[Raul PoV]
I had a very uncomfortable sleep last night. I had to sleep in a cave on a rocky cliff not far from where Valeria and I had separated earlier.
Speaking of Valeria, she is currently running from three large desert lizards that are chasing her from behind. It seems the green-haired girl abandoned the gear she was carrying earlier so that she could run faster.
I have been watching her for almost an hour, being chased relentlessly by those lizards, while I enjoy my breakfast atop these rocks.
For some time now, Valeria has not used her magic to defeat the lizards. My guess is that while she was asleep last night, a Pinktail scorpion stung her, resulting in her being unable to use her magic at this time.
I intentionally did not save her immediately upon finding her being chased by a pack of monsters. I want her to remember this lesson so that she always remains cautious when out in the wild.
I had warned her yesterday afternoon about scouting her resting area to ensure there were no monsters that could endanger her while she slept. However, it is quite natural for her to be careless when her physical condition is already so exhausted. Humans usually tend to relax their attention to their surroundings when their bodies feel tired and they want to rest immediately.
Sometimes I did the same after coming home from work. At that time, I forgot to lock the door because I wanted to sleep so badly, which allowed a thief to easily enter my residence in my previous life.
"Well... it seems it is time to save her now."
I see that Valeria's face has turned red, her breathing appears irregular, and her footsteps look heavy. Activating my Acceleration magic, I dart forward quickly and unsheathe my sword.
—Kreyaa...!
A desert lizard leaps, intending to pounce on Valeria from behind.
"Leaping Slash!"
One of the desert lizard's heads is severed and falls to the ground. Fresh blood gushes out, soaking my academy shoes.
—Kreya...!
The two remaining lizards leap toward me.
With agility, I dodge and stab the neck of one of the lizards, then lift my sword until its head is split into two parts. Seeing both its companions die so easily, the last lizard quickly flees, leaving the two of us behind.
"Are you okay?" I ask while sheathing my sword again.
Valeria does not answer my question; she just sits down while looking down and hugging her knees. It seems she does not want to show her face to me at this moment.
Is she feeling embarrassed or something similar because I saw her in this pitiful condition? My guess seems to be correct when I hear the sound of Valeria crying.
"This is all your fault..."
I hear her murmuring that.
Well... honestly, if I had stayed with her last night and guarded her, then an incident like this would not have happened. However, I could not do that. Valeria must learn from her mistakes starting now, before a real disaster occurs.
This is like a parent who does not want to see their child struggle in life, but they must still teach them how harsh life is for the sake of their future.
I sit beside her without saying anything.
The thing I have learned about women when they cry is to sit beside them and wait for them to calm down. Talking to her at this moment would only make things worse.
Not long after, her crying stops. However, Valeria still does not want to show her face to me.
"Are you calm now? Let's continue the journey," I say as I crouch in front of her. "Get on my back; I will carry you at least until your stamina recovers after running from those desert lizards."
Shortly after saying that, my back feels heavy because Valeria climbs up and holds onto my body. I stand up and hold both her legs so she won't fall when I run later.
Valeria holds onto my shoulders and rests her head on my back. I can feel her irregular breathing this time. It seems Valeria's stamina has been completely drained.
"Acceleration..."
After activating the speed magic, I run so that we can arrive at the urban area before nightfall.
I feel her breathing return to normal; Valeria seems to be sleeping now on my shoulder. Her gear and food supplies are gone as a result of fleeing from the three monsters. It looks like I will have to share food and drink with her from now on.
Well... I had predicted this before. It seems I really have to look for other participants to share food and drink with me later.
"I wonder, what kind of participant will I hunt, I wonder?"
***
[Valeria PoV]
I open my eyes...
Where is this place?
Looking at the surroundings, it seems I am inside a cave.
I just remembered; previously I lost the ability to cast magic because I was stung by a scorpion. After the barrier I created vanished, monsters began coming to me and I was forced to leave my supplies and gear so that I could run from the pursuit of those monsters.
I remember that man's words yesterday.
'I bet you will lose all your supplies and gear in just one day.'
How pathetic...
Even though I wanted to prove his words to me were a big mistake.
In the end, I lost my gear and supplies before the exam time even reached 24 hours. All the words he threw at me before the exam and after it became a reality.
What is wrong with me...?
Why am I so stubborn and unwilling to cooperate with him, even though previously I was fine helping each other with my colleagues during the first stage exam?
Is it because I want to prove something to him?
So far, no one has ever surpassed me in knowledge or magic combat within the academy. That is because the applied duels use a direct combat system where long-range fighters like mages have the advantage. With the Voiceless Incantation I possess, I could always successfully defeat other students in terms of magic activation speed.
However, this survival exam will test our combat abilities in real battle. Enemies will use dirty tricks; they will not appear if they are not sure of their victory, and they will utilize everything to achieve victory. Just as that man did to me and my team before. There will be no fair fight in a life-and-death struggle.
That is why I lost to him, that is why he appears invincible even though he does not possess many powerful spells like I do, and that is why I desperately want recognition from him.
