Since Phaistos and his group were the first to follow the instructor, they were also the first to notice a detail that shocked them deeply.
"That's impossible… How can he cover such a distance in a single stride?!" exclaimed Zara, her gaze fixed on the instructor's silhouette. With each step, he seemed to traverse an unreal distance, effortlessly crossing ten meters in a smooth motion. The sheer physical power he exuded was utterly terrifying.
Sensing the urgency of the situation, Freya reacted immediately. "If we don't do something, he'll leave us behind in an instant! Hurry up!" Without hesitation, she quickened her pace, determined not to let herself fall behind.
As they followed the instructor across the vast golden plains of Helios, the heat grew increasingly unbearable. Each step required more effort, and the air shimmered faintly around them, as if infused with an invisible energy. Yet, despite their acceleration, the distance between them and the instructor remained unchanged. He moved without the slightest sign of exertion, gliding across the ground with an almost supernatural ease.
As they pursued him, an invisible weight seemed to anchor them to the ground. It wasn't just fatigue—it was something more oppressive, intensifying with every step.
Freya straightened with difficulty, her jaw clenched. "Something is pulling us down... This can't just be a test of endurance."
Miki attempted to take a longer stride, but his movement was abruptly halted, as if the air itself had thickened around him. "It's a force pressing down on us! The further we go, the heavier it gets."
Phaistos, struggling with each breath, grimaced. "This isn't natural... This field is crushing us like an invisible hand."
Kibi let out a frustrated grunt, forcing his muscles to move. "Whatever this is, we're not stopping here. We have to find a way forward."
Freya observed her companions. Their breathing was shallow, their movements sluggish. They were all trapped beneath this unseen pressure, and soon, they would be completely immobilized if they didn't act fast. She took a deep breath, focusing her energy on the air around them.
A cool breeze stirred, wrapping around the group in a refreshing gust that allowed them to feel a fleeting sense of lightness. The cold didn't completely dispel the oppressive force, but it soothed their muscles, giving them a brief reprieve.
Zara shivered before nodding. "It helps us breathe... Not enough to free us completely, but at least we can keep moving without collapsing."
Phaistos assessed the situation. "If we keep fighting against this pressure head-on, we'll exhaust ourselves too quickly. We need to change how we move—bend our bodies, lighten our steps, and work with the force rather than resisting it outright."
With this new approach, the group adopted a more fluid and measured pace, conserving every ounce of energy. They advanced slowly, bending their bodies to match the variations in the force field, focusing their efforts on adaptation rather than brute resistance.
Meanwhile, other groups of students, scattered across the plain, struggled in their own ways against the invisible force:
A tall young man with short, dark hair, accustomed to physical trials, tried crawling along the ground to reduce the pressure on his limbs. "If we stay upright, this thing is going to crush us!" he growled.
A slender student with pale hair moved with an unusual fluidity, almost like a dance, barely touching the ground without ever fully anchoring their weight. "If the ground wants to hold me back, then I must escape like a shadow..." they murmured.
A sturdy apprentice with a face marked by fatigue leaned on his companions, distributing the burden among them as they moved forward. "If we support each other, no one will fall too quickly."
A stocky boy with a focused expression studied the fluctuations of the force field, adjusting each step to match its rhythm. "This invisible weight isn't constant… It shifts. We need to understand its cycle to move forward without wasting energy."
Thus, each apprentice found their own method to survive the relentless pressure, all knowing they had to endure if they hoped to reach their goal.
The instructor, however, continued his advance without a word, observing the students closely. The trial had only just begun. He knew this test was not merely about strength—it revealed something deeper. He had just identified the first lesson: the ability to react to an unknown situation.
But just as they seemed to master a fragile balance, the pressure suddenly intensified, as if the very plains were testing them…
As the force escalated, a wave of panic rippled through several groups of students. Those who had found a semblance of stability wavered under the crushing impact of the unseen force, which seemed determined to pin them to the ground.
Phaistos felt his breath shorten, his body growing heavier as if his muscles refused to obey. "No… It's getting even stronger…" he murmured through gritted teeth.
