After entering what appeared to be an elevator, the group quickly reached the floating area a few hundred meters above the surface of Examire.
Arriving at one end of this floating area, the group came upon a place where many people were gathered near the elevator they had arrived in.
In front of these people was a platform where some of the elders who were members of this organization were standing. At the same time, from there, the group could see a peak and some stairs leading to the top of it.
They couldn't see anything beyond that peak. The de facto headquarters of the Armhands was on the other side of this floating neighborhood, behind this hill that no one there for the first time would have expected to find in their path.
The people there were silent, while one of the elders on the platform seemed to be explaining something important.
The group surveyed their surroundings, not understanding what was going on and feeling like they had been sent to the wrong place.
"Is it just me, or do we feel like we're in the middle of people who are here to compete to get into this organization?" Ruth commented to her group while Minos and Maximillian narrowed their eyes.
"Let's wait for these people to leave so we can talk to the elders. We may have to wait to take a closer look at this place." Maximilian remarked as he stepped back.
Then, they listened to the words of the level 105 alien speaking on the platform.
"... Today, only 10% of you will have the chance to join the Armhands, Examire's largest alien group. Those of you who are not among the 10% most capable will have to accept your inferiority and wait for a new opportunity at the lowest rank of the group. But even you will have a chance to join Armhands if you survive.
Even the weakest worm has importance and power if it has the virtue to stand the test of time. So don't give up while you're alive. Sooner or later, you can achieve what is necessary to join our universal force!"
Another alien, utterly different in appearance from the one who had just spoken, stepped forward onto the platform and said.
"The first test of selection is the ascent to the Motionless Peaks. There are 2,000 steps on the stairs you see behind us. Contrary to what you might imagine, the difficulty of each step does not increase as you progress.
The first 300 steps are the hardest, and all the deaths that will occur today will come from those steps. The following 700 steps will define those who go to the Dread Barrens. Those who make it through these 1,000 steps will probably pass the first test most of the time. But it is possible that some won't make it to the last step. These will be sent to The Blue Field.
We'll talk again with those who make it to the final step in the Motionless Tips. Good luck with your Armhands entrance exam!"
An overwhelming power fell on the hill in front of Minos' group, causing everyone in the area to swallow their saliva in nervousness as they realized this overwhelming power.
But when the members of that group handed out IDs containing only numbers to the last people who arrived there, suddenly, all those who had already received their IDs began to be attracted to the thing.
The people in Minos' group looked at it curiously for a moment, until one of them received an ID item and began to feel something that made him move toward those stairs.
"Hey! Stop that!" The man shouted as he felt something forcing him to move, even though he tried to resist. "I'm not here for this test!" He complained to the Armhands member handing out the IDs near Minos' group.
That being ignored this native of the Spiritual World and continued his work, soon throwing IDs in the direction of Minos' other companions.
Minos and Maximillian became more serious, sensing that this was no mere misunderstanding.
"Hey, we're just here to visit your group. We got the invitation from an alien who gave it to us here." Maximillian tried to dodge the object thrown in his direction while showing the bone that the level 106 creature they had encountered had given them hours ago.
One of the group members on the platform saw this and went over to Minos' people, along with two other level 104 creatures.
They took the IDs from the hands of the Grandmaster doing his job there and didn't hesitate to tag Minos' people themselves, leaving no room for anyone in the group to deviate from their IDs.
"Hey! What the hell?" One of the Sovereigns in the group shouted as he felt something stick to his clothes and was suddenly pulled toward the stairs.
As everyone in the group was tagged and forced to move toward the stairs, a level 104 alien said. "Now that you've come to our organization don't think about changing your mind."
"Shit!" Minos tried to act as if he was increasing his cultivation by stealing the cultivation base of one of the 10th-stage aliens around him.
One of the Sovereigns of that organization in the area looked at Minos with interest when he felt his cultivation increase by two full levels.
"It's not for nothing that one of us gave you this. With such an impressive ability, we must absorb this talent into our group!" Said one of the individuals on the nearby platform.
An individual who looked similar to the natives of The Adamant Land laughed and said. "Thank the companions who gave you this gift. You'll get some benefits if you survive."
"Thank them?" Maximilian clenched his fists in anger, but he couldn't do anything until he was on the first step of the mountain.
The moment he and the others felt their bodies under the staircase area, they all felt an overwhelming pressure on their bodies, as if some higher being was trying to crush them.
The first inclination anyone would have in that place was not to stop and scream in anger at their situation but to move to escape the overwhelming force trying to destroy them.
However, as the alien from earlier explained, the first few steps in this place were the hardest!
As they tried to move, everyone in Minos' group felt the horror of becoming immobile, as if they had suddenly lost total control over themselves.
Even Maximilian felt this as he tried to move and realized how ridiculous this place was.
Minos even tried to use his wings, but he couldn't. For some reason, the force behind this overwhelming pressure on them was preventing not only him but everyone on this staircase from using any accessories.
The Sovereign members of the Armhands smiled when they saw them in this predicament, curious to see the top-notch performance of this new team that had the previous item.
That item truly gave them an advantage, as it was a recognition of their potential. However, it would only be valuable once they became Armhands members. Until then, they would have to work hard, or they could go from being enslaved to dying!
They had the option of accepting the previous invitation. But once they entered the headquarters of Armhands or any of the other major local forces, there would be no turning back for them or anyone else. Either they went all the way to the end of the selection test, or they were screwed!
