The second path that wasn't forbidden was a bit restricting to the beast.
This was where, during the challenge, the person would act and satisfy all the beasts' needs and desires before forging a pact.
The pact will bind the beast to you and one can even pass them to their descendants for two to three generations.
Most aristocrats take this route for themselves and their families. Even Eugene was trained on this path because it was safe afterwards and also lasting.
The potential of growth also was very high and no one can steal your beast from you.
The problem with this was that you would only be able to bind one beast for the rest of your life. Of course, there were loopholes, but they weren't that much to be explored.
Another thing was if the Beast had natural predators, then you were forever traumatized by that predator.
However, the benefits were endless, one of which was building a bloodline of beast pact just like Eugene has Miracle Lion Bloodline, which gave him heightened senses, raging blood and beast instinct, among other things.
The last path was something that wasn't accessible to normal folks and that was making sure a person was born with their beasts. The only notable location for this to happen was in the royal family and it was only once.
Even now, people are trying to find the secret of how that happened to replicate it, but in vain.
The problem of the last one wasn't known, but that person that was born with his beast became the only Ascendent in Ar Land, and he was the single most powerful man in the Land.
All these paths somehow provided the same power but with different distinctions and variations.
Eugene could feel from his instinct that the front tile was dangerous. He may get a flog, so he jumped past the tile. It was a success, and then he felt invigorated, and his fear seemed to have lessened considerably.
It was a magical feeling that he didn't want to let go.
With a calm mind now, Eugene was able to think straight and immediately realized he wasn't completely hopeless.
With his heightened senses and instincts, he might be able to come out on top of this ordeal with no injury.
Eugene felt some confidence and began to step forward by relying on his instinct and each time he felt invigorated and his confidence increased.
Despite hearing the shouting of kids and crying, he felt he could scale this with no flog. That was until he passed more than 100 tiles and he came to a halt.
It felt strange; he felt danger one moment, and then the next moment, he felt fine. The first thing that came to his mind was that the next tile was changing from time to time.
He didn't rush; with the invigoration he was having, he had known this wouldn't be as simple as he had been enjoying.
The moment he felt normal, he jumped, and it stayed like that. Yes, the tiles were changing from flog to non-flog in just a few seconds, and if he landed on non-flog, they stayed like that.
The miracle lion scion grinned and took it easy as he stepped forward.
After about 50 more tiles, Eugene felt a snap of the whip, and a sharp stinging pain assaulted his back.
All the invigoration seemed to leave him, and he screamed; his knees fell, and his mind blasted away two times due to extreme pain he had never felt before. He fell motionless.
Still alive but as if all his motors had been turned off.
A second later, he was back to normal as he breathed with difficulty.
He didn't get to rest when he felt something was wrong before he stood and moved to the next tile and the flog was upon him.
His screams were heard just like before.
The invigoration he has been enjoying has increased his sensitivity, and now that he was being flogged, he felt it more than it should.
The pain and the erratic changes of the tile mess with him, and for the next moment, only the sound of snapping and tearing of flesh can be heard.
His scream filled the area as if he was the only one around but one thing was, Eugene dragged himself forward through willpower.
He knew his momentum had been broken and could never concentrate, so he decided to just walk forward. He would fall and faint, but the moment he rose, he would move ahead.
Sometimes, he succeeded in not being flogged, but most of the time, he was either fainting or screaming or moving forward.
Soon, he was at the end; his back was bloody, but the long robe that was floating was still not harmed.
His blood was also leaving the ground and moving up in the sky.
Eugene didn't know any of this as he lay there panting. The remnants of invigoration came to him, and the pain reduced, which allowed him to calm down a little.
The reason he stopped trying to avoid flogging and endure despite the pain was, if he can't endure this small thing, how can he endure the devouring of his Miracle Lion cub?
So he endured and pushed forward even though he knew that his path might have changed by now.
"Ready for the next challenge!" This order was like a cold water to their body and they all sprang up to their feet.
Some were barely able to stand well when the next thing was announced and they stood there confused.
"Second Task, Chase and catch the light!"
Eugene turned around, his eyes under the fold and couldn't see anything but hope maybe some miracle would happen. There was no miracle here.
Then he remembered that he had dropped his cane when he was first flogged. He dashed back hoping the cane would provide some clues.
Still, as he grabbed it, for some reason, he was able to find it easily; there was no guide, and he felt no light.
He then felt around. He can hear some running around, trying to catch something.
Well, he too did that, but he grabbed nothing…
"Those who failed to catch the light are no longer Blind Servants!"
The dignified voice said before he added.
"You are now Blind Slaves!"
Eugene felt in his body his ranking had fallen.
The voice didn't allow them to reign in what happened before the next task was announced.
"Third Task, gain the Mercy of the Divine!"
Eugene knew this also was a fool's errand. He has no knowledge or training about any of these things. He was blind virtually and figuratively.
But then he heard people begging and praying; they do not have a unified deity and that is when Eugene thought they were all like him.
They aren't from here. Is that even possible? This is his First Challenge, there shouldn't be real people here but only Remembrance.
Eugene didn't dwell on that as he kneeled too and raised his hand, his palms connected as if he was going to collect a penny, and he began to prey. Maybe this will help.
It felt as if he would succeed until the word of the dignified man came.
"Those who failed to gain the mercy of the divine are no longer Blind Servants!"
'We are doomed, I'm doomed.'
The most dangerous First Challenge was the challenge that one has no knowledge of. All his education and learning have been for nothing in this godforsaken place.
"You are now, Blind Sacrifice!"
Eugene didn't like the word sacrifice as it held a heavy meaning in the real world, and in this place, its meaning would surely be worse.
"Fourth Task, Survive five seconds against the Children Of the Dark!"
"Shit!" Eugene jumped on his feet and held his cane forward, but then he felt it, a silent pressure, and he knew it was the end.
Other kids began to run away; some screamed, and some began to beg, but Eugene knew it was for nought, and so he stood still and waited as the monster reached him; its wide maw opened and swallowed him whole.
It's after all of them have been swallowed that the dignified voice that now sounded like a grim reaper to them was heard.
"Those who survived for 5 seconds are now Blind Sanctity Maiden!"
Among the 300 kids, only one survived, a girl younger than Eugene, like all of them. Her eyes were blindfolded, too, and she wore a robe that floated around.
Before her were the Beasts that tried to eat her for five seconds but now have become as tame as a cat. Her hand was resting on its flat head.
"Fifth Task, Survive the Damned!"