Theron looked over to find that the three young men who had followed after Kempe had arrived. The shortest one among them, a young man with dirty blond hair, was the one who laughed.
The other two with him were significantly taller, but their muscles were also significantly less defined than the blond youth's.
Seemingly sensing Theron's gaze, he looked over with a sneer, but then turned his gaze to Lyra and gave her an award-winning wink.
"The pillar was boring, so we changed it, old man. It doesn't work linearly anymore. Instead, the power you need to reach a mark also changes every time you punch. You have to adjust in real time, otherwise you'll never get it right outside of dumb luck.
"Oh, and the power required now is more—and it scales exponentially. Getting from 60% to 70% is harder than getting the whole of the first 50%.
"If you think you're an expert, step up. If you can't cut it, scurry away with your tail between your legs!"
