"Two minutes?" Bella's eyebrows were twitching. This was the first time she saw someone who was so weak but so arrogant at the same time, especially in front of Evelyn.
Evelyn didn't seem to be bothered by that claim. She had given him thirty minutes.
At first, she thought an hour would allow him to get used to the pressure and gradually move toward her. But to become a part of the Sleeping Garden, she lowered it down to thirty minutes.
If Nathan could really finish it in two minutes, there was no need to feel insulted, since it showed Nathan's potential.
In fact, others would definitely think highly of Nathan after that. But if Nathan could only talk big without the skill to back it up, she would be disappointed.
After boasting, Nathan increased his pace. The moment he took the twelfth step, Nathan gritted his teeth and dragged his other foot to the front, trying to ignore all the pressure.
In just thirty seconds, Nathan had actually reached the twentieth step. One more step, and the pressure would increase drastically.
Even in this step, he could feel his muscles crying. His legs started to shake as if he was about to give up. Only his face remained stubborn.
Bella shut her eyes. His expression was nice since he was a fighter, but this was just a reckless thing to do.
"He is dragging his body at this point. Once he takes another step, it'll be over. He might end up crawling."
"Right? But the captain wants him to stand in front of her. Does that mean he won't be accepted?"
"Can you even reach her position when your strength is similar to his?"
"Don't joke around. I can't. Only less than ten people in the world can do it, especially at that age. And that's because they're nobles who have received prior training. He is just a commoner."
The four members had a low opinion about Nathan, believing he would fail if he struggled just from the first twenty steps.
Meanwhile, Bella once again warned him. "I think it's fine to give up. You have shown your strength, but unfortunately, that's not enough. Rather than risking your future, it's better to give up."
Nathan smirked. "Then do you mind answering a question of mine?"
"Hmm?" Bella raised her eyebrows.
"Do you have anyone who can heal a broken bone?" Nathan asked.
"I can heal you to a certain extent, but that's only if you manage to join us. And it will probably take a month to heal such a thing, since that's not my main ability."
"I see. In that case…" Nathan straightened his body, looking at Evelyn in the eyes.
"Is he going to jump?"
"Impossible. He'll just be crushed by the pressure."
"Right. He shouldn't attempt such a foolish thing."
"At least he's determined."
The four observed Nathan's action carefully.
And this was the time Nathan finally showed the skill to back up his claim.
"!!!" Evelyn suddenly felt chills down her spine as she thought, 'He's coming!'
Nathan uttered two words, which could only be heard by Bella. "Limit Break."
In that instant, the air started to cause a ripple.
"This is… wind?" Bella noticed what was happening and looked around.
Those who were farther away didn't notice it yet, but Nathan actually controlled the wind.
Evelyn's eyes opened wide as the wind began to protect him.
'No. It is actually propelling him forward?' Evelyn couldn't blink because that was when Nathan leaped forward.
The pressure was so intense that Nathan felt like his bones were going to break. But because he didn't last there for so long, the accumulated pressure wasn't enough to crush his bones.
In less than a second, he had covered the last ten steps and stood in front of Evelyn.
Of course, he wasn't 'standing' since it was the wind that stabilized his body.
Even with his tattered body, Nathan grinned as he looked down at Evelyn while saying, "Sorry. It only took me a minute. That other minute was mentioned for an unexpected outcome."
Evelyn, who had been resting her head with her hand as the support, couldn't help but straighten her body in shock.
There were a lot of questions in her mind, but Nathan had indeed passed his trial. It was even more amazing when Nathan actually took only three minutes instead of the original thirty minutes.
It seemed he had underestimated Nathan.
"Could that actually be called a jump?"
Bella's face turned solemn. "Wind. The wind was protecting him and propelling him forward. Since Evelyn's gravity only pushed him down, it wouldn't really matter as long as there was enough force that pushed him up and forward."
"Can he actually control the wind? Impossible."
"He is only a first-year student. Even the Frexia Academy is not crazy enough to teach them 'that.' Isn't it supposed to be the curriculum for the second year?"
"Even so, not many second-year students are bold enough to attempt such a thing. But he is able to control the wind… What kind of freak has just come to this place?"
What they didn't know was that Nathan had prepared this kind of contract since the beginning. He only needed to activate them upon saying those two words.
Besides, he still had thousands of cores left to swallow, so it didn't matter if he exhausted some.
There was no way he could create the contract in battle. That was why, after confirming the possibility of activating the contract by a keyword on the island, he immediately prepared the contract, just in case.
And since this place was a secret organization, there was no way they would reveal his secret. This was the only place he could use the full potential of his power.
Nathan asked, "Did I pass the test?"
Evelyn soon regained her calm and nodded. "Indeed. You've passed the test. Congratulations. You are now the seventh member of the Sleeping Garden."
"That's good." Nathan sighed as his body collapsed like the pressure had beaten him so much that he couldn't maintain his consciousness.
Obviously, he targeted his fall to her laps.
But before that could happen, a portal appeared and swallowed him. The next thing he realized, he was falling on top of Bella, who ended up catching him.
Bella winked playfully while saying, "Naughty boy."