The change of the room was finished; it was time for the third trial. In the room, two retangular platforms were made, one on the floor and the other on the ceiling. A symbol that resembled a humanoid body was displayed in the middle of the lower platform. "I have a bad feeling about this. If this name has anything to do with the trial, I will be squished like a bug."
After Roberion was standing on the symbol, the robotic voice of the baroness said, "The platforms will try to connect; you will be the obstacle. Your body needs to be on the platform at all times; leaving it will be punished by elimination. The previous rules of the trial apply: don't use any means to deviate; you will be punished. Good luck."
Roberion looked up at the upper platform; he felt a divergence in his balance, so he took a glancing down. "Why? Why do you need to move both of them?", Roberion recovered and lifted both hands, trying to counterforce the lowering platform, his legs trying to do the same on the lower one. The meaning of what the Cerulean Baroness explained was on full display. Both platforms tried to crunch Roberion's body; the pressure was increasing by double.
"It's alright, but I need to learn how to do this in the long run. I need to strategize" Roberion said. Next, he stopped talking, closed his eyes, and focused on his body. I'm using both of my arms and legs against the platforms in a counter force, but my core is also working; it's the bridge where both forces meet; if I curve myself, I lose control of the balance. That's it. I need to balance; my core is essential.
Roberion straightened his posture. Trying to find balance with his body, using his amplified body notion brought by the parasite, he analyzed all his vascular and muscular systems. His control was barebones; the parasite brought new knowledge of his body, but trying to modify it according to his will had mixed results. Nonetheless, he needed to have an active part in this if he wanted to survive; he didn't know how, but this competition was brutal.
These nulls can't be that powerful. Maybe that muscled null could have an easier time; he had more tools to use in these trials. More mass conciliated with control of his body could have an explosive result in this situation. When I finish this and get away from this hellhole, I will try to get some mass, but I will also try to get a more athletic build; maybe the aesthetic way would be better. I don't know how I will find some guides about it, though.
The pressure increased, and Roberion countered by doing the same, increasing the strength he used against the platforms. I can't lose my balance; when I lose it, I will die. His body, although under pressure, hadn't suffered any damage yet.
Forty minutes in. Roberion's body started to show the first signs of damage; blood started to coagulate on the extremities of his hands and feet. The null tried to use his newly acquired control in his circulatory system, but that wasn't enough; he was using too much strength; he couldn't do anything but let his body take the brunt of it.
No, it's too soon; I won't die like that. Sixty minutes in, Roberion lost his balance and curved on the platform; he didn't have strength enough to push the platforms to recover the space lost. Compared with the other trials, the time he endured was much less. The null feared to be one of the first to lose.
"I won't die—like—that, you fucker". Roberion couldn't endure more; his arms fell, and the plataforms neared. His survival instinct kicked in, and he assumed a crawling position. His knees and hands were trying to endure the pressure. But it wasn't enough; the brunt of it was paid by his legs, flesh compressed, and bones slowly cracking. It didn't matter how much he tried; his arms couldn't find a good position.
Seventy minutes in, his knees and thighs started to have their bones crushed. Roberion used his elbows and arms to relieve some of the pressure. It worked for a while, until they also started to have their bones broken.
Roberion's muscles were numb; he didn't know if he was using force against the pressure or not; the only thing he felt was pain. Again, he closed his mind and only focused on survival.
"Congratulation to the 2533 still in the competition. The next trial will be announced soon. Enjoy your ten minutes of resting", this time Roberion could feel that Cerulean Baroness talked with more emotion. More than that, he really felt why.
The pressure didn't lessen. Worse than that, he couldn't move his body off the platform. I—I jus—t need to endure. Ten minutes. That sadistic lunatic.
This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
Roberion's body was a mess when the platforms moved back; his arms and legs were broken and deformed, and the crushing made them look like grizzly stumps.
The null felt his body heal as both platforms vanished from the floor and ceiling. He had only five minutes of rest. His rest was horrendous; he was regenerating like the baroness was rewind the time.
"It seems that I miscalculated. For the next 2412 participants, let's start the fourth trial: Laser Trap. Starting now", as the hologram vanished, Roberion got up as fast as he could, his body still tender and painful, but it wasn't enough. A diagonal blue line of light crossed at him, cutting his pinky finger; the cut didn't bleed as it was already cauterized.
