Even though many people were in a much higher position than Karyk, their speed had finally started to slow down to a large extent as the youngsters in the speed started resting regularly, feeling as if they couldn't continue without having enough rest.
On the other hand, Karyk was moving slowly, yet his speed was constant. He didn't appear to be affected by the pressure in the least, even when he didn't use any of his aura at all.
Standing in the back, Gabriel silently observed. He occasionally also kept looking at the sky. At the speed Karyk was going, it was highly likely that he was going to win. That meant they were going to meet the Generals soon.
If nothing went wrong, then things were going to proceed even more smoothly than they expected when they came here. Albeit, it was just an assumption for now. There were still many things to consider.
Just as he expected, Karyk kept climbing higher and higher, attracting even more attention. In fact, he had already entered the top hundred and he didn't stop there.
All the youngsters who had their own pride were stunned that a mortal could keep up with them or even surpass them.
They didn't know how it could be this easy for the kid, but they couldn't do anything. On the stairs, they couldn't interrupt anyone else. It was a rule akin to the rule about not using the magic in stairs.
Karyk maintained his pace, his eyes fixed on the top of the stairs, ignoring everyone else. He knew that he had what it takes to reach the summit and claim the prize that awaited him. After hours of climbing, he finally managed to reach the same step as the young man in the lead.
There was already a commotion amongst the older generation.
"It's impossible! Who is that kid? How could he take the lead?!"
"He must be cheating! That must be it!"
"How dare he cheat so openly? Did he think that he won't be caught?"
Many in the older generations were frustrated that their heirs weren't in the lead. However, if a mortal managed to win, then it was going to be even more insulting to them. For the sake of their dignity, they couldn't accept it.
They all looked at the Guard Captain, asking him to remove Karyk from this test. The voices of discontent only increased as more and more clans joined in.
On the other side, the Captain of the Guards could only smile. He knew better than anyone else about the secrets of this test. It was impossible to chest in the test. As for a mortal taking the lead, even though it was surprising, it wasn't impossible since the test was for willpower.
The Captain of the Guards didn't react to the voices of discontent and focused on Karyk on the stairs. From the start, Karyk hadn't slowed down. His speed was constant, where he only rested for a second at each step before climbing to the next.
****
In another place, the Four Generals were sitting around a round table, each with a glass of delicious wine in their hands.
Their discussions mostly involved Karyk and his recent actions. However, they also occasionally kept looking at the screen in the distance, which was showing the test of Stairway to Heaven.
"I really didn't expect a mortal to take the lead. His willpower must be quite strong." The Eastern General glanced at the screen, which showed Karyk taking the lead.
"He's certainly not bad. But he's still a mortal in the end. Can he really be of use?" The Northern General frowned. "I know the Lord asked us to train the winner of this test to the best of our abilities for some reason, but he's a mortal. How can we even train him?'
"Should we select the second rank instead?" The Western General asked, only to get a disappointed look from the Northern General.
"The second can't even reach halfway up the stairs. He's also useless. The younger generation has really fallen, it seems."
"We should just listen to the Lord and take the person who can reach the top. He must have some use for a person with strong willpower. It's the first time in a long while that he asked us to do something after all. That is, if he manages to reach the top." The Southern General smiled, revealing a cunning look in his eyes.
None of them was actually interested in training Karyk. However, if he reached the top, he really had no choice. So there was only one way left for him... To make the trial even more difficult!
The Stairway to Heaven was an artifact that belonged to him after all. It was something that he could control at will.
Currently, the pressure on each step was in the average range. However, the Southern General used his excess control to raise the difficulty.
****
The difficulty of the Stairway to Heaven suddenly increased. It not only came as a surprise to many that were still on the stairs, but also made them cough out blood since the pressure had suddenly increased so much.
In an instant, almost everyone was expelled from the Stairway to Heaven after failing the test.
On the other hand, Karyk slowed down for a moment. He noticed the sudden change and had a few guesses of his own as to why this was happening. However, even then, he was a god level being who had lived twice. So when it came to willpower, he was only superior to the Four Generals!
If he wanted, he could dash to the top step in an instant. However, he maintained his composure and showed as if he was having some difficulty, even as he continued climbing higher.
This surprised the Southern General even more. Even in the hardest situation, the mortal was still climbing. How could his willpower be so strong? Did they really have no choice but to select him?
While many of the Generals were surprised to see Karyk's performance, the young man succeeded in reaching the top.
Karyk stood on the top step, finishing this trial!
