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    [Location: Leoncrest Estate - Dining Hall]


    [Date: May 1, y. 486 of the Fourth Age]


    The dining hall was busy when Zeke grabbed his lunch and moved through the crowd.


    He spotted Elise across the room, already seated with her roommate, both deep in conversation.


    "I''m telling you, it''s great! The room smells better than it has in ages," the roommate insisted as Zeke sat down. What was her name again? Marissa? Something with an M.


    "I''m not saying it''s bad," Elise replied, stirring her soup. "I''m just saying... ages? Are you forgetting the wild lavender I found in the woods? The whole place smelled like fresh laundry for a week. It was amazing."


    "It smelled like baby, not laundry," Marissa scowled. "Besides, who thinks the smell of laundry is all that amazing, anyway?"


    Zeke chuckled as he dug into his food. "What''s this mysterious herb you''re debating so passionately?"


    "Mountain sage," Elise explained. "Marissa thinks it''s the greatest thing since sliced bread, but I''m partial to lavender."


    "Sage is better for focus during studies," Marissa argued. "Lavender just makes you want to sleep."


    "Maybe that''s why you''ve been nodding off in Professor Henwick''s class," Zeke teased Elise, who responded by flicking a bread crumb at him.


    A shadow fell across the table as Victoria appeared, setting down a plate piled high with food. There were several massive chunks of broiled chicken, grilled vegetables, and three bright red apples stacked precariously on the edge.


    "Wow," Zeke eyed the mountain of food. "You look like you''re trying to eat enough for both you and Ingrid."


    "I sort of am," Victoria replied, sliding the plate toward him. "You''re taking it to her as soon as you''re done eating."


    Zeke paused mid-bite. "I am? Don''t I have swordsmanship right after lunch?"


    "Normally, yes, but your professor has a soft spot for Ingrid and was convinced to let you skip class for the day." Victoria held up a finger. "Don''t let it become a habit."


    "Wait, what?" Zeke asked, his interest piqued. "What''s going on?"


    Victoria''s lips curved into a rare smile. "Ingrid has been working on that obstacle course for you. It''s really something, stretches across half the Training Woods and into the desert. She figures it''ll take you four or five hours to complete."


    Her smile turned slightly wicked. "If you can complete it at all."


    Zeke''s eyes lit up at the challenge. "Has anyone else tried it?"


    "Two upperclassmen," Victoria replied. "Both quit halfway through."


    "Well, I won''t," Zeke declared, suddenly eating with renewed enthusiasm. This was exactly what he needed, real practice for the Mountain Run.


    "She''ll be waiting by the gate to the Training Woods," Victoria continued. "And you''d better hurry. From what Ingrid said, it sounds like she really didn''t pull any punches putting this thing together."


    As Victoria walked away, Elise leaned forward. "Are you sure about this? I''ve seen Ingrid training. She''s... intense."


    "That''s exactly what I need," Zeke replied, excitement building in his chest. "The Mountain Run is less than a month away. If I can''t handle Ingrid''s obstacle course, I''ve got no business attempting the real thing."


    "Just try not to break anything important," Elise said with a sigh. "I don''t know enough healing magic to fix bones yet."


    Zeke laughed and quickly finished his meal. This was going to be interesting.


    After saying goodbye to Elise, he gathered Ingrid''s food and headed across the Academy grounds. Students milled about between classes, many giving curious looks as he passed with the loaded plate.


    Word of his upcoming Trial had spread throughout the school, and with it, interest in his preparations.


    The May sunshine warmed his face as he crossed the courtyard, a light breeze carrying the scent of flowering trees. It was the kind of perfect spring day that made it hard to believe danger lurked around the corner.


    But Zeke knew better, the pleasant weather only made the contrast with what awaited him on the Mountain more treacherous.


    As he approached the Training Woods gate, anticipation built in his chest. He''d faced challenges before, the first three Trials had been far from easy, but this was different.


    This was Ingrid''s creation, designed specifically to push him to his limits.


    He found her leaning against a tree near the entrance, arms crossed as she surveyed the forest. She turned as he approached, her sharp eyes taking in his eager expression.


    "I come bearing gifts," Zeke announced, holding out the plate.


    "Great," Ingrid nodded, accepting the food. "I come bearing a trap-laden running course that will push you to the brink of your survival instinct. I''ve been working on it all week, so it ought to be epic."


    Zeke grinned, bouncing slightly on his toes. "Will I be able to complete it in a single day?"


    "That''s the plan," she shrugged, taking a bite of chicken. "Though I guess that''s up to you. See that?" She pointed to his right.


    Zeke spotted a small red flag tied to a tree limb about fifty yards away. "Yeah, what about it?"


