Obstacles

Before crossing the first obstacle, Luca focused on the most benign questions.

In a bid to distract himself from the thought of getting electrocuted if his guess was wrong, Luca thought about things like tuition fees as well as backup schools.

Luca wondered why anyone would want to pay excessive tuition fees to attend this school. This was very much the same as paying to scare yourself. In this case, he was paying to expedite his death.

Crossing the first obstacle successfully made him want to pass out. And that was something considering he didn't even get hurt when he walked through. Though he did imagine the many ways he'd die from this.

A good joke, considering he's already died a worse death.

Okay, well… That thought was a bit comforting. 

Luca suddenly felt better at the realization that he had already been there and done that. He was practically a veteran, so what was the uneasiness all about?

Even D-29 sensed the shift in his emotions, prompting him to ask about Luca's well-being.

"I'm fine." He mumbled in his mind. It's just that when he managed to cross the first obstacle, the number of people staring at him instantly multiplied.

It was understandable because he passed without issues while looking like he was ready to faint at any moment.

It further worsened when Luca reached the second obstacle, which featured a minefield.

The three people who had long finished the obstacle used much of their physical abilities. They jumped on the "exploding pods" whenever they encountered one.

But Luca would not be able to perform such a feat even if they gave him an entire day for just this obstacle.

So, he opted for a more conservative style.

He observed that the plates were pressure sensitive, so Luca decided to knock on them from afar before deciding where to step.

His other method was to slightly levitate himself by at least a centimeter off the ground so he could move without touching anything, but he was worried about his spiritual energy. This was just the second obstacle.

So, when Luca passed by, walking and pausing every now and then, some people couldn't help but speculate that he was being assisted.

How could he always choose the correct path? And how come he's never had to put in too much effort when everyone else was near exhaustion?

Luca looked like a cheater to most of the regular students. It was only the likes of Instructor Falco, as well as the other staff, who noticed Luca's strategy.

It was an odd strategy, but it worked. And the rules gave the students a lot of freedom to figure out solutions that would work for them.

This boy's solution just looked odd.

But to Sergeant Falco, this was a showcase of true strength. Not everyone could see spiritual powers in this form. It takes years of training for the eyes to develop the ability to see the materialization of spiritual energy.

So, this kid's strategy wasn't something that could be easily replicated. Nor was it something that those younglings would understand.

But what he found amusing was how this batch had more students who could use visual resonance than expected. Aside from the teaching staff, three other students stared at the floor around Luca.

Was this how the Four Great Dukedoms maintained their status?

Some may wonder how Sergeant Falco figured it out. It was because everyone who could use visual resonance looked at Luca's feet and the floor around him, where he was expertly using his spiritual tendrils to knock on the surrounding plates.

Not only was he splitting them into several strands, but the kid was also using each strand simultaneously.

Meanwhile, Luca thought he was being discreet in his actions, choosing to use as few tendrils as possible and only checking close to him.

Thankfully, Luca was oblivious to the increasing number of people watching him skittle through the second obstacle. So, he managed to maintain his concentration as he navigated his way through the next three obstacles.

If anything, Luca had a solution to the first five obstacles. Because he knew he could use his spiritual powers to pass those.

His problem was this giant wall.

This was actually the easiest obstacle for most of the examinees, but this was Luca's most dreaded challenge. The only beauty of this obstacle was that failing only resulted in pain and not a restart of the entire run.

Luca needed a solid run-up to reach over the wall. But the problem was how this body had no concept of jumping.

What jumping? He could barely even hop just the other day!

So, Luca stared at the wall as if it would grow legs and walk if he looked harder.

"Host, how are you planning on going over this wall?"

"I could use my spiritual powers, but I'm not confident I'll have enough energy to overcome the remaining obstacles."

"D-29, I can shrink the Dungeon gate, right?"

"The Dungeon Gate? Well, yes, Host. Why?"

"Is it sturdy enough to bear my weight?"

"Huh? It's supposed to be sturdy enough to ram against a planet. But what does that have to do with this wall?"

"Okay then. You better hang in there somewhere."

Luca had no other option unless he would be allowed to use a ladder from his space.

So, he opted for a stepping stone. Luca's grand (foolish) plan was to hop onto a very shrunken gate.

A gate so small it'd look like the sole of his shoe. The only reason he thought of this was because Dungeon gates can appear in all sorts of orientations; therefore, stepping on it shouldn't be a problem, right?

To everyone else, Luca looked weird as he stopped before the wall for a very long time.

But Sergeant Falco realized that Luca had a problem with the physically intensive obstacles.

Well, he does look a little too frail. So what was he planning on doing to cross over?

Since Luca had been standing there for close to half an hour already, many of his initial spectators decided to focus on their own attempts. So, when Luca suddenly burst in for a wall run, most people missed the crucial part.

Luca's heart thundered as he ran, trying to time the moment he reached for the top of the wall. What he severely lacked was strength in his limbs, so even if he could touch the top, he wouldn't have enough strength to pull himself over.

But that stepping stone should do the trick, allowing him to push up further so that his fingers wouldn't have to bear his entire weight.

And he soared, alright? In fact, he practically toppled over.

Because Luca forgot about the barrier protecting the gate, by the time he opened his eyes, he was already slumped against the floor, fresh from an undignified tumble.