CHAPTER 185: THE ASCENT BEGINS

PHASE THREE —

THE ASCENT BEGINS

The third day dawned with a strange kind of stillness.

Not the peaceful sort of calm that came with sunrise over the island’s coast, nor the tense quiet before a confrontation. It was another kind—something like the island holding its breath, as though some unseen mechanism deep beneath its soil had begun to turn.

Mist crawled low across the forest floor. Dew gathered along the canvas of tents, sliding down in thin rivulets. Early sunlight filtered through the treetops in fractured shafts, scattering light in ways that made even familiar shapes appear foreign. The air tasted metallic, faintly charged, as if thunderclouds lingered just beyond sight.

Arios Pureheart felt it the moment he stepped outside the newly reinforced perimeter.

His boots pressed into the damp earth. A faint vibration traveled up the soles into his ankles—barely noticeable but unmistakably present, like the faint hum of magic woven into the terrain itself. He exhaled slowly, noting how his breath fogged slightly even though the temperature was warm.

Phase Three had begun before anyone had announced it.

He could sense it.

And the island, as if acknowledging this, shifted.

Lucy emerged next, brushing a stray lock of auburn hair behind her ear, her expression alert. Liza followed shortly after, yawning once, though her eyes were clear and sharp the moment they lifted toward the forest’s interior.

Neither spoke at first.

They didn’t need to.

The air itself was speaking loudly enough.

Arios finally broke the silence.

"Do you feel it too?"

Lucy nodded immediately.

"The island is... active. More than yesterday."

Liza knelt, touched the ground, and frowned.

"The mana density is climbing. Not gradually—like something triggered a surge."

Arios already suspected the cause, though speculation would come later. More urgently, he looked toward the treeline. Birds were absent. Creatures that had previously been seen roaming near the basin were nowhere in sight. Even the constant background buzz of insects had faded.

Silence had become total.

And silence in a living forest was always a warning.

Phase Three—according to the exam outline—was titled only:

The Ascent.

No numbers.

No instructions.

No hints.

Just that single, ominous phrase.

A test without parameters was often the most dangerous type.

As more students roused from their tents, the unease spread quickly. Whispers moved like wind across the clearing. No one wanted to be the first to ask the obvious question, but everyone felt it.

Arios gathered his team with deliberate calm.

"Gear check. Full loadout."

Lucy immediately complied, reviewing each pouch, vial, and strap with meticulous care. Liza unsheathed her weapon and inspected it, her face losing its usual relaxed confidence in favor of focus. Arios did the same, tightening the bindings of his gloves, adjusting the weight distribution of his pack, and securing the map case.

Nearby, a handful of Class A and Class B students watched him briefly—some with caution, others with something like calculation—but they quickly turned their attention to their own preparations. The baseline of respect he had inadvertently earned since surviving the basin’s anomalies now gave him a quiet space to operate.

As he finished adjusting the straps on his pack, a voice called from behind.

"You three. The council wants a briefing."

Arios turned to see one of Damien’s aides—an upper-year student with a clipped tone and a rigid posture that suggested a personality with little tolerance for deviation.

Arios exchanged a glance with Lucy and Liza, then nodded.

"We’re on our way."

The aide led them toward the central tent—a structure erected with reinforced supports and protective enchantments. As they approached, the muffled sounds of discussion filtered outward. When they stepped inside, the space fell into a hush.

Damien stood at the central table, his hands pressed lightly against a large map spread across the surface. Several council members and squad leaders circled him, their expressions tight.

He looked up as Arios entered.

"You’ve felt it too," Damien said, not asking but confirming.

Arios nodded.

"The forest is changing."

"It’s more than that," Damien replied, sliding the map toward them. "At sunrise, the topographic readings of the island shifted."

Liza blinked.

"Shifted? As in the terrain changed?"

"Tectonic movement is one thing," Damien said. "But this is localized, patterned, and mana-aligned. Something in the island’s core activated."

Lucy leaned forward, scanning the map.

"The mountain’s elevation marker... increased?"

"By thirty-two meters," Damien finished.

Arios exhaled softly.

It wasn’t just the forest.

The entire island was rearranging itself.

"The start of Phase Three," Damien continued, "occurs the moment students collectively detect the change. The Ascent refers to the mountain’s peak. Your objective is simple—reach the summit."

Arios studied the map again.

Nothing about this was simple.

The mountain—once merely a distant landmark framed by thick foliage—now felt like a presence, looming even from miles away. Its peak was hidden behind swirling fog, and something deep within it pulsed faintly in the direction of the rising sun.

"What are the risks?" Arios asked.

Damien’s jaw tightened.

"We’re not certain. But the dungeon-like anomalies in the basin were likely precursors. The interior path may contain layered zones, shifting mana currents, and unstable ground."

"Meaning traps," Liza concluded.

"And creatures," Lucy added.

Damien nodded to both.

"Teams will depart in intervals. We want to minimize crowding on the ascent routes. Class D—your group leaves second."

Arios raised an eyebrow.

"Second?"

Damien’s gaze shifted briefly to him—an analytical look, not unfriendly but evaluating.

"You’ve proven unusually adaptive to the island’s fluctuations. That might give you an edge in the transition zones."

Arios didn’t argue.

He simply accepted the map copy Damien handed to him and motioned for Lucy and Liza to follow him back outside.

The moment they stepped out, the sky shifted again—clouds drawing into elongated spirals as if pulled by some invisible force.

The ascent route would be anything but straightforward.

They returned to their supply area, and Arios gave concise instructions.

