Aiden's relentless running and evasive maneuvers had taken a toll on his body. His breath came in ragged gasps, his muscles ached with exhaustion, and his movements became increasingly sluggish. Despite his efforts, he couldn't shake the feeling of uncertainty that lingered in his mind.
Hours passed—or so it seemed in Aiden's perception—without any sign of progress. The absence of sound and the relentless barrage of obstacles began to wear on him mentally and physically.
He realized that his initial plan, relying solely on physical prowess, was not sustainable in the long run. It was clear that he needed a more strategic approach to overcome Level 2.
Stopping in his tracks, Aiden assessed the situation. He couldn't continue aimlessly running without a clear sense of direction. He needed to utilize his mind, to find a solution that would allow him to pass this level with efficiency and precision.
Aiden's mind whirled with thoughts and possibilities as he continued to run and dodge imaginary projectiles.
Yet, despite his intense concentration, no breakthrough idea surfaced. Frustration crept in, threatening to dampen his spirits. He knew he had to shift gears and explore another approach.
With a determined sigh, Aiden made the decision to stop in his tracks and face the challenge head-on. He reasoned that if he couldn't rely on visual or auditory cues, perhaps he could rely on pure instinct and reaction.
He steeled himself for the impending onslaught, ready to rely on his reflexes alone.
As he stood still, his senses heightened to their utmost capacity, Aiden sought the smallest indication of an incoming projectile.
He was acutely aware of every subtle change in the air, every minuscule vibration that might betray the presence of an object hurtling towards him.
Time seemed to stretch in the darkness, his mind fixated on the absence of stimuli. The silence that enveloped him became a weight on his senses, amplifying his anticipation. It was a strange experience, losing two of his primary senses—the ability to see and hear.
Yet, he knew he had to push through the discomfort and focus on the task at hand.
As he stood immobile, Aiden's mind wavered between thoughts of the unusual nature of his circumstances and the need to stay present in the trial.
He had to recalibrate his focus, setting aside the confusion that threatened to distract him. The challenge demanded his complete attention, and he would not let the absence of sight or sound hinder him.
He needed to see if it was possible to dodge one of the projectiles coming at him.
The method he was trying to use at the moment was a pure gamble, as Aiden only had five chances of being hit by an object.
Then, as his concentration reached its peak, he felt a small movement in the air, the wind grazed his skin.
But it was subtle, he had only felt it because of his insane concentration.
As soon as he felt it, he tried to move away from that sensation, trusting his reflexes and physical abilities.
'Fuck,' he thought as he felt that something had grazed him near his lower ribs.
He knew that he had only four chances left.
However, it wasn't something harmless that had grazed him, as he could feel pain assaulting his mind right away.
But, he didn't let that pain make him lose control as he resolved himself.
He knew that he would be able to do it if another projectile came to him.
Aiden now knew what type of sensation he needed to wait for, the wind grazing his skin.
That was where all his attention was focused on. His skin, the air, and the general sensations that his body felt.
Then, he felt it again.
That little amount of wind collided with his skin.
Feeling it, he tried to move his body as fast as possible.
The time between the projectile hitting and him dodging was infinitely small, probably milliseconds.
And he succeeded, he had dodged it.
He hadn't seen how close it was to hitting him, but one thing was sure, he had been close, really close.
If he had reacted a little bit later than he would have been with a total of three chances left.
Then, succeeding once, he decided to do it again.
However, he realized that something had just changed again.
He couldn't feel anything.
As he pressed on his skin, there was no sensation. Everywhere that he touched, there was literally no signal that was sent to his brain.
'No, no, no, don't tell that I lost another of my sense,' he thought, as he knew that it was going to be even harder to be concentrated.
But that wasn't the main problem, it was that the method that he had just created to dodge that last projectile was now useless.
He couldn't feel the wind anymore.
He couldn't even feel it when he pressed like a degenerate on it, so a little wind only grazed it.
There was no chance of him noticing such a thing.
This time, he actually had no idea how to proceed.
What could he even depend on?
His instinct and..., no that was it only his instinct was left.
There was literally nothing that could help him anymore.
He couldn't hear, see, feel.
Sure, he could smell, but what could that even do to help him in that situation?
Then, having to think things through he started to run and jump like a madman once again.
He had been able to get back some of his stamina, but he still wasn't in top shape.
After only a couple of minutes, he could feel his breath getting heavy once again with his heart pumping more blood by the minute.
But that wasn't the worst of all, he was hurt.
The pain that he had ignored was still there causing him to slow down his speed by a lot. Having one side of his body bleeding also didn't help with stamina as he could his muscles getting tired by the second.
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