Chapter 59 - 59 – Basin Of Nature
The others looked at the two laughing idiots with different emotions. The participants felt envious and impressed. They also wished that they could build up a connection with one of the Guild Masters. The other Guild Masters looked on with narrowed eyes. Nothing good could come from this. They wanted Gravis in their own guilds, and the chances were shrinking by the second.
"Enough whispering!" shouted the Guild Master of Earth and stomped the ground heavily. The arena trembled, and the participants lost their balance. The Guild Masters and Gravis didn’t seem to mind. "We need to continue!"
Gravis and the Guild Master of Lightning looked at the Guild Master of Earth together, turned back to each other, and nodded. Then the Guild Master of Lightning walked back to the others with a frown on his face. Gravis walked back to the participants.
"Hold up!" shouted the Guild Master of Water at Gravis, a sly grin on her face. Gravis stopped and turned to the Guild Master of Water with a frown. Why did they always have to single him out?
"Everyone’s will has been tested," she said, and then pointed at Gravis. "Except yours! We can’t proceed without testing you," she explained.
Gravis’ frown didn’t leave his face, but he also kind of understood what she meant. The other Guild Masters didn’t know that he was not a Heavenborn. So, testing him was only natural. Gravis nodded. "Alright, how?" he asked simply.
The smirk on the Guild Master of Water’s face only increased. "Since we can’t test you with Heavenly Pressure, we can only use the traditional method." With that, she threw a pill over to Gravis, who quickly caught it.
"This is a Fire Torture Pill. When you eat it, you will undergo a lot of pain for the next ten minutes. If you give up, we can give you the antidote immediately, but you will be disqualified. You only have to get through the pain, and you will be qualified," she explained.
The other Guild Masters looked at Gravis like this was only natural. Being a Heavenborn had nothing to do with willpower. He still had to be tested, and all the Guild Masters looked at Gravis with interest. The Guild Master of Lightning also showed the same expression, but inside, he was gloating. Testing his willpower, even though Gravis had a Will-Aura? Was there anything more senseless than that?
Gravis ingested the pill without hesitation. Immediately, he felt like his insides were on fire, and the pain was circulating throughout his whole body. It could be described as the most painful thing he ever went through, but not by much. He had fought with several broken bones before, without issue. The pain of the Fire Torture Pill was greater than that, but not by much. Gravis simply had to grit his teeth a little.
Seeing no reaction from Gravis, the Guild Masters’ faces slowly changed to shock. ’You idiot!’ shouted the Guild Master of Lightning in his mind. He quickly gestured covertly for Gravis to act like he was in pain.
When Gravis saw that, he realized what the Guild Master of Lightning was trying to tell him, and Gravis complied. He suddenly keeled over, all four limbs on the ground, and started breathing heavily. He also managed to release sweat with the control of his body.
The other Guild Masters sighed. Apparently, the pill had taken some time to show its effect. The Guild Master of Lightning also sighed, but for a different reason. ’well done!’ he thought to himself.
"But he is really impressive. He has not even screamed yet. This takes exceptional willpower," commented the Guild Master of Darkness. The others nodded. "Seems like our worries were for nothing. We should trust in the will of Heaven and Earth. They wouldn’t have sent him here if he wasn’t ready," he said with reverence.
The others nodded, but the Guild Master of Lightning was skeptical. ’The will of Heaven and Earth?’ he was not sure why, but he kind of doubted that statement. He had heard how many beasts Gravis hunted, and this didn’t sound like the will of Heaven and Earth, at all.
Gravis continued acting for ten full minutes, and then he slowly got up again. With a deep breath, he calmed down. Acting was more exhausting than he had initially thought. He stood up and walked to the other participants without a comment. They still gave him his own free space, but it was only three meters, this time.
The Guild Masters nodded approvingly, and the Guild Master of Light moved forward. He looked at the sun, who could barely be seen at the horizon. They were good on time. "The next test will also be the last test," he announced loudly with his friendly voice.
The participants grew excited. Only one more test and their future would be set. "This test is a test about fighting strength and luck. You can pass by either having enough strength or by being blessed by karmic luck. Please, follow us," said the Guild Master of Light as he turned around and jumped down the arena, together with the other Guild Masters.
The participants were slightly confused about the luck portion of the test, but they still followed. The Guild Masters started walking in one direction, yet they moved rather quickly. It looked like they were walking, but in reality, every one of them used their elements to move faster.
The Guild Master of Water rode on some slight waves. The Guild Master of Fire had some fire on his heels that pushed him forward. The earth below the Guild Master of Earth moved forward with every step. Everyone was using their elements to move slightly faster.
The participants had to sprint with their full power to keep up, except for Gravis. His muscles were stronger than the other participants, so he was naturally faster. He only needed to jog casually.
After two hours, the Guild Masters stopped, and the participants fell on their butts in exhaustion. Running for two hours was difficult. By now, it was deep into the night, and only the stars and the moon illuminated the surroundings slightly.
The Guild Master of Light created a small ball of light and threw it into the night.
WHOOSH!
The ball exploded and illuminated the surroundings. The participants could finally see where they were. In front of them was a cliff, and a thick forest could be seen stretching into the horizon. The forest seemed eerily calm.
"This is the Basin of Nature. You can’t see the other side from here, but, just like the name implies, this is a huge basin. It stretches for nearly 50 kilometers, and a wall of cliffs surrounds it. Inside, you will find ferocious beasts, low-grade demonic beasts, and even middle-grade demonic beasts," he explained with patience.
The participants blanched when they heard that there were even demonic beasts inside the basin. If they met a low-grade demonic beast, they could still fight, at least, if they were in a group. Yet, if they met a middle-grade demonic beast, their deaths were guaranteed, no matter their number.
"Every beast inside the basin protects a treasure. The stronger the beast, the better the treasure. If you manage to retrieve one treasure, no matter how much it is worth, you will pass and join our guilds," the Guild Master of Light continued.
Now, the participants felt the pressure. This could potentially end with their deaths.
"When you get a treasure, just return to this cliff. We will remain here for seven days. After seven days, we will take the winners to our guilds, no matter how many of you still remain in the Basin of Nature," he explained the cold fact with warmth in his voice. "Of course, we will also retrieve every treasure that still hasn’t been collected."
"But let me warn you," he said with a more serious voice. "There may be enough treasures inside the basin for every one of you to pass, but there are only 100 ferocious beasts. All the remaining treasures are in the claws of demonic beasts. That is why this test is to test not only your strength, but also your luck. You need luck to run into a ferocious beast."
Gravis was ready. The Guild Master of Lightning had sent a protection disciple to get the Bone-Pills, while Gravis was undergoing his will-test, and had given them to him on the way to the basin. Gravis only needed to find a secluded space to temper his bones.
"The test starts now," said the Guild Master of Wind, and the participants started climbing down the cliff one by one. Gravis completely skipped the cliff and just jumped down. His body could deal with a fall from ten meters. He smoothly landed and ran to the right.
"Time to break through!"