    "That''s how the course is marked. The route on the mountain will be flagged similarly, so this is good practice," Ingrid explained. "There are traps throughout, some obvious, some not. Just follow the flags until you get back to this point."


    "Simple enough," Zeke said, already mentally mapping the first segment.


    "And don''t forget to wear the weights!" Ingrid called as he turned to go.


    Right. The weights. Zeke had almost managed to convince himself she''d forget those. With a quick nod, he changed into the special weighted training robes she''d had made for him.


    The extra thirty pounds immediately pulled at his shoulders and legs, but he straightened his back and rolled his neck.


    "Perfect for mountain climbing," he said with more enthusiasm than he felt.


    "The added weight simulates the climbing gear and supplies you''ll need for the actual Trial," Ingrid explained. "Better to train heavy now than struggle on the mountain later."


    "Makes sense," Zeke agreed, bouncing on his toes to adjust to the new weight. "Alright, here goes nothing!"


    He took three steps toward the first flag when a tripwire caught his ankle. Something whizzed through the air, and he instinctively ducked as a rock shot over his head.


    "Hey!" he yelled, spinning around.


    "That''s the way this game is played," Ingrid called, settling against her tree. "Try not to let it slow you down!"


    Zeke shook his head, a grin spreading across his face. "So that''s how it''s going to be."


    He turned back to the path, eyes now scanning for telltale signs of traps. This was going to be fun.


    Moving more cautiously, he spotted another thread stretched across the trail and hopped over it. A branch swung harmlessly below him as he cleared the trap.


    His confidence building, he picked up speed, watching for disturbed soil, unusual piles of leaves, or anything that seemed out of place.


    As he approached the first flag, he noticed a small pile of rocks that seemed just a bit too carefully arranged. Circling widely around it, he reached up and snatched the flag.


    A sharp snap sounded as a tree branch whipped through the space where he''d been standing a moment before.


    "See! You''re already learning!" Ingrid''s distant voice called. "You wouldn''t be learning if it didn''t hurt!"


    Zeke laughed, tucking the flag into his pocket as a souvenir. Spotting the next red flash through the trees, he took off at a steady jog, eyes constantly scanning the ground ahead.


    For the first hour, he navigated the forest section with growing skill. Sure, he triggered a few traps, a snare that caught his ankle but broke before it could lift him, a log that swung down and grazed his shoulder, but he was learning, adapting to Ingrid''s style of thinking.


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    「???????????????? ???????????? ????????????????」


    【Forest Section: 80% Complete】


    【Traps Avoided: 12】


    【Traps Triggered: 4】


    【Current Status: Minor bruising】


    The trail led him upward, the terrain growing steeper until he emerged onto the cliff that overlooked the rushing river below. The path narrowed to barely three feet wide, with sheer rock on one side and a hundred-foot drop on the other.


    "You''ve got to be kidding me," he muttered, eyeing the precarious route.


    Three red flags were spaced along the cliff edge, each fluttering in the breeze that seemed much stronger up here. Taking a deep breath, Zeke pressed forward, keeping his body low and center of gravity stable.


    The wind tugged at his weighted robes as he edged along the cliff face. Though he knew the river below had safety nets to catch falling students, the thought of plummeting that distance still sent his heart racing.


    Better to learn here than on the mountain, he reminded himself.


    He retrieved the first cliff flag without incident, then spotted a thin wire stretched across the path to the second. Rather than step over it, he dropped to his stomach and crawled underneath, suspecting a more complex trap than before.


    His caution was rewarded, as soon as he cleared the wire, a series of small rock projectiles shot from holes in the cliff wall, striking the path exactly where his chest would have been had he remained standing.


    "Clever," he murmured, gathering the second flag.


    The third flag hung from an outcropping that required him to stretch precariously over the edge. As his fingers closed around it, the rock beneath his feet shifted.


    Reacting instantly, he threw himself backward as the outer edge of the path crumbled away, sending rocks tumbling into the river below.


    Heart pounding, Zeke clutched the flag and pressed onward, leaving the cliff section behind. The weighted robes had nearly been his undoing there, a good reminder of how equipment could become a liability in certain situations.


    The trail plunged back into the trees, darker and denser than before. He recognized this area, the edge of the Dark Forest, a place most students avoided even in daylight.


    The shadows seemed to move of their own accord here, and sounds were muffled in unsettling ways.


    "Of course she''d include this," Zeke muttered, but squared his shoulders and pressed on.


    The Dark Forest section proved the most challenging yet. Flags hung over thick clusters of briars that required him to hack through with his sword.


    Hidden in the brambles were trip lines that released snares, spring-loaded branches, and even nets of leaves hiding shallow pits.


    One particularly clever trap caught him completely off guard, a snare that flipped him upside down, suspending him six feet above the ground. After several failed attempts to reach the rope, he finally used his sword to cut himself free, landing hard on his head and shoulders.


