[Brian PoV]
Damn it! These monsters are endless!
I'm still held back here; day and night, these creatures never stop blocking my path as I search for Ariel.
"That's enough! Die, all of you bastards!"
I unleashed the Flying Sword spell toward the monsters. This is one of the techniques I recently acquired from Master Pendragon. This magic creates a soaring blade of light that can strike enemies from a distance.
—Rrooaarrr!
I heard the massive roar of a beast. Turning around, I saw a Minotaur standing three meters tall.
"Tch, he's back again."
I've killed this monster three times already, yet they always keep coming for me. Honestly, the Minotaur has been the most difficult monster to kill throughout this third stage of the exam.
It charged; the Minotaur roared and sprinted toward me. Setting my stance, I prepared to use the newest techniques Master taught me.
—Roaarrr!
The Minotaur launched a punch directly at me.
"Spinning Strike!"
Spinning my body to generate greater power, I slashed my sword against the Minotaur's fist.
"Ughhhh...!"
My body was thrown back. My strength is still insufficient to go head-to-head with a Minotaur, which is considered a Level 8 monster. Perhaps I still need more practice to truly master my new techniques.
The Minotaur pursued me again and launched a kick. I dodged using Accel magic; the Minotaur's kick slammed into a tree behind me, causing it to collapse.
I kept my distance. There's no more time to linger here. I have to find Ariel before it's too late! Raising my sword above my head with both hands, I began to gather mana and focus it into the blade.
"I am the Protector of This Motherland..."
I began to chant the incantation for one of my Profound Codices. The monster ends with this strike.
"Destroyer of Evil... Defender of Truth..."
The Minotaur lunged toward me once more. Its mouth hung open, revealing massive teeth intended to intimidate me. However, I felt no fear. The greater my courage, the more powerful this spell becomes.
"Roar, Incursiooo!"
Slashing my sword vertically, I released the magic wave that had been accumulating.
—Roaaarr!
My magic wave slammed into the Minotaur, forcing its body backward. It was pushed relentlessly until an explosion erupted as the wave collided with a massive tree.
Smoke billowed around the area. Before long, the Minotaur's body appeared charred like coal; its tongue lolled out, and a massive wound had formed across its chest.
"This attack of mine is truly amazing!"
This is only the first stage of this magic; I can't imagine the devastation it will cause once I develop it to the third level.
For some reason, with my current awakening of power, I feel capable of defeating any opponent. If I recall correctly, there will be an academy tournament in a few months. I'll show everyone—and humiliate that Rotten Noble when the time comes.
After defeating the monster, I resumed my trek through the forest. Since this third stage began, I've only met one other participant. Where has everyone gone? I didn't think this place was as vast as the desert from the second stage.
—Tap... Tap... Tap...
As I continued through the forest, I heard footsteps from the side. A girl with platinum hair appeared, walking in a weakened state.
"Ariel!"
I rushed to her just as she seemed about to faint and fall.
"Brian..."
Ariel realized it was me as I caught her in my arms.
"Ariel! What happened? Where is your academy uniform?" I asked her.
But she didn't answer; she lost consciousness and fell asleep in my lap. I held her tightly. It's best if I find a safe place until Ariel wakes up.
***
[Ariel PoV]
Ugh... Where am I?
The last thing I remember is that masked man telling me to run; he held off those three assassins to save me.
"Ariel... Are you awake?"
Hearing a voice, I turned my head. Brian was sitting not far from me.
"Brian...? What happened? Why am I suddenly here with you?" I asked, still very confused.
"I saved you about two hours ago," Brian said with a smile. "I told you, didn't I? I would definitely find you in this forest."
Eh? Wasn't it the masked man who saved me?
"I found you nearly unconscious not far from here," Brian explained.
"Is that so? Thank you, Brian..."
Hearing my thanks, the blonde-haired man smiled with satisfaction.
Speaking of which, I haven't thanked that masked man at all. He has saved both me and Brian twice now. Who is he really? How did he get in here? At that time, I didn't have a chance to ask him anything.
Wait, what is his condition now?
"Brian, how long was I asleep?" I asked him.
He took out his pocket watch and checked. "Almost two hours, I think. It's currently ten o'clock. The exam ends in two hours."
"Brian, earlier I met three assassins who were targeting you in this forest," I revealed to him.
