Heir of Synthesis: The World Mage

At that instant, Uswyn appeared in the sky, approaching all the young people. She looked at them and nodded slightly, satisfied. Of the nearly 40 thousand who had signed up, a little less than 30 thousand advanced to the second stage.

All the young Mages born in the southern region of the Divine Plane truly weren’t flowers raised in greenhouses. Despite the lack of resources, a dangerous environment was the best place to create determined figures.

She stopped above everyone.

”Congratulations to everyone who made it this far. This already makes you valuable people to the sect, and even if you fail the next tests, you can stay as external workers. It’s not a relevant status, but you’ll definitely earn more than you would living alone back home.”

Uswyn spoke slowly, and the atmosphere immediately became tense. Obviously, no one there wanted that.

”The world is cruel and unforgiving. Twenty years ago, I was here just like you, and I saw many of my companions cheering with joy, some even crying. But when we learned about the next test, our excitement vanished.”

”The foundation of every Mage’s power always pushes them to train and learn how to fight. Because of that, the first test is always easier, since it evaluates your physical ability, instincts, and combat potential. But this next test is unforgiving, and it’s likely that more than half of you will fail here. That’s because, now, the evaluation will measure your minds and your will...”

Uswyn’s voice was heavy. It was like a hammer striking their hearts.

’Half? More than half are going to be eliminated?’ the young people thought almost in sync.

The smiles of those excited people instantly disappeared, replaced by disbelief.

Uswyn snorted lightly, then waved her hand toward the entrance of the staircase.

”This trial is very simple. All you need to do is climb the 999 steps.”

*BUZZ*

The moment she spoke, all the steps on the mountain pulsed with an intense white light. Runes appeared in the space around them, making the air vibrate.

That was definitely a powerful inscription, at a level they couldn’t comprehend. Something simple Mages like them didn’t have the slightest ability to cancel out, so they could only bitterly endure its power.

Almost all the young people, just from feeling the pressure coming from the staircase, turned pale and could barely breathe. Some were on the verge of collapse, even without having tried to climb yet.

”The time limit is only 24 hours. Let the second test begin!”

Uswyn finished speaking, and right after that, she floated toward the top of the mountain.

No one made a sound.

Everyone stood still, staring at the staircase for a few seconds.

”I’ll go first. Just follow me,” Priam suddenly said calmly.

Under tens of thousands of gazes, he walked directly toward the staircase.

He was the first to climb. Lumiere, Shione, Flaris, and Dandara kept some distance from him as they followed.

This made everyone’s attention turn to Priam. He became the center of attention for all those people.

”Hmph, what a showoff. Who does he think he is? He’s only embarrassing himself,” mocked someone who was considered a genius of this generation, feeling that Priam would definitely suffer for trying to steal the spotlight.

”Idiot, do you think a little shit like you can understand Lord Priam’s abilities? Before criticizing others, think about whether you even have the qualifications!” someone shot back.

The person speaking on Priam’s behalf was one of the young men who had been with Lumiere before, and who had been saved from death because of him. He had personally witnessed how overwhelming Priam was when he easily blocked that wing carrying the Beast’s maximum power without suffering even a scratch.

Besides, Priam had never acted arrogantly.

During the hours he spent in that area waiting for the first test to end, Lumiere introduced them to Priam, and Priam spoke politely with everyone, as if he were on the same level as them.

Only later did that young man understand a certain principle: truly badass people never need to pretend, because there’s no need for it.

Those people who liked to act tough were usually just people who felt inferior and were afraid others would see them as insignificant if they didn’t act tough.

To be honest, those showoffs only showed off to give meaning to their own existence. People with real ability didn’t need that, or maybe they were already tired of being the center of attention. That kind of behavior belonged to someone who felt lonely at the top. That was what real badass attitude looked like.

At that moment, Priam stepped onto the first step. All eyes were on him.

But there was no reaction at all when he stepped on it.

It was as if he had just climbed an ordinary step. He didn’t even blink.

”How is this possible?” Uswyn, who was watching everything from above, was stunned.

She belonged to the previous generation and knew very well how terrifying the Staircase was. The first 333 steps tested a person’s ability to deal with terror.

The power of the inscription came directly from a max-rank Sage, one specialized in mind control. Even she, currently, would feel a little terrified at first if she tried to climb. But this Young Mage didn’t show the slightest reaction.

It wasn’t only Uswyn who was shocked. All the Elders were shocked.

”Could it be that this young man doesn’t have the slightest fear in his heart?”

In truth, when Priam stepped onto the first step, he really did feel a strange fluctuation. However, he did nothing to resist it and simply let himself be carried by it.

There was no need to even use the system.

Who was Priam? A young man?

He had lived as a sickly person on Earth and died slowly, wasting away without breaking.

After that, he lived for thousands of years as a slave, being tortured and pressured by the Sovereigns to speak. Even then, he still endured it without breaking.

A mere inscription was going to mentally crush him?

Never.

Even the disasters of this life, something he deeply blamed himself for causing, only left him strongly shaken because they were very recent.

They had happened less than a month ago, after all. He also wasn’t so cold-blooded that he could ignore that. But certainly, in a short time, he would recover completely on his own.

In short: he felt no fear at all toward things like this. He was immune to this energy, because this terror was nothing more than child’s play to him.

As for his allies right behind him... they frowned, recognizing that this was a trial that amplified their feeling of terror. But...

Shione, Lumiere, and Flaris had already experienced real terror, which was seeing the entire planet where they were born, the entire clan they belonged to, everything and everyone, being brutally slaughtered.

Although they felt bad on this staircase, when they looked up and saw Priam’s back just ahead, they clenched their fists and endured.

As for Dandara...

Her feet stopped on the first step for a second. But she took a deep breath and endured it bitterly.

The group kept climbing, step by step, at a steady pace.

”What? So it was fake?!”

Seeing that the five of them had reached the hundredth step without any reaction, a disciple candidate spoke dryly and walked up to the staircase.

But the moment he stepped onto the first step, he immediately turned pale, infinite terror showing in his eyes as his body trembled uncontrollably.

”I really thought there was something wrong with the Staircase,” Uswyn sighed from above, seeing that.

That young man seemed to be fighting against a nightmare. He let out a furious roar, and the terror in his eyes lessened a little. Gritting his teeth, he continued forward.

But when he reached the tenth step, he dropped to his knees, trembling from head to toe, unable to move any farther. A ray of light finally made him descend.

”You failed the trial,” Uswyn’s voice sounded firmly.

That young man was pale as snow, frightening everyone else around him.

But they couldn’t stay there all day.

The most confident ones took a deep breath and finally moved.

When they stepped onto the first step, their bodies visibly shook.

However, these young people born in the southern region also hadn’t lived peaceful lives. Many of them had experienced disasters and massacres, strengthening their minds... and perhaps, in the same way, distorting them.

A good part of them quickly got used to the feeling and continued moving forward.

But many found the climb extremely difficult. Some only endured a few dozen steps before they became unable to continue and were dismissed.

It was as if every step was one more step toward death.

Illusions appeared in their minds. It was as if they saw a mountain of blades and a sea of fire in front of them, as if, if they kept moving forward, Death’s scythe would fall upon their necks.

Although they could clearly tell themselves that it was fake, that they were only an illusion, that it was only a test... that was a terror that came from the depths of their souls. They were unable to resist it.

Several disciples were constantly expelled from the staircase. Once they failed, they couldn’t try again.

”The 300th step!”

All the Elders were focused on Priam. And at that moment, he stepped onto a major threshold.

”The 334th step!”

When Priam climbed the 334th step, all the Elders watching fell silent.