Tap...tap...tap. The sound of footsteps drew everybody's attention to the stage. A man with messy, white hair, wearing square rimmed spectacles walked in. He wore a white coat, making him look like a scientist. But Ethan knew he was anything but that.
"Hello applicants, and future students of KGS. My name is David Chu, one of the chief teachers of KGS." He flashed a thin smile. The entire room had quietened down. Ethan's eyes widened. David Chu? This guy was a teacher at KGS?
David Chu was a Mage type gatekeeper who was, to be honest, a monster. He could create illusions with his mana, and could manipulate A rank monsters into killing each other. He was one of the only people who could clear an A rank dungeon on their own, and was said to have killed the most monsters in the Ragnarok crisis 10 years ago.
Ethan glanced at Star. He was looking at David expressionlessly. Either he didn't know who David was, or he simply wasn't impressed by him. "Welcome to the third and final test you will have to give." David's hair moved around as a gust of wind blew. Wait. Weren't they in a closed room? Why was there wind? "As you may know, only 500 students will be admitted into KGS. The rest of you will, unfortunately, be leaving here empty handed."
Yikes! This guy didn't mince his words! But wait! Wasn't it a thousand people? When did it become five hundred? Ethan looked around. Nobody looked shocked, as if they already knew this. Damn it! Being poor wasn't fun.
"Today's test will be based on endurance." David pushed up his glasses, uncaring of Ethan's bewilderment. "The path to a capable awakener lies in hard work. There's no point in having a high rank if you can't show prowess worthy of it." A capable awakener. Working hard only rendered an awakener 'capable' in his eyes.
"The most important trait we look for in our students is 'endurance'. The ability to work hard, to strive endlessly, and to improve yourself continuously. And we will be testing you based on these very factors."
"Of course, your mindset isn't the only important thing. Commoners can't climb to such heights, whatever they do. Being talented is just as important as working hard enough. And today's test will check your mana as much as it will your mind."
Snap! David brought his fingers together as the surroundings melted away. The curtains behind him disappeared to reveal a huge set of stairs, leading up to a large red coloured doorway. "That's the last test. The Stairway to Stardom! The only test that never changes!" Star whispered to Ethan, as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing.
"This is the Stairway to Stardom." David's voiced echoed. "It contains one thousand steps, leading all the way to that red doorway over there!" The door suddenly grew bigger, as if the entire scene in front of them were a video. David's illusionary powers were no joke!
"However, each step is not as easy to cross as the last." David pushed his glasses up. "Each step is full of protective runes that will make you feel as though there's a huge weight on your back. And the weight keeps growing with each step." Pop! The doorway suddenly went back to its original place.
"The first five hundred people to reach the top win. No exceptions. To become a gatekeeper, you must prove that your are a cut above the rest. That you can work under pressure. That you can tackle sudden unforeseen situations."
"So get your asses over here and get ready to begin. Because failure....." He pushed his glasses up. "...is not acceptable in Keystone."
.
.
.
.
Ethan stood right behind a brown haired boy. Applicants were organised according to their total scores in the last two tests. People who scored higher stood in front of those who scored lower. Of course, this didn't affect the final result much. After all, the people standing ahead would get through first, even if they were placed behind others. The Stairway to Stardom sorted out the grain from the chaff. Which meant that KGS was expecting him to fail.
Ethan took a deep breath. The smell of fresh soil entered his nose as he stared at the first step. It was wet. The step looked slippery, ready to make him fall down all the way to the bottom as soon as he faltered. "Get ready!" David's voice suddenly echoed, bringing him back to reality. He bent forwards slightly, readying himself.
"3....2....1....Go!" Crash! The sound of footsteps echoed as hundreds of people swarmed onto the stairs. Boom...boom...boom. The runes lit up as hundreds of people were suppressed, making their steps falter.
1...2...3...4
Ethan moved up the steps, one at a time. He could see a group of about fifty people racing forward, crossing the first five hundred steps like it was nothing. He smiled wryly. He couldn't hope to match those monsters. Not right now. Not when he was much weaker than them.
