The sunlight slowly dimmed, darkness enveloped the forest, accompanying its silence.
In the clearing surrounded by the forest, little by little points of light appeared within the darkness.
The sounds of laughter and conversation became the background accompanying the beginning of the night.
Dozens of tents stood as shelter from the cold night wind.
Inside one of the largest tents, several boys and girls sat facing each other.
One of the boys rubbed his short black hair and sighed while looking at the boy in front of him who had straight shoulder-length black hair.
"How is it, Ken? Is it good enough?"
Ken turned to the right.
"What about you, Malik?"
Malik looked at Ken, then sighed.
"It's good enough, but will it work?"
Ken nodded and looked back at the boy with short hair.
"Isn't that too risky, Alex? Especially since Jiro and Billa's classes have already been eliminated."
Alex shrugged.
"Yeah… I think that's the most effective way."
"Julian and Arthur, are they really that strong, Katarina?"
Katarina, beside Alex, brushed her dark red hair.
"Yes… compared to all of us, they're clearly stronger."
Alex clapped his hands once.
"Well… they are strong, but the other members of their class won't be that strong, right?"
Alex crossed his arms in front of his chest.
"We'll make it simple—lure them with logistics, then ambush them."
Malik stroked his chin.
"Will they believe it that easily? And how are we going to ambush them?"
Alex grinned.
"No matter how strong they are, they'll still need supplies. And most importantly, they aren't in an alliance—that's what gives us the advantage."
Ken, Malik, and Katarina listened carefully to what Alex said.
"And we won't target Julian or Arthur. We'll target the other members of their class."
Ken swallowed.
"Then what about Julian and Arthur?"
Alex looked at Ken.
"Of course we'll hold them off, and Katarina will fight that Eve."
Katarina nodded.
Alex leaned forward and everyone followed. Whispers passed among them, ending with Ken and Malik's eyes shining.
Malik looked at Alex.
"You're really cunning. Luckily we still have all our members intact."
Alex clicked his tongue and corrected him.
"No, we're missing one idiot."
Ken looked at Alex and lowered his head.
"I'm sorry."
Alex looked at Ken.
"Why are you apologizing? This is all because of that idiot, so what can we do?"
Alex rubbed his cheek.
"By the way, Ken, can your talent see an opponent's weak point?"
Ken and Malik's eyes widened.
"How did you know?"
Alex clicked his tongue.
"We already fought earlier. Do you have two abilities? What's the other one?"
Ken looked at Alex with a confused expression.
"You know about that too?"
Alex stroked his chin.
"Of course. You close one eye when you use it."
Malik looked at Alex.
"Then your talent is what brought all these items? And the traps in the forest?"
Alex looked at Malik and spread his arms.
"Of course… all thanks to my talent."
Katarina looked at Alex cynically.
Ken looked at Alex with sparkling eyes.
"Even though I can take anything out, it requires preparation because my mana is still limited, so all of this took a week."
Ken stroked his chin.
"But when you take those items out, you don't need to use mana, right?"
Alex snapped his fingers.
"That's the positive side."
Alex cleared his throat.
"So… we're agreed, right? Ken and I will go."
Malik nodded, but Ken's expression showed doubt.
"Can we really do this?"
Katarina looked at Ken, her thumb pointing at Alex beside her.
"Of course you can. With this cunning kid beside you, you'll be fine."
Alex chuckled.
"Relax. You just need to quietly follow along."
Alex stood up and looked at Katarina, extending his hand toward her.
Katarina sighed and took out two black cloaks from her smart bracelet.
Alex smiled and accepted them.
"Don't damage them, or I'll burn you alive."
Alex swallowed and accepted the black cloaks, then spread one open.
"Why does the princess have something like this? I mean, what were you doing that required a cloak that can change your face?"
Alex looked at Katarina.
"Did you secretly sneak into the boys' dorm to meet your boyfriend?"
Katarina's eyebrow twitched, mana flowed into both of her hands, and a blue explosion of fire erupted.
Boom!
Alex, Malik, and Ken didn't even have time to scream.
The fire burned the tent where they had been discussing.
The sight looked like a giant bonfire in the middle of the forest.
