At platform number seven.
The land the token holders were standing on started to shake heavily. Though it was quite strong, it wasn't capable enough to make them unbalanced. Right at the centre of the platform grounds, the land started to cleave in a linear fashion, like a fissure which extended to a length of few hundreds of meters from the origin.
Like a door which opened abruptly on a horizontal plane, several large panels of equal size started opening up, one after the other from the fissure itself.
The ground became dusty and the scene was blocking to ones eyes. Nevertheless with the eyes of a high cultivator, the spectators were able to clearly see the special track, bounded by the high walls placed at a small inclination outwards, made out from the panels that opened from the ground earlier.
Though the track looked plain and ordinary, the tester would face challenges and traps, with each step he takes on top it's floor.
" Test of talent! " Mark muttered in, his intuition was telling him that there was something wrong with this test of talent.
As if some thing was telling that going on top that track would turn problematic, and it's better to avoid it than getting trouble on top it later.
His intuition was proven correct by the system which gave out its systems warning, telling him to avoid taking this test.
" Ding! A warning to host, host may choose to avoid taking this test of talent! Host's over all points had crossed 500. As long as host manages to remain alive for the time period, host could very well pass this test, without a hindrance from the arena's upper management. "
Despite that serious warning from the system earlier. Instead of quitting away from this test of talent, mark decides to take it head on, not because of him being arrogant or foolishly courageous but because the systems warning had a hole in it, it gave consideration of "may" to mark instead of regular "suggesting" and he wants to know why?
Mark could very well avoid the trouble he was about to take, but he wishes to know why the system had made it as such, the warning.
After the dust has cleared and the scene was visible clearly. Arlong had decided to say few relevant stuff about the current test.
" Before you young talents could go in and take up this test, let this high manager Arlong spell out few details regarding it. "
Mark and other token holders standing next to him had turned the heads towards old Arlong, to listen to the descriptions, since they were about to take this test shortly after listening to it.
" The test you young token holders will be taking is the test of talents! It has nothing to one's potential, and is to test how well a person had trained his body.
More the cultivation a person have, the more advantageous this test would be to him. "
In his first line, old arlong was indirectly hinted others of the fact that they also have a chance in catching up to mark, in regards to points.
As the potential they displayed earlier though may be lesser to the red grade potential of mark, but plays no important role in this test of talent they were about to take.
These words were refreshing to their ears as they don't have to worry about the results of the test earlier and feel depressed about it.
They could very well perform better in this ongoing test, and catch up to mark to gain back the lost pride from being defeated by mark earlier.
" Token holders could carry artifacts and such to the track inside, but are restricted to harm others. As it would be an invalid move that will cost you in expulsion from the test itself, if noticed by the victim again. "
His second statement though makes others feel as if he was about to create a fight free zone, but on closer examination it would reveal that he was hinting the token holders that they could attack a person once, but if discovered by the victim itself, they couldn't get that chance again.
So as long as a person managed to secretly attack the participant, aiming to eliminate him, the rules of the test wouldn't expel the attacker itself unless he was discovered by that participant itself.
" The token holders could form themselves a team with others token holders, but this group's count be restricted to a maximum limit of three, so choose you companions wisely!
The track ahead would be filled with traps, and I hope this high manager doesn't have to specify what it might be?
But note that they wouldn't be that easy to breakthrough, and blindly charging through them could very well result in your early expulsion from the test itself, so think before you step forward and be prepared to receive the attack head on, if it had been launched at once! "
Since the path ahead would not be easy, the token holders could form a team and depend on their companion to reduce their limitations.
Hidden traps like enhanced puppets, illusionary traps, magic arrays of varying property and mental spells are installed within, and were waiting to reveal out their might before the six participant, that came around to challenge the test of talent.
Taking attack head on may appear foolish, but moving away might activate other traps until the tester is thoroughly devastated in dodging them.
" Now I have spelled out the things you younglings had to follow, but you should also know what this test might do to you!
The use of mana is not suggested inside as, the tracks floor is installed with array restriction that could absorb mana at an alarming rate, and I wouldn't want to see a participant collapse from mana deficit inside, as no one will be there for your rescue if you were under such circumstances.
