The first group to emerge was immediately led away by several Royal Capital Guards, strictly forbidden to communicate with anyone. It was obvious just from looking at those who came out that the chamber inside was extremely dangerous, and this would put serious psychological pressure on those who hadn't entered yet.
The test went quickly—before long, five groups had already finished, but nearly a thousand people were still inside. In four of the chambers, only about fifty people came out, meaning almost half had died.
This made those still waiting even more anxious. Many of the missing were people they knew well, whose strength they were sure of. Some who hadn't gone in yet were already pale with fear, clearly terrified.
The best results from the second to fifth groups were also announced, which fired everyone up and pushed them to unleash their potential. But it also made those aiming for a top ranking die faster, and even more ended up injured.
The first group's top score was seventy-nine meters, but that was soon beaten by the fourth and fifth groups. The fourth group's leader reached eighty-three meters, and the fifth hit eighty-five, putting real pressure on those who hadn't gone in yet.
"Gavin, when you go in later, don't just charge blindly forward. I've faced a Gravity Chamber before—it's really strong enough to crush your bones, and the pain is brutal. As long as you can make it fifty meters inside, you should be able to pass to the next round," Evan Chu said.
"Don't worry, Brother Long, I'm not the reckless type. I know exactly what I'm doing. If I feel like I can't hold on, I'll stop and wait for the gravity to fade before coming out. But you shouldn't go all out either—glory's nice, but your life matters more," Gavin replied.
"Weren't you just telling me to take first place? Now you care if I live?" Evan laughed. Clearly, seeing so many people die had changed his mind.
Both Evan and Gavin had tokens in the seven-thousand range, meaning their turn would come right after the latest group finished. Their nerves tightened with each passing moment.
"Hey! There you are—I’ve been looking for you forever. Our turn’s up soon. You ready to make it out alive?" a voice called out to Evan and Gavin.
"I thought you weren't coming! Where were you just now? What took you so long?" Evan laughed—the speaker was, of course, the girl still disguised as a boy.
"How could I miss a chance like this? You spent five hundred Starstones just to get me in here—if I skipped it, wouldn't that be a waste?" Woody Luo grinned.
Gavin glanced at her and said, "We've known you this long and still don't know your name. We can't just keep calling you 'hey, you!' forever, right?"
The girl's expression shifted slightly before she replied, "I'm Woody Luo. It's kind of an ugly name, so I was embarrassed to say it. You can call me Ermu, or just 'Blockhead.'"
"Ermu? Blockhead? That's funny. What was your dad thinking giving you a name like that? He must've been really out of ideas," Gavin laughed.
"I'm Gavin Wei, he's Logan Zhao. You can call me Brother Gavin and him Brother Long. That chamber in there is seriously dangerous—don't go in and never come back out," Gavin warned.
"Brother Long, Brother Gavin! Don't underestimate me—who knows, maybe I'll outdo you both! Haha!" Woody Luo shot back with a laugh.
Just then, the sixth group came out—about seven hundred people in total, many with bloodstains on their chests from gravity injuries.
The top score for this group was announced—eighty-six meters, one meter more than the previous group's best. Instantly, everyone started speculating about who it could be.
Next up was Evan's group. He and Gavin entered the same chamber—originally, they'd wanted Woody Luo to join them so they could watch each other's backs, but she refused, promising a 'surprise' and choosing to enter a chamber alone.
After Evan and Gavin entered, they checked out the chamber. It was actually just a corridor, eight meters wide, with glowing beads set into the ceiling every ten meters. The lighting was so dim that you couldn’t see more than ten meters ahead.
Then a Royal Capital Guard shut the chamber door, signaling the start of the trial. Evan quickly infused Stellar Power into his token but didn’t rush forward.
There were bloodstains all along the corridor, reeking of blood. With a hundred people in an eight-meter-wide passage, it wasn’t too crowded, and many had already started moving forward.
Seeing Evan stand still, Gavin didn’t move either, but he couldn’t help asking, "Brother Long, why aren’t you moving? Time’s limited, remember?"
"I know. The gravity in the first twenty meters is weak, so everyone moves fastest there, which makes it crowded and hard to walk. If we wait two minutes for them to clear out, we’ll have more space and can use Stellar Power more freely," Evan explained.
"Makes sense," Gavin agreed. "With so many people packed together, if you hit a high-gravity zone, you could get knocked down—and then it’s almost impossible to get up. Even if the gravity doesn’t kill you, you could get trampled to death."
Evan understood what Gavin meant. When everyone channels Stellar Power through their bodies, every step is charged with energy, which can lead to disaster. Some people wouldn’t die from gravity alone, but end up crushed underfoot.
"Let’s go! And whatever you do, don’t rush!" Evan warned.
After about ten meters, Evan felt a powerful pressure settle over him—the gravity kicked in at the ten-meter mark.
But up ahead, there was no one in sight—everyone else had sprinted far ahead.
Another ten meters, still no one in sight—but the air was filled with screams. Some people were already collapsing under the gravity, unable to hold back their cries.
"Don't rush, Gavin. Most people are stuck between thirty and forty meters now, and a lot of them can't take it anymore. Watch out for anyone collapsing nearby—they might drag you down with them," Evan warned.
"Got it, Brother Long. Are you using Stellar Power to fight the gravity yet?" Gavin asked.
"Not yet. The pressure's heavy, but it's not enough for me to use Stellar Power," Evan replied.
Gavin was secretly shocked—he hadn't used Stellar Power either, but he was already struggling to breathe.
They pressed on another ten meters. Now, there were figures ahead—and bodies on the ground, trampled beyond recognition by those rushing in.
The screams kept coming from up ahead, sending chills down everyone's spine.