All eyes turned toward the burning tent, but none of them tried to approach.
A girl with long black hair and golden eyes sighed as she watched.
"Looks like that trickster made Rina angry again."
The girl turned her head.
"So, do you want to bet? Whether they'll come out alive or not, Aril, Azka, Kayla?"
They all looked at the girl.
Aril spoke first.
"Stop gambling, Mira. Even if your father is rich, you'll go bankrupt someday."
Mira shrugged and looked at Aril.
"I need it for my research."
Mira looked at Azka and Kayla again, but they just shook their heads.
A sigh escaped Mira's lips as she looked at the star-filled night sky.
"Where can I find a lot of treasure?"
The sound of hurried footsteps approached them.
Their breathing was heavy, and their faces were covered with black soot.
Aril, Mira, Azka, and Kayla turned around.
Malik was staggering forward while Ken carried Alex on his shoulder.
Laughter erupted around them as people looked at the three of them covered in soot.
"The princess must be really angry."
"What did that trickster do this time?"
Mira clicked her tongue.
"They're completely finished."
Ken dropped Alex's powerless body onto the ground near Mira.
Ken looked at Mira and swallowed.
"Do something Mira."
Mira looked at Ken, then at Alex lying on the ground. Her eyes sparkled.
A smile formed on her face.
"Alright, I'll rely on my virus."
Mira channeled mana into her fingers. Her nails slowly lengthened, veins appearing around her hand. Everyone who saw it swallowed.
Kayla asked.
"Is that really okay?"
Mira shrugged.
"I don't know. Let's find out."
Alex slowly opened his eyes and immediately saw Mira trying to touch him with her terrifying right hand.
Alex's eyes widened, and a scream escaped his lips, drawing everyone's attention.
Alex slowly got up and tried to move back.
Mira looked at Aril.
"Hold him. I want to test my virus on a human."
Aril chuckled and held Alex down with all his strength.
Alex's screams echoed louder while the others looked at him with pity.
"DAMN IT!! STOP, YOU GAMBLING MANIAC, AHHHHH"
The silence of the night was once again disturbed by a boy's screams.
The night wind brushed against Alex's skin as he lay in one corner of the campsite.
His gaze was fixed on the night sky.
A sigh escaped his mouth.
"Damn it, Krystal, you're too noisy."
'Hahaha that was really funny, you know? Who would have thought her virus would heal your burned face.'
Veins bulged on Alex's forehead.
'Damn, I don't even know whether to be grateful or not. That princess is truly crazy, she wanted to kill her own class representative.'
'You've been teasing her a lot lately.'
Alex brushed his hair back.
'That's because she's easy to tease, kekeke.'
'By the way, can I defeat Julian or Arthur?'
Krystal sounded like she sighed.
'That will be difficult, unless you prepare a good stage. Even then, you might only corner them for a moment.'
Alex sighed, and Krystal continued.
'Based on your body's memories, he really is like a main character. His strength is very famous, and he might become the strongest among humans in the future.'
Alex clicked his tongue.
'Isn't that a bit exaggerated?'
'You'll be able to feel it yourself later, right?'
One of Alex's eyebrows rose.
'I want to see Athika's Tears. You know I've never seen it, and you've never explained anything about it.'
'Just imagine a red necklace.'
Alex sat up and imagined a red necklace.
A light shone over his right hand.
A transparent red crystal necklace appeared.
Alex's eyes widened. He brought the necklace closer to his face to examine the details.
Alex's expression turned confused. He shook the necklace, and a liquid moved inside the crystal.
One of Alex's eyebrows rose.
"What liquid is that, Krystal? Is that Athika's tear? I mean, based on its name."
'Maybe. I still don't know. You need to level up quickly so I can find out what it is.'
Alex sighed.
Inside the camp, a girl with dark red hair walked. Her blue eyes were as calm as the moon in the night sky.
Every step she took became the center of attention, especially after she burned the tent in the middle of the camp.
Katarina sighed and looked around. The camp was now ready to be abandoned, and they were ready to continue the joint plan.
Katarina turned to one of the female students.
"Where is Alex?"
The student looked at Katarina nervously.
