With no intention of letting the thief rejoice, a huge clawed foot rushed straight to Jake's face, stirring up a gust of wind, as if the giant was about to take a penalty whose ball was his head.
Eyes bulging with fear, Jake dived into the ground by sheer reflex, narrowly dodging the lethal kick. Once underground, he fled without a second thought. Actively controlling the earth around him, he escaped at missile speed leaving the giant monster helpless.
Even for this creature, the vegetation was just too dense and there was nothing it could do to catch up with this insolent prey. Besides, it had no idea in which direction this thief had fled. As soon as Jake had gone beyond the reach of his senses, his Aetheric signature had disappeared and his movements underground had the virtue of being perfectly silent.
The end of this chapter may seem anticlimactic, but Jake found only one way to pass this test. There are others, and it is possible that other participants may have done it differently.