"Eat lightly. Hydrate. Take only what we absolutely need. The climb will become harder the higher we go—excess weight will get us killed."

Lucy nodded immediately. Liza, for once, offered no teasing remark; the gravity of the situation had settled over her as well.

Students began forming their groups, some nervously adjusting gear, others glancing toward the mountain as though trying to gauge its intent.

Arios lifted his pack and let the weight settle across his shoulders.

Lucy stepped close.

"We should mentally map three fallback points. One at the forest transition, one mid-slope, and one just below the summit approach."

Liza added, "And create signal codes. The higher we go, the worse visibility will get."

Arios agreed, assigning signals and fallback markers in calm, even tones. His clarity steadied them; Lucy’s strategic mind sharpened the plan; Liza’s field instincts filled every gap.

A cohesive trio.

A silent understanding passed between them.

Then a horn sounded from the central camp—deep, resonant, and final.

Phase Three had officially begun.

Class A’s first team moved out like a spearhead, slipping into the forest with well-practiced formation. Moments later, the second horn blared.

Class D’s turn.

Arios stepped forward.

Lucy and Liza flanked him.

The forest greeted them not with hostility, but with expectation. Trees arched slightly inward, their branches bending as if acknowledging the challengers about to enter. A narrow path had formed—not through human intervention, but through a natural realignment of the flora. The island wanted them to move inward.

Wanted them to climb.

They crossed the threshold.

The moment they did, the temperature dipped. The air thickened. Colors dimmed slightly, as though light itself was being filtered through a shifting layer of mana.

Arios scanned the surroundings.

The trees here were taller, their trunks thick with intertwining roots glowing faintly beneath the bark. Strange crystal growths had begun forming along the ground—translucent shards humming softly with latent energy. They looked fragile but radiated dense magical pressure.

Lucy crouched beside one.

"Mana-conduction crystals... unstable ones."

"No touching," Arios instructed.

Liza, still scanning the treetops, murmured, "Feels like we’re walking inside a dungeon’s boss corridor."

A fitting comparison.

They pressed deeper, moving carefully along the narrow trail. Every few minutes, the forest rearranged subtly—branches twisting, leaves shifting color, the path slanting ever so slightly uphill.

Eventually, they reached a ridge overlooking the interior.

The view was unlike anything previously seen.

Below them stretched a massive valley—a sweeping basin that wasn’t present on any earlier map. In its center stood a stone monolith, cracked and pulsing with violet light. It looked ancient, as though it had been buried for centuries and only now unearthed by the island’s shifting terrain.

Lucy whispered,

"That wasn’t here yesterday."

Arios stared longer.

No... it was not simply new. It was watching. The energy emanating from it resonated faintly with the vibrations under his feet.

The island was waking up piece by piece.

Liza asked quietly,

"Should we investigate it?"

Arios shook his head.

"Not now. Our objective is the ascent. The monolith is bait—whatever triggered Phase Three wants teams to waste time."

They continued upward.

The incline sharpened. Roots thickened. Patches of wild magic shimmered through the air, distorting light like heat ripples. Small creatures scurried past—ethereal forms made of mana rather than flesh, blinking in and out of existence.

Halfway up the slope, the terrain shifted violently.

The ground trembled, then split—a fissure ripping across the narrow trail. Arios yanked Lucy and Liza back just as the earth gave way, tumbling down into the newly formed ravine.

Dust billowed upward.

The trail ahead vanished entirely.

Liza exhaled slowly.

"Well. The island really doesn’t want us walking the easy way."

Lucy studied the gap, eyes narrowing.

"We can’t cross safely. We’ll need an alternate route."

Arios stepped forward, scanning the terrain.

The island was forcing adaptation. Reacting to movement. Responding to presence.

Not random.

Not natural.

Intelligent.

He motioned left.

"There. A sloped section with anchored roots. We can climb around and reconnect higher."

Lucy nodded.

"Better than risking the unstable edge."

Liza grinned, tension easing slightly.

"I knew we’d end up climbing things today."

They moved carefully, each foothold tested before committing weight. The altitude increased. Wind swept through the canopy, carrying the faint scent of ozone.

Birds returned—just a single flock—but they flew in a perfect angular formation, unnervingly synchronized.

Arios watched them pass.

"Something’s directing everything here."

Lucy murmured,

"Or someone."

The possibility hung heavy in the air.

Minutes stretched into hours.

The higher they climbed, the more the forest thinned. The trees became sparse and twisted, their bark etched with runic patterns that glowed faintly as they passed. The ground grew rocky, patches of moss giving way to exposed stone streaked with ancient carvings.

Finally, they reached a plateau—a natural landing carved into the mountainside.

And at its center...

A doorway.

Not carved by nature.

Not weathered by time.

A perfect arch of stone, humming with energy, etched with shifting runes that reacted to their presence. It resembled the entrance to a trial chamber.

Liza whispered,

"That... is definitely not part of any natural island."

Lucy stepped closer, her voice barely audible.

"It feels like stepping into a forgotten relic."

Arios moved to the front, studying the runes.

They rearranged themselves as he approached.

Letters spiraling.

Symbols blinking.

Patterns forming.

And then the entrance pulsed once—an acknowledgement.

Phase Three was not merely a climb.

It was a gate.

A transition into something deeper.

Arios exhaled.

"Beyond this point... the ascent truly begins."

Lucy tightened her grip on her staff.

Liza drew her weapon.

Arios stepped forward.

The doorway opened.

And the mountain swallowed them in a sweeping wash of light.