Jobless Transmigration: I'm the only one who loves monsters.-Chapter 124: The Mystery behind the mountain.

Chapter 124: The Mystery behind the mountain.

It was but an ordinary stick, one someone might find anywhere in a forest, unremarkable in every way.

Under their unanimous gaze, He then placed his finger at one end of the stick, pressing down lightly.

"Think of the pressure we just felt as my finger resting here." He began to move his finger slowly along the stick’s length, and as he moved, he gradually applied more pressure with each passing inch.

The stick held at first, then began to creak softly, then developed tiny cracks and splinters along its surface as the pressure increased. Finally, with a sharp snap that made more than one person jump, the stick broke cleanly in two, the pieces falling to the ground at his feet.

He looked up at Snow, his expression serious. "The pressure we just felt at the base of this mountain should not be too great for any of you to handle. But I believe, and I suspect your young leader believes as well, that the higher we climb, the more that pressure will increase."

" It will eventually build and build with every step we take, until ultimately, all those who cannot handle it directly, or who do not possess any items or means to ward off its effects, will be forced to descend from the mountain. And in descending, they will fail the examination." 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

He paused, letting that information sink in, and then continued in an even graver tone. "As for those who are too stubborn to listen to their bodies and admit when they have reached their limits, they might end up causing far more harm to themselves than any good that could come from continuing."

" I’m afraid this mountain does not care about ones determination nor their reasons for being here. It will simply crush anyone, just the same, whether they deserve it or not."

As he spoke those last words, his gaze flickered briefly toward Gunter, who stood trembling at the edge of the group, before returning to Lucuis.

"I am afraid that this test is not one where people can simply team up and help each other succeed. In fact, teaming up might actually increase the difficulty of the test itself."

" While I’m not sure whether the pressure cares for how many of people there are."

" Logically speaking, It should press against each examinee individually, but..." His voice couldn’t help faltering at the end.

Lucuis absorbed this information in silence for a long moment, his expression thoughtful rather than dismayed. Then, without any visible disappointment or frustration, he simply nodded and bowed his head slightly in the old man’s direction. "I see. In that case, please allow me to thank you in advance for your cooperation and assistance so far. You have been a great help to us, and I hope that you succeed in your own climb."

The old man stared at him for a long moment, his weathered eyes searching Lucuis’s face for something, perhaps insincerity or hidden motives.

Whatever he found there must have satisfied him, because he eventually nodded once, sharply, and then turned and began to ascend the mountain on his own, his figure growing smaller and smaller as he climbed until eventually the vegetation, rocks and the mist swallowed him from view.

The group stood in silence for a moment, processing everything that had just happened, and then Gunter’s voice broke through the quiet with unexpected words.

"Umm... I think I will just end my examination here, if that is alright with everyone."

Lucuis turned toward him, and for the first time in quite a while, a frown creased his features. "And why would you do that? We have only just begun."

Gunter shifted uncomfortably under that gaze, his eyes dropping to the ground as if he could find the words he needed written in the dirt. "I am afraid that my body is not exactly strong enough to handle something like this. You heard what the old man said. The pressure will only increase the higher we go. I barely made it through the first test, and that was only because you helped me. I do not want to hold everyone back or cause problems because I cannot keep up."

"So you are planning on admitting defeat without even trying?" Lucuis’s voice emerged calm, so calm that it took a moment for the words themselves to register. "You are going to give up before you have taken a single step up that mountain, before you have any idea what you might actually be capable of?"

Gunter muttered something beneath his breath, too low for anyone to make out, and lowered his gaze even further as if he could somehow disappear into the ground if he just tried hard enough.

Lucuis watched him for a moment, his expression unreadable, and then simply sighed and walked over until he stood directly before the trembling young man. He reached out and placed a hand on Gunter’s shoulder, firm but not forceful, and waited until those downcast eyes finally lifted to meet his own.

"At least try before you choose to leave." His voice carried no judgment nor disappointment, only the simple truth of someone who had seen enough of life to know how these things worked.

"If one does not actively chase success, how can they ever truly grasp it? Let us say you give up now and try again next year. Do you really think you will not meet another examination similar to this one? Do you think the academy will suddenly decide to make things easier for you just because you waited?"

He squeezed the shoulder gently, emphasizing his words. "Are you really going to keep on relying on luck instead of relying on yourself? Luck is a fickle thing, capable of abandoning one moment they need it most. But if you learn to trust in your own abilities, and push past your own limits, that is something no one can ever take away from you."

Gunter stood there in silence, his eyes locked with Lucuis’s, and something shifted behind them as those words sank in.