Jonah quickly stood up and followed Pierre.
"Where are we going?" he asked.
Pierre didn't look back as he replied,
"Didn't I already tell you? We're going to your new home," Pierre said calmly.
Jonah glanced around as they walked.
As far as he could see, there was nothing but forest. Endless trees. No paths. No signs of civilization.
Then Pierre stopped.
"We're here."
Jonah looked ahead, only to find Pierre casually leaning against a tree.
"…Here?" Jonah muttered.
Before he could say anything else, the space in front of Pierre began to pulse.
The air warped.
It stretched, trembled, and then split open like a tearing wound, forming a dark fissure in the air itself.
"T-This—"
Seeing Jonah's stunned expression, Pierre chuckled.
"Relax. It's just a barrier, don't overthink it. Let's go."
After saying those words, without any hesitation, Pierre stepped into the fissure and vanished.
Jonah let out a slow breath, clenching his jaw, and he followed.
The moment he crossed through, the world shifted.
The forest disappeared.
Jonah staggered slightly as his vision cleared, and he was shocked.
Standing before him was a massive villa, elegant and imposing, completely out of place.
"…Where are we?" Jonah asked quietly.
Pierre turned around and calmly said,
"This is my private residence. Until you become an Ascender, you'll be living here."
Jonah was still processing that when Pierre suddenly looked back at him.
"Now," Pierre said, his tone sharpening slightly, "tell me about the price you paid."
Jonah blinked.
"Price?" he repeated. "What price?"
Pierre studied his reaction for a moment, then nodded.
"I see," he said. "So, you don't know anything about the Eternal Spire. Or why we recruited you."
Jonah nodded slowly. "No."
"I'll explain everything after you pass the Seeker's Trial," Pierre said as he turned away.
He paused and glanced back over his shoulder.
"For now, let's prepare you for it," he added calmly.
"So, you don't get yourself killed."
Hearing those words, Jonah spoke up immediately.
"W-Wait. Wait just a goddamn minute."
Pierre stopped and turned around, tilting his head slightly.
"What is it?"
Jonah stared at him for a few seconds before forcing the words out.
"What do you mean by getting myself killed? I don't know what this trial is, but if it's dangerous, I'm not participating."
He had only agreed to follow Pierre because of one promise.
His family.
If he died before finding them, then what was the point of any of this?
Jonah didn't believe for a second that this organization was harmless. Pierre's superior could see the future. Pierre himself could warp space with a snap of his fingers.
And that barrier in the forest…
Cold sweat trickled down Jonah's back.
For the first time since leaving the bus stop, regret crept in.
Pierre watched Jonah in silence. His lips twitched slightly.
Then he laughed. Not loudly at first. Then uncontrollably.
"Hahaha—!" Pierre pointed at Jonah, barely holding himself together.
"Kid, don't overestimate yourself."
His laughter faded as suddenly as it began.
"The way you are right now," Pierre said flatly,
"You're nothing but cannon fodder to us."
Jonah stiffened.
"And as for the trial," Pierre continued,
"You don't get to choose. You'll participate whether you like it or not."
Pierre stepped closer and looked straight into Jonah's eyes.
"Those messages, Connecting to Eternal Spire. 1% 2%. They've already started appearing, haven't they?"
Jonah's eyes widened as he nodded.
Pierre smiled faintly.
"When that number reaches 100%, you'll be dragged into the Seeker's Trial."
Then his expression changed.
The warmth vanished, replaced by cold indifference.
Jonah's legs gave out.
He dropped to one knee, breathing hard as a chill crawled up his spine.
"Do exactly as I say," Pierre said quietly.
"If you don't want to die like a useless pig, stop asking unnecessary questions."
He turned away.
"I already told you," he added, without looking back.
"Everything will be explained after the trial. Don't make me repeat myself."
Jonah swallowed.
"U-Understood."
"Good," Pierre replied. "Then follow me."
With that, Pierre walked toward the villa's entrance.
Jonah pushed himself to his feet and followed, the cold dread still clinging to his bones.
