I Can Copy Curses

Chapter 374 374. The Essence of The Trial

Orion continued his momentum and speed down the path.

Another hour passed.

'The pressure is too much now!'

Orion felt the pressure intensifying with every step, like an invisible force trying to crush him. Yet, he didn't slow down. He kept running, his speed unyielding despite the strain on his body.

But if anyone had been watching closely, they would have noticed the deep footprints trailing behind him. Each step left an imprint in the ground, some several inches deep. The weight pressing down on him was immense, far beyond what most could endure.

The path beneath him bore the marks of his struggle, a proof to the sheer force he was fighting against just to keep moving forward.

But Orion refused to yield, pushing through the mounting pressure as another hour passed. It felt now as if an entire building were weighing him down, the force pressing against him growing unbearable.

Each step left more than just footprints—deep cracks spidered out beneath him, and the ground caved in where his feet had touched. The once solid earth now bore gaping pits, a clear sign of the tremendous weight he carried. Yet, despite the crushing force threatening to break him, Orion pressed on, his determination as unwavering as his stride.

'This is it, I guess.'

At this point, Orion felt like he couldn't continue running and was forced to slow down. The pressure was finally taking its toll on him, preventing him from running at full speed.

He slowed significantly but was still moving faster than a walk.

Half an hour later, Orion slowed down even more. At this point, he was barely running, almost walking.

He tried to run with all his strength, but doing so only caused the ground beneath his feet to shatter further, creating deep pits. Physically, he couldn't run anymore. It felt as though he was carrying the weight of multiple buildings on his back, forcing him to hunch over from the strain.

But he still walked, refusing to stop.

Some time passed, and the pressure increased even more. Even though he tried to keep walking, he could barely lift his legs at this point.

'If only I could use my curses, but I guess the essence of the Trial of Body would be wasted if powers were allowed.'

Orion realized that to truly test his body, he had to walk this path without relying on any powers. Otherwise, the purpose of the trial would be lost.

'But what now? I can barely take another step.'

Orion frowned as he looked ahead at the seemingly endless path stretching into the distance.

Not knowing the goal of the Trial of Body, or how long the path was, Orion continued to slowly push forward, each step taking all his strength.

One step, two steps, three steps—he continued to move, albeit at a crawling pace.

Seconds turned into minutes, and Orion felt like he couldn't continue. He could barely feel his legs, and his body was almost fully hunched under the immense pressure.

'What is the goal of this trial?'

Orion pondered as he closed his eyes for a moment. Given how the last two trials went, he suspected there was something he was missing.

'I should be in the lead. No one should be near me.'

He was confident that he had left everyone behind, but the question still remained—what was the end goal? How would he pass this trial?

'Is this really a trial of the body?'

At that moment, Orion began to question the nature of the trial. It was supposed to be a test of physical endurance, but what if that was a lie? What if this trial wasn't about the body at all?

Orion frowned as he came to this conclusion, realizing that his speculation might be right.

'If it's not a trial of the body, then what could it be?'

He pondered, recalling everything he had experienced from the desert to this moment. He remembered the red-haired man's words about the infinite path, the other participants' helplessness, and how they gave up on the journey.

A smile crept across his face as he realized something.

He opened his eyes and softly said, "I've won, haven't I?"

Just then, the young man from the previous two trials appeared in front of him.

"So, you've realized what this trial is all about," the young man said with a nod of approval.

Orion nodded. "It's a trial of body, mind, and heart, all combined. I realized this after seeing how others failed or gave up. Some quit before fully trying, while others gave up when they reached their limits."

He continued, "That was the trial of the body. If they didn't give up and pushed themselves like I did, they would enter the trial of heart. The only way out of this was through the trial of mind. If they couldn't figure out the true essence of the trial, they would never pass, regardless of whether they gave up or not."

Clap! Clap!

"Correct," the young man said, clapping as he acknowledged Orion's insight. This trial was indeed designed to test the body, heart, and mind together. The young man had deliberately led the participants to believe it was solely a trial of the body, and they all fell for it.

"There was a trial of mind, a trial of heart, and naturally, a trial of body seemed like the next logical step. But that was just a bait to see who could see through the trial," the young man explained.

"Since you've passed all three trials, you are now eligible to comprehend the true name of your Divine Soul," the young man said solemnly, pointing in a direction.

A beam of light shot from his finger, and a gate appeared in the air some distance away.

"Go through the door, and you will arrive at a place that will aid you in your comprehension," the young man instructed.

Orion looked toward the door and nodded. "See you soon." With those words, he walked to the door, opened it, and disappeared from the long path.

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