Mais ran. Feeling the heat scorching his feet, he ran faster than ever before. He couldn't see the waves of fire rising behind him, but he could feel them. He couldn't see the people coming after him, but he could hear their screams. The twins must have looked comical, running and screaming. Mais thought he would have liked to see that.
They had been told at the entrance that they would undergo three tests. The first test was a puzzle. They were in a completely enclosed room that was filling rapidly with water, and they were expected to die in panic and haste. However, Mais quickly grasped the situation and swam towards the pipes through which the water was flowing. There was no other exit in the room. He knew that the entrance to the second test might be magical, but there would still be a sign to indicate it. Time was running out and the water was rising. What he needed at that moment was determination.
After being blinded by the water, the two big men had less chance of success than Mais. They hadn't reached Mais's level. Their bodies were weaker and they would faint more easily. If he wanted to save them, Mais had to do it himself.
And he did. He swam through the pipe and squeezed the cylinder valve to stop the flow of water. Then he emerged from the gap next to the valve. It didn't take long for Hang and Mang to follow him once the water in the pipe had disappeared.
Now, fireballs were raining down on them from the sky. A wave of flames was approaching them from behind. Mais ran without looking back. He was much faster than the twins and, even though he could hear their cries of pain, he didn't dare slow down. This wave of fire could easily melt an expert in the Origin Heart realm if given enough time. The fireballs falling from the sky posed a threat even to those in the Ascension Realm.
This was the second test.
Mais felt that this level was too difficult. It was probably intended for Sages, not Core Realm experts. That's why they were in such a difficult situation now. The area he was running in was completely flat. Running was not difficult for him, but he couldn't see the exit. If the twins died, he would have to rely on Little White, but understanding Little White would be extremely challenging. He felt their lives were in danger.
At that moment, he heard the little monster screaming. The sounds were coming from his right shoulder. Although communication was difficult, Mais understood that he had to manage. If the little monster said to go east, Mais would not go west. At this point, Mais's only option was to go right.
"If I've gone far enough to the right, squeak!"
The screams behind them continued. Apparently, the twins hadn't burned completely yet and were probably still running. If they could keep running and endure long enough, they might survive. They would definitely fall into the wave of fire and, if they were lucky, one of them might make it out alive.
At that moment, the twins were running at a speed far exceeding that of an ordinary first-stage Core Expert. They were using a mid-level movement technique, and both were currently able to use it at the Minor Success stage. However, the ability of a third-stage Core Expert would not be enough to survive.
By contrast, Mais, who was in the same realm, was as fast as a Sage. In fact, he was even faster than most. It is important to note that the technique he used was a high-level Sage technique, and Mais had already reached the Major Success stage in this technique.
The difference in speed between a third-stage Sage and a Core Expert was significant.
Thanks to that same speed, Mais was approaching the gate. A light cluster, white and as large as the Legacy's gate, covered the sky. Mais was advancing a little too fast. The Immortal White, perched on Mais's head, screamed as if maddened, but it was too late.
He crashed into the light.
And passed through it.
Within seconds, his tremendous speed slowed rapidly and he crashed to the ground. He felt a little calmer, and even his minor injuries, caused by the fireballs, were slowly healing. This white light must be some kind of healing field. When he felt this and heard the screams stop, Mais breathed a warm sigh of relief.
He had passed the test.
"Mais!! Help!!"
At that moment, while Mais was lying on the ground in the light, he heard a voice behind him. He turned his head reflexively in that direction, even though he couldn't see anything. He knew who was screaming. But right now, he didn't think he could save the twins. Even though they had saved his life.
He was starting to think like Gomez. What if the inheritance was intended for only one person?
The twins had helped him a lot up to this point, but since the inheritance came into play, they had become a burden, with Mais carrying them both. They didn't possess the slightest bit of talent to obtain this inheritance.
Without Mais, they would have died in the first test.
At that moment, however, Mais felt he had to save them, even though he didn't want to. Likewise, without them, Mais wouldn't be here now. How honourable would it be to leave them to die now?
"Little White, could you please rescue our companions?" he asked, lying where he was. The Immortal White, who had once again wrapped herself around him like a scarf, shook her head. Mais stood quietly as he handed her a real scarf. Meanwhile, the twins' screams had become much louder. It seemed that they had already fallen into the sea of fire.
Little White ran out from inside the light. The white scarf wrapped around his head featured emblems arranged in triangles, from large to small, resembling snowflakes. As Immortal White ran across the burning ground, an ice-blue light glided over the snowflake symbols, leaving ice-blue footprints in her wake.
Immortal White saw the twins. Even though they had fallen into the sea of flames, they were still running. Their screams were somewhat involuntary, but they were still alive. Immortal White fearlessly leapt into the flames.
As he wagged his tail, a winter wind blew with him. He landed on Hang's shoulder. Hang only felt pain. After all, a large part of his body, including where Immortal White had touched him, had been burned. Immortal White's movement caused a cold wind to blow over them both, shielding them from the heat and helping them to cool down.
'Am I dying?'
This thought was bound to cross their minds. They couldn't see the little angel who had saved them from death within the fire. Thinking they were dead, they wanted to stop running because of the pain.
"Keep running!"
Mais's shout echoed in their ears as if he had read their minds. At that moment, they realised that they weren't dead and that Mais had done something to save them. Hang, whose consciousness was returning, noticed the monster on his shoulder. It was creating a cold wind, giving them a chance to survive. Mang looked at his brother's shoulder in the same way.
'This monster... is a Sage!'
At that moment, a bright light of salvation reached their eyes.
They had both successfully passed this seemingly impossible test.
The shawl wrapped around the Immortal White's body created a cold mist around the white light, which soothed them. The sea of fire that had burned them had disappeared, but their burns were still there. The wounds still hurt, but the mist lessened the pain. Mais stood beside them. He listened to their moans and their breathing. He was bright red himself after all that running. He was tired, but waited with a serious expression for the light around them to fade. The Immortal White climbed onto his shoulder. At that moment, they both felt the change around them. A sense of danger far more intense than in the previous two tests enveloped his body. He fully understood the reason for his feelings at that moment.
The white light was fading.
"The third test is beginning."