Chapter 23

  Power!

  The words written on the standing stone, which had arisen from the centre of the nature-themed gym, were strange. Elijah couldn’t actually understand what language they were written in; it wasn't English, but he knew instinctually what they meant.

  They looked like some sort of runic language. Was it a magical script that translated itself? Was the System somehow interfering? Had the other writing been the same, and he’d just not noticed?

  Elijah’s exhaustion had distracted him; his mind was wandering down tangents. The standing stone in the middle of the chamber was already beginning to sink; it was another timer. He needed to focus and push through the weariness.

  He examined the room more closely, trying to find what exactly he was supposed to do. Finally, a clue! High up on the far wall, surrounded by vines, were three giant blossoms beneath three words.

  The words were written in the same runic script as was used on the stone, and Elijah understood them to mean Strength, Endurance, and Vitality respectively. The blossom beneath the word Endurance was the only one that was open, and it glowed a warm green.

  Clearly, when the stone said to prove his strength, it didn’t just mean Strength. There was a difference in the characters used to make each word, though they were translated the same.

  Apparently, he had already proved his Endurance by running himself ragged, if he had to guess; now it was time to prove his Strength. He had no idea how he was supposed to prove his Vitality, but one problem at a time.

  Elijah sucked in a large breath and straightened up. Hitting his legs to stop them from shaking, he strode over to the naturally formed weights. The bar was just sitting there on the floor; there were no benches or the like, so he was left with no choice but to deadlift it.

  He bent down. Adjusted his hands on the bar and checked his legs and back were positioned correctly. Elijah had never been a gym rat; he had gone a couple of times but more as an excuse to hang out with friends. He didn’t really know if his form was correct; he was basing it entirely on what he had seen on the World's Strongest Man.

  He heaved. Nothing happened. He strained again; the rock weight didn’t move so much as an inch off the ground. Damn, this thing was heavy!

  Elijah’s tired mind was too weary to try and think of something smart, so he just tried over and over again. Each time he would put more of himself into the lift.

  In short order he had become as red as a beetroot, and his veins were bulging through his pale skin like thick cables. He poured all of his frustration, his anger at being trapped and kept away from all those he loved, at being forced to endure this nonsense not only for his sake but to save another he didn’t even know, and, most of all, at always being picked last in P.E.

  He was scrawny and weak, or at least he had always seen himself as such, but now he needed to be strong. The standing stone had sunk a quarter of the way down, but it didn’t matter; he could do this. No, he would do this!

  Elijah strained one final time, putting all that he was into the herculean effort. His eyes felt like they would pop out of their sockets, and his stomach strained ominously, but he did it! The stone barbell moved a single inch off the ground.

  The teen fainted, falling over forwards. He was only out for a second, a blip of blackness. When he came to, he was sprawled out on the floor. Looking up at the ceiling, his eyes stared through something at a roof covered in masses of leaves.

  This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

  Lights swirled in his vision, and he strained to focus on the thing that was right in front of him. On the third attempt his corneas finally responded to his commands, and he was able to read the notification that had appeared.

  Strength +1

  After he threw up again, he found that he was happy. As it turned out, there were ways to train Attributes beyond the First Threshold; it was just far, far harder. The point in Endurance should have told him as much, but he had been too out of it to notice.

  When he got to his feet and walked off the nausea, he assessed the situation. His Stamina had barely replenished, only the smallest sliver, but the stone had already descended to the halfway point; he didn’t have much time left!

  On the plus side, a bright yellow blossom had opened beneath the word Strength. That left only Vitality to go. This, he thought, would be difficult. The only thing he could think of to test the Attribute which governed recovery was to partially drown himself and hope he could get better and that that would count.

  The other option was to tire himself out, recover, exhaust himself, get better, then start again, hoping he gained a stat point, as that seemed to be the trigger for this Trial. There was no time for that.

  Thinking it over, Elijah had an idea. If gaining an Attribute point really was all that he required, then there was another way.

  He placed more and more experience into Beech Berserker in 100 Xp increments. At 700 Xp, a notification appeared.

  You have reached Level 2 in B????e?????e????c?????h???? ?????B???e?????r???s????e???r????k????e????r???!????

  +3 Vitality

  There was a chime, and the third blossom opened, displaying a vivacious red flower that seemed to glow with life. The rock, which had been descending slowly, suddenly stopped, and a network of vines writhed about, revealing an opening on the far side of the chamber.

  Elijah panted happily, his hands on his knees. His solution had worked, but his Stamina was still near empty, and he didn’t feel great. He’d need to take a few moments before continuing.

  Just then, the vines which had grown to cover the entrance to the chamber exploded into a fine, green mist. The Minotaur came jogging in, its momentum such that a freight train couldn’t stop it. The axe no longer dragged and was instead held firmly at the ready.

  The shot of adrenaline that ran through the teen had him running before he knew what was happening. His legs pumped and his chest heaved; he had to run at full speed to gain any lead over this monster.

  The purple swirling tiles and clouds of smothering grey mist that characterised the next section of the maze flew by as Elijah struggled to stay ahead.

  At one point, he ran down a dead end and was barely able to reverse course before the Minotaur would have blocked his escape. The mistake ate up what little lead he had gained, and the sixteen-year-old was forced to push himself anew.

  He ducked clouds of lightning that somehow formed within the tunnel, jumped over sections of shiny stone which looked like they may be slippery, and weaved through purple crystal pillars which jutted up on occasion.

  None of the obstacles slowed the beast. It ran through the electricity unscathed, thudded over the icy patches with sure hooves, and ploughed through the crystalline columns, turning them into sparkling powder.

  Even so, Elijah was able to eke out a lead once more, though not without paying a price. His Stamina was completely empty; each step felt like it could be his last, nothing remained in his stomach, and his Health was beginning to slowly drop.

  Still, he ran, for he had no other choice. Every time he thought of quitting, of starting over, he reminded himself that he was not the only one he was doing this for.

  The manager, Faun, person was relying on him. Though he neither knew nor trusted them, having someone else's life relying on his actions was a good motivator.

  He kept running, even when he no longer heard the chugging breath of the powerful monster, even when his feet began to rub and blister, even when he felt like death would be preferable to continuing.

  His determination was rewarded. The teen threw himself around another corner, spilling out into a third, and hopefully final, chamber.

  Purple crystal tiles which seemed to swirl just beneath the surface decorated the large chamber. A fifty-foot crystal screen covered the far wall, held aloft by translucent purple pillars.

  Elijah entered the room. A sheet of crystal grew within seconds, covering the entrance, and the crystal screen lit up with static, reminding the teen of an old TV.

  patrons: