Chapter 46: The First Examination Begins!
Just outside the forest area, before a vast expanse of open space, thousands of students scattered around with their assigned teams. Several instructors stood in front of the dense forest, keeping the crowd in formation so no commotion would occur. Since they were ultimately just students, noise and chatter were bound to happen. The instructors could only control them before they entered the forest for the trial; whatever happened inside would fall entirely on the students’ own shoulders.
Once most of the students gathered, a tall instructor named Ralok stepped forward. His voice was not loud, but it echoed everywhere, easily catching everyone’s attention.
"First-year students, you now stand before the famous Wynthalor Forest. It is widely known for containing poisonous fruits and leaves. Everyone must keep in mind not to touch or eat any beautiful plants you see."
"You must be curious about this examination and what you all have to do. I will explain it with simplicity."
"Today’s practical examination will be conducted as a team. Your group will enter the forest and survive through the different monsters and various traps the academy has set inside. There are four spots in total. You have to reach the first spot. After reaching it, you must pick up your team’s specific flag and run toward the next spot to grab the second flag. After the second, you go to the third, and then the fourth. At the very least, you have to return here with all four flags and submit them to the instructors."
"Know this: if you lose one of the flags, it is fine. You can still carry on with the run. As long as you do not lose all your flags, you will remain in the game without getting disqualified."
"The catch is that your rank will decrease if another group brings back all their flags, even if they arrive later than you. So make sure not to lose the flags you collect at any cost."
"For the record, the monsters staying inside this forest range from E-rank up to a maximum of D-rank. Make sure to remain aware of your surroundings. Anything can happen here, so stay alert."
"Now, without wasting much time, prepare for the trial. The trial will start in one minute. Straighten your backs, take a deep breath, and exhale. Get used to this environment, and remember, do not fight with your own teammates."
Hearing this, everyone became alert and straightened their backs. Knowing their first practical test would start soon, they felt a wave of excitement rising in their chests.
Near the corner of the gathering, three students stood waiting for their fourth companion to appear.
Ronan tapped his foot restlessly on the ground as he continued to wait.
"Where is he exactly? Why can’t he even pick up his phone?"
Just behind him, the silver-haired girl stood wearing the standard academy uniform. She looked calm, folding her arms while gazing at the dark forest.
A short distance from her, the red-haired girl stood in silence. Her expression was blank and unreadable. She still looked lost and hollow, as if she had lost a part of her soul.
Just as the group grew tired of waiting, a sudden breeze of air rustled the grass, and Alden appeared behind them. Alicia was the first to sense his arrival. Her eyes stared at him with an intense gaze, though she managed to control her outward expression properly. Syrene remained in a dazed mood, seemingly not wanting to acknowledge his entrance.
Ronan looked at him, narrowing his eyes as he crossed his arms.
"Now you are appearing? I thought you might come an hour late."
Alden looked at him and gave a small, polite smile.
"I am sorry, I overslept. Shall we go?"
Ronan looked startled for a few seconds before managing to calm down. He had not expected Alden to acknowledge his mistake so easily. He expected him to retort or maybe even act annoyed.
"Hmph... whatever. Now that everyone is here, I think we should leave. Look, the other students are already moving."
As they watched the departing groups of students, they also began to walk forward. Not wanting to be left behind, they stepped inside the forest together as a team, led by their self-proclaimed leader, Ronan.
When they entered the forest, dense canopies and thick foliage covered the field, obscuring their vision of the surrounding landscape. The rustling of the leaves and the tall grass served as a constant reminder of the hidden dangers lurking around them.
They continued to walk at an unhurried pace. None of them knew what kinds of traps and beasts they might find hidden in the woods.
Alden walked at the back of the group. He looked around, scanning the area for any signs of spotted enemies.
’It seems we are the last group to enter the forest. We need to catch up as fast as we can.’
Without warning, the rustling of the grass intensified. A low growl echoed from the dense foliage just ahead.
Ronan immediately signaled for the group to halt their steps.
As they waited, the heavy footsteps grew louder, and the growling became much more distinct. A pair of dark eyes appeared through the thick undergrowth. A Goblin stepped out, wielding a sharp, curved blade. It had a disgusting face and a rough green body.
