‘Did he really just leave me?’
‘Me?’
Watching Riley’s figure become smaller and smaller in the distance as he disappeared into the treetops, Snow was completely baffled. He knew who she was, right?
The one and only princess of the Germonia Empire, to which he belonged.
The fact that they even partnered up in the first place could be considered the greatest honor for him, and yet he just left her there, without any reasonable explanation as to why he did it. “Fufu…”
A chuckle escaped Snow’s red lips as she clenched her fist. “That bastard. Was I being too passive towards him, perhaps?”
Shaking her head to cool off her annoyance, Snow checked her surroundings. She understood there was nothing she could do about it now.
Riley was a hidden master for a reason, and provoking him at this point wouldn’t be a good decision.
They barely knew each other in the first place, and their first encounter wasn’t exactly what one would consider memorable.
‘He’s certainly annoying but…. That’s what makes him interesting’
Although she hoped to improve their relationship during the exam, it seemed she would have to change her plans for the time being.
As they were partners for this exam, one way or another he would have to come back for her, because if even one of them failed to complete the exam, both would lose.
With a determined sigh, Snow adjusted her stance and began walking in the direction Riley had gone. She scanned her surroundings with her mana sense, searching for the nearest
monsters.
The forest was teeming with life, and it didn’t take long for her to detect several presences nearby.
‘Alright, let’s get this over with,’ she thought.
‘If he thinks he can just leave me behind, he’s got another thing coming.’
Summoning her ice magic, Snow advanced through the forest, ready to face whatever challenges lay ahead.
She might be on her own for now, but she was far from helpless.
Riley might have his reasons, but she had her own goals to accomplish as well…. ‘For the empire’s sake… I need you to become one of my knight’s Riley’
Fizzzz!
As Snow continued her casual walk everything around her froze.
—–
[You have leveled up!]
Phew…!
Wiping the sweat from my forehead, I looked behind me.
Dozens of monster corpses lay scattered across the ground.
“The monsters in the area are getting thinner and thinner”
Just a few hours ago, I had come across entire hordes of monsters.
Now, encountering a dozen was becoming increasingly rare.
Considering the onslaught, I had unleashed, it made sense.
Weaker monsters likely noticed my presence and relocated to safer areas. Monsters had an innate ability to flee from the strong, so it wasn’t surprising to see them dispersing.
Besides, I wasn’t the only one hunting.
Other groups of students were scattered throughout the forest, also on the hunt.
I had only encountered a few of them, but they all looked like they had struggled through their battles.
It was safe to assume they had their fair share of encounters with the monsters as well.
‘Looks like everyone’s thinning the herd huh….’
As I took a moment to catch my breath, I reflected on the situation.
The thinning number of monsters indicated that I needed to move quickly if I wanted to take down the key bosses before others did.
This exam wasn’t just about surviving-it was about excelling and proving one’ worth as well. From what I’ve noticed so far, most students from B class and below seemed to have partied up. Although we were required to have a partner for this exam, the rules didn’t exactly prevent forming larger parties.
Taking advantage of that loophole was quite smart.
The fact that the professors, watching us through their familiars, hadn’t intervened yet indicated that it was allowed as well.
This exam truly measures one’s adaptability.
As this was something the game didn’t even mention it made me realize on just how broad a certain arc can be.
However, … I wondered how their scores would be equally shared?
With about four to six people in the parties I’d seen, dividing the points might be tricky.
One thing I had to take note of as well, was that most of my classmates in Class A had already ventured into the deeper parts of the forest.
It wouldn’t be long before they encountered one of the five bosses this forest had to offer, so I needed to hurry up on my part as well.
[Available ability points: 46+27]
I’ve leveled up a total of 9 times so far, which was kind of disappointing considering the number of monsters I’ve killed.
It made sense, though, as I no longer had the low-level buff applied to me now.
[Strength: C] [0/60]
[Agility: D] [5/50]
[Endurance: D] [5/50]
[Power: C] [0/60]
[Available ability points: 73]
I had 73 stat points in total now, making it possible to either upgrade my C-rank stats to B or proceed to upgrade my D-rank stats first. Upgrading either would have its own advantages, but based on my experience here so far, there was one thing that seemed the most logical
decision to make.
[Endurance: D] [50/50] → [Endurance: C] [0/60]
[Available ability points: 28]
What I really needed right now was good endurance. No monster I’ve faced required me to go
all out, except for a few with solid defenses.
Most monsters I’ve had trouble with were not strong individually but were challenging
because of their sheer numbers.
In dealing with an absurd number of monsters, my tactics had revolved around a hit-and-run strategy, baiting them into dangerous areas, and sometimes even coercing different groups
of monsters to face each other.
With all the constant running I’d been doing; it became evident that I needed much more
endurance to keep it going.
As the new status was implemented, my body heated up, and I felt my muscles becoming less
tense, my body relaxing a little.
“At least it’s not painful,” I mused.
It felt strange to suddenly have my vitality and energy restored in real-time like this, quite
different from when I upgraded my strength stat, where my bones and muscles were
practically being reformed.
