My Shard Bearer System - Elias's Legacy
Chapter 100: Thundering Stone

Chapter 100: Thundering Stone

The entire range of the stadium zone itself is 3.1 million square feet—the largest indoor structure in the world.

Oliver’s voice carried an edge of amusement as he led Elias through the corridors.

"The obstacle course itself runs about two miles straight. That massive structure you’re looking at?" Oliver gestured toward the long metal enclosure that stretched through the heart of the facility, reaching halfway to the domed ceiling. "That houses it."

Elias took a slow breath as he studied the colossal structure. From the outside, it was nothing but sleek reinforced steel, reinforced panels running the length of it with no visible openings beyond the single entrance ahead.

"Go ahead inside," Oliver instructed. "I’ll be waiting for you on the other end. My estimate? Forty-five minutes."

Elias let out a low chuckle. "Guess I’ll try to keep it under forty then. But... why box it in like this?"

Oliver smirked, already turning away. "For a few reasons. Mostly to keep the high-tech systems inside from interfering with the rest of the facility. I’d explain, but honestly? You’d get a more detailed answer from the engineering division."

With that, he walked off, leaving Elias alone at the entrance.

Elias sighed and stepped forward. The steel doors hissed open, revealing only pitch darkness beyond.

The moment he crossed the threshold, a neon-green square lit up beneath his feet. A mechanical chime sounded from overhead, and a holographic interface materialized in front of him, its text flickering to life.

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Obstacle Course Parameters

- Course Length: 2 Miles

- Difficulty: Beginner Level

- Obstacles: 12

- Current Best Time: 7 Minutes Flat (User: Kikaru Yirazawa)

- Rules: Do Not Use Ikona Abilities.

- Injury is possible. Death is recorded and simulated.

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Elias raised an eyebrow at the last point. "Death is... recorded?"

Before he could process the implications, his eyes landed on a steel table beside him, where a green-on-green tracksuit was neatly folded. Recognition hit him instantly—it was nearly identical to the suit he had worn before his sparring match with Yui.

"Intentional, huh?" Elias muttered, pulling the suit on. The material clung snugly to his form, lightweight but reinforced in key areas.

As soon as he finished adjusting the sleeves, another chime echoed through the chamber.

"Begin when ready."

Elias took a steadying breath, rolling his shoulders. His muscles tensed in anticipation, heart hammering as the silence stretched.

He stepped forward onto the illuminated square.

The pitch-black space flared to life in a cascade of shifting panels. The ground beneath him lurched, tilting violently forward as the once-flat surface fractured into a jagged, shifting terrain.

"Shit—!"

His foot slipped as the incline steepened beneath him, metal shifting and locking into new positions at breakneck speed. The ground was reforming itself in real-time, changing its shape before he could even get his footing.

Obstacle 1: The Shifting Gauntlet

A mechanical chime rang out overhead as glowing text materialized in his vision.

- Maintain forward momentum

- Course reconfigures every five seconds

- Falling = Failure

Every five seconds?!

Elias barely had time to process the thought before the floor shifted again.

The surface broke apart, pieces tilting upward at unnatural angles. Some sections jerked back like a collapsing bridge, while others slammed upward, forming brutal, uneven steps.

He didn’t have time to think—only to move.

Left. He jumped as a platform snapped downward beneath his foot.

Right. He threw himself onto a ledge just as a section collapsed into the abyss.

Forward. A vertical wall slammed into place inches ahead. Too late to stop.

Elias reacted on instinct, springing up the sheer surface before it could retract, gripping onto a protruding handle near the top. His muscles screamed as he heaved himself over.

The moment he landed, the five-second timer hit zero.

The entire course shifted again.

"Oh, come on—!"

The incline beneath him dropped into a sheer downward slope, sending him plummeting at a near-freefall. A dozen new platforms erupted from the walls, but they were spread too far apart for normal jumps.

He spotted one close enough to reach.

No choice.

Elias threw his weight sideways, kicking off the rapidly disappearing ground and twisting mid-air. His fingers barely caught the ledge, his entire weight swinging before he slammed his feet against the wall, stabilizing.

A final ding rang through the chamber.

Obstacle 1 Cleared. Time: 01:03.

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Elias exhaled, wiping the sweat from his forehead. "That was just the first obstacle?"

Dot’s hovered beside him, arms crossed. "Yep. And there’s eleven more."

Elias shook his head, cracking his knuckles. "Great. Let’s keep going."

Elias barely had time to catch his breath before the floor shook beneath him again. A new set of glowing red guidelines appeared ahead, tracing a narrow metal walkway leading into absolute darkness.

He took a cautious step forward.

A gust of wind blasted past his face.

Then another.

His instincts flared—something was moving. Fast.

A chime rang overhead, and new text materialized in his vision.

________________________________________

Obstacle 2: The Pendulum Gauntlet

• Maintain forward movement

• Timed obstacles reset every three seconds

• Impact = Failure

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"Great. Another one of these," Elias muttered.

Dot’s hovered beside him. "I don’t like how vague ’Impact = Failure’ sounds."

Elias took another step forward—and a massive metal cylinder came screaming from the darkness.

"Shit!" He threw himself back just as the pendulum slammed into the walkway, sending a tremor through the floor.

He hadn’t even seen it coming.

The giant metal cylinder swung back into the darkness, vanishing as quickly as it had appeared.

Then another chime.

The pendulums were resetting.

"So they come out of nowhere," Elias muttered, adjusting his stance. "Guess that means I just—"

Another pendulum slammed down, inches from his face.

He gritted his teeth. Three seconds. That’s all the warning I get.

A pattern started to form in his head.

Move. Pause. Move. Pause.

He rushed forward, timing his steps between each thundering impact.

The pendulums weren’t just swinging left to right—some were descending straight down from the ceiling.

One came crashing in from above, forcing him to drop into a sliding roll.

The next swung from the side, forcing him to dive into a low crouch.

His breath was sharp and controlled as he twisted, ducked, and sprinted.

Three seconds. Move. Three seconds. Move.

Finally, the last step came into view—the exit platform.

One last pendulum sliced downward toward him.

No time to stop.

Elias leaped, barely clearing the edge as the pendulum slammed into the space he had just occupied.

A chime rang.

________________________________________

Obstacle 2 Cleared.

Time: 02:41.