10...11...12...13
Tap...tap...tap. Ethan was among the first thousand people. He had left tons of people behind, yet it wasn't enough. He was frustrated. He should be up there, with the people who were destined to succeed. But here he was, at the perfect area to fail.
47...48...49...50
"Oof!" Ethan grunted. The suppression had multiplied suddenly. He planted his feet into the wet floor, trying to get accustomed to the pressure. He stared at the steps in front of him. "One-twentieth done," he mumbled. "I only have to do this nineteen times more."
One thousand two hundred people. He was behind one thousand and two hundred people. That wasn't good enough. He slapped his cheeks. Now wasn't the time to rest. He had to move forward quickly.
97...98...99...100
It was too far. The top was too far. Maybe he could just rest a bit. He'd make up for his loss by hurrying on later. BOOM! Thunder crackled. Suddenly, Ethan was surrounded by darkness. The clouds turned dark and thunder boomed in the sky as rain started pouring. He was drenched in a matter of seconds.
Ethan was tired. He was tired of trudging forward endlessly, of the constant hard work that he had to do everyday. He'd already fallen to the 1500th place. He hated this damn stairway, making him endure so much, as if he hadn't already suffered enough. He moved up the steps, wanting to get out of the rain as fast as possible.
197...198...199...200
BOOM! Pour....pour! Drip! Drip! Drip! The rain had become faster and heavier, bearing down on Ethan's shoulders. Maybe...maybe he could sit down. Maybe he could just take a small break. Surely basking in this rain was easier than trying to escape it. He glanced up at the sky. It was dark and empty. Not a single star could be seen. Only the dark and heavy clouds were there, pouring their everything to keep him right where he was.
Ethan couldn't continue like this. He had to reach the top, and he had to reach it quickly. He paused for a second as he felt the rain pound into his face. This test was nothing! He'd faced much more torture when he had struggled for the past four months. Each day was a new hell as he trained himself even more. He'd always wanted to give up, to stop, but he never did. Endurance became a habit. It became something he detested, yet enjoyed thoroughly.
Huff..huff..huff. Ethan calmed his breathing. He could feel the suppression of the steps. He could feel the rain pounding down on him. "More...more. Push me more!" He jumped. Ethan channeled mana into his legs as he leaped forward, skipping steps as he trudged forward.
210...220...230...240
Thud...thud...thud! His feet pounded into the tough rock, never failing him as he moved forward.
310...320...330...340.
Higher! Higher! He could make it higher. He could still go on. He couldn't fail right now.
510...520...540.
The suppression doubled, yet Ethan didn't falter, shooting up the steps.
720..730...740...750
BOOM! Thunder crackled as Ethan landed on the 750th step. He smiled. He'd shot up to 400th place, pushing himself as much as he could. "Hahahaha" He laughed. He felt like shit. His nose was bleeding because of the immense pressure that he'd faced, yet he felt a sense of accomplishment.
Ethan was going to make it. Thud! Thud! Thud! He trudged up the steps, now slowly, one step at a time. He was at his limit. He couldn't skip steps like he had a few moments ago. But this was enough. He could make it to the top.
953...954...955...956
Ethan was almost there. He could see the red gate just in front of him, waiting for him to reach it. Thud...thud. He walked forward as if in a stupor, moving forward mechanically. The immense pressure increased, yet he didn't react. He had to reach the end at all costs.
Twang! "Arghhh!" Ethan screamed in pain as an arrow lodged itself in his shoulder. It had come from his right. He crouched down as he tried to avoid getting hit further. Whoosh! Another arrow cut across the rain as it whistled past his head.
Ethan clenched his fist. Nobody had said that fighting was forbidden, yet some asshole wanted to jeopardise their own position by attacking him. Ethan could see a dark silhouette in the distance. Each step was incredibly wide, spreading almost 500 metres across. He hadn't expected to meet somebody so high up. He pulled out his dagger.