It made me act childishly until I almost failed this exam.
It truly is very pathetic...
"I really am a fool..."
My desire to defeat him in a fair fight was a naive thought. There is no such thing as fairness in this world if you want to survive. People will do whatever it takes to achieve victory. In battle, it is not much different.
"I must change my way of thinking in battle."
I must not only be fixed in the fighting style of a mage. I must be more flexible, freer, and not fixed on any rules in a fight, just like that man.
—Tap... Tap... Tap...
I hear the sound of footsteps; a black-haired man carrying a sack is seen walking here.
"You're awake?" the man says while placing the sack he was carrying on the ground. "Was my back really that comfortable that it made you fall asleep so easily while I was carrying you?"
"W-what did you say? I was just too exhausted earlier! It's not because your back is comfortable and warm or anything like that!"
Ugh... even though I have realized my mistake this time, it is still very embarrassing to remember that incident again.
"Then, what is that you're carrying? Didn't you only bring a few supplies when starting this stage two exam?"
Hearing my question, the man then sits leaning against the cave wall right next to me and unbuttons his academy uniform jacket.
"You lost your food supplies, didn't you? Now, like it or not, I have to share with you so that we both can survive in this desert," he answers casually. "For that reason, I went out to look for other participants who were willing to share food with me."
Ughhh... I also forgot about that. Why do I always become a fool when I am around him? Alright, think clearly now, Valeria. Forget what has happened before and focus on the problems I face now.
"Hee~ Sharing, huh? You mean taking it by force from them, don't you?" I taunt him.
The man shrugs both shoulders as a gesture that he does not want to comment on that. However, the actions he has taken so far have never been in vain and have always been correct as long as I faced him in the first stage exam. For that reason, I want to learn more from him on how to face difficult situations like this.
But, there is one thing I must do before that.
I turn to the side and look at the black-haired man's face.
"Hey, Raul..."
The black-haired man's body trembles. It seems he is surprised I did not call him a pervert as I usually do.
"Y-yes, is there a problem?"
Hee~ It seems this is the first time I have given him a surprise attack. He did not expect me to call his name directly.
I move a little closer to him and say, "I'm sorry... and thank you for helping me earlier, Raul."
Raul moves his body back slightly because our bodies are almost touching each other.
"Of course, don't think about it too much," he says flatly.
I move close to his body again. This time, he does not move away at all and only turns his face away from me.
"Then, where is our position now? Do you have a plan for this stage two exam?"
"Of course there is," says Raul, holding his chin, appearing to be thinking. "It is certain that there will be a battle over food and drink supplies when the participants enter the urban area. The noise they cause will surely attract the attention of the monsters hiding there."
That's very true; even some monsters were attracted by the smell of the food I brought to pass this stage two exam. I think it would be wiser if the participants only brought a little food to avoid dangerous monsters when entering the urban area.
"Inside the urban area later, chaos will arise. As much as possible we will avoid it and focus more quickly on getting out of that area," Raul says, explaining the plan he has.
"Do we really have to pass through the urban area? How about we go around and bypass it?" I ask him.
Raul then explains that if we go around the urban area, then the travel distance we must take will become even further. He says we do not have enough food supplies and time if we have to go around the urban area.
Besides that, we will also not get additional food supplies if we choose this route. That is because Raul estimates the students will prefer to pass through the urban area, which results in us not being able to steal the supplies they bring later.
"Why does your undershirt look so wet like that?" I ask, seeing the t-shirt he is wearing is very wet.
"Hey, I carried you while running non-stop for over 2 hours, you know. It's only natural I am very sweaty when doing all that," Raul answers half-tauntingly. "I think I covered approximately 40 kilometers in that amount of time."
So this is the physical condition of a Knight student? Did Raul also use magic in between his runs so that he could reach a distance this far?
"That means, the distance to the urban area in this desert is only about 30 kilometers away," Raul then takes out his pocket watch. "Now it is 11 in the morning. We will rest here for two hours then continue the journey and will arrive in the urban area before nightfall."
After arranging our next travel plan, we then have lunch with the food that Raul had previously stolen from other participants who were unlucky enough to cross paths with him.
***
[3rd PoV]
In the urban area, there are six students who are fighting with a pack of monsters. They had previously agreed to ally so that they could pass through this area safely.
"Adrian, fend off the big bird that keeps bothering us! Morlin, face the desert Hobgoblin that's about to come here!"
A female mage gives instructions to her colleagues to face several monsters approaching them.
"You three! Defeat the ordinary goblins around that Hobgoblin!"
The remaining three people then begin fighting seven ordinary goblins located not far from the Hobgoblin. This group has a composition of 4 Knight students, 1 Healer, and 1 mage.
"Earth Shatter!"
The mage activates her magic; the ground stepped on by those ordinary goblins then cracks and is destroyed, making the goblins fall and lose their balance.
"Finish them now!"
Three people from their group then begin slashing and cutting the goblins that fell due to the female mage.
