[Raul PoV]
We arrived at the exam location last night. This morning, the participants have gathered in front of the Monster Forest, which looks to have been surrounded by a red-colored barrier.
Before us, Instructor Torun seems about to explain the rules during the exam later.
"Right now, you will carry out the third stage exam," said Instructor Torun loudly. "As you have often heard, in this exam, there are always casualties among the participants! You will not be given a Limiter and will only rely on your own abilities in there!"
Hearing this, the expressions of the participants turn tense. Some of them even start breathing irregularly.
"The duration of this exam is only one day; there is a red-colored crystal in the middle of the forest that you must take," explained Instructor Torun. "The time for this exam is only one day, and you are only allowed to bring one weapon and one artifact into the forest."
If that is the case, I will bring my sword and the Masquerade Mask into the forest later. I do not want my identity to be exposed when I show my true abilities.
"If there are participants who die due to monster attacks, then we are not responsible for their deaths. You yourselves must decide whether you are willing to take this exam or not," said Instructor Torun very seriously. "If anyone wants to withdraw, now is the time. Because we will not open the Barrier before the exam time is over."
The participants begin to lower their heads, thinking about the Instructor's words. It seems they are weighing the consequences and risks of this exam against the results they will achieve later.
The points gained by participants who complete the third exam are more than the total points they earned when completing the first and second exams. These bonus points will determine their future upon graduation.
Not long after, 10 people are seen stepping out of the line. It seems they prefer to withdraw rather than take the risk of being killed during this exam.
"Alright, you have made your own choices. There is no way back except to complete this exam now," said the Instructor firmly. "For the participants who decide to take this exam, please take a number, which will determine at which point you will start the exam."
The Instructor then explained that there are eight points, each guarded by an Instructor. They will open the barrier so the participants can enter.
I got number 5, which is located on the west side of the forest. There, a female mage in her mid-20s is seen. She is Master Erina—a female mage nicknamed The Red Witch.
"Come here quickly, I will open this barrier so you can pass through," ordered Master Erina.
Upon arriving there, Master Erina begins to chant a spell. Not long after, the red barrier in front of me opens to a height of two meters, enough for one person to pass through.
"Enter," ordered Master Erina. "There is no way back after you set foot into this forest except when the exam time runs out."
After seeing me enter the barrier, Master Erina closes it tightly again. This time, there is no way back except to complete the exam. I then hurry off far into the forest.
According to my estimate, those assassins will try to enter this forest at night. They will wait for the participants to get tired first so they can conduct their search easily.
"I have to prevent them from killing the participants as well as Brian, who is currently in this forest."
I am not convinced that the Instructors can stop those assassins from carrying out their actions.
---
[Brian PoV]
I have been fighting here for an hour, but the monsters keep coming endlessly. Could this be the reason they named this place Monster Forest?
· Rooarr!
Right now, I am fighting a pack of large blue wolves. Three of them are seen running here quickly.
"Light Executioner!"
Swinging my sword coated in golden light, the three wolves die instantly from my attack. Their blood soaks the surrounding ground, but there are still many monsters behind them heading this way.
"I don't have time for this!"
Dashing towards the pack of wolves, I activate Accel magic to maneuver more nimbly.
Slash, slash, slash! Unceasingly, I kill the monsters coming at me. They only rely on their large numbers to fight me. The level of these monsters is not comparable to the ones I faced during the previous second stage exam.
"Moonlight Slash!"
With that attack, I finally managed to exterminate all the monsters here after fighting for almost an hour.
Hah... My body is very tired...
I want to rest for a while, but I remember my promise to Ariel yesterday to always protect her. She has already entered this forest; how is she doing?
In this third exam, if she meets a dangerous monster, then her life will be threatened. This exam is different from before; participants can be killed now.
"Ariel... I have to find her before getting that Crystal."
---
[Viera PoV]
My heart is beating very fast, and my breath is very heavy after fighting that large Bear for a few minutes. Right now, I am hiding up in a tree from the pursuit of this terrifying monster.
This monster is very agile even though it has a body three meters tall. My arrows often miss when shot at it.
· Grrr...
That bear looks to be sniffing something; its footsteps are also bringing it closer to where I am.
Tch, is it smelling me and tracking me? What a troublesome monster.
· Grooaarrr!
It roars in this direction; has it found my position?
But not long until I get the answer to my question, because that damn monster starts running quickly here. Regaining my breath, I begin to aim my bow at the bear.
"Triple Shoot!"
I launch three Magic Arrows towards the monster. However, it can easily dodge them all.
· Grooaarr!
The bear leaps here, showing its sharp teeth towards me.
I quickly jump using Axio magic to dodge; the tree branch where I was standing is now broken after being struck by the bear's paw.
"Piercing Shoot!" I launch an arrow that has been enchanted to be faster towards the monster again.
But still, it can dodge easily. I still haven't been able to get enough speed and power to shoot this bear.
· Groaarrr!
The bear chases me again.
What must I do so that my shot hits it?
Landing on the ground, I start running with all my might to escape the bear's pursuit. What would Captain Raul do if he were in the same situation as me?
He always teaches us to always utilize the surrounding environment when fighting a stronger enemy. However, it is easier said than done when practicing it directly in the field while being chased by a monster like this.
Looking around, I only see trees as far as the eye can see.
Think, Viera, think! What must I do so that my shot hits this monster?
Should I shoot when it loses track of me? However, I have already tried this method and shot it from behind. That bear can still feel my arrows flying from afar.
Shoot it when it is in the air? But if it fails, then the risk of it pouncing on me to death becomes greater. I don't want to play with the God of Death this time.
· Groaarr!
I look behind me; the bear is getting closer in its pursuit of me. If this continues, I will run out of stamina before the monster does. I have to finish it quickly now.
Not far ahead, I see a fairly large tree. Seeing this, I come up with a pretty cool idea. However, I still haven't fully mastered the technique the Captain taught me.
But, I have to try it anyway.
Activating Acceleration magic, I increase my running speed to have enough distance from the bear to execute my action.
After circling that tree, I turn around; the large tree is seen blocking me from shooting the pursuing bear. However, this is the core of this technique.
Tilting the bow I am holding slightly, I then launch two arrows towards that tree. The trajectory of the two arrows then curves, allowing both to circle around that large tree.
· Groooarrr!
Not long after, I hear the bear's roar again.
· Brak!
The tree then shakes from being hit by something. I then walk over to see what happened to that monster.
Two arrows are seen embedded in each of the bear's eyes, piercing through to its brain, killing the large monster instantly.
"My shot finally hit it..."
Utilizing the bear's Blindspot, I launched the arrows using the Curve Shoot technique combined with speed magic to shoot it. That bear did not expect there would be two arrows suddenly appearing from behind this tree.
"I have to get out of here; I don't want to meet any more troublesome monsters like that one again."