Alex swam through the tunnel, holding his breath, his lungs burning just a little, but he pressed on. Thanks to his extensive training since he was young, he had learned to swim well and could hold his breath underwater for ten minutes—a remarkable feat, at least according to his parents. His younger sister could only manage three minutes, and it always pleased him to beat her at least in one thing, since in almost everything else she excelled due to her being high-level, unlike him, who was stuck at level one.
A smile tugged at his lips as he remembered the day his sister found out he could hold his breath underwater for seven minutes. Ariana must have been around five years old then, if his memory served him right. She had that jealous look on her face, her puppy eyes threatening to overflow with tears, outsmarted by her big brother since she could only hold her breath for a minute and a half back then.
Those kinds of memories made his life feel oddly fulfilling and happy. He was truly grateful to his family.
Also, if he could manage even a couple of kills before the end, he would finish this final exam with at least some honor, instead of ending with zero and giving others more reason to taunt him.
Determined to get some points, Alex picked up the pace, his body gliding swiftly through the tunnel. It had narrowed, but was still just wide enough for him to pass without trouble. The water was darker here—the bright blue had faded to a deep, dark navy, with no mana stones to light the way. The tunnel was a single path, so he moved forward confidently. His eyes, gifted to some degree, let him see in the darkness—not as well as he would have liked, but better than most. His grandfather Ragnar once told him that dragons could see in the dark with perfect clarity, and that the dragon blood in his veins let him see in darkness, just a little, though nothing compared to a true dragon.
With each passing moment, he pushed himself onward, his arms and hands paddling, legs working in rhythm to propel him through the water-filled tunnel.
Soon, Alex felt a growing discomfort in his chest, the urge to gulp in a huge breath becoming almost overwhelming. But he pushed those thoughts aside and focused ahead. After a few more seconds, the tunnel began to fill with light, the dark navy water shifting to a bright blue as sunlight streamed in from ahead.
Finally, at the first sign of the tunnel's end, Alex felt peace wash over him. With one last powerful stroke of his hands and a strong kick from his legs, he burst out of the tunnel and reached the river's shore. His head broke the surface, and the water was shallow enough for his feet to touch the ground, letting him stand without fear of drowning.
"Gasp!" Alex sucked in a huge breath through both mouth and nose at once, filling his burning lungs with precious air, then exhaled quickly, his heart pounding in his chest, suddenly loud and impossible to ignore.
After taking a couple more breaths, he noticed the place he had surfaced was enclosed by huge walls of mud and rock on both sides of the riverbank, stretching up toward the sky as far as he could see. From the looks of it, he wouldn't be able to climb out easily—the rocky walls offered little hope of escape.
Alex punched the cliff wall behind him, knocking loose soil and debris that tumbled to the ground. He jumped back to avoid it. The wall was moist, with only the upper part looking hard enough to climb. He would either have to jump and grab the upper edge, or swim along the river to find a better exit.
He decided against jumping for now, since there wasn't any solid ground to push off from near the riverbank. But then he spotted a huge rock jutting out from the center of the river, opposite his position. If he could get to that rock, maybe he could use it to jump up to the cliff.
Deciding to jump from the surface of the rock, Alex glanced around first, checking if any examinees were hiding nearby. Seeing no one, he swam toward the rock, quickly reaching it and climbing on top. The rock was solid, with a flat enough surface for him to attempt a jump. He wasn't sure how high he could leap, but he wasn't ready to give up yet.
Alex clenched his fists a few times, pumping his arms and stretching his legs, then cracked his neck. Taking a long breath, he started bouncing in place. The surface of the rock was big enough that he didn't have to worry about falling off.
With each jump, he managed to get a bit higher, almost as if he were bouncing on some invisible spring, though the rock was solid and hard as anything.
After several jumps, he prepared himself for one final leap. Landing, he bent his knees and body, then sprang upward with all the strength he could muster, throwing himself toward the front cliff. His body slammed against the surface just as he intended, and he clasped his hands onto the edge, fingers digging into the soil, his feet quickly finding purchase on whatever rocks he could reach.
Alex slipped and slid down, but he pushed his fingers deeper into the cliff, drawing blood as he clung on tightly to gain footing. His feet dug into the rock as well to stop himself. Finally, at last, he managed to stop himself from falling.
Alex bit his tongue, focusing on finding balance. He carefully picked out places to rest his hands and feet, climbing little by little. He slipped and slid down more than once, each time digging his hands back into the cliff, his fingers cut and torn, the skin scraped raw, and the nails on both pinky fingers split in half.
Whenever he slid down, the rough surface tore at his chest and stomach, his thin clothes offering almost no protection, already shredded from his ordeal. Each slide left his skin burning, covered in raw scratches and scars, the pain almost beyond words.
Still, he bit back any cries, biting his tongue so hard he could taste blood in his mouth. He didn't dare make a sound, afraid that any shout would draw other examinees to his location.
Alex didn't give up. He kept climbing, each step giving him more experience, teaching him where to grip next. He was learning and adapting quickly, even as pain and exhaustion gnawed at him.
Sometimes he paused, taking deep breaths to calm his nerves, whispering to himself that it would all be worth it in the end, even though his body screamed at him to give up, to stop pushing so hard for the sake of some academy test.
Finally, after what felt like an hour, he reached the top of the cliff. His hands rested on the edge, and with one last push from his legs, he could get himself over the wall of mud, debris, and rocks. It had been one hell of an experience.
Just as he lifted his head to look over the edge, he froze, his footing slipping, his legs freely floating in the air. Only his hands kept him from falling back down toward the river. In front of him, in a wide open clearing, sat an elf. The elf rested his sword across his lap, legs crossed, body completely drenched in blood beyond words—far more than Alex could believe. The pale, white face was streaked with rivers of blood flowing down from hair that, as far as Alex remembered, had once been yellow but now looked a murky red.
The elf opened his black eyes and met Alex's bright azure gaze.
"I thought some big shot would show up," the elf sneered coldly, "but it turns out it's just the rat who's kept me waiting all this time."
***
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