...
The next day, when the sun just risen.
Jonah's room door opened as Pierre entered
With any greetings or explanations.
Pierre dragged Jonah out of the villa.
"Time is running short, so let's not waste it any further."
"We're skipping weapon training," Pierre said casually as he walked ahead.
Jonah blinked, still half-asleep. "What?"
Pierre didn't slow down. "You won't master any weapon in time. And you won't find one inside the trial anyway."
That shut Jonah up.
Instead, Pierre led him to a clearing behind the villa. Thick iron weights were tossed onto Jonah's arms and legs without warning.
"Run around the villa. In the trial, you can't defeat any monster with your abilities, so just run away if you encounter any monsters," Pierre said.
Jonah stared at him. "Run where?"
"Anywhere," Pierre replied. "Preferably away from things that want to eat you."
And so, Jonah's training began with running.
He ran until his lungs burned and his legs screamed. When he fell, Jonah forced himself back up and kept moving.
"This isn't about speed," Pierre said calmly. "It's about not stopping."
By the time Jonah collapsed for good, it was afternoon.
Pierre glanced at it once and nodded.
"Good. You're still alive. Keep moving. No breaks nor launch."
That afternoon, Pierre shoved Jonah into a foul-smelling swamp.
"Swim."
Jonah gagged. "Are you insane? This thing is toxic!"
Pierre sat down on a nearby rock. "In the trial, you'll be surprised how many monsters live in places like this."
The water clung to Jonah's skin. Thick. Heavy. Every movement felt wrong. Something brushed against his leg, and Jonah nearly panicked.
"Relax," Pierre said lazily. "You won't die anyway, just swim."
Jonah swallowed his fear and kept moving.
By nightfall, he crawled out shaking, covered in filth and bites. Pierre tossed him something dark and wet.
Jonah stared at it. "…Is that meat?"
"Raw," Pierre said.
Jonah's stomach turned. "I can't eat that."
Pierre looked at him, expression flat.
"You don't get to choose," he said. "If it's edible, you eat it. Meat. Insects. Whatever keeps you alive."
Jonah hesitated.
He bit down with his dirty hands.
The taste was horrible. Blood coated his mouth. Jonah gagged but forced himself to swallow.
Pierre watched quietly.
"Good," he said. "Remember that feeling. Pride gets people killed faster than monsters."
Days blurred together.
Running. Swimming. Eating things Jonah never imagined putting in his mouth.
He slept outside every night. Cold ground. Open sky. The villa was never offered again.
When Jonah asked why, Pierre only said,
"There won't be shelter in the trial."
The messages kept coming.
[Connecting to Eternal Spire... 25%]
[Connecting to Eternal Spire... 46%]
[Connecting to Eternal Spire… 68%]
Jonah was thinner now. Bruised. Exhausted. But he was still forced to train as he was currently running in the forest with weights.
[Connecting to Eternal Spire… 92%]
His hands shook constantly. His thoughts felt slow, heavy. Yet something else had changed.
He noticed paths instinctively now. Places to hide. Routes to run.
When the number flickered again the next night again and again and again,
[Connecting to Eternal Spire… 99%]
Jonah staggered toward Pierre.
"It's almost there. Ninety-nine percent," Jonah said, breath uneven.
Pierre studied him for a long moment.
Then, unexpectedly, he nodded.
"Get some rest," Pierre said. "You've done enough."
Jonah frowned. "That's it?"
"For now," Pierre replied. "And remember one thing."
He leaned closer.
"Make use of your environment. The trial isn't about strength. It's about not dying stupidly."
Jonah lay down on the cold ground.
For the first time in days, he slept without dreams.
A few hours later,
[Connecting to Eternal Spire… 100%]
The world lurched.
Jonah didn't scream.
His body was erased by an unseen force as he vanished.
The forest fell silent.
Pierre stood alone beneath the dark sky.
He looked at the space where Jonah had been, then clicked his tongue softly.
"So it begins, huh," Pierre muttered.
He turned away.
"Don't die on me, kid."