George Hill gave him a deep look. “As long as you shout the three words ‘I surrender’ before danger arrives, you will automatically exit this world.”

“I hope I never have to say those three words.”

A burly man, with a towering physique and muscles as hard as iron, spoke proudly. He was the first to hold his head high and stride into the dragon’s mouth. With a flash of neon-like light, the man’s figure instantly vanished without a trace.

All the trainees entered the dragon’s mouth one after another. The lights in the hall suddenly brightened, the green flames extinguished, and a glamorous woman in a gold-threaded backless gown appeared like a ghost behind George Hill.

“What are you thinking about?”

The woman spoke in a soft, seductive voice. Her beauty was indescribably enchanting, her tall figure undulating like mountains, every movement exuding a powerful allure.

Without turning his head, George Hill replied with a simple “Mm.” “I’m thinking about that trainee named Ethan Brooks. I feel that there’s a very strange power lurking inside him.”

The woman flirtatiously brushed her long hair aside, the golden, oddly-shaped bracelet on her wrist making her skin look even whiter than snow. “I heard his IQ is over two hundred—truly intimidating. But most smart people are afraid of death. You saw how he was still asking about quitting before he left; it shows he lacks the courage of a real man.”

“Julia the sorceress, this time you’re wrong.”

George Hill slowly turned around and said, enunciating each word, “Only those who plan before they act are truly remarkable. Before I took this test, I also asked the same question as Ethan Brooks.”

Chapter Six: Mythical Figures

As soon as he entered the dragon’s mouth, a strange force seized Ethan Brooks. In an instant, the world spun wildly, his body was dragged forward at high speed, countless shining characters flashed before his eyes like lightning, and bizarre roars echoed in his ears.

He didn’t know how much time had passed when suddenly a blinding white light appeared before him, and his whole body seemed to plummet straight down from the sky. However, at the very moment his body touched the ground, Ethan Brooks nimbly rolled to the side, greatly reducing the impact of gravity.

Looking up, he found himself in a completely different world.

Above his head floated brilliant, multicolored clouds, spreading across the entire sky. Majestic green mountains rose like giants, piercing straight into the clouds. The vast sea of grass stretched from the slope beneath Ethan Brooks’s feet all the way to the distant horizon, where forests and lakes were scattered like stars, and strange buildings, as colorful as flowers, dotted the vast land.

There was no sign of any other trainees nearby—only endless sky and earth. The wind blew down from the towering peaks, its heavenly sound clearly audible. Ethan Brooks felt as if he had returned to the primordial world at the dawn of the universe, when the gods descended. He couldn’t help but run, shouting with abandon, wishing he could let his wild emotions spill over every inch of this land.

Suddenly, a thin beam of golden light shot out from behind the opposite hillside. As the earth trembled, tens of thousands of golden rays followed. A long chariot drawn by eight golden steeds thundered onto the slope. On the chariot stood a mighty giant, clad in golden helmet and armor, shining like the sun god of Greek mythology. The golden bow in his hand was aimed at Ethan Brooks from afar, and with a twang, the arrow was released.

Startled, Ethan Brooks swiftly dodged to the side. Almost simultaneously, the golden arrow, whistling through the air, grazed his shoulder and shot straight into the ground.

A ball of golden flame exploded on the grassland, and the giant on the chariot let out a thunderous roar, shaking the clouds in the sky.

The chariot, like a raging storm, charged down the slope. The giant wielded his golden bow, and dazzling arrows flew continuously, as if turning Ethan Brooks into prey to be hunted.

Ethan Brooks immediately broke into a wild run, finally understanding the meaning behind George Hill’s insistence that they sign the death waiver. Although this was a constructed virtual world, the threat of death felt just as real as in the real world.

On the vast grassland, two whirlwinds swept across, one in front and one behind. Ethan Brooks ran at a speed that even surprised himself, an endless power surging through his body and flooding into his legs. The wind roared in his ears, and the grassland rolled away behind him like waves.

The giant’s roar gradually faded into the distance. Ethan Brooks stopped and was about to look back when a blinding golden light shot toward him like lightning and exploded nearby.

The moment he stopped, the chariot caught up again.

Ethan Brooks was terrified and kept running at full speed. Several times, he thought he had lost the giant, but whenever he paused, the chariot would immediately close in, like a maggot clinging to bone, impossible to shake off.

Sweat beaded on Ethan Brooks’s forehead. Human strength is ultimately limited; if he kept running like this, he would eventually be caught due to exhaustion. Distracted, his pace unconsciously slowed.

The chariot’s speed suddenly increased, rapidly closing the distance between it and Ethan Brooks. The giant’s golden arrows seemed endless, raining down without pause. Each one was as fast as lightning, as swift as thunder, riddling the grass around Ethan Brooks with countless deep holes.

Seeing the chariot about to catch up, Ethan Brooks suddenly dodged a full yard to the side, darting left. Then, twisting his waist, he leapt to the right, and before the chariot could adjust its direction, Ethan Brooks dashed forward again. These few steps were unpredictable and elusive, instantly leaving the chariot behind.