It was a suspended tightrope glowing with flames of Apex Energy, hanging over a chasm filled with a vortex of molten lava and energy. Balancing on the rope before Host would only require precise physical control and mental focus.
[Host need not be afraid of the Apex Energy Flames. The flames only burn through the Apex Energy shields of those who rely on them too much. Host doesn't have enough Apex Energy in his body to form a shield anyway, so Host has nothing to worry about regarding the flaming rope.]
[All Host needs to make sure of is to simply look at the end of the rope and ascend as fast as possible.]
[As for the heat coming from the lava, it's not enough to melt Host's special skin.]
[There is nothing for Host to fear about this particular test.]
[But the same can't be said for the next test, so Host will have to speed across as fast as possible to have enough time to partake in the next test!]
The system spoke lengthily as Ryuk's jaw slowly closed, and he exhaled loudly.
"So the flames on the rope don't burn, and the lava heat is too weak to bypass my special Nanobody. I can do this. I can do this..." Ryuk muttered to himself as he rose to his feet and immediately stepped onto the rope.
Just like the system said, the flames didn't burn Ryuk's feet, and immediately he began walking forward. Running on the rope wasn't an option at all, as below Ryuk was bubbling lava he didn't even want to look at. Doing so created vivid, unpleasant images in his mind—images of him looking like a cooked goat!
So, with a step at a time, he slowly covered the distance, and a hint of a prideful smile began to make its way to his face. His walking speed on the rope even increased until it suddenly happened.
"What the hell!" Ryuk roared in shock and fear as he felt his legs instantly slip. Before he could be sent flying straight for the lava, he grabbed onto the rope and hugged it tightly with both arms and legs.
"I'm gonna die here!"
Opening one of his eyes and looking at the rope, Ryuk saw it vibrating all of a sudden.
The rope, which had been as thick as a plank before, was now snapping and vibrating—a feature no one could have expected. It was probably meant to test the genius's precision and how they fare when walking on an unstable platform.
But now, Ryuk couldn't worry about that as he was clinging to the rope with both arms and legs. Without wasting another second, he quickly began raising himself up the rope, using both arms to drag himself forward and his legs as a powerful anchor.
"Hehe. Take that!" Ryuk roared aloud, feeling his genius idea was working. Devil be damned, he should have clung to the rope in the first place—he would've moved even faster.
Quickly, his speed increased. Feeling more control with his hands than his legs, he rapidly moved forward. But then his eyes narrowed as he saw a beam of blue energy sweep forward along the rope. Ryuk clung tightly against it, not knowing what the beam would do.
The beam passed by him and disappeared into the distance, leaving Ryuk feeling nothing.
"Well, that didn't do much. And I'm almost at the finish line!" Ryuk thought as he sped up, only to feel his face change when the smell of roasted meat reached his nostrils.
"Hmph, hmph. Something smells good! And oh my God, what a beautiful smell!"
"I wish I could take a bite!" Ryuk thought, but the system notification made his blood drain from his face, turning it pale.
[Um, Host is the one being cooked.]
[Perhaps Host should pay attention to the lava below him...]
The system's voice made Ryuk mechanically turn his head downward, and his face paled even more.
The lava—it was rising and bubbling up!
"Fuck!" Ryuk screamed as his hands instantly became a blur. He quickly began moving faster, the lava rising along with unbearable heat and energy waves. Ryuk's back was starting to boil as his clothes were slowly burned off.
"Fuck! Fuck! I'm really gonna die here! Roasted to death! Fuck!"
On the verge of death, his latent energy was forcibly awakened, causing even his legs to move in aid, furiously fighting to reach the end faster. Just as Ryuk felt a sizzle on his back, he rolled onto the hard ground and hurriedly backed up before—
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
A mournful shriek, no different from a pig being slaughtered, echoed through the entire area as Ryuk's hands reached for his back, which was stinging crazily. At the last second, a drop of lava had landed on his naked back, and Ryuk felt a pain beyond anything he had ever experienced.
Yet somehow, the pain of the lava faded away just as quickly as it came. Slowly, Ryuk rose from the ground, his head heavy.
Looking in front of him, he saw the lava had lowered back into the chasm.
Somehow, he could swear the lava hadn't risen when the other geniuses were crossing the rope.
It seemed to him only after a particular time frame, the lava would rise, and Ryuk had been present at that exact time, causing him to get stung.
Or there also could be another reason which he is willing to believe more:
"Tch. Looks like some sadistic devil is fucking with me!" Ryuk said with a click of his tongue as he turned his attention away from the lava and looked at the gateway before him.
Right now, the entrance before him was that of some beast statue with dark spots resembling those of a leopard. Its mouth was opened wide, and within it was none other than a pitch-black door currently wide open.
[Host has arrived at the last phase of the test: The Shadow Run!]