Clover was shocked by what he witnessed. Sai examined the badge, slipped it into his pocket, and walked away without a word, together with his companions.
Clover couldn't say anything as he watched them leave, as if what Sai did meant nothing to them.
Hanzuo, who clearly saw everything as well, furrowed his brows with a serious expression. If I remember correctly, he's that boy from the Death Lotus Clan. Sai Floshen. I didn't expect him to do that. But since he now has Clover's badge, it's clear where that point will go.
Once again, the headmaster's voice echoed throughout the forest, causing Prince Lucien to stop walking.
"The second badge has finally been taken! And the point now belongs to the White Hunters Guild! There are still eight badges hidden in the forest. Do your best to find them, my beloved students."
When the forest fell silent again, Xin Blades' laughter could be heard as he continued walking. "Well now. Looks like I beat you to it, Dao. We're the first to score."
Dao scoffed and looked away, while Rein, walking behind them, sighed.
"This is worrying," Prince Warren complained, hands in his pockets, eyes staring into nothing. "What if the others take all the remaining badges before we can stop Valestron? What do we even do then?"
"From the start, this was already a huge gamble," Rein answered. "But if we can't stop Valestron, there's a big chance there won't be any badges left for us anyway."
"But it's also possible we won't even find Emrys, just like in the previous competition, right? This really is one massive gamble." Xin laughed, earning an irritated glare from Rein.
"Easy for you to say—your guild already has points, so you don't mind not getting any more badges."
Xin looked at him. "Come on, Rein. Have a little patience. You'll get points too. But you're not going to win."
Rein didn't bother replying and focused on searching for their target.
"Princess Elise."
The princess turned when one of her three companions called her. They had stopped searching for a moment, but she still ordered them to perform Aura Detection around the area just to be sure.
She faced the man. "What news?"
"It might be correct, but I'm still unsure. I could be mistaken."
"Say it," the princess insisted, leaving the man no choice but to continue.
"I sensed a strong presence about half a kilometer to the east. Should we go check?"
"It might just be one of the teachers hiding," she replied. "We can't waste time. Let's go."
One of the remaining eight teachers hiding in the forest was Lopra Fei, thirty-one years old.
He came from the Red Flame Clan, just like Rein Flamio. This teacher was at the 1st Grade Tempest level, making him a very difficult opponent.
Also, since the second competition began, no student had encountered Lopra Fei yet.
She sat under the shade of a huge tree, leaning against its trunk, eyes closed, fingers interlocked.
She was cultivating and didn't worry at all about being found or attacked.
She had extreme confidence in his ability to hide her presence, so she stayed comfortably in that spot.
But before long, carried by the wind, she heard faint footsteps.
As they came closer and closer, Lopra's brows slowly drew together.
She opened her eyes, and nine meters ahead of her stood a young man with his hands in his pockets.
The young man bowed slightly with a polite smile.
Lopra let out a soft breath. "So you're the first to find me. You truly didn't disappoint me. Emrys Valestron."
The young man looked up, scratching the back of his head with a sheepish smile. "Honestly… I ended up here by accident."
Lopra stood and placed her hands behind his back. "If that's the case, you don't intend to take my badge?"
"Would you consider giving it to me?"
Lopra let out a quiet laugh. "Only a fool would do that, kid. Besides, it would be a waste if you didn't fight me. I've been bored out here waiting, and I can't wait to play with you."
"It would be my honor."
"Good. Then let's begin."