After defeating the ordinary goblins, those three people then help their colleague who is fighting one-on-one with a Hobgoblin that has a body as tall as an adult human.
"Hammer Blow!"
A student launches a strike with his hammer hard toward the Hobgoblin until it is thrown far away.
"Earth Missile!"
The female mage shoots the big bird that keeps bothering them until it falls. The group of goblins seeing this from a distance then leaves their group. In the end, they won the fight against several monsters in this urban area.
"Uoohhh! We succeeded in defeating them!" shouted one of the men from their group.
"Yes... Fortunately, we formed an alliance before entering this area. If not, then just two people would not be able to defeat the monsters occupying this area," says the female mage.
"But, why did the rest of those goblins suddenly run away?" asks Morlin in confusion.
"Well... maybe they were scared after seeing our strength," answers Tristan, the Priest of this group.
They then resumed walking to continue the journey. On this afternoon of the second day, about 30 people have already entered the urban area. Most of them were lucky not to encounter monsters at all on the first day, allowing their team to quickly arrive in this area first.
"Hey Balerina, do you think we will meet that rotten Noble in this area?" asks Tristan, looking anxious.
Hearing this, immediately everyone stops their footsteps.
"Hey Tristan, don't talk about that man here," answers the female mage. "That will bring bad luck to our group now! What if he really appears here?"
They have already seen and heard stories of how their Clan could be easily destroyed single-handedly by Raul during the first stage exam.
"A-alright... Sorry..."
They continued the journey again while looking at the conditions of this abandoned city.
Morlin, who was in the backmost position, stops; he sees an object that looks like a statue standing on top of a building. He does not know that the object looking like a statue is a monster that is stalking them.
"Huh? What statue is that?" Morlin mutters in confusion.
Morlin is not aware that his current position is already quite far from his colleagues who are in front.
"Huh? Everyone is already far ahead," says Morlin, who turns back then steps his feet. "I should hurry to catch up with the—Bughhh!"
A muffled sound, that's because suddenly his body was hit by something very hard until it made him thrown far into the air.
—Brak!
His body hit the wall of a building loudly until it destroyed it. A magic light then appears and swallows his body until nothing is left, a sign he has failed and was immediately teleported out of this desert area.
His five colleagues in front stop walking when they hear the sound of the collision from Morlin's body earlier.
"You guys heard that sound just now?" said one of them, becoming alert.
"Yes... I heard it," says Balerina the mage. "And for some reason Morlin suddenly disappeared, who should have been behind us."
They then form a circular formation with the Healer in the middle of them. Everyone focuses on searching for the enemy who seems to be targeting their group.
However, they have been waiting for about five minutes, but they do not see signs of even a single monster about to attack them.
"I-I think whatever it was that kidnapped Morlin has gone," says Tristan the Healer.
"Don't be careless! We don't kn—"
Balerina's words stop, that's because she sees a 2-meter tall humanoid monster figure leaping into the air then landing right behind Tristan the Healer.
"Tristan, run as fast as possible!"
Balerina tries to warn him, but unfortunately it is already too late. The monster hits the Healer from behind very hard until it makes him thrown far away.
"Attack that monster!" orders Balerina.
Her four colleagues begin attacking the humanoid monster with their weapons. However, the monster skillfully dodges then performs a quick counterattack until eliminating one of them.
"Earth Missile!"
Balerina tries to shoot the monster with earth magic, but again the monster can dodge it easily.
"Cih, this monster has unusual speed. Is it one of the monsters above level 3?" mutters Balerina.
"Aghhhh!"
Screams a man whose hand was just broken by the monster. His body then is thrown hitting a trash bin after the monster hits his face squarely.
"Don't give it room to move!" orders Balerina to her remaining two colleagues.
"We have tried! But its movements are very agile and very fast!" says one of Balerina's colleagues.
"Get ready, it's coming back!"
The monster darted again toward Balerina's remaining two colleagues. They both then activated Temper magic to strengthen their weapons.
"Die, you Bastard!"
"Take this!"
The two of them launch an attack simultaneously. However, the monster again easily dodges then kicks both until they fall.
"Impossible... its speed even exceeds Accel magic users..." mutters Balerina.
Yes... the speed of this monster even exceeds Raul's speed when using his magic during the first stage exam.
"In that case, I will use magic with a wider area range!"
Balerina again prepares her magic. The monster is seen running toward her again quickly.
"Earth Shower!"
The ground around Balerina is lifted then broken into several parts. After that, the fragments of earth also dart toward the monster like machine gun bullets.
The monster then turns its running direction to avoid all the attacks launched by Balerina. After being able to avoid them all, the monster again darts close to the Mage.
"Impossible... how can a monster this strong be in our exam...?"
—Bam!
Balerina's body is thrown after the monster hits her hard in the chest area. Not long after, a magic circle appears and swallows her body entirely to be teleported.
With ease, this one humanoid monster eliminates the participants who had just defeated a pack of monsters.