Chapter 89: The Relentless Ascent

  By the next day, Emilia’s strength had fully returned, and she pressed forward with caution. She scanned her surroundings constantly, relying heavily on her soul-sensing ability. Although killing other participants was strictly forbidden, she knew all too well that in this world, things were never that simple.

  As she walked, a massive mountain eventually loomed before her. It was so colossal that it seemed to warp the very space around it. Carved into its stone face with the aid of powerful magic were ten thousand steps.

  At intervals, long paths branched off toward rocky side-platforms where various rewards could be claimed. A thick mist swirled around the mountain, clustering most densely at the peak and choking the visibility.

  Emilia focused her skills. Through the lens of Dispel Ignorance, she could see others climbing the mountain stairs. Some had reached impressive heights, while others were still struggling at the base.

  Aside from those climbing, she spotted three youths resting on the meadow before the mountain, gathering their strength for another assault on those strange steps.

  Emilia approached and greeted them briefly before turning her attention to the weather-worn stairs and the mountain itself.

  There must be powerful spatial magic at work here. This mountain is clearly several times taller than the ceiling of this pocket dimension. Will I be able to create formations like this one day? Formations that influence space itself? she wondered, her voice tinged with a sincere longing and a thirst for knowledge.

  Stepping directly up to the base of the mountain, she paused to offer a prayer to Prometheus and her patron goddess, Hecate. Then, she swirled her mana and carefully set foot on the first step.

  Ha, nothing... she whispered with a sigh of relief, continuing her ascent.

  But as she cleared more steps, fatigue began to seep into her body and soul. Each successive stair grew harder to climb. It was as if something within the mountain’s aura, and even within the mana of the surrounding mists, was designed to make this trial nearly impossible.

  Emilia pushed on, trying to decipher the nature of the challenge. She used her skills incessantly, monitoring her own body, until the realization finally struck her.

  This mist is entering my body and acting directly on my mana. It creates chaos in my energy channels, and I have to fight it constantly. I’ll need incredible mana control and experience working within my own pathways.

  She then looked down at the steps themselves and focused on the mountain’s aura.

  The mountain acts directly on my physical form; every step truly does become heavier as I progress toward the peak. This is likely a test of both physical strength and spirit.

  Emilia didn’t stop thinking as she climbed. She possessed an incredible depth of experience that was almost impossible to replicate in this world. She had unlocked her mana on her very first day and had never stopped training her control. She knew her energy channels perfectly, having purified and maintained them since the first months of her life.

  Because of this, she could handle the influence of the mist, and even divert a portion of her mana to reinforce her physical body.

  However, she hadn’t consumed countless earthly treasures like some of the wealthier children here, and her body wasn't naturally that strong. It was only through her remarkable spiritual skills, years of mana manipulation, and the use of rare resources like Abyssal mushrooms and troll blood that she was able to keep moving.

  I will climb as high as I possibly can, she resolved.

  Every detour for rewards required extra effort, but Emilia was determined to give everything she had. Perhaps the prizes at the very top would be worth the opportunities she bypassed below.

  Her legs were heavy, her head spun, and her thoughts had turned to a blur. Her skin was coarse and prickling with gooseflesh; her nails looked as though they had been submerged in water for far too long, and even her bones felt as if they had lost their luster.

  She felt the exhaustion bleeding into her emotions, but her experience with meditation allowed her to observe them from a distance. She saw every spark of tension and fear clearly, yet she managed to keep them at arm's length.

  Still, that only helped the mind—her body resisted every single step. She stumbled frequently, sometimes falling and barely finding the strength to stand. At one point, she went tumbling downward, bruised and spent, until she skidded to a halt at the base of a path branching off. She leaned against the inner wall, using the cold stone to arrest her momentum.

  I have to do something... if I keep going like this, I'll hit my limit soon. If I fall again, I might roll right off this mountain, she thought.

  Emilia paused for a moment and shook her head. In this thick mist, there was almost no such thing as rest; the mountain’s influence and the surrounding aura placed a constant, crushing burden on her physical form.

  Concentrating hard, Emilia began to attune her aura over and over again. She remained there for a long time, periodically taking bites of mana-rich foods and consuming healing herbs and potions from her ring.

