Despite taking time to work out Aster’s extra challenges, the whole group finished in just over a half-hour with nobody stumbling into the sludge once. Matt wondered what the point was.
Luna sent them through the obstacle course twice more. With each pass, their speed increased. Even though the armor made the dexterity focused parts of the course unwieldy to navigate, it mattered less each iteration. After their third repetition, Luna told them to strip into their under-armor clothes.
Then, she tossed them each a wrist band and told them to put them on.
When Matt did, it felt like his cultivation vanished in an instant. His cores slowed their rotation until he felt like a mortal before his awakening.
Matt activated [Mage’s Retreat] to alleviate his weakness, but looked up to find Luna’
