After calculating everything with his eyes,he took a deep breath and took a step forward.
Then Another....
And another.
What started out as a small walk slowly became a jog.
Zilon took several more steps and soon felt as if he was passing through something thick, it was very dense and almost felt like something physical.
"it feels like a wall...but of wind and pressure "
It was a slightly weird feeling but luckily it wasn't hurting him in anyway.
The sensation was for a split second but Zilon was able to confirm one more thing that had been tugging on his mind.
" This...feels like those separate space in mangas"
It didn't take long before he met the first bump on the ground.
Knowing what it was Zilon side stepped and continued on his course.
Another one appeared, and seeing he couldn't just change lanes, he leaped using his right leg and was able to cross over it.
"Phew, I can actually jump across it"
Landing on both legs, he didn't dare wait another second and continued.
Zilon dodged several more mines, a series of quick side-steps, well-timed jumps, and long, stretching strides.
"if it keeps up this way, I may be able to finish this without much effort" Zilon thought after another side step.
"How about we kick things up a notch " Zilon smirked as his legs tensed.
Zilon was mentally counting his seconds, when Rivor told him earlier he said 60 Instances, this in turn translates to 60 seconds.
He didn't need to be Einstein to be able to guess that.
"Almost everything about Terra is different from Earth "
From the scenery, to the era, to the system and even the food, slightly similar but tightly different.
He wasn't sure about the culture, however he couldn't expect it to be thesame.
"Heck even the time isn't same.....this could also mean the solar system won't follow thesame orbit "
Zilon suddenly realized he was running, but he forced the thought away, failing to notice something critical.
And before he knew it.
*BOOM*
For a few spinning seconds, Zilon's mind reeled. As his vision cleared, he found himself staring at a basketball-sized hole, sizzling and smoking a stark white.
He on the other hand felt his legs wobble, even while he was on one knee.
Suddenly he heard Rivor's loud and stern voice reaching him.
"You only have 3 instances to recover"
Zilon's expression paled and before he even had the chance to review what had happened, he quickly got on his feet and continue moving.
"What just happened...."
Zilon tryed to make sense of the situation.
"Even while I was in thought I could still see the bumps, I was supposed to dodged them,but....." Zilon quickly sidestep to his right as another bump came into his view.
"No it can't be?" Zilon quickly looked to his side.
Even though he was going at a considerable speed he was able to very much see his surroundings clearly.
And that's when he saw it.
Just a few meters ahead, he was able to see the ground flatten for some few seconds, then as if shuffled, the bumps changed positions.
"You have got to be kidding" he blurted.
"i mean what was I expecting, it was called shifting minefield damn it" Zilon cryed inwardly.
He increased his speed, jumping several times to avoid a collision with the new, closer-set mines.
"Now that I know the mine isn't static, I have to understand it's pattern " Zilon Narrowed his eyes with a slight frown on his face.
Zilon reached a new section of the minefield, where an intricate pattern of shifting crosses and 'X's continuously rearranged themselves.
"Bullshit...."
Zilon increased his speed, weaving and zig-zagging through the bumps.
"Jumping is the best option...."
His eyes flashed with a brief light as his legs stumped forward, an inch away from stepping on mine.
Using the already accumulated momentum,his legs tensed harder as he pushed himself for a high jump.
*Swish*
Airborne, Zilon got a wide view of the rest of the minefield, a mix of mines and stones.
Gravity began it's work and just when Zilon was about to land on the ground he saw something that made his blood run cold.
The next instant the ground have flattened again.
"Why Now damn it...."
*TAP*
The moment his legs touched down, he immediately pushed off his toe, executing a makeshift dash that cost him his balance and sent him sprawling.
He scrambled to his feet, remembering Rivor's warning, and glanced back at the hole where he should have landed.
"if I had been one second late...."
He turned and sprinted forward, realizing time was no longer on his side.
"it has been 45 seconds since when I started, I was able to count 28 of them....but I don't have much time left" Zilon thought his heart pounding harder in his chest.
Zilon soon began to run at full speed, jumping the ones he briefly glanced and stepping aside.
He began using a new tactic: slowing down slightly when the mines were dense, but accelerating in the open areas, jumping high whenever he noticed the ground flatten.
