The world shook, the shifting was starting.
I was ready for it though and was prepared to move. I knew that from what I saw the first time, I only had a little leeway to move, I had to be fast, but not too fast that I would hit the walls.
Recklessness and impatience will be the death of me in this trial, I had to be reserved in my actions. Hitting a wall in a fast speed is dangerous and could cause great damage to my body, even though I had consumed the lesser nirvana fruit and my body had changed, I was not gonna risk it.
The wall was almost indestructible to even my strongest attacks, how about my body? It could very well be destroyed if I bashed into it in a fast speed.
I had to be careful and proceed with caution.
"Neph, get ready." Neph quickly flew inside my clothes and held tight.
The wall infront of me retreated to the side to show an opening, I didn't immediately crossed it as when the path was revealed, on the other side was another wall blocking the path. If I had moved hastily in utter urgency, I would have had no time to react and would've bashed through the wall.
That wall too though, began to shift, the walls moved fast and I was gonna start losing my chance at this rate. I gnashed my teeth and held out though, when I saw the perfect chance, I moved.
"Thunder clap." A resounding thunder boom sounded around the maze.
My body moved with lightning speed and before I knew it, I had crossed multiples paths created by the moving walls. Still, a closed wall blocked my path and I almost barely stopped my speed.
It was risky without a doubt but without risks, how could I have the hope of leaving this forest. It was even a big risk just participating in these trials.
I wasn't afraid of risks if it meant I could do something I wanted to achieve.
Anyway, right now, my chances of leaving the maze was cut by the wall infront of me.
The shifting ended. I had to wait another hour.
I breathed out and calmed my emotions.
I already expected this, I didn't expect that I would get through out the maze with just one go, after all.
It was simply impossible, the walls move way too fast to create enough opening at the same time for me to cross.
Their movements were too random and impossible to predict. All I did was observe and take the best chance I could to cross as many walls possible.
At obstacles like this, being hasty and reckless is basically spelling your own death.
Anyway, at this point, I was certain that the path to exit the maze was not within the paths opened by the walls, but by the paths created by the shifting.
Maybe there was a way to exit the maze by following the path too but it would take too long, and it was highly doubtful.
I realized from the glimpse I caught at the first time as well as moments ago, the maze wasn't as large as I imagined it to be. It was probably actually small.
It was just that, within an hour, it's structures change, and you wouldn't even know where you came from because your senses were being hindered by something. Your surroundings become absolutely unfamiliar.
You could just be circling around the maze for all you know, going back to where you came from again and again, and you wouldn't know because your senses were hindered.
Our senses being blocked clearly was intentionally done by the system.
It was terrifying to think about, trying to find an exit out of an escapable maze.
The maze was very treacherous.
_______
Am I gonna make it?
My body was moving fast, but it felt like time was slowing down, right in front of me, a wall shifted to block my path.
The exit was finally in reach if I could just get through this wall. It was so close, yet so far away.
The wall was too fast, I was not gonna make it, even with the thunder clap spell. I gnashed my teeth, the urge to push through was taking a hold of me, the desire to be able to leave this place was so close.
If I just...push myself. If I could just take the risk...
Instead of accelerating, I lowered my speed and halted my step in the last moment. My momentum was hard to control, but I managed to stop it somehow.
When I looked, a wall was already blocking my path.
It wasn't a risk, it was suicide. If I just pushed, no matter how fast I got, the wall would've been faster and blocked my path either way, it would have destroyed my body with my momentum, and with the walls sturdy and impenetrable surface.
That was a fact.