"I really hate limiters" I muttered while my goody professor put on the bracelets for me.
"Apollo"
"Yes professor"
"I want you to apply the technique I have been teaching you all"
"Do you mean control and force application professor?"
"Yes I want you all to do that but also the endurance and stamina technique, I remember making you all walk on a burning te before, and only using your ki or mana as a means of protection. Use everything that I taught your ss to climb the steps"
"Alright prof got you"
"Good! Now go up there and show them what it means to be part of my ss"
I looked at my friends and on their wrists you can see identical bracelets like mine. Unlike me who only wore limiters now, them on the other hand have been wearing it for weeks.
[I think you had influenced your friends to do some crazy stuff]
"Nah they are already insane as I am," I said confidently as I walked towards the now crowded steps.
"Let''s go, ss, we have to reach the top of these freaking stairs"
I honestly thought it would be easy but I underestimated the might of the limiters, which the professor personally made by for me.
.
.
.
"And here students are one of the challenges that are essible by all years, the rainbow steps"
Said the professor who looked proud while presenting this ce.
"Each step contains a gravitational pull that can test your strength and endurance. Remember students the darker the colour of the step the more force it has. Now then go on give it a try"
She encouraged them while guiding the student in the front to try.
"It seems fun let''s try it" Caesars said while urging his friends to go with him.
"Might as well see how far I can go"
Johan thought while confidently walking with Astrid and Odysseus. Behind those two are their student escort Leona ckvel and Logan ckstone.
"I wonder how far will the prince go?"
"Don''t know, let''s check the record board instead, it seems the highest score is from a seventh-year student?"
"Wait isn''t that a bit overstay?"
"Nope I think it still depends on the study he took, how many steps did that person do"
"Well it says 210"
Hearing that number made the other students impressed.
"How about the one from a first year how far did he get?"
"first year wait the list is too long...oh! Found it! It''s only thirty steps"
"Is that the highest?"
"Yes apparently it is"
Seeing only thirty steps from first-year students like them, some students felt discouraged to give it a try.
Not until they saw a group of peopleing from the back.
"Hey move it!"
"Why?"
"It''s Apollo!"
"Hey move!"
"Move move!"
The crowd was split in half some onlookers from the other academy felt confused by the sudden reaction of the students. Especially those of the student council.
"Is he a big shot?"
"Maybe? Wait look at his hair!"
"A hair simr to the falling sun at dusk and eye simr to golden dust, that boy is a Lionheart!" he realized feeling a sudden excitement.
"It seems he is taking the challenge like the others, wait what are those bracelets they are wearing?"
"Wait? I think I recognize them, those are limiters!"
"Now that is really interesting"
Another senior said smirking excitedly at the sight of the bold students.
Going back to them, the lower-ss students stood in front of the yellow step and without hesitation, they began to take the challenge.
"Whoa look they are actually going up so fast"
"How many steps are they taking now?"
"Twelve they are currently taking the twelfth step!"
"And it seems they don''t have ns to stop yet"
More students began to gather around including those from the higher year. The fast pacing of Apollo''s ss also causes panic for the High-ss students who are now stuck at the fifteenth step.
"How the hell can they move like that!"
Jomar eximed while his knees began to tremble from the pressure.
"I can''t let these unknown people surpass an aristocrat like me! Me! A child from a king, royal and dignified blood !" he kept repeating in his head while trying to take a step forward.
"A little more!" he screamed in his head until his footnded on a blue color step.
"Argh!"
A massive weight crashed his body however he didn''t fall down instead he began regting his ki to elevate the pressure he was feeling.
"This is it I can take another step using this way!" he began to realize making his confidence soar.
"Another one...!? What!"
He said almost shouting when a familiar hair color passed by him. It was a red-orange hair with the same oppressive energy. At his back is a ck hair girl followed by a spiky red hair one.
"No.." he weakly said witnessing how lightly they are taking this challenge.
"Damn it I can''t lose!" he screams in his mind before a voice cut his thoughts.
"It''s better to stop now, you are at your limit after all"
A soft voice spoke and a girl with yellow-gold hair with orange eyes looked at him.
"You will lose consciousness if you take another step" she added before a hand pulled her away.
"What just happened?" he muttered until sixteen silhouettes slowly ascended ahead of him.
The sun-kissed their figures while their unbothered face highlighted their confidence. Some felt awe while others let their pride fuel their anger. It was to the extent that they would resort to vile tactics like pulling and tripping.
"Kneel" ir almost growled as he said hismand, immediately five students who tried to touch Alya and Vesta were forced to kneel on the ground.
The steps were wide enough for many people, which is why he could conclude that bumping someone or even identally holding a person is all intentional.
"A little bit more and I mightmand them to gouge their eye out"
"Calm down buddy we aren''t allowed to kill here" Mckenzie jokingly said while taking another step.
They walked even more until they arrived at the twenty-fifth step, there they saw the back of six people. It was the prince, Caesar and his friends, Johan, Astrid, Odysseus and their escorts.
"Damn it how can they be so fast"
Johan gritted his teeth as he said this, he never liked Apollo especially his team of abnormal ssmates.
"Calm down Aaren and focus the gravity here is getting even more fierce" the prince reminded him.
"We should rest once we arrive at the yellow step since the pull there is much lighter"
"Astrid is right my prince let us head there"
"Okay Seus lets go everyone"
The prince regted his breathing and made sure all parts of his body received the energy it needed.
"Hoo" he breathes while the sun''s light basked into his skin.
They really tried to move forward however the twenty-seven steps made their entire body shake.
"Argh! I can''t take it anymore!" cried one of the student escorts, while Astrid and Odysseus tried to endure the powerful pressure.
"No, I can''t!" Johan Aaren clenches his teeth not backing down.
Apollo, I wanted to surpass him because he represents that ce. The tower, the only ce that continues to sh with my father''s and my family''s beloved name. The Mage Association was the strongest guild and organization of mages yet we continued to be overshadowed by the image of the tower.
Just once I wanted to beat them so I could give something to my father, maybe that way he would finally look at me.
"Be at ease" he suddenly heard a voice and as he looked up the very person he wanted to beat appeared in front of him.
"Your body is slowly snapping due to the pressure, try to continue and you might actually break your bones" After saying those words he walked away like nothing happened.
"Oh god look they reaching the thirtieth step"
"Can they do it the indigo step seems to be putting a lot of pressure on them"
"ng!"
They heard a crisp sound of falling and they began to notice the unique bracelets that the ss had been wearing the entire time.
"Wait if I am not mistaken they have been wearing that since the incident with the cafeteria right?"
"What incident?"
"I think the proper question is which one of those incidents"
"Never mind that look they are speeding up again after removing those bracelets!"
Just like what they say the ss continued to walk forward until the entire Eastern Academy felt surprised by the result.
"Sixty-five! That''s the step some fourth years and third years are struggling to and yet they handle it!"
"Wait someone is still walking!"
All the watching students and professors took out their spy sses to see the lone student who continued walking forward.
"Is that?"
"It''s Apollo!"
"Our top ranker is not topping the leading board of this challenge"
He was kidding when he said that however in the next moment, Apollo''s name came on top with his achievement written in bold and ming letters.
"Apollo Lionheart challengepleted!"
"Is that mean?"
"He reaches the top!"