"He's over there in that corner, lying down,"
she said while pointing.
Katarina thanked her and immediately went to Alex.
Her face still looked cold, and her steps remained elegant.
When she arrived, Katarina saw Alex sitting on the ground, unaware that she was nearby.
One of Katarina's eyebrows rose as she walked closer.
But her steps stopped when Alex produced something from his hand.
Katarina's eyes widened.
A transparent red crystal necklace appeared in Katarina's view.
Katarina's heart began beating faster.
Her gaze was fixed on the necklace as Alex brought it closer to his eyes and shook it.
Alex's quiet voice reached Katarina.
"What liquid is that, Krystal? Is that Athika's tear? I mean, based on its name."
Katarina's heart beat even faster, her breathing growing heavier.
Katarina walked toward Alex, this time faster.
When she reached him, Alex looked at her and tried to greet her.
But Katarina immediately snatched the necklace from Alex's hand.
Alex's eyes widened. He wanted to protest, but Katarina spoke first.
"Where did you get this necklace?"
Alex swallowed. He didn't answer yet, only confusion appearing on his face.
"Do you know that necklace?"
Katarina looked at the necklace she knew very well. She gently shook it, and the liquid inside the red crystal reacted.
Katarina stared at it more closely, her hand trembling slightly. Her thoughts were in turmoil.
'How can this necklace be here? It should appear far in the future.'
Katarina showed an expression she had never shown to anyone, even after her regression, as she stared at the necklace.
'And why does Alex have it? Julian was supposed to find it after exploring the Silent Mountain region.'
Katarina's breathing became heavier, her ears began ringing, and nausea spread through her stomach.
Her heart was in turmoil. Only the sound of the wind and rustling grass filled the space between them.
Without realizing it, tears fell from Katarina's eyes. Her expression showed immense pain.
Katarina fell to the ground.
Thud.
Alex approached her and just looked at her, not knowing what to do.
Katarina's sobbing made Alex look at her more closely, his heart beating faster.
'What's happening, Krystal? Does Katarina know what that necklace is?'
'I don't know, but with that reaction she definitely knows something.'
Alex swallowed.
'If we ask about the necklace she'll definitely become suspicious and interrogate us, right?'
'It's better to avoid her suspicion for now. You're still too weak, and you should level up quickly so I can learn about the necklace.'
Alex sighed. Katarina's sorrowful crying continued as she held the necklace tightly.
Alex wanted to speak, but a shout stopped him.
Aril shouted from afar.
"Hey Alex! Everything is ready!"
Alex looked at Aril from afar and raised his hand in a thumbs-up gesture.
Alex looked back at Katarina and spoke as gently as possible.
"Hey Katarina, I don't know what's wrong, but we have to move now."
Katarina looked at Alex as her crying slowly subsided.
"I'm sorry… I don't know what's wrong with me."
Alex looked at her with pity.
"I'm sorry, but we have to move now. How about we talk after this simulation ends?"
Katarina simply nodded while wiping her tears.
Alex stood up and extended his hand to help her up.
Katarina accepted it.
They faced each other, and Katarina returned the necklace.
"I'm sorry… I did something rude."
Alex shrugged.
"It's fine and…"
Alex looked at the necklace, then slowly at Katarina's tear-streaked face, and sighed.
"You can keep it for now, until we talk later."
Katarina looked at Alex while holding the necklace tightly.
"Is that really okay?"
Alex simply nodded.
"Thank you, Alex… we'll talk later."
Katarina took a deep breath and slowly walked away first.
Alex watched Katarina's back as she walked away. A protesting voice echoed in his mind.
'Why did you give her the necklace! You know it has the same name as the goddess of this world! You even heard the lessons! That's an amazing necklace!'
Alex clicked his tongue.
'It's just a normal necklace. Besides, we still don't know what it is, while Katarina seems to know much more than we do.'
'So we'll just find out from her. Even if it's a goddess's necklace, what's the point if we can't use it?'
Krystal sighed.
'Besides, it's a woman's necklace, you know? How could I possibly wear it!'
Krystal clicked her tongue.
Alex slowly walked toward his friends who were already prepared. Their battle was getting close