Forsaken By The Gods, I Made A Contract With the Demon King

The pressure continued to build, heavier and more oppressive with each passing second.

And Levi could feel it now since the pressure had increased considerably.

It was as if an invisible force was pushing down on him.

His knees trembling slightly under the pressure. But it wasn't enough to break him—at least not yet.

His body might not be well-trained, but his mind was sharp, honed like a sword. Levi wasn't one to give in easily.

He glanced at the watch on his wrist.

Three minutes had passed.

The challenge was five minutes long. Two more minutes. That wasn't so hard—he could do this.

Around him, the platform groaned under the weight of everyone's bodies, creaking ominously as the strain increased.

The red-haired girl nearby, who had got up on the platform first now had her face flushed red. She gasped for air before her legs buckled beneath her.

She dropped to her knees, breathless, on the verge of collapse. Yet, despite the clear exhaustion, she refused to give up. Trembling, she activated some kind of ability, and Levi noticed a faint shimmer surrounding her.

Slowly, the color returned to her cheeks as her ability granted her some relief from the pressure.

The assistant instructor, standing at the edge of the platform, watched silently, not intervening.

There seemed to be no rules against using abilities to endure the trial.

Levi considered using his own innate ability, but the pressure wasn't enough to push him that far yet.

But that wasn't the case for others.

More cracks appeared in their resolve and now knowing that abilities could be used - they instantly activated whatever abilities that could help with the situation.

But clearly, not everyone had the ability to fight against mental attacks.

Levi could see it in the way their bodies trembled, their breathing became shallow, and their faces tightened with strain.

Another boy groaned in agony. "I... can't!" He collapsed onto the platform, panting heavily, the weight clearly too much for him to bear.

A second later, he was thrown off the platform and told to step back, eliminated from the trial.

Levi ignored him and focused on standing, enduring the mounting pressure that kept increasing as best as he could.

But something strange was happening inside him.

It started subtly, almost unnoticeable at first, but then he felt it—a shift. Something was changing, growing.

It wasn't his physical strength or his endurance—it was his mind.

His innate ability, Lunacy, stirred within him.

Normally, Lunacy remained dormant unless he intentionally activated it. But now, it felt like it was awakening on its own.

The pressure in the air seemed to be feeding it, nurturing it in a way Levi had never experienced before. He didn't know why or how, but it felt... right.

As though the oppressive force around him was molding his ability, shaping it into something more.

His body ached, his muscles trembled as the pressure increased, but his mind was growing stronger, sharper. Levi welcomed the change, embracing the sensation. He focused inward, on Lunacy's awakening.

One by one, the other participants collapsed, defeated. The red-haired girl who had used her ability was barely holding on, her legs shaking violently. Two boys besides Levi were still standing, but even they were at their limits, teetering on the brink of collapse.

And then, five minutes passed.

Orion's voice echoed through the training grounds, commanding everyone's attention.

"Time's up. You've passed."

A few faint cheers rose from the students who had made it through. Out of everyone, only one girl and three boys, including Levi, had endured the full five minutes.

Those who had fallen early were thrown off the platform, gasping for air, massaging sore muscles, and trying to recover.

The red-haired girl who had been on the verge of collapse leaned heavily against the railing, relief etched on her face.

Everyone began to step down, visibly relieved to be free from the crushing pressure.

Levi, however, didn't move.

While the others descended, he remained rooted to the spot, staring at the ground with a strange intensity in his eyes.

Then, without a word, he sat down, crossing his legs like he was preparing to meditate.

"What's he doing?" one of the boys whispered to his companion, eyeing Levi with confusion.

Levi closed his eyes, blocking out the murmurs of the onlookers.

He could feel it—his Lunacy was evolving, changing under the weight of the mental strain. Or perhaps it was mutating? He wasn't sure, but he knew this was an opportunity he couldn't afford to miss.

This wasn't like the usual activation of Lunacy during battle, nor was it the rush he felt when pushing his body to its physical limits. No, this was something else entirely.

The pressure had done something new.

It was tapping into a power within him that Levi hadn't known existed.

Suddenly, the pressure intensified, and for the first time since stepping onto the platform, Levi groaned, a low sound of strain slipping through his clenched teeth.

'This mental strain—it's doing something to my Lunacy,'Levi realized. His heart raced at the thought.

'If this pressure is helping me grow, why stop now?'

Ignoring the end of the trial, Levi focused inward, channeling his essence through his body as Lunacy demanded.

His thoughts drifted away, narrowing down to a single point of focus—the sensation of his ability. There was a new dimension to it, something he hadn't yet explored.

Lunacy wasn't just about unleashing madness on the world around him anymore. There was control—a deeper, more profound force stirring within him. He didn't know what this evolution meant, but he wasn't about to waste the opportunity to find out.

"Hey, you! Come down, the trial's over!" Orion's voice cut through the heavy silence, sharp and commanding.

But Levi didn't respond—he couldn't. He was too absorbed in the energy that was growing and swirling inside him.

Before Orion could shout again, a calm, gruff voice interrupted. "Leave him."

It was Valerius, the lazy instructor who had spent most of the trial with his eyes closed, seemingly indifferent to everything going on.

Now, however, his half-closed eyes were watching Levi with measured interest. "Don't disturb him."

Orion hesitated, confusion furrowing his brow. "But—"

"It's rare to see someone with a mind-type ability," Valerius continued, his voice quieter but carrying an undeniable authority. "Let him continue."

Orion glanced at Valerius, then at Levi, uncertain. But he didn't argue. He was, after all, just an assistant instructor under Valerius.

With a curt nod, he stepped back, allowing silence to return to the platform.

The other students, whether they had passed or failed, remained rooted in place. No one left.

All eyes were fixed on Levi, watching in quiet fascination as the atmosphere shifted. There was an almost tangible tension in the air, as if everyone could sense something was about to happen.

Minutes passed, heavy with anticipation.

Levi remained unmoving, his breathing steady, his body eerily calm as if he was in the deepest meditation.

The pressure that had once threatened to crush him now seemed to fuel his growth, feeding the transformation happening within. It was an odd sensation, but exhilarating all the same.

Ten minutes came and went. No one moved. The spectators were transfixed, their eyes glued to Levi.

Then, without warning, it happened.

A surge of purple energy erupted from Levi's body, spiraling around him like a violent storm!

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