The group continued down a winding path when the sound of water began to intensify. After a few minutes, they arrived at a wide river rushing fiercely, its current strong enough to carry fallen trees.

There should have been a wooden bridge here, but the remains of broken planks and frayed ropes floated downstream.

"Great..." Towan muttered, watching the current. "What do we do now?"

The master looked around calmly. "This is part of the journey. You need to figure out how to cross."

"Are you going to help us?" Elliot asked.

"Only if it's absolutely necessary," the master replied, sitting on a nearby rock.

Towan approached the edge of the river, inspecting the distance to the opposite bank. "We can jump using Essentia... if we use enough, we’ll make it to the other side."

"It's too wide," Elliot replied, frowning. "If we don’t control the boost properly, we’ll fall into the water. And if the current catches us, it’s over."

"So what’s your idea, Mr. Smart?" Towan retorted, crossing his arms.

Elliot observed the remains of the bridge. "We can improvise something with the broken planks. If we use Essentia to maintain balance, we can cross with what’s left."

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

Towan grumbled, unconvinced. "That sounds boring."

Elliot smiled slightly. "Then jump, and let’s see if you make it to the other side."

They began working together. Towan used his strength to drag the broken planks and anchor them to the frayed ropes. Meanwhile, Elliot used small amounts of Essentia to adjust and stabilize the knots.

When they finished, the makeshift bridge seemed fragile but enough to cross if they kept their balance.

"After you, genius," Towan said.

Elliot nodded, stepping forward carefully. As he walked, he used Essentia in his feet to maintain stability. Each step seemed like a precision exercise.

Towan followed, relying more on his strength than his balance. The planks creaked under his weight, but he managed to cross, though he slipped a few times, cursing as he went.

When both reached the other side, they looked back. The master was still sitting on the rock, watching them with a slight smile.

"And how do you plan to cross?" Towan asked.

Without answering, the master walked to the riverbank, picked up a branch from the ground, and with a swift motion, used the trunk as a pole to launch himself. He flew over the river and landed on the other side with surprising grace.

Towan and Elliot stared in awe.

"Why didn’t you teach us that?" Towan protested.

"Because you needed to figure it out yourselves," the master replied, continuing to walk as if nothing had happened.

As they continued their journey, Elliot reflected aloud. "Did you notice? He left us on our own because he knew we could do it."

"Yeah, or he just wanted to laugh at us," Towan retorted, though with a smile on his face.

The challenge had strengthened not only their control of Essentia but also their ability to work as a team, though they still had much to learn.