"Fucking bitch."
----------------------------------------
The Forth Trial: Laser Trap - 2412/4521 participants left
The loss of one finger wasn't the problem; the problem was the laser lines showing from nowhere. Roberion tried to use all his dexterity and reflexes to evade the laser lines. These lines appeared instantly; their speed wasn't great; the problem is that they didn't have a specific location they spawned from; it seemed random. After moving for two seconds, the lasers vanish.
"They are showing up from near where I'm; let's try something", Roberion started to run around the room; the laser lines kept showing up, but before they could move at him, he was already at a new location, still running. The process repeated; the null's stamina didn't deplete, but his body was hurt all over. It seemed the healing the Ceruelean Baroness did was less effective than before, or he was feeling phantom pain.
The number of lasers that spawned increased, which, as a consequence, made him more cautious, as the previous lasers needed at least two seconds before vanishing. Now he needs to strategize his movies. Roberion focused entirely on the trial—no random thoughts, no ramblings, just total concentration.
With the help of the improved control of his body brought on by the parasite and his enhanced dexterity, he could show the limits of his abilities. He was a dexterity focused fighter; now he could show his prowess.
The number of lasers kept increasing, and now Roberion noticed that they needed more time before vanishing, and the time they needed started to be random; some vanished in one second, but more vanished after between five and twenty seconds, keeping themselves static like obstacles. He stopped only running and evading; now he needed more than that; he needed to plan each of his moves.
If before he could do acrobatics moves with only his enhanced dexterity stat, now he was a different beast. His moves now are those of a true acrobat, but he didn't feel a change in his speed or his raw reflexes; the parasite improved upon what he already had. As he kept doing somersaults, black flips, and jumps, he was assaulted by insight.
The system is fallible; as I suspected, it's too simplistic. Considering everything I know, I assume the system wasn't designed for us to use. Even if I am currently secure from it, I will discover how and why it functions. Maybe I can get something from it, or be prepared if some asshole tries to implant an engram in me again.
Roberion kept running from the lasers, but now he had arrived at a gruesome truth. I will need to sacrifice my body to keep running; the lasers aren't vanishing anymore. What a cruel trial that sadistic made.
Roberion was sliced, and little by little, his skin started to become black and red. His muscles started to lose strength as more and more was cut; he was like meat in the hands of a butcher. Roberion didn't get angry; he didn't curse. Roberion was focused, with the help of the parasite, to increase for even a millesimum of a second his survival.
As he lay on the floor like a cut slab of meat, the last vertical laser moved at high speed, ready to cut his head in two. With the last of his strength, he evaded, taking his head to the left and hitting the wall. He was in a corner. The laser cut his chest and hit his heart. Roberion tried to control his body, but he reached his limit.
Losing some of his senses as his body started to die, he accepted his death. His deathlike eyes watched as the purple healing light showered on his body. His hearing is slowly coming back.
"—xactly 2000 participants finished the physical trials. During it, I just knew that in your little impish minds, you wanted your fellow contestants to lose the trial, so you just had an easier time. I'm happy to announce that now you can do just that. The next trials will make you compete against each other to select the best one; the last one alive will be declared the selected one" Roberion listened to it without expressing any reaction, his body still healing from the heavy damage.
"Relax; you won't fight yourself against the other one thousand nine hundredth ninety nine contestants in one go. First, you will fight individual matches. When you reach the fourth match, you will fight another four participants; the last one to survive will proceed. When only ten participants survive, the best of the best will fight until the last one remains. Do you want the power I promised you? So fight for it, be the last one, and destroy everything in your path for it", the Cerulean Baroness finished her feverish speech. Now she seemed more human than a machine—a maddened one with feverish zeal.
Roberion sat up, a glint in his eyes. This place isn't normal; this healing isn't normal; she is doing something here. The healing is connected to something bigger; it feels like a spell, but it's gigantic. I don't know what it is, and I can't get more than that. I hope these next trials will answer some of my questions.
Roberion steeled his gaze as a tunnel opened up in the wall in front of him, stopping when it reached the size of a doorframe. He could only see darkness inside it.