BOOM! Thunder boomed as the silhouette became clearer. Ethan saw somebody staring at him. Their eyes locked in the brief moment of luminescence. "Master Douglas sends his regards!" The boy shouted over the rain. "I don't know how a person with terrible potential like you reached this far, but this is the end of the line. We've told you to stay quiet. But you don't listen."
He drew an arrow. "This is goodbye. Don't bother asking for forgiveness. Corpses can't repent." Ethan held his dagger backwards. Thud...thud...thud. His feet pounded into the floor as he rushed towards the goon. Shing! The rain collided into the knife, yet its lustrous black surface stayed dark and reflective, swallowing and throwing away any light that hit it.
Thud...thud...thud. He ducked under an arrow as he rushed forward. Twang! An arrow lodged itself in his shoulder. "Ahhhhh." Ethan fell to the floor. Clat! His dagger clashed against the hard surface. Blood pooled from his wounds, mixing into the water as it poured down the steps. He held his dagger tightly.
"This is the end, weakling. You can curse your fate for being born so weak." Ethan clenched his knife. Curse his fate? Was he destined to die here? He had endured so much, yet he was going to fall here. Drip...drip...drip. His blood touched the pentagram on his dagger.
This dagger! This damned dagger! Just because the Mercator had given him this dumb weapon, he'd used it for two months. He'd trained and gone through hell with this damned weapon, yet nothing had happened. Daggers were small. They were light. Yet they were weak. Daggers could only shine when used with other skills. Sure, assassins looked cool while using their daggers, but they had skills that made their daggers shine.
A Physical type awakener like him shouldn't be using a dagger. He shouldn't be using such a short ranged, weak weapon that was supposed to be a secondary weapon in the first place. Reach and lethality. This is what he always yearned for. Whether metaphorically or literally. He wanted to grip fate with his two arms, not fire an arrow at the incoming barrage of causality, or slash at something only when everything seemed bleak.
Ethan's eyes glowed blue. He stared into his dagger, his kris that he had been using. The same weapon that had saved him from the rock golems. The pentagram glowed orange. Something was happening! The dagger had reacted to his emotions. It was changing.
Clat...clat...clat. The kris slowly expanded, becoming larger and larger. It's hilt grew longer and thinner, while its blade elongated and curved, turning into a scythe blade. The base of the hilt narrowed and sharpened into a round mini chakram as the pentagram disappeared. Clat! The hilt broke apart into sections, forming a cold metal chain. The blade curved further as it attached to a small rod connected to the chain.
Ethan grasped the chain in both of his hands. He grinned. This was more like it! The dagger had morphed into a kusarigama, a Japanese weapon. Ethan held a long chain that extended in both ways, ending in a scythe blade on one end, and a small circular spiked blade on another.
Ethan swung his chain around. "Douglas sent you?" He looked down at the boy. "Big mistake. He should've come on his on if he wanted to deal with me" Whoosh...whoosh...whoosh. The scythe blade cut through the rain, swinging faster and faster. "At least he wouldn't have to blame somebody else for his failure." He grinned. "What do you..." BOOM! Thunder boomed as the scythe blade smashed into the boy's chest.
"Arghhh!" He was flung over the edge as he tumbled down, falling down the steps. "Ahhhhhh" His voice echoed as he tumbled down hundreds of steps at once. "Send your wishes to Douglas when I kick him down, asshole!" He stared down into the darkness as the boy disappeared.
Huff...huff...huff. Ethan breathed heavily. It was over. He could climb safely now. Thud...thud...thud. He climbed up the steps as he headed up. "Ethan Miller, 463. You made it just in time, kid!" Ethan collapsed on the floor as he breathed deeply.
Huff...huff...huff. The rain poured down on his face as he gazed towards the sky. "One day...sometime. I'll reach you" His palm extended towards the sky. He knew the path forward. He had endured. He could endure. He would endure. He closed his eyes as he basked in the sense of success.
Ethan's life had changed after he'd received the boy's memories. He'd graduated from a nameless weakling to somebody who could join one of the world's best schools. But the journey hadn't been easy. Getting here was hell. His lips curled as he mumbled a familiar phrase.
"Life's a bitch."