Inhaling and exhaling deeply, I could feel my heartbeat slowing down more than usual, indicating my newfound endurance.
Already possessing C-rank strength made me feel like a superhuman, but now, with this endurance boost, it felt like I could run and not eat for three days straight.
Of course, reality was often different than expectations, though.
As I gazed at the falling sun and the radiant orange light filling the sky, I realized that time
was running short. The sun would set in just a few minutes.
Though I had initially planned to keep my distance from Princess Snow and focus on my own objectives, I knew I couldn’t afford to do so any longer.
The test rules mandated that we remain within a 50-meter radius of our partner once the day ended, or risk disqualification.
It was the academy’s way of ensuring both students’ safety and accountability.
While I begrudgingly acknowledged the effectiveness of this countermeasure, it still proved
to be quite irritating.
Activating my bracelet, a holographic image appeared, displaying a grid with my current location marked by a green light, while Princess Snow’s location was similarly indicated
nearby.
Surprisingly, we weren’t far apart, suggesting that she hadn’t remained idle during the exam. Leaping from the branch where I rested, I set off toward her location.
But as I approached, uncertainty loomed.
What was I supposed to say to her now?
“Haah!”
With a resounding shout, the young man unleashed a crescent of golden light, slicing through
the right arm of the gigantic Scyth Mantis before him.
KECKKECK!!!
The creature screamed in agony, attempting to retaliate with its scythe-like arms infused
with a swirling wind aura.
But before it could strike, a deafening boom reverberated through the air as something
plummeted from the sky like a meteor, crashing down squarely on the creature’s head.
The ground quaked violently upon impact, creating a sizable crater roughly 10 meters in diameter, with cracks spidering out in all directions.
As the smoke and dust gradually cleared, the figure of a beautiful woman emerged from the
haze.
Wiping the blood from her rapier with a deft flick, she swiftly approached Lucas, who was panting heavily as he held his sword aloft.
“Good job, Lucas,” she praised, offering him a bottle of water from her pocket-dimensional
bag and gently wiping the sweat from his face.
But as Janica wiped Lucas’s face, her annoyance started growing as she noticed all the wounds
littering his body.
“Haah… I knew something like this would happen,” she sighed.
“What?” Lucas asked innocently.
Annoyed by Lucas’s negligence and nonchalance, Janica puffed out her cheek and pinched his
arm.
“Ah! Ow! What was that for?” Lucas yelped.
“Punishment,” Janica replied firmly.
“For what?”
“Do you really need to ask?” Janica retorted, glancing around their surroundings.
They were now in a completely dark region of the forest, a stark contrast to the lush greenery
they had seen at the start of the exam.
“I should’ve said no when I had the chance,” Janica mumbled angrily, retrieving a healing potion from her bag and making Lucas drink it slowly.
“I’m sorry,” Lucas apologized, realizing the trouble he had caused.
The mantis they had just fought was clearly a formidable opponent, likely a B or even A rank
monster.
Despite their victory just now, they were now out of potions after consuming them all during
their encounters with the other strong monsters they had encountered in this deep side of the forest.
Lucas was well aware of how selfish his actions had been, but he couldn’t help it. In his quest to gain the attention of that guy, or rather, to surpass him, he considered such sacrifices
trivial.
Perhaps that guy was even deeper into the forest by now, and Lucas couldn’t just sit still and
let himself fall behind.
But then Janica spoke up, her voice almost trembling with concern as she looked at his battered body. Something in her worried expression struck a chord within him. “Lucas, let’s go back,” Janica said, her eyes threatening to spill tears. Seeing her so worried, Lucas realized he had to stop. He wasn’t alone in this test; he had
another soul with him, someone he deeply cared about.
The potions did nothing to hide the bruises and scratches that remained from his wounds.
Even if he tried to pretend, he was alright, Janica would see right through it.
‘I only got this far because of her…’ Although he didn’t want to give up, for Janica’s sake, he knew he needed to set aside his own
selfish desires.
“Okay…” he said softly, but it was enough to bring a glimmer of hope back into Janica’s eyes as she smiled.
Pondering about it for a bit, Lucas realized just how impatient he’d been all this time. Was it because he’d been rejected by Riley twice now, each time for different reasons? Or was
it because the gap between them seemed to be growing wider? Or maybe there was another
factor he just wasn’t seeing.
Lucas wasn’t sure.
But one thing he did realize now was that rushing things wouldn’t do him any good.
His impatience had even gotten Janica in trouble and caused her pain.
He felt a pang of guilt, thinking about how his actions had affected her. Taking a deep breath, Lucas promised himself that he would slow down and be more
considerate.
He needed to be patient, to give things time to unfold naturally. He had been so focused on
what he wanted that he hadn’t considered the impact on those around him.
‘That’s right… time is on my side’
‘Just wait for me, Riley”
…..
‘Sneeze!’
After letting out a large sneeze, I wondered why my body felt so creeped out for some reason.
‘Is somebody talking shit about me again?’