"Five seconds for the ground to flatten, two for it to rise again with the reshuffled mines," Zilon calculated, the countdown in his mind growing louder.
The red "X" was just meters away, but he knew he couldn't just charge forward. A large line of mines blocked the path, making even a jump impossible.
"But that won't work ....."
*7*
Then suddenly Zilon noticed a trap that looked like the one he had avoided several times and a thought quickly formed.
"it or nothing..."
He immediately charged, running at full speed, his hair dancing wildly.
*5*
He closed his eyes, knowing the ground had flattened.
Then it happened.
He felt his left leg tripping on a small tin wire, this made him to jerk forward.
However the next second his eyes snapped opened.
With a small red tint, barely visible in his eyes, he stared indifferently on a big stone which was slowly getting closer and closer to his face.
Without missing a beat, he placed his both hands apart and prepared for impact.
Because he was running at full speed with his eyes closed and muscles relaxed, the trip sent him soaring a considerable distance into the air.
Moments later, he felt the force of the fall fade, and he began to descend, legs pointed to the sky.
*3*
The moment his hands came into contact with the grassy ground he didn't waste time feeling the sensation of force pressing down.
He immediately went down with the force, which threatened to slam his face to the grass, the next second he pushed both hands with all his strength, sending him into the air for the second time.
*2*
As Zilon blinked and the red tint in his eyes vanished, he landed, but the lingering force pushed him to his knees, head down.
His vision returned just as his eyes met the red "X" directly under him.
"I....did it?" Zilon was panting heavily and he hadn't even realized that fact yet when he tried to stand up.
He staggered to his feet and stared at the "X," which was surprisingly wide enough to accommodate two of him.
"I really did it!"
Zilon said with a wide smile as he wiped the sweat on his forehead.
"[Chronico eyes] have done it again"
"Well done Zilon, now get ready for the next test " Rivor walked up towards Zilon.
"The next?..."Zilon said with a slightly shaky voice.
"i mean this one was this hard, how will the next one be?" Zilon could only gulp.
"Yes we still have to test your accuracy and Mana reserves along with your control of mana that is" Rivor said with a shrug.
Seeing his hands tapping on his leg slightly, he could only chuckle.
"I will give you some few moments to catch your breath " Then he walked a few steps away.
"Well.....at least that would be good " Zilon sighed inwardly as he walked towards the shade.
He sat his back ,placing both hands on his head, and stared ahead when he saw Rivor doing something.
Rivor stretched a hand forward to the sky.
From high above, hidden by the sun, a small disc flew down, landing squarely in Rivor's open palm.
The field in front of Rivor flickered. The bumps vanished with a slight brush of wind.
"Artificial, huh?" Zilon couldn't help but say, thinking of the other artificial thing he possessed.
"i will really need to test its capabilities soon"
Zilon was about to close his eyes when he saw Rivor suddenly drag out 15inch and 4 inch tick wood from his bag.
"I really need to ask him how he fits all that inside that bag," Zilon mumbled, already knowing the answer from all the anime and manga he'd seen.
Rivor on the other hand,placed the wood on the ground.
He nodged the lower part with his leg as he tried to balance the log at its center.
After making sure that it was stable he step back and stretched his right hand directly on the middle of the log.
A small green glow could be seen, flickering like an old bulb on earth ,with a small green circle quickly forming below the wood.
This lasted for a few minutes in which Zilon stared with a calm expression.
After a while the green glow on Rivor's hand faded softly.
The log however still had the circle which stood longer before it disappeared.
Rivor turned around and nodded towards Zilon.
"I will go get us some snacks, before then prepare,I will be testing your accuracy next" Rivor announced as he walked away.
Zilon nodes his head and decided to close his eyes, Almost instantly, the events of the agility test replayed in his mind like a video tape.
In his head he was checking what he did right and what he may have done it wrong.
Then he remembered that slight distraction that caused him to hit a mine.
"That's certainly not like me, so then.....oh it's that thing huh" Zilon thought with his eyes still closed.
"well even with a curse....from a demon lord nonetheless it was quite a feat, I will need to keep that curse in mind "
A heavy sigh escaped his mouth as he now understood the terror of such a skill, especially for a person like him.
The worst part was Zilon felt a part of him telling him this wasn't the complete extent of the curse.
"And knowing everything, this is just the beginning "
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