As Aiden slowly started advancing blindly in front of him, a robotic voice spoke, its words echoing in the darkness, "Level 1."
Then, Aiden, who was in complete darkness, heard a small, subtle noise coming from his left.
Swoosh
The sound startled him, and almost instantly after hearing it, he felt a sharp impact as an object collided with his body.
Staggering back, Aiden winced in pain as the robotic voice spoke once again, its tone unyielding, "If you are hit five times, then you have lost the challenge."
'Wait, is this really the challenge?' Aiden thought, his mind racing as he tried to make sense of the situation. 'I need to dodge things that I can't even see.'
Determined and focused, Aiden concentrated as hard as he could, his senses heightened in the darkness. He prepared himself to hear the next noise, bracing for the impending threat.
His plan was actually quite simple: when he heard the noise, he would jump as high as he could, relying on his agility and instinct to evade whatever was coming at him. With each passing moment, his anticipation grew, and he readied himself to execute his daring maneuver.
The familiar sound echoed through the darkness, piercing the silence around Aiden.
Swoosh
Reacting swiftly, Aiden executed his plan, leaping into the air with all his might. His muscles strained as he propelled himself upward, reaching the peak of his jump before gravity pulled him back down to the ground.
As he landed safely, a sense of relief washed over him. He had successfully evaded whatever object had been launched at him. His confidence grew, and he readied himself for the next challenge, bracing for the anticipated sound.
However, this time, there seemed to be a slight delay. Aiden strained his ears, waiting for the noise to resound in the darkness, but it didn't come immediately. He started to wonder if the trial had come to an end if he had managed to pass the first level unscathed.
Thinking the ordeal was over, he relaxed his body, letting his guard down for a moment. The tension in his muscles dissipated, and he prepared himself to hear the robotic voice declaring his victory.
But just as he settled into this brief respite, a split second before voicing his complaint about the malfunctioning robotic voice, the sound once again reached his ears.
Swoosh
Aiden's body instinctively tensed, and his senses sharpened. He realized that the challenge was far from over, and he needed to remain alert and agile to survive. The delay had been a trick, a deliberate ploy to test his composure and reaction time.
The darkness that enveloped him seemed to stretch on endlessly, distorting his perception of time. In this eerie realm, seconds felt like minutes, and minutes like hours. Aiden's disorientation intensified as he struggled to gauge the passing of time, a disconcerting feeling that only added to the already unnerving challenge.
Yet, despite his confusion, Aiden steeled himself, determined to overcome whatever obstacles lay ahead. He couldn't afford to let his guard down again. He focused his attention, attuning his ears to detect even the faintest hint of movement, preparing to evade each incoming threat with swift precision.
With a renewed sense of purpose, Aiden braced himself for the next object, the next test of his abilities. The darkness may have concealed his surroundings, but it couldn't dampen his determination to conquer the challenge before him.
As the robotic voice declared the beginning of "Level 2," an oppressive silence descended upon Aiden. It was as if all sound had been swallowed by the void, leaving him in a state of eerie stillness. Even the faintest echoes of his own bodily functions seemed to fade away, leaving him in a disconcerting void of absolute silence.
Aiden's heart pounded in his chest, its rhythm now a deafening presence in his own ears. He realized that Level 2 had imposed a restriction on his hearing, rendering him unable to rely on auditory cues as before. Panic threatened to take hold as he grappled with the daunting challenge ahead.
"How the hell am I going to pull this off?" Aiden's thoughts raced, his mind desperate for a solution. Without the familiar swoosh to signal impending danger, he had no way of knowing when to jump or dodge. The absence of sound heightened the tension, intensifying the pressure he felt.
In the midst of this uncertainty, a flicker of an idea sparked in Aiden's mind. It wasn't a perfect plan, far from it, but in the limited time he had, it seemed like the best course of action. He decided to keep moving, remaining as mobile as possible, hoping that he wouldn't be hit by anything coming his way.
It was a strategy born out of necessity, a gamble in the face of unknown challenges. Aiden understood the risks, but at this moment, he saw no other viable option.
Then, he did exactly as he had planned as he started running and jumping, hoping that he wouldn't get hit.
But then he thought about something.
'How am I going to know when I pass the second level?'
It was a normal thought because as of right now he wouldn't be able to hear the robotic voice that announced everything to him.
Sure, he would be able to know if the projectiles would hit him, but he wouldn't be able to know when he would be advancing.
Then, he continued running around feeling that his body was becoming more and more tired by the constant effort that he was putting in. Adding jumping into his movement, was also making it even more tiring.
Sprinting and jumping for seconds was hard for every human, but Aiden was awakened.
He had better stamina than normal humans, he was able to sprint for several seconds, but for several minutes...
That would be a challenge, even for him.
But would he even be able to hold on or would fatigue catch up to him making him unable to reach the third level?
***
Author's Note: Tomorrow, you won't be able to access the new chapters as I am currently updating the privilege. Also, if it is possible to give power stones to my novel, it would be great as I would get more exposure from webnovel.
Nonetheless, thank you for reading my novel as it means a lot to me!
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