After Bruce completed his training on the standing logs of the pit, he was able to move on to the next challenge. He followed Yuro Sensei while silently waiting for instructions on what would be required of him.

"Complete the course of obstacles to pass this level of training," Yuro Sensei ordered. He stood beside a large hourglass filled with sparkling white sand, gently resting his hand upon it. "One more thing, Wayne-san. You will be timed."

Bruce took his place on the starting line, nothing more than a mark scratched in the dirt, and waited for the order to begin. Wooden stakes had been driven into the ground, and thin rope hung suspended between them to mark the boundaries of the course. He was slightly surprised when ten other students, some of whom he didn't recognize, joined him at the starting line of the course.

"Begin," Yuro Sensei commanded, flipping the hourglass over and starting the sand flowing from one end of the glass vessel to the other.

Bruce's shoes tore into the dirt as he exploded away from the starting line in a powerful burst of speed, quickly taking the lead. He swiftly approached the first challenge, a water filled pool with several hanging ropes above it. He adjusted the direction of his run to line up with the nearest rope, but an instant before he jumped, a fist slammed into his spine between his shoulder blades. The blow threw him off balance and made Bruce stumble to his hands and knees.

"Watch your back, rich boy," quipped one of his competitors as he ran past Bruce, swinging over to the other side of the water barrier on the rope Bruce had intended to use. The other competitors quickly followed, leaving Bruce behind.

The attack had cost Bruce both time and the lead, and he would need to push himself hard to gain them back. Digging his fingers into the dirt for additional traction, Bruce charged the rope. Leaping over the pool, Bruce snared the rope with both hands, easily swinging to the other side. He dropped down on the far shore and sprinted to catch up with the leader who'd taken his place.

The second obstacle he faced resembled the constructed endeavors of a spider. Similar to a dead forest, numerous logs jutted out of the ground in no apparent pattern. Strung between the posts, also lacking any particular order, were sturdy ropes. The ropes crisscrossed between posts either horizontally or diagonally. Bruce didn't slow down as he approached the spider web of ropes. Surging upward in a short jump, he secured both hands on a horizontal rope above his head. Bruce landed his feet on a diagonal rope, but its sharp angle forced him to spend precious seconds finding his balance before he could release the upper rope he still held in his hands.

Letting go of the upper rope, Bruce dived for the next set. He caught one of the two ropes he'd been aiming for, but his right hand slipped off the outside of the opposing line. The rough material of the rope scratched at the underside of his arm, rubbing the skin raw from his wrist to armpit where it was painfully halted. Bruce growled away the discomfort and forced himself to continue, pushing himself back up and moving toward the next rope.

As soon as he'd completed the spider web, Bruce picked up the pace. He'd lost considerable amounts of time, and he desperately needed to make them up if he wanted to complete the course in time, to say nothing of winning.

A small bit of good fortune found him when he approached the river acting as the next challenge. Resting upon the bank were small rafts barely large enough to stand on. A grappling hook and rope were coiled neatly on each raft. Six of his opponents didn't know how they were supposed to cross with the equipment provided, standing on the bank with looks of confusion on their faces. The other four rivals hadn't cared about the rules and had simply jumped into the river to swim. Bruce stepped forward and took one of the grappling hooks, preparing to demonstrate to the confused students.

Spinning the hook around on the end of a length of rope to build momentum, Bruce hurled it across the river to snare the branch of a tree. Putting his feet on one of the small rafts, he pulled on the rope to draw himself across. He leaned back slightly, maintaining a balance between keeping the rope tight and preventing the raft from slipping out from under him.

The remaining students on the shore saw his example and mimicked it, pulling themselves across as well. They lacked the experience Bruce had gained from his instruction back in Gotham, so while it was easy for him, it took more practice for the students to master, more than a few of them falling in the river.

Bruce was no longer in last place, and when he reached the opposing bank, he sprinted onward with even greater speed. His next challenge was two cargo nets paired horizontally with each other, a five foot high gap in the center. The twin nets were secured to a number of posts, but they weren't stretched tight, leaving the rope nets unstable. He climbed onto the bottom net before seizing the upper overhead. The nature of the nets hindered his crossing as the ropes had a certain amount of elasticity to them, and the loose pinning of the nets to the posts allowed them to shift and give whenever he put his weight on them.

