
He narrowed his eyes.
Among the three fledglings selected by Reaper Taki, the strongest appeared to be a short, pale boy with rosy cheeks who resembled a porcelain doll.
Trailing behind him were a pair of orange-eyed siblings who looked nearly identical.
Unlike Rosemarie and her companions, they had remained quiet and kept to themselves.
Zeke knew little about them beyond their aliases.
Still, he made a mental note to remain cautious.
After all, Taki's grudge against him was no secret.
Ten minutes passed.
With Zeke's guidance, Kenshin and Liz finally managed to stand upright once more.
Neither was an expert in Qi control, but they had become proficient enough to properly resist the pressure.
"Ready to move?"
"Yup..."
They both answered between labored breaths.
Nodding, Zeke led the way as they continued climbing.
Meanwhile, Julep and Amber observed the spectacle from below alongside a growing number of Inner Disciples.
"I figured the previous three evaluations were far too lenient. Here I was beginning to worry that the Martial Alliance was growing soft."
"A needless concern, especially with Sensei Haruto overseeing things."
"You've got that right. I've still got the scars to prove what a hardass he can be. Barely a third of my class made it through under that old crow."
"Quite. Best watch what you say. You never know who's listening."
Similar conversations echoed throughout the area.
Overhearing them, Julep couldn't help but frown.
"Hmph. Ignore their slander, Amber. Sensei Haruto's methods are sometimes misconstrued as cruel by people who are entitled and inherently lazy."
She turned toward Amber.
Only to realize her words had fallen on deaf ears.
Amber stared straight ahead in a daze.
'There's no denying it anymore... that's him!'
Her eyes widened.
'I knew he had to be younger than me based on his height and voice, but I didn't expect him to be barely out of the womb! How embarrassing... and to think I actually had a crush on that snot-nosed brat!'
Covering her flushed face, Amber felt a mixture of rage and embarrassment.
She had finally recognized Zeke.
Because he intentionally hadn't put much effort into disguising himself, Amber had broken through her doubts almost immediately.
Feeling completely catfished, she silently vowed to take any lingering affection she once held for the Masked Panther to her grave.
Meanwhile, Julep tugged repeatedly on her sleeve.
"Amber? Amber! What's wrong with you?"
Yet Amber remained utterly unresponsive.
Noticing her long before she noticed him, Zeke couldn't suppress a smirk.
Thanks to Mind's Eye, he had observed her reaction from afar.
Even though they had never been friends, Zeke knew a thing or two about the Zeal Family from his previous life.
Amber possessed a naturally tsundere disposition.
And if handled correctly, her status and connections could prove useful later.
For now, however, he shelved those thoughts.
Half an hour remained.
By now, many candidates had slowed to a crawl.
Leaping several steps at a time, Zeke pressed onward.
Kenshin and Liz followed alongside Rosemarie, Sakura, and Sayuri, who had joined them after Zeke caught up.
Looking over his shoulder, Zeke noticed all five were running on fumes.
'At this rate, the chances of all six of us failing are becoming uncomfortably high.'
He sighed internally.
For a brief moment, he considered abandoning them.
If he traveled alone, reaching the summit would take less than fifteen minutes.
Yet he quickly dismissed the thought.
He was more than capable of overcoming this challenge while bringing everyone else along.
"It's about time we sped things up."
The declaration earned him several exhausted stares.
The looks on their faces clearly stated they were already moving as fast as possible.
Ignoring them, a blue aura gradually spread from Zeke's body and enveloped the others.
Immediately, the five felt significantly lighter.
"What?!"
"How is this possible?"
There was no time for explanations.
"Move!"
Zeke shouted.
Their pace instantly increased nearly tenfold.
By shielding them from the Gravity Field, he had transferred the burden onto himself.
The consequences were immediate.
His bones creaked under the strain.
What once felt like ten times normal gravity now felt closer to sixty.
His Qi reserves rapidly dwindled as he pushed far beyond the limits of a normal Stage 3 Disciple.
...
"Less than ten minutes remain."
Sensei Haruto quietly remarked while standing atop the summit.
Around thirty successful candidates knelt nearby, gasping for breath.
Meanwhile, Haruto remained calm, hands clasped behind his back as he maintained the formation.
Among the successful participants stood a peculiar trio who appeared completely unaffected.
"It doesn't look like he'll make it."
"Oh, how I was looking forward to crushing him myself. What a shame."
A brother and sister with matching black bob haircuts exchanged disappointed looks.
Their orange eyes gleamed maliciously.
Beside them stood the pale doll-like boy, listening in silence.
The siblings lamented the possibility that their target might fail before they had the chance to personally eliminate him.
Suddenly, an uproar erupted.
A torrent of flames surged up the staircase like a raging dragon and rushed directly toward Haruto.
The older man didn't move.
He stood within the inferno as though enjoying a warm summer breeze.
Then, from above the flames, an axe kick descended.
Haruto calmly raised his arm into a crescent block and caught the attacker's ankle.
In one fluid motion, he attempted to slam the assailant into the ground.
Yet the attacker used the momentum to launch himself away.
Performing a series of backflips, the bronze-skinned boy landed near the lone admissions building.
The crowd fell silent.
Candidates and Outer Disciples alike stared in disbelief.
A gentle breeze swept through the summit.
"What has gotten into you? Do you have a death wish?"
Haruto scoffed.
He vaguely recognized the boy wearing a turquoise gi as one of the candidates.
Using his Scouter, Zeke reviewed the man's status.
[Scout]
Alias: Haruto Namgung
Mana: N/A
Qi: 33,144/33,200
Sword Force: N/A
Power Level: 91,438
Health: 64,300/64,337
Title: (Stage 4 Disciple)
[Status Window]
Mana: 4,000/4,675
Qi: 6,300/15,650
Sword Force: N/A
Power Level: 72,586
Health: 32,000/36,333
Titles: (Blood Physique) (Venomous Physique) (1st Circle Mage) (Stage 3 Disciple)
"Not at all."
Zeke grinned.
"So pardon the rough introduction. I simply thought becoming an Outer Disciple wouldn't be worth a damn if I didn't experience a real test of my strength."
Several guards immediately moved to intervene.
Haruto waved them off.
"I've got this."
The guards reluctantly stepped back.
"Interesting."
Haruto lowered himself into a horse stance and extended one arm.
"Let's hope you don't come to regret that inflated ego of yours."
He beckoned Zeke forward.
"With pleasure!"
Lightning crackled beneath Zeke's feet.
He vanished.
In the next instant, he reappeared directly in front of Haruto, launching a devastating strike.
Haruto casually brushed the punch aside.
Undeterred, Zeke attacked again.
His fist blurred toward Haruto's blind spot.
The strike missed.
Then came another.
And another.
His attacks rained down like a storm.
Temple.
Jugular.
Eyes.
Kidneys.
Knees.
Every vital point was targeted.
Yet each attack was effortlessly neutralized.
Haruto's aura alone repelled many of the blows before they could even connect.
Forced back once more, Zeke retreated several meters.
Within only a few exchanges, the gap between them had become painfully obvious.
Yet instead of discouragement, excitement surged through him.
"Is that it?" Haruto sneered.
"After all that grandstanding, does your talent only amount to this much?"
Zeke wiped the corner of his mouth and grinned wider.
"I wouldn't count all your ducks in a row just yet."
A crackle of lightning danced around his body.
"I'm only getting started."