Compared to the dress of the youths, the elders of Valiant Heart Mountain weren't dressed much differently at all. In fact, there were only two differences one could point out.
The first was the color of their cloth belts. What dangled between their legs wasn't the black of the youths, but rather a striking red. At least, most of them wore this red as though dyed by centuries of blood. The old man that led them, though, wore one of copper, as though the blood that had once drenched his had rusted over with age.
The second difference was a shawl draped over their shoulders. This matched the color of their cloth belts, giving them a more dignified appearance than the kids below.
The old man's exposed torso was just as hollowed out as the pale young man from before. But, though his body seemed worn with age, his back was as straight as a javelin despite the fact he simultaneously used a walking stick.
The atmosphere fell into silence as this group of five walked forward.
One could feel the difference between realms of existence when standing before the powerful. Though these five elders had yet to speak a word, it felt as though there was a mountain weighing down on them all, as though they wouldn't be satisfied until they all kneeled in deference.
Though the Dimensions felt like 'power levels', this wasn't the case. In fact, only talents like Leonel and Aina would feel this way… like crossing Dimensions and evolving to a higher state of being was no different than crossing any other barrier.
However, to middling existences, the barrier between Dimensions was akin to Heaven and Earth.
There was no doubt that each and every one of these elders stood as a Fifth Dimensional entity, a barrier that more than half of those here would never even cross, let alone travel so deeply into.
This was a strength that they idealized, that they aspired to, that they respected from the deepest recesses of their hearts…
"… Stop playing around."
Leonel felt a strong elbow to his side and coughed lightly. He looked up to see what all the commotion was about only to find that no one dared to even breathe too harshly.
When he saw the elders at the very front, he raised his brows.
Leonel felt like a refreshing breeze was wrapping around his body. Unfortunately, he couldn't enjoy it very much because he seemingly only now remembered that he was still injured. Though Aina's food had helped him along, he was still only about 70% of his normal self, which was a miracle unto itself considering the state of his inner organs previously.
Now that Leonel thought about it, Aina's food was definitely not enough for such a drastic improvement. Was he missing something?
'Oh…'
Leonel suddenly remembered the odd state he had entered when he was completing his Divine Armor. Back then, he had vaguely felt an energy integrating with his body and improving it. If it wasn't for the fact he hadn't been swallowing any Metal Essence at that moment, his Metal Body might have already improved to Tier 3 or 4 by now.
It was only now that Leonel understood that that feeling must have come from the energy he absorbed from the Puppet Master.
Due to how powerful Leonel had become, he had almost forgotten that defeating Invalids could improve his strength. But, this wasn't really his fault. He was so powerful but Earth only had Third Dimensional Invalids to deal with. Those existences could barely move the needle for him.
Yet, he had gone from Third Dimensional Invalids, to a Variant Invalid on the verge of entering the Fifth Dimension. The difference was striking. It was no wonder the Puppet Master's residual energy had such a great benefit to him.
In fact, now that he was paying attention, Leonel could tell that he had only absorbed about 20 or 30% of the energy. Unfortunately, his body was too injured to absorb any more or improve any further.
It seemed he would have to focus on healing…
By now, his Healing Branch ability could allow him to heal back to a perfect state immediately. But it seemed a waste to use in this situation considering how long it took to recharge.
'Forget it, I'll be patient for now.'
The elders scanned the crowd in silence, allowing the youths to soak up the feeling of being in their presence.
This wasn't just for the sake of showing off their might, it was also to give them a goal to aspire to while also making their authority unquestionable. Every organization was built from the bottom up, the more obedient and simultaneously ambitious their fresh blood was, the better.
But, in this crowd of serious youths, the one individual with an absentminded gaze couldn't help but stand out. It also most definitely didn't help that there was a small clearing around this person and also that this person was far taller than most on average.
Several gazes landed on Leonel. The change should have been enough to shock him awake, but Leonel continued to be lost in his own world as though his daydreaming was far more important than anything happening here.
Of course, he wasn't doing this on purpose. What these else thought should have been obvious pressure was like a spring breeze to Leonel. If it wasn't for Aina pinching his waist and startling him, he probably wouldn't notice at all.
Seeing the gazes of the elders, Leonel smiled lightly and stood at attention, respectfully keeping his hands to his sides. There was truly nothing about his actions that the elders could pick out. But, their lips couldn't help but twitch regardless.
The old man at the front swept his gaze over Leonel one more time before he began to speak.
"Do you all see these pillars to my back?"
The shuffling of necks resounded through the mountain pass as they all looked upward.
"These pillars are the foundation of Valiant Heart Mountain. You all might not understand now, but this is our home, our lifeblood, our heart.
"You all may think that since you have made it here, you can be considered members of our Valiant Heart Mountain. However, to me, unless you can walk through these gates on your own, you will never be. Even if you die before my eyes, I'll never raise a finger to help you.
"Luckily for you brats, my methods were deemed too cruel. So you have three years to walk through these Gates on your own two feet.
"That said, even if I don't have my way, I also have no intention of letting you all go so easily.
"Below this mountain pass, there are numerous beasts. Some of them are tagged while some of them are not. These tags carry the teleportation talismans you need to enter the mountain peak without crossing these Gates.
"There are 3802 of you here. There are exactly 1901 tagged beasts. Among these tags, there are 10 golden tags that will allow you one trip to the Valiant Vault.
"You have 12 hours."
The wind around the youths suddenly stilled to a crawl.