Working his way through the nets was highly labor intensive, and sweat had started to cover his face and hands in a glistening sheen by the time he'd completed the crossing. Wiping his face with the back of his sleeve, Bruce continued his relentless pace.

Following the dual nets was what appeared to be a staircase made of planks jutting out from a solid panel of wood, but it was suspended off the ground far enough, no one would be able to walk on the topside. Jumping up, Bruce grabbed the first plank of the stairs, and because it lacked risers between steps, he was able to climb the stairs from the underside using mostly the strength from his arms. Switching at the midpoint for the part coming down was a bit more challenging as the stairs going up and down faced two different directions. He had to hold on to the top step with one hand while pushing off and reaching across with his other hand to secure a hold on the opposite side. Once one hand was in place, Bruce released his grip on the top step of the ascending side, swinging over and quickly descending the steps to complete the obstacle.

A steep wall of solid stone blocked the designated route of the course, so Bruce had to scale the wall without any kind of climbing gear. He'd done similar training before, so it was familiar and easy for him. He moved up and over the stone wall with great speed, retaking significant amounts of lost time. In front of him, he saw the remaining four opponents still ahead of him. He was gaining on them. Adrenaline flowed through him as he rushed after his rivals and closed the distance even further.

Waiting next was a bridge over a small creek. The bridge was made of a rectangular frame with chains hanging down from the sides to connect with the ends of suspended logs. The sideways logs were loose and unsupported by anything other than the chains attached to their ends, so any weight applied to them would transform the walkway of the bridge into a swing.

Bruce had practiced on similar constructions he'd built in the backyard of Wayne Manor. He raced across the logs, barely putting any weight on each before moving to the next. The last log in the series was different as it wasn't secured by chains bolted into its ends. The chains were attached to a rod running through the center, so when he stepped on it, the log rolled and refused to allow him traction. Bruce lost his balance at the unexpected move of the last log, but he dropped his shoulder and rolled across the ground to keep from falling face first into the dirt. He used his momentum, kicking out and lunging back to his feet to continue the race without further delay.

The final challenge of the course consisted of a dozen rectangular channels standing up side by side so the participants of the trials could each claim their own and not be forced to wait for those ahead of them. Each vertical shaft was barely wider than a person, and Bruce instantly realized what he needed to do in order to reach the top. Placing a hand against the sanded smooth wood of the right and left walls, Bruce jumped up slightly and wedged his feet against the sides as well. While supporting his weight with the edges of his shoes, Bruce repositioned his hands higher on the wall. Shifting his weight between his feet and hands, he worked his way up the constructed crevice to the top.

He dug deep, tapping every last amount of energy he possessed to increase his speed further. Bruce couldn't see his opponents, but he knew they would be doing similarly as him to navigate the obstacle. He also knew if he pushed on faster than they did, he could retake the lead.

Reaching the top, he grabbed hold of the edge and pulled himself up. A zip line of rope had been attached to the top of the shaft, providing a rapid transit to the last part of the course, an unobstructed sprint to the finish.

As Bruce held the small handles and slid down the rope, he found only one person still ahead of him, the student who had originally knocked him down. The student dropped from the line and hit the ground hard, shouting in pain and holding his ankle.

Bruce also dropped from the line at the end of the slide, but his landing was better, bending his knees and rolling to shed unwanted momentum. He could see the finish line in the distance, but he turned when he heard a desperate plea.

"Help me," the student groaned, still holding his ankle.

Bruce knew the teenager had deliberately attacked and hindered him earlier in the course. Helping him could easily prevent Bruce from finishing in time, but the thought of leaving an injured person behind was even less palatable. Hurrying over to his downed foe, Bruce picked him up and put him over his shoulder.

Carrying the weight of another person slowed Bruce's speed further than he'd expected. Sweat gleamed on his forehead, attempting to drip past his eyebrows and blur his vision, but he could still see clear enough to watch as the three closest students caught up with and passed him, crossing the end of the course before Bruce could reach it.

When Bruce finished the training course, he looked toward Yuro Sensei and the hourglass sitting beside him. The sands had run their path, and the top of the timepiece was empty. Bruce had failed to complete the course in the allotted time.