"Huh? So they're the ones who put you in this state, Ariel?" Brian asked. "Unforgivable!"
"We have to call the Instructors about this, Brian," I suggested.
"But Ariel, we are almost at the center point of the forest. If we go back, we won't get the crystal, and our entire day's effort will be for nothing!" Brian countered, disagreeing with my suggestion.
"But Brian, if they find you, we'll be in danger," I replied, trying to persuade him.
"Don't worry, Ariel," Brian said nonchalantly. "I've become much stronger this time! I believe I could even fight an Instructor now!" His face looked proud as he said it.
It was true that Brian seemed to have grown stronger than before. However, I wasn't so sure he was at an Instructor's level.
"If you're feeling better, we should hurry to the center of the forest. It's not far from here, Ariel."
Seeing Brian remain adamant, I had no choice but to follow his lead.
We continued our journey toward the center of the forest. According to common knowledge, monsters rarely wander into that area for some reason. It's a suitable place for participants to rest after the struggle of obtaining their crystals.
After about half an hour of walking, we began to see trees with leaves that glowed like jewels. It seemed we had reached the center area.
"..."
Our footsteps stopped instantly when we saw a black-haired man sitting leaned against one of the trees. His academy uniform was ruined, looking as if it had been burned by something.
I rushed toward him, but Brian's hand stopped me.
"What is it, Brian? He looks badly injured! As a Priestess, it is my duty to heal others!" I exclaimed.
"But Ariel, that man has done terrible things to you! He made you cry and kidnapped you during the first exam! He doesn't deserve to be healed by your holy hands!" Brian said, looking annoyed. "Besides, he's injured like that because he couldn't defeat the monsters in this forest! It's his own fault for ending up in that condition."
Brian's words didn't change my mind at all. I brushed his hand away and stepped toward Raul.
"Tch, you're too soft, Ariel," Brian cursed.
Ignoring Brian's comments, I knelt in front of Raul and checked his condition.
There was a wound on the right side of his head, and the left side of his body appeared burned. His hands were blistered with peeling skin, and his breathing was growing faint.
His condition was terrible... What kind of monster did he fight to end up like this?
However, I realized my previous thought might be wrong. I found a stab wound on Raul's left shoulder. It was clear these injuries weren't from a monster, but from a human.
Concentrating mana in my hands, I began to recite a healing incantation. With so many injuries, it would take time for him to recover even with my healing.
Light began to emanate from my palms as I touched his wounds. First the head, then I moved to heal the puncture wound on his left shoulder. Healing such severe injuries drained a significant amount of my mana.
After treating the lighter wounds, I opened his uniform and removed his shirt piece by piece. There were burns on his left chest; I began to heal that area first.
Sweat began to pour down my forehead as fatigue set in. After several minutes of treating his chest area, Raul finally began to breathe normally again.
His eyelids fluttered open, revealing black eyes like the night sky that began to stare at me.
"Liana..." he murmured.
Huh? Who is Liana? I figured he was hallucinating because of his injuries. He clearly wasn't fully conscious yet.
Still, I didn't know Raul had a female acquaintance named Liana.
***
[3rd PoV]
Elsewhere, Foxy finally managed to escape the Barrier after evading the pursuit of the Instructors. She returned to the cave where they had gathered previously.
However, upon arrival, she found none of her comrades. She took out a ball-like artifact. In the center of the ball were four holes, but only one hole emitted light.
"The three of them are dead..." Foxy muttered. "How is that possible? I distracted three instructors, while four others had to stay behind to ensure the barrier remained active."
Four Instructors had entered the forest when the four Ouroboros assassins breached the Barrier. Three chased Foxy, but the location of the fourth was unknown to them.
"Is it possible the three of them were killed by just one Instructor?" Foxy murmured, unable to believe it. "That means this mission was a failure."
Foxy had no choice but to return to the Ouroboros base. It was impossible for her to return to the forest alone.
"This is troublesome. How am I going to explain this to the Boss?"
.
.
.
The following day, the third stage of the exam concluded. Out of the 40 participants who entered the forest, only 28 made it out alive.
After this, the participants would return to the academy after nearly a month of a survival exam consisting of three stages.
Upon their return, the second-year students would receive a ten-day break before resuming their studies. Two months later, they would face their graduation exams, and an academy tournament would be held once all students had finished their testing.