  Gradually, she achieved a partial success, managing to sync her aura with the environment.

  Almost immediately, the pressure on her body eased, and she was finally able to draw a full breath. She stayed in her meditative state, searching for the most efficient way to circulate her mana to combat the mist.

  Cycle after cycle, she experimented with various techniques. Her vast experience—both from Earth and from the practice she had begun literally the day she was born—placed her at the level of an unsurpassed genius in this world.

  At the very least, she was certainly the greatest master of mana control in this small town. She had to find a way to conquer this mindless trial.

  Emilia worked for a long time until she eventually found the right path.

  Her head began to clear, and the mist found it harder to penetrate her body. She fought the chaotic energies incessantly, unravelling them into thin threads and directing them toward the nearest points where she could gradually expel them from her system.

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  It was an exceptionally complex process, a problem she had never encountered before. Her meditation deepened, and her consciousness became laser-focused.

  Suddenly, she discovered she could feel the tiny pores of her skin and the miniature channels connecting her main energy arteries to those small openings with far greater clarity. She decided to map her body in even finer detail. The external chaotic energies proved to be an excellent tool for this; by using them as a contrast, she could sense her own mana with unprecedented precision.

  Until now, she had always directed her energy without having to resist the natural currents of her own body.

  Now, however, with this external interference, she was learning new tricks and discovering capabilities she had never even imagined before.

  Ever since I left Gaea’s space and Hecate’s ascendant remade part of my body, I truly can sense mana and energy so much better.

  Emilia moved forward, continuing to refine her new discoveries as time slipped by. Many of the participants had chosen to return to the meadow at the base of the mountain to absorb the lessons they had learned before attempting a second or third climb.

  In reality, there was no limit to how many times one could attempt a challenge, but the dimension would only remain open for three months. After that, it would be forcibly closed, and the participants summoned back to their own world.

  For twelve grueling hours, Emilia meditated on the chaotic auras of the mist. She managed to develop a stable circulation system, and by the end, the vapor barely affected her at all. She continued to fine-tune her aura until she felt ready, then took a quick bite to eat and pressed forward.

  Her gaze remained fixed on the ground, carefully monitoring the shifts in the energies before her. Every hundred steps, the resistance surged sharply, forcing her to slow her pace and recalibrate to the new pressure.

  This went on for what felt like an eternity. Emilia lost all track of time; there was only the forward motion. She was young, her body perfectly developed and reinforced by a vast amount of mana from specialized foods, drinks, earthly treasures, and relentless hard work.

  For her, skipping a night or two of sleep was a minor inconvenience. She pushed on without stopping, sensing that if she lingered too long on this mountain, the chaotic forces of the mist would find cracks in her defenses and strike with renewed ferocity.

  Step by step, flight after flight, she advanced—slow as a snail, but as relentless as a tortoise.

  Before long, however, her strength began to fail. She had been climbing for over twenty-four hours, and her body was on the verge of snapping.

  Master Fjorn was right; I haven't consumed enough earthly treasures. This challenge was designed for those who began using such riches while still in their mother’s womb! she thought, her pace slowing to a crawl. Should she give up? Perhaps she could stop at the next branch, take a reward, and make her descent.

  She quickly shook her head to clear the doubt. I won’t give up! It’s as if this challenge was made specifically for me. My strongest weapon is mana control. I know my body perfectly. Besides, I’ve tuned myself so well to the mountain's aura that I only feel a tenth of its true weight.

  Emilia continued, even as the tension on her physical form reached a breaking point. She was significantly high up now; the trees below looked distant and minuscule. Even with her mana-enhanced vision, she would have struggled to distinguish the individual youths resting at the base.

  Time lost all meaning. There was only the mountain and the endless stairs. At one point, Emilia stumbled, leaning heavily against the rock wall for support.

  This is it. My body won't hold out much longer.

  Searching through her pack, her hand closed around the porcelain bowl containing the priceless herb intended for her transition to the first level. Emilia froze.

  Her thoughts raced in a thousand directions, and her heart began to hammer against her ribs.