    "That''s gonna leave a mark," he groaned, rubbing his neck as he got back to his feet.


    Still, he couldn''t help admiring Ingrid''s thoroughness. Each trap taught him something new about observation, reaction, or recovery.


    The pain was temporary, but the lessons would stay with him.


    By the time he reached the bridge spanning the raging river, the sun was low in the sky, touching the tops of the trees with golden light. Across the bridge, he spotted a red flag dangling from a rock on the far shore.


    Beyond that lay the desert section, a stark contrast to the shadowy forest behind him.


    "No way I''m finishing by nightfall," he realized, but the thought only made him more determined. Night navigation would be an essential skill on the mountain.


    He charged across the bridge, eyes alert for traps. Halfway across, he spotted a strange mechanism attached to the railing.


    Ducking instinctively, he avoided a small rock catapulted at his head. The projectile sailed harmlessly over him and plopped into the river below.


    "Getting predictable, Ingrid," he called to the empty forest, though he knew she couldn''t hear him.


    Retrieving the flag from the far shore, he squared his shoulders and stepped onto the desert path. The change was immediate and shocking, as if every drop of moisture had been sucked from his lungs.


    The air felt like fire in his throat, and his pace slowed dramatically within seconds.


    "What the," he gasped, fighting for breath.


    Unlike his previous runs with Elise through the desert, which had been challenging but manageable, this was overwhelming. He''d already been going for hours, his body depleted of energy and water, and now the desert''s harsh conditions hit him like a physical blow.


    The next flag waved mockingly from a stone outcropping about a hundred feet ahead. It might as well have been a mile.


    Gritting his teeth, Zeke forced his feet to move.


    "One step at a time," he told himself. "Just like the mountain will be."


    When he finally reached the stone, he found not only the flag but a small gift from Ingrid, a bottle of water and some dried fruit. The sight almost made him laugh with relief.


    Of course she wouldn''t let him die of dehydration.


    He drank sparingly, knowing he''d need to make the water last, and ate a few pieces of fruit to restore his energy. As he caught his breath, he noticed something strange, the temperature was dropping rapidly as the sun disappeared behind the distant trees.


    Within minutes, he could see his breath in the air. The desert, scorching by day, became frigid at night, a lesson he''d never have learned if not for Ingrid''s course.


    "Clever," he muttered, pulling his weighted robes tighter around himself.


    The night desert crossing was perhaps the most grueling part of the entire course. Fighting both exhaustion and cold, Zeke pushed himself forward from flag to flag.


    His muscles screamed for rest, but he knew that stopping meant surrendering to the cold.


    The weighted robes, a burden earlier, now became a blessing as they provided some insulation against the plummeting temperature. Still, his teeth chattered and his fingers grew numb as he trudged onward.


    "Keep moving, keep moving," became his mantra as he forced one foot in front of the other.


    As the hours passed, the desert crossing began to take on a dreamlike quality. The stars overhead seemed impossibly bright, the sand beneath his feet shifting like liquid silver in the moonlight.


    More than once, he found himself wondering if he''d wandered off course, only to spot another red flag guiding him onward.


    Finally, when it seemed his body couldn''t take another step, he spotted something in the distance, a warm, flickering light. A campfire.


    With renewed determination, he pushed forward, the trees of the Old Woods growing closer with each step. The sight of greenery after hours in the barren desert was almost enough to make him weep with relief.


    As he staggered toward the edge of the desert, he spotted Ingrid sitting beside a cheerful fire, roasting chicken on a spit. She looked up as he approached and waved casually, as if he''d just been out for a stroll.


    "Hey! You finally made it. Come sit down."


    Relief flooding through him, Zeke stumbled forward. In his fatigue, his foot caught on a rock, and a familiar twang sounded.


    He instinctively ducked, but the projectile struck him square in the chest anyway.


    "You should have stepped sideways," Ingrid remarked as he groaned.


    "I ducked," Zeke replied, rubbing his bruised ribs.


    "Yeah, and now you''re dead," Ingrid shrugged. "Come on, dead man. Have a seat."


    Despite the pain, Zeke couldn''t help laughing as he collapsed onto a log by the fire. Now that he was out of the desert, the air felt remarkably warmer, though his body still shook with cold and exhaustion.


    Ingrid tossed a blanket around his shoulders.


    "Come on, a bit closer to the fire. You''ll be alright."


    The warmth of the flames began to seep into his chilled bones. For a few moments, he simply sat there, enjoying the sensation of not moving, of being warm and relatively safe.


    "That was..." he began.


    "Brutal? Unfair? Excessive?" Ingrid supplied.


    "Awesome," Zeke finished with a grin. "Hardest thing I''ve ever done, but exactly what I needed."