It stepped toward them, sensing their presence in its territory.
*Growl~!*
Without wasting time, the goblin launched itself at the group. Like a predator finding its prey, it lunged forward, swinging its jagged dagger toward them.
*GRAAKK!*
A massive spike of solid ice shot out of thin air. It thrust directly into the goblin’s body, dragging the creature backward several feet before pinning it securely to a thick tree trunk, much like a target marked by a archer.
Ronan opened his mouth and then closed it, not daring to say anything about how Alicia handled the threat all by herself.
"Haha... That is good, Lady Alicia. I think we can go now without wasting any more time."
The team continued walking deeper into the forest with slow, cautious steps.
Soon, their gazes caught sight of other students who had already fallen into traps. Some were hanging upside down from the trees by their legs. Some were pinned against the tree trunks by wooden ropes, while other students had fallen into muddy swamps and could not move their bodies.
’Hmph... It seems their teammates abandoned them. They did not want to waste time saving them. Well, I cannot blame them. If they waste time saving everyone, their academic rank might plummet, and they could get expelled from the academy.’
’Sigh... I feel pity for them. Should I help them? No... What am I even thinking? These are the same guys who actively hated me. There is no need to be kind and help people who would not even appreciate the effort.’
They walked across a small bridge made of stones to pass safely over the swamp.
Their steps remained silent as they finally saw the first designated spot. A set of tall trees stood in the way, and several flags rested on a wooden table placed in the center.
The team walked toward the table, searching for their specific flag.
Since there were only three to four flags left, it took only a few seconds to find theirs. Ronan stepped forward and picked up their team flag.
"Wait a second. It seems we are not at the very last place. Some of the teams ahead of us must have already fallen into the traps."
Alden looked at the remaining flags lying there, formulating logical scenarios in his mind.
’Wait. The instructor said that we have to take our own flag and move on to the next spot. But what if a team just burns all the other flags? Then they would be the only ones to secure the points. Well, it is just my thinking, but another team might try to destroy the remaining flags to secure their win. We need to hurry to the next spots as soon as possible.’
Alden looked at his teammates and spoke.
"We need to go to the next spot before the other teams get too far ahead. I think we should speed up our movement."
They all nodded. Ronan stepped forward again, guiding them through the dense forest. This time, they did not take the straight route. The chances of getting caught in an unknown trap were much higher on the direct path compared to the hidden trails.
As they continued to walk, Ronan suddenly stopped in his tracks.
"What happened? Why did you stop?"
"Well... There seem to be thin threads made of mana scattered around the grass everywhere. If we step on even one of them, we might trigger a hidden trap."
To show them practically, he picked up a bronze coin from his pocket and flicked it toward the open space in front of them.
As the coin fell into the grass, just as they expected, the trap triggered. All the hidden mana threads suddenly started to explode.
*BOOOM!* *BOOOM!* *BOOM!*
As the mana threads exploded constantly, the team stepped back quickly to avoid getting caught in the blast.
Alden raised his hand to shield his eyes from the bright flash. It took a while for him to see clearly through the rising smoke.
As the bright light of the explosion cleared, something moved past them with incredible speed.
*CRASH!*
Ronan, who stood at the very front, was suddenly thrown backward across a far distance. Blood leaked from his chest where a deep claw mark could now be seen.
"Cough!... Cough!... What was that?"
A large, monstrous beast stood before them. It stood on four muscular legs. It did not take them long to understand what it was. It was the famous beast known for its incredible speed: the Shadow Panther.
It stood several meters tall, intimidating them as it let out a low, menacing growl.
The sheer pressure radiating from its dark body sent a chill down their spines.
Ronan’s eyes caught sight of the monster. He could not move his injured body. The beast took a step toward him, leaving the rest of the team behind.
"Why did a C-rank beast appear out of nowhere in this forest?!"
*GROWL~!*
The shadow figure launched toward him with incredible speed. It targeted Ronan solely for some unknown reason, bringing its giant claws forward to strike him once again.
As the shadow panther closed the distance in mere seconds, Ronan closed his eyes, sensing the inevitable.