After leaving the deeper part of the forest, Kaelen and Allan finally reached a place where the environment began to change.
The tall trees slowly disappeared, and the ground became dry and rocky. The sound of the forest animals faded away, replaced by an eerie silence.
Soon they arrived at the edge of a wide valley.
High cliffs surrounded the valley on both sides, and the ground was filled with broken stones, old weapons, and pieces of armor. It looked like many battles had taken place there long ago.
Allan looked around carefully.
"This place gives me a bad feeling."
Kaelen nodded slowly.
"The tower should be somewhere beyond this valley."
Several other students were standing near the entrance of the valley. Some of them looked injured, while others seemed frightened.
One student saw Kaelen and Allan approaching and quickly spoke.
"Don't go in there!"
Allan raised an eyebrow.
"Why?"
The student pointed toward the valley.
"Traps… hundreds of traps. Anyone who enters gets attacked immediately."
Kaelen looked carefully at the ground. At first glance, everything looked normal.
But after focusing for a moment, he noticed something strange.
Small metal plates were hidden beneath the dust and rocks.
Pressure plates.
Kaelen picked up a small stone from the ground.
"Let's test it."
He threw the stone into the valley.
The moment the stone touched the ground—
CLICK
Suddenly dozens of arrows shot out from hidden holes in the cliffs.
WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!
The arrows struck the ground with terrifying speed.
But that was not all.
The ground suddenly cracked open as huge wooden logs covered with spikes swung down from the cliffs.
The traps stopped after a few seconds, and silence returned.
Allan whistled softly.
"That's insane…"
The students watching nearby looked even more nervous.
"No one has crossed it yet," one of them said.
"Everyone gets injured or retreats."
Kaelen studied the valley carefully.
"There must be a pattern."
Before he could analyze further, a familiar voice came from behind them.
"So this is the obstacle everyone was talking about."
Kaelen and Allan turned around.
Standing there with a confident expression was Ryuzen.
Allan sighed.
"Of course you're here too."
Ryuzen ignored him and looked toward the valley.
"So the tower is on the other side."
He smiled slightly.
"This looks fun."
Several students shouted at him.
"Don't go in there!"
"You'll get killed!"
But Ryuzen simply stepped forward.
"Watch carefully."
He walked directly into the valley.
CLICK
The traps activated instantly.
Arrows flew toward him from every direction.
But Ryuzen moved quickly, jumping between rocks and dodging the arrows with incredible speed.
The watching students gasped.
Then the ground beneath him exploded as several large spikes shot upward.
Ryuzen smashed one of the spikes with a powerful punch and jumped over the others.
But the traps continued.
Huge boulders began rolling down from the cliffs above.
For a moment, it looked impossible to escape.
Yet Ryuzen kept moving forward without stopping.
He leaped between falling rocks and avoided the traps with incredible reflexes.
Finally, with a powerful jump, he crossed the final section of the valley and landed safely on the other side.
The students watching were completely stunned.
"That guy is unbelievable…"
Ryuzen turned around and looked at Kaelen.
"If you want to pass this exam… you'll have to do better than that."
Then he turned and continued toward the tower, disappearing behind the rocks.
Allan crossed his arms.
"He really loves showing off."
Kaelen looked back toward the valley.
He carefully observed the traps that had activated.
The arrows.
The spikes.
The falling rocks.
Everything seemed random at first.
But after watching closely, Kaelen noticed something important.
"They're connected."
Allan looked at him.
"What do you mean?"
Kaelen pointed at the ground.
"The traps activate in a sequence. Each pressure plate triggers a different trap."
Allan nodded slowly.
"So if we move at the right timing…"
"We can avoid most of them," Kaelen finished.
Allan smiled.
"Good. Because I really don't want to fight flying arrows all day."
Kaelen stepped forward.
The valley was quiet again.
A cold wind moved through the cliffs.
He took a deep breath.
"Ready?"
Allan nodded.
"Ready."
Kaelen stepped into the valley.
CLICK
The first trap activated.
Arrows shot toward them from both sides.
Kaelen moved quickly, deflecting some arrows while dodging the others.
Allan raised his hands.
"Water Style: Flow Sense!"
A thin stream of water spread across the ground, revealing several hidden pressure plates.
"Step left!" Allan shouted.
Kaelen followed his direction immediately.
They moved quickly between the plates, avoiding the next traps.
But suddenly—
CRACK
Large spikes shot out from the ground.
Kaelen jumped over them while Allan created a small water shield to block a few arrows.
They continued moving forward.
The traps became more intense with every step.
Spiked logs swung down from above.
Huge rocks rolled down the cliffs.
Dust filled the air as arrows struck the ground around them.
For a moment, it seemed impossible to survive.
But Kaelen remained calm.
He watched the traps carefully and moved with perfect timing.
"Now!" he shouted.
They dashed forward together.
A massive boulder rolled down toward them.
Allan quickly created a water blast to push it slightly off course.
The rock crashed beside them instead of crushing them.
Finally they reached the final section of the valley.
But the moment Kaelen stepped forward—
CLICK
The ground shook violently.
A massive stone gate began to fall from the cliffs above.
Allan's eyes widened.
"That's the final trap!"
"If it closes, we'll be trapped inside!"
Kaelen looked at the closing gate.
"Run!"
They sprinted forward with everything they had left.
The gate was falling quickly.
Dust and rocks crashed down as the massive stone door lowered.
Just as the gate was about to close—
Kaelen and Allan jumped forward.
They rolled across the ground and barely escaped.
BOOM!
The stone gate slammed shut behind them.
For a moment neither of them spoke.
Then Allan lay on the ground, breathing heavily.
"That… was insane."
Kaelen slowly stood up.
"We passed."
Allan sat up and looked ahead.
His eyes widened.
"Kaelen…"
"What?"
Allan pointed forward.
In the distance, rising above the rocks and trees, stood a tall ancient tower.
The Exam Tower.
And several students were already standing near its entrance.
Kaelen looked at the tower quietly.
They had crossed the Forest of Trials.
They had survived the Valley of a Hundred Traps.
The physical training and endurance test of the exam was finally complete.
But as Kaelen and Allan walked closer to the tower, they realized something important.
The students waiting there were not ordinary.
Among them stood Ryuzen.
And on top of a large stone nearby sat Kaito, watching everyone calmly.
The next stage of the ninja exam was about to begin.
And the real competition had only just started.
If you enjoy the story, please add it to your library and leave a comment."