Freya, who had begun cooling their bodies to ease the strain, struggled to maintain her power. "I can't strengthen it any further… If we keep going like this, it'll drain us completely!"
Meanwhile, the other groups fought as best they could.
The tall young man with short hair, who had resorted to crawling, finally stopped, his arms trembling under the pressure. "It's not enough… We're stuck to the ground…"
The pale-haired student tried to adapt, but even their light-footed movements were no longer sufficient. Their fluidity seemed disrupted by a force they couldn't fully grasp. They exhaled sharply, their gaze troubled. "The pressure is changing… It's becoming more erratic."
The sturdy apprentice and his team, who had relied on mutual support, found their strategy beginning to crumble. "We won't last if this keeps increasing… We need to find another way to move…"
The stocky boy studying the force fluctuations focused even harder. He noticed something no one else had. "There are moments when the pressure eases… They're brief, but we can use them!"
Phaistos lifted his head upon hearing this. "Where? Show me where it weakens!"
The stocky boy scanned their surroundings and pointed to a sector slightly ahead, where some apprentices seemed to be advancing with less difficulty. "There! We have to move in sync with this rhythm…"
Freya clenched her fists. "Then we follow this pace… We can't just stand here waiting to be crushed!"
With this new tactic, the students began tracking the cycles of the force field, waiting for the moments when the pressure eased, then moving quickly before it intensified again.
The instructor, still silent, narrowed his eyes slightly as he observed their adaptation. "This group has understood faster than last year's that war is also a matter of collaboration and leadership. The real question now is: who among them will rise to command in a place like this?"
As the invisible force continued to oppress them, a new challenge emerged: a searing wind suddenly rose, sweeping across the plains with an almost supernatural brutality.
Freya, already struggling to maintain her cooling breeze to relieve her companions, grimaced as the scorching air swallowed her efforts. In mere moments, her magic was completely nullified. "I can't use my power for several minutes… We have to find another solution!"
Phaistos gritted his teeth, scanning his surroundings. Several students, already drained by the gravitational pressure, were forced to halt, their breath stolen by the suffocating heat.
The pale-haired student, who had been moving with remarkable agility, faltered under the thermal shock and had to slow down considerably. "This heat… It's draining our energy even faster than the weight of the ground."
The sturdy young man, who had relied on group support, felt his teammates begin to waver. "We won't last long… This isn't just about strength anymore—it's about mental endurance."
As the burning wind continued to sweep across the plain, threatening to exhaust the last reserves of the apprentices, Zara, ever observant, noticed that some students were far more exposed than others. The force of the wind was not uniform—it struck those standing alone more fiercely, while those in groups seemed to resist it better.
She inhaled deeply and raised her voice despite the storm. "Listen to me! If we stay scattered, we'll burn out too fast. We need to regroup and form a human chain!"
Miki, who was already struggling to move forward, turned his head towards her. "A chain? What do you mean?"
"If we hold onto each other, those at the front will absorb most of the wind while the others can recover some energy. Then, after a while, we'll rotate positions so no one gets exhausted too quickly!" Zara explained with determination.
Phaistos immediately grasped the logic behind the strategy. "Instead of fighting alone, we protect each other… It makes sense."
To make the chain as effective as possible, the group rushed to inform the other students. Many quickly joined, and Kibi volunteered to take the lead.
They began advancing slowly. Several students decided to channel their magical energy into Kibi. He was soon cloaked in multiple layers of energy, shielding him from the wind's impact. However, they had clearly overestimated themselves—they were only apprentices of rank 2 or 3. In moments, their magical reserves were completely drained.
Phaistos, who was third in the formation, shouted: "Stop! If we go all out, we'll only exhaust ourselves. Give Kibi only a portion of your energy!"
The instructor, still advancing steadily, took a particular interest in Zara and Phaistos. He was impressed by how quickly they adapted to the evolving challenge. Yet they weren't the only ones to catch his attention—the tall young man with dark hair, the pale-haired student, the sturdy apprentice with his fatigued expression, and the focused stocky boy had all demonstrated remarkable adaptability as well.