  Maybe... if I use this herb and release the massive energy hidden within... but no, that energy is too violent. Unless I counter it with several milder herbs with opposing properties... no, not opposing, just pointing in slightly different directions to ease the herb's impact. I could soak it in a neutralized water mixture from the heart of the marsh...

  Emilia carried an array of different herbs and mixtures in her ring. During her time with Chief Nikos Vardas, she had gathered extensive knowledge and seized the chance to purchase all manner of valuable reagents. She hadn't known what she would face in these trials and wanted to be prepared for every possibility.

  She spent a long time weighing the risks and the potential loss of such a rare ingredient.

  Finally, she made her decision.

  Even if I lose this herb, I still have one more. Even if I lose every other reward I've gained so far, the risk is worth it. I want to go as high as possible! I want to see the very limit of my abilities. I want to see the legendary geniuses this mountain was built for. I want to reach the peak and laugh from the heights. I want to stand against this mountain and its thick mists and prove that the blessing of the goddess Transmigrea was not in vain!

  Emilia thought back to the endless years of surgeries and broken hopes in her past. She remembered her parents' eyes, how they always believed in her and supported her. She thought of her small dog, left alone on Earth, whom she would never see again.

  That dog had been her only comfort during the years when her illness began to progress and she lost control of her body. It was the only being that stayed by her side, supporting her through it all, believing in her sincerely and without doubt. Emilia had to succeed, no matter the cost.

  Without delay, she resolutely pulled the herb from the bowl and immediately began mixing it with various liquids and supporting plants, guided by the intuition of her skills and the countless books she had read in the library.

  She recalled her conversations with Petra, with Clara, and with the silent Sylvara, who shared her knowledge only with great difficulty—though even the small grains she occasionally offered were as precious as gold coins. Finally, she remembered Chief Nikos's second wife and those rare, stolen moments in the mana-rich herb garden, where Emilia had never stopped pestering her with questions.

  Every effort, every small piece of the puzzle she had fought so hard to acquire, finally began to take shape. She worked feverishly until, at last, the mixture was ready.

  Emilia looked one last time at the murky liquid, gave it a light stir, and touched it with her mana for a final moment. She closed her eyes and began to drink.

  A gulp, a second, a third—she kept drinking until the bowl was empty. Gasping for air, she began to breathe heavily. Her exhausted body pressed against the cold stone wall, and she panted like a fish thrown onto dry land.

  Gradually, a fierce heat began to build in her stomach. The various energies started releasing their medicinal properties, and a wave of power flooded her body. Emilia did not hesitate for a second; with redoubled strength, she pushed forward up the steps.

  She moved at high speed, and the energy in her body, instead of fading, increased with every passing minute. Emilia began to run up the steep stairs, but even then, the energy grew increasingly potent and critical.

  What have I done? she thought in a panic. The energy raged like fire within her, and the auras washed over her like a merciless river, a force unleashed by a broken dam.

  Emilia quickly began to lose control, her consciousness blurring. She moved forward on sheer momentum, fighting the wild elements the entire time. This continued for a long while until, at one point, her body seemed to sense its own desperate situation and turned down one of the side branches.

  These paths were shrouded in thick mists and presented extreme difficulty, but at that exact moment, the massive chaotic energies within Emilia’s body easily dispersed the fog, preventing it from latching its tentacles onto her.

  Emilia walked with the last remnants of her awareness. When she suddenly emerged from the mist onto a stone platform, she simply leaned against the wall and lost consciousness.

  There were no birds on the mountain, no wild goats or playful monkeys. There were no beautiful butterflies to flutter and measure the flow of time with their wings. Emilia had fallen into a deep trance, battling the heavy effects of the herb. She had to endure the assault of the massive energies and find a way to tame them, even using them to refine her body.

  The most important factor was that the mountain's power and the strange mist, which had been draining her strength until now, were actually helping her tame the herb. This was one of the primary reasons she had taken the risk in the first place.

  Time passed, and seven full days slipped by.

  By the fifth day, she had managed to endure the most violent surges of energy and had developed a system to circulate them. Shortly after, she fell into a deep, well-deserved sleep. She slept for two full days and nights while her body continued to churn with chaotic forces.

  When she finally woke up, she looked around and saw a strange tree before her, crafted of milky-white crystal and black obsidian.