The force of gravity will increase with each step you take forward, and after moving forward till certain margins, the force in the tract will be suddenly amplified by several times, that may even make you kneel under its devastating pressure. "
The points of mana restriction, and gravity manipulation had made the faces of token holders ugly. Nevertheless there were two who has maintained their composure after listening out to arlong words earlier, which had made arlong to surprise.
Well with the supreme technique, boundless impetus body mark was sure that he could make up with the lost mana, the test track had absorbed, and with his laws of space he could very well counter some parts of gravity itself. But mark was startled to see Levi who had no concern of worry on her face.
" Did she also have a technique similar to the boundless impetus? May be some secret that allows her to escape from that restriction itself! "
" Well that's just the beginning! " looking at the troubled faces of four besides mark and Levi, Arlong exclaimed out. " The test door will be closed once you enter in! Taking a step back is termed to be invalid?
The tester would earn a point with each step he takes forward, and would also lose a point with each step he goes back.
Once all the earned points are expended, the tester would be forcefully expelled out the test track itself, without a point under his arsenal and be expelled out the masters test itself!
Though there are some traps that are lethal, and harmful to one's life. The arena is being considerate for giving out the safety gear ( a small pen sized artifact ) to the testers.
Breaking the safety gear, the tester could admit defeat, forfeiting all his earned points from the test before and forcefully being expelled from the test earlier and quitting the masters test there after!
Though the test seems to be unfair to some! You should know by now that the masters zone doesn't have a need for weaklings, and this test is literally one of those few, that manages to weed out the ineligible ones out. "
" So it's either go forward or get lost out the masters test itself! But what would these old timers from upper management get if I was expelled out? "
After managing the mark to enter this masters test, failing him and humiliating him is of no importance to those big behemoths, and could they get his relic this way? No! " There's some thing more to it! " Mark had muttered in.
" As you could see, the track is divided into four divisions, and each division is demarcated by coloured lines at a distance of one hundred meters from each other.
Just so you know that the gap in difficulty per each division is enormous, and I hope to see much of the testers entering fourth or third at least!
After crossing the first line which is grey in colour, the tester will enter the test's track which is four hundred meters in total, and If the tester is at least unable to cross the white coloured line which is hundred meters away from the grey, he is deemed to have failed the test and with his inferior talent he would be directly expelled from the masters test itself and also loosing his chance to enter the rankers list forever.
After entering the white line the difficulty would be increased by a large margin, and these ones would be those that barely qualified to attend the remaining tests in masters test.
The green line follows the white line and so does the blue line after the green, and furthermore the yellow line after the blue.
According to Arlong the number of testers so far that had crossed the yellow line were limited to hundred, and were all the historical figures that were once the unbeatable existences on this floor.
And there existed two person in the current batch of younger generation that had crossed that yellow line before, but Arlong had not mentioned that person's name to begin with.
" Since there are bound to be those that will not be able to clear the yellow line, you may be wondering how the other besides these legendary figures were able to clear this test right?
It's simple! The tester would have to kill a division master ( a puppet ) individually and mark a resting point on the track itself. There are six such division masters in each division for our six testers to rest after defeating them! "
The news of resting point had brought back the hope of passing in their eyes. They had originally thought that they were about to fail in this test and disgrace their family's, but now it seems not true " Resting point, seems interesting! " mark had exclaimed internally.
" Lastly points will also be allocated to those that manages to stay inside for a long time, one point per each minute.
But the test of talent would end in about a couple of hours from the time of entry.
let's see how many out of our six token holders will pass this painful and arduous test and get the chance to enter rankers list. "
Immediately after Arlong had completed his speech, four testers besides mark and Levi entered in.
" Let's meet again inside! " Levi turned her head towards the testing track after exclaiming those words and entered the test's track.
Shortly after her, the last one to enter in was mark. Though he had excellent score in the test before the spectated were not that much confident in him turning well again in this test, since he was the one with the least cultuvation in the group of six that had just entered in.
Author's notes:
One track, four divisions.
Demarcated by grey, white, green, blue and yellow lines from point of entry till exit.
killing a division boss grants a person with resting point, used to take a break until the test is finished and also not being expelled in the process.
Traps, illusions, puppets to obstruct their path in the mean while.