Gon pushed through the obstacle course, the afternoon sun beating down on the training yards.
His muscles burned from the exertion, sweat rolling down his temple as he took in the course ahead.
He'd already cleared the spiked ditch, barely avoiding the sharpened wooden stakes hidden beneath loose dirt.
The net crawl had been worse. his elbows and knees scraped raw from dragging himself over rough rope.
Now, the rope bridge loomed before him, thick, weathered lines strung tight over a muddy pit that reeked of damp earth and sweat.
Below, the pit churned, dark and slick from mages who had already slipped and fallen.
Their frustrated shouts and curses echoed up, mixing with the distant clash of training swords and the occasional barked orders of instructors overseeing other drills.
Gon stepped forward, boots scuffing against the dirt, and gripped the first rope with one hand, his sword firm in the other.
