Chapter 148
Rise of the Crusader
148 Tower III
The whole area was completely silent, with everyoneâs eyes glued to the screen.
âHe is going to do it,â Aiden exclaimed.
While it was merely one step that Bane took forward, the pressure that he encountered was simply overwhelming.
His face became pale instantly, and he couldnât help but bite his lower lips hard.
âThrash!â Marcel sneered.
He then advanced toward the seventh leveln/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
However, the moment, he placed both of his legs on the seventh floor, his body shook violently. It was almost as though he were experiencing a seizure.
The sound of bones cracking sound rang out inside of Marcelâs body, and a second after, he vomited, a mouthful amount of blood.
Before Marcel could then get a grip on himself, he was expelled from the tower quickly.
.....
âOh, my!â
As Marcel appeared out of the tower, he sat abruptly on the ground.
He was drenched in sweat and even though he was already out of the tower, he was still shivering with fear evident in his eyes.
The people in the surrounding only took a glance at him without a bit of care on their faces and after a brief moment, they moved their gaze away from him.
Unlike Marcel, Bane didnât rush into the seventh level immediately.
He took his time, and it was only after he was accustomed to the pressure of the seventh level that he placed his other leg on the floor.
The eight behind him paused, staring at him.
They had all watched how Marcel was expelled from the tower, and now they were hoping the same would happen to Bane.
However, a few minutes passed, and there was still no change from Bane. Instead, as the minutes went by, he seemed to be even more comfortable with it.
âHahaha!â
As Bane got used to the overwhelming pressure on the seventh floor, his laughter echoed through the surrounding.
Meanwhile, Ana clenched her hand into a tight fist, she heaved a deep breath afterward, and then took a step forward.
âYou want help, lady?â Bane asked in a cheerful tone.
He was, however, replied with a scornful look from Ana.
Ana was on the sixth floor, and even though her body was shivering and beads of sweat were all over her forehead, her eyes were on the eighth level.
âWatch this!â Bane blurted, with determination on his face, he placed both of his legs on the eighth level.
The first level to the seventh level dealt with the physical body, while the eighth level focused on the core area of oneâs body.
It tested willpower, and strong was a determination to move forward.
Would you submit to the pressure, or would you conquer it?
Bane shut his eyes closed, and his fears and worries flashed within his eyes. He clenched his hand into a tight fist as his body seemed to be breaking apart.
As Bane fought the pressure on the eighth level, Ana had just stepped onto the seventh level.
Seeing the grim look on Baneâs face, she thought deeply if whether or not she should take the step to the eight levels.
âI quit!â Ana stated a few seconds after.
Ana was aware of her own limit, the seventh level was what she was capable of handling. Any other move from there would result in serious damage to her body.
And after those words escaped her mouth, she was transported out of the tower immediately.
Among the twenty people who stepped into the tower, only three of them could pass the test of the tower.
Marcel was able to get to that sixth level without breaking down, Anaâs limit was the seventh level, and Bane was still stuck on the eighth floor.
As the pressure just kept increasing for Bane, the more difficult it was for him to withstand it. The beads of sweat on his forehead were replaced with blood, and that wasnât the only part that has blood on it.
He was bleeding from every part of his body.
Despite the harsh state he was in, as Bane opened his eyes, there was still unwillingness in his eyes. He felt he could do more.
âAhhhhh!!!!â
Bane suddenly let out a powerful roar, as he took a step to the ninth level.
He had however only just placed his leg on the ninth level when he was expelled from the tower.
âDamn it!â Bane yelled a second after, with rage and disappointment evident in his voice.
âThatâs enough, Bane, youâve done a good job,â Leilani exclaimed.
Even if Leilani didnât say the word, Bane himself knew he did very well. A smile was on his face as he walked away from the tower.
And once the student eligible for the next round were set aside, the next participants were called in.
Raphael had been hoping his name was going to be called out, but it wasnât. Instead, Aiden, Elisa, Naomi, and Dwayne were the ones called.
From the elite division, five students among the twelve who qualified were called. The murderer division had two students out, the norms had four students, while the bandit and research and support had five and four respectively.
âThis will be interesting!â
Those words escaped one of the studentâs mouths.
However, it wasnât just the students, and instructors who had that same thought, but the director as well.
Among the twenty students, three of them were on the top twenty most valuable student list, and the youth who was in second place was called forward.
At the moment, it was all eyes on Jeremy.
âI want to pass this message to you all before we begin.â
Suddenly, Wyatt spoke.
He had already stood from the obsidian throne, staring at the twenty participants and then the others.
âThis tournament might not mean much to some of you, but I want you to give it your all. Thereâs a lot to gain in the academy, and its tournament, once you put in your one hundred percent.â
âYou already have the right platform to do that, you simply need to put in more effort and most importantly, make hay while the sun shines.â
A smile appeared on Wyattâs face after he spoke.
He was about to ask for the tournament to continue when Nicholas stood from his seat.
However, there was no smile on Nicholasâs face, his expression was stern.
âThe director of the norms division is right, make hay while the sunshine, or else, you will miss out on several opportunities.â
âAs metahumans even though our life span is a bit more than the humans, our development rate isnât the same,â Nicholas said.
âA human can be idle for years and when he or she decides to become somebody, it is within the realm of possibility.
âAge or the foundation laid down doesnât necessarily determine where they would get in life. A human can become successful at the age of twenty, thirty, forty, fifty, even seventy, itâs very possible.â
âBut, while thatâs possible for them, it isnât for we metahuman. The foundation we lay down during our early stage is what will aid us for the rest of our lives.â
Apart from Nicholasâs voice, no other voice could be heard in the domain.
Not even a whisper as all the students listened attentively to what he was saying to them.
âAs metahumans, the age to prepare the best foundation is between one to twenty.â
âAnything beyond that is all for nuts.â Nicholas paused, âI will tell you this, your development rate once you get to twenty-one would decline rapidly, it would never remain the same.â
âBut if the foundation you have prepared for yourself is solid, you wouldnât encounter many problems. Itâs why we keep urging you, putting you through the test, to turn that rough gem into a fine one.â
âBecause we know, once you move past twenty, it will be difficult. So, put in more effort.â
âGood luck! You may continue with the tournament.â
The majority of the students were informed about the development phase and how important it was to prepare a solid foundation ahead.
It was one of the details that were passed on to them the moment they joined the academy.
Nicholas and Wyatt were simply reminding them of it.
They had to make good use of the opportunity to improve while they had it.
âYou may begin.â
Without delay, and the twenty students besides the tower walked into it.
The focus of attention in the tower was the three most valuable students.
Jeremy, Elisa, and Dwayne.
.....
And once they entered the tower, they moved immediately.
The three of them stepped onto the first level and then the second level within seconds. They kept moving forward without the intention to stop, and within seconds, they arrived at the seventh level.
âWhat the hell!â Aiden blurted in shock.
At first, he had been able to keep up with the place of those three, but once he stepped on the fifth level, he had to slow down a little.
Aiden slowly took his eyes off them and stepped onto the sixth level.
However, as he raised his head, staring at the three, his eyes twitched, and his mouth opened so wide that an egg would fit inside.
While he ascended to the sixth level, those three were now on the ninth level.
....
An- Support book for mass release
Magic Castle will go for 6 bonus chapters
Spacecraft â 10 bonus chapters
Gachapon â 15 bonus chapters... Thanks in advance.