    Ingrid raised an eyebrow, clearly surprised by his response. She handed him a piece of chicken, which he accepted gratefully.


    "I wanted to put you through the worst situation I could," she explained. "Was it fair? Maybe not, but I''d bet you''re a step closer to mastering the Mountain Run."


    "Definitely," Zeke agreed, taking a bite of the juicy meat. His stomach growled loudly, reminding him how long it had been since lunch.


    He started wolfing down the food before Ingrid held up a warning hand. "Easy there. Eat too much right after a run like that, and you''ll lose it all."


    Zeke slowed down, savoring each bite. "So how did I do? Really?"


    "Not too shabby, all things considered," Ingrid said, poking at the fire. After a moment, she looked up at him. "Are you scared? About the Trial?"


    Zeke considered lying, then thought better of it. "A little, if I''m being honest."


    "Good."


    "Good?" he echoed in surprise.


    "Fear is what keeps you alive on the battlefield. Or anywhere, really," Ingrid explained, her face serious in the firelight. "Courage isn''t the absence of fear, it''s having the wisdom to know when fear is rational, when it isn''t, and when to proceed even when the odds don''t look good. Fear tells us not to play with snakes or walk too close to cliff edges. Trying to crush your fear is just stupidity."


    "Huh," Zeke considered her words. "You sound like you know a lot about it."


    Ingrid hesitated, then sighed. "If I''m being honest, I''m scared most of the time. I know I don''t fit in here. I may not technically be a commoner, but I''m one in all but name. I don''t have the noble family connections. All I am is a woman who happens to be good with a sword and who knows how to storm castles. I''m an asset, nothing more."


    "That''s not true," Zeke said firmly. "You''re more than that to your friends. To me."


    Ingrid looked away, uncomfortable with the sentiment. "As I said, crushing fear is stupidity. When you were out in the desert, did you feel afraid?"


    "More than a little," Zeke admitted. "It was the cold that got me. I knew I couldn''t stop or I''d freeze."


    "And that fear kept you moving forward," Ingrid nodded. "It kept you pushing along, even when every part of you wanted to quit. You were more exhausted than when you were in the forest, but fear pushed you to heights you never would have reached otherwise."


    "I guess you''re right," Zeke agreed, watching the flames dance.


    "I know I''m right," Ingrid said with unusual intensity. "When you get up on that mountain, let yourself feel the fear. Don''t let it control you, but don''t ignore it either. That awareness will keep you alive, more than any training I can put you through."


    They fell silent for a while, each lost in their own thoughts as the fire crackled between them. Zeke felt himself beginning to drift, the exhaustion of the day finally catching up with him.


    "Hey, Ingrid?" he said finally.


    "Hmm?"


    "Thank you. For all of this," he gestured at the remnants of the obstacle course. "Nobody else would have gone to this much trouble."


    "Don''t make it weird, Godfrey," she replied, but there was a small smile on her face.


    "No, I mean it," Zeke insisted. "Everyone''s been helping me in their own way, Victoria with combat training, Elise with her knowledge of plants and survival, even Ralph with..." he paused, "well, okay, Ralph''s mostly just moral support. But you''ve really pushed me. Made me stronger than I thought I could be."


    Ingrid stared into the fire for a long moment before responding. "When I was younger, my father wanted a son. He got me instead. Every day, he pushed me twice as hard as any boy, said I had to be twice as good to be considered half as worthy."


    She looked up at Zeke. "I hated him for years because of it. Now I understand he was preparing me for a world that would never give me a fair chance."


    "Is that what you''re doing for me?" Zeke asked. "Preparing me for an unfair challenge?"


    "The Mountain Run isn''t designed to be fair, especially not with cultists leaving traps for you," Ingrid replied. "Neither is life. The sooner you accept that, the better your chances."


    Zeke nodded slowly. "Well, your methods may be brutal, but they work. If I survive the Mountain Run, it''ll be partly thanks to you."


    "When," Ingrid corrected. "When you survive."


    "Right," Zeke grinned. "When."


    As they sat together under the stars, Zeke felt a strange sense of peace despite his aching body. He had faced Ingrid''s gauntlet and come through it changed, stronger, more aware, better prepared for what lay ahead.


    The Mountain Run was still a formidable challenge, but now, for the first time, he truly believed he could conquer it.


    「???????????????? ???????????? ??????????????????」


    【Time: 6 hours, 42 minutes】


    【Terrain Mastered: Forest, Cliff, Dark Forest, Desert】


    【Lesson Learned: Fear can be fuel】


    【Status: Exhausted but alive】


    [Scene Close]


    [Earned Emblems:] Heart of the Warrior, Endurance, Cunning, Golden Touch


    [Active Quests:]


    [Mountain Heights: Prepare for the Mountain Run (ongoing)]