The captains' observation room hummed with quiet anticipation as the trial unfolded. The wide, circular chamber was perched high above the sprawling coliseum, its massive arched windows framed by ornate carvings of past victories and great battles. Beyond the coliseum stretched a dense, unbroken forest, a sea of emerald green that seemed to swallow the horizon. In the distance, jagged mountain peaks loomed, their shadows casting long fingers over the landscape.
Despite the breathtaking view, the room's vantage point offered no direct insight into the trial itself. Only the first checkpoint at the forest's edge and the exit at the mountain's base were visible, like two distant beacons marking the start and end of an unforgiving journey. Between those points, the trainees were left entirely to their own devices, their progress hidden from view.