That little stunt with Kiera had cost Arconis precious minutes.
Minutes where he didn't score any points.
And so, for the next twenty-four hours, Vael slowly closed the gap.
Now forced to fight high-rankers, their points increased exponentially.
They crossed twenty thousand, then thirty, then forty.
The gap became increasingly evident, as the chasm between third and fourth place exceeded fifteen thousand.
With only a quarter of the time left, a hundred people still fighting, and dwindling reserves of mana, candidates grew desperate.
Monsters were no longer a viable source of points.
Even the fourth-stage beast — with only one of its kind in the whole forest — was next to worthless.
It was obvious the exam executives were aiming for human battles.
All alliances broke as panic settled in. Everyone wanted to be noticed.
It was, in fact, Elena who took third place. She was getting close to overtaking Serpes, although that wasn't her goal.
She only wanted revenge.
Vael and Kiera's mental link had been limited to conserve mana, its radius barely a kilometer.
So when it suddenly went back online, their surprise was evident.
"Kiera!"
"Vael." Her voice hit his mind like a jolt of cold water.
"Where are you?"
She closed her eyes, picturing the terrain around her. "Two klicks west of the old oak ridge. There's a shallow stream—meet me there."
"On my way."
Vael pushed through the undergrowth, brushing past brambles that snagged at his cloak. He arrived first, crouching at the stream's edge, the moon's reflection rippling with the current. Moments later, Kiera emerged from the shadows, her hair tangled, eyes hard.
They didn't waste time on greetings.
"What happened?" Vael asked.
Kiera's lips thinned. "Arconis."
"That's a name." said Vael, already irritated just from hearing his name.
"That's his name." Her fingers flexed, thin wisps of shadow curling around them like restless serpents. "I impaled him through the chest. He didn't flinch. Said he was a healer. Then he cut my head off."
"Damn—just show me your memories," Vael demanded, rubbing his temples.
In an instant, the fight replayed in his mind with perfect clarity: Arconis' unnatural calm as the shadow spear pierced his heart. The way his scythe passed through Kiera's blade like it wasn't even there. The almost casual precision of the decapitating strike.
Vael's eyes snapped open. "What the fuck are we supposed to do? He's practically immortal, and we can't even block his attacks!"
The weight of the situation settled over them like a shroud. They sat in silence, the forest sounds suddenly too loud, when—
GRRRROOOOWWWLLL.
The thunderous noise made them both jump. Kiera's face flushed crimson as Vael's eyebrows shot up.
"They took the ring?" Vael asked, noticing the bare finger where her spatial ring should be.
"Yeah, confiscated before the exam," Kiera muttered, rubbing her stomach. "Got anything to eat?"
Vael reached into his pocket dimension, the familiar tingle of spatial magic brushing across his fingertips as he retrieved—
BOOOONG. BOOOONG.
The twin bell chimes froze them mid-motion. Every remaining candidate's head snapped upward as Davy's grizzled face materialized in the sky, his beard looking particularly wild today.
"Listen up, folks!" Davy boomed, his holographic image grinning like a child about to unleash chaos. "Twelve hours remain, and we've got some... special adjustments."
The screen split to show three portraits: Arconis' cold stare, Vael's cocky smirk, and Kiera's fierce glare.
"These three have already passed with flying colors," Davy announced. "But where's the fun in that? New rule: their locations will now be broadcast live. Oh, and—" He paused for dramatic effect. "We're locking down their mana. One clean hit from any other contestant means automatic admission plus a shiny Academy reward!"
Vael's grin at passing evaporated as the words "locking down their mana" registered. He barely had time to open his mouth before—
The magic drained from his body like water down a cracked jug. His spatial awareness winked out. The comforting hum of his core fell silent. For the first time in months, Vael felt... ordinary.
Kiera's shadows dissipated into nothing, her eyes widening in shock. Around them, the forest suddenly seemed larger. Hungrier.
Davy's chuckle echoed through the trees. "Happy hunting!"
Vael stared unfocused into the dark. Disbelief etched across his face.
Shouldn't have stood out so much, he reproached himself.
Well, it didn't matter—they'd already passed.
In fact, it might even be a good thing. They could test their raw, unfiltered swordsmanship against real opponents. And truth be told, Vael and Kiera's sparring sessions had been getting dull.
He was about to comfort her when Kiera spoke first.
"I won't get my rematch today. Maybe not tomorrow. But I won't forget my defeat."
She turned, meeting his gaze.
"Let's make the most of this. What do you say?"
He smiled.
"Right."
Kiera flicked open her personal screen. At the bottom, a glowing mini-map displayed their locations—along with Arconis', who was annoyingly far away.
Zooming out showed the truth: they were dead center in the forest.
Great…
Well, no use dwelling. If they were going down, they'd drag the vultures down with them.