The moment the horns echoed through the arena's magical speakers, the vast forest shimmered — the canopy pulsed with emerald light, the ground trembled, and a thick mist began to spread like ghostly breath.
"Phase Two, huh…" Sho muttered, adjusting his gloves.
Liyana stretched her arms, yawning softly. "So they decided to make it foggy. Cute."
Her tone was too casual for someone who could annihilate this entire forest if she wanted to.
Sho glanced around. Visibility's dropping… no magic signature tracking either. They disabled it.
The system window flickered briefly in his vision:
> [Objective: Collect 10 Golden Sticks]
Current Count: 2
Remaining Time: 2 hours, 43 minutes]
"Alright, we keep moving—"
A sudden crack of branches interrupted him.
From the mist, two silhouettes emerged — a man with jet-black hair carrying dual daggers, and beside him, a calm girl cloaked in wind magic.
"Found you." The boy grinned. "Raven of Class S. You're the one who downed four teams in ten minutes, right? Thought we'd have some fun."
Liyana blinked. "You really wanna do that?"
Raven's grin widened. "Absolutely."
Before Sho could speak, Liyana snapped her fingers.
A gust of wind exploded outward — Raven's cloak fluttered violently as his partner, Lyra, raised a barrier spell. The pressure alone nearly flattened the trees.
Sho sweatdropped. "Liyana, try not to—"
"Oops," she said, feigning innocence. "Slipped."
Lyra's eyes widened. "That… that wasn't even a serious spell—!"
Raven dashed in, his daggers glowing with dark mana. "Don't underestimate us!"
Sho stepped forward, intercepting with bare hands, his eyes sharp. He's fast… but predictable.
Sho redirected Raven's slash with a twist of his wrist, sending him spinning backward. Liyana, behind him, smiled. "You're getting better."
"Thanks," Sho replied dryly, "but a little help would be nice—"
Before he could finish, a fireball the size of a carriage exploded from above them — not from Liyana, but from another direction.
Four more students appeared from the mist, forming a semi-circle.
"Great," Sho muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. "We're popular."
Liyana smirked. "Let's make it interesting then, partner."
She raised her hand, and a faint crimson glyph formed beneath her feet.
For a second, her silver hair glowed — her power leaking ever so slightly.
The fog was blown away in an instant.
All eyes widened as dragonesque wings of energy flared behind her for a heartbeat before vanishing again.
She smiled sweetly. "Sorry, reflex."
Everyone froze — including Sho.
"…Liyana," Sho whispered, "…that didn't look human at all."
She tilted her head with a playful grin. "You must be seeing things."
Then chaos erupted.
Raven lunged again, Lyra chanting a wind barrier; two of the new attackers cast synchronized lightning; Sho countered with layered mana shields while charging mana to his palm.
He unleashed "Arc Burst", a focused shockwave that rippled through the battlefield. The forest floor cracked open.
BOOM!
Three combatants went flying into the trees.
Sho turned to Liyana, who was standing on a tree branch, twirling her hair.
"Hey, Sho," she said. "Can I use magic above tier two now?"
Sho sighed, realizing half the forest was already ruined. "Just… don't vaporize anyone."
Her lips curled into a mischievous smile. "No promises."
---
Ten minutes later…
The mist cleared.
Half the combatants were either unconscious or running for their lives.
Sho was sitting on a rock, breathing lightly, while Liyana was eating an apple she found who-knows-where.
"You know," Sho said, "you're not even tired, are you?"
She gave him a teasing smirk. "Nope. But watching you struggle is kinda fun."
Sho looked away, cheeks faintly red. "You're evil."
Liyana laughed softly — the sound oddly sweet in the middle of the wreckage. "And yet, you keep following me."
Before Sho could retort, his system window blinked again:
> [Golden Stick Acquired ×3]
[Total Count: 5 / 10]
[Hidden Objective Progress: 40% — Domination Pulse Resonance Detected]
Sho stared at it for a second. Domination Pulse… again.
He clenched his fists. So this test… is also part of the system's plan.
"Liyana," he said, standing. "We're not done yet."
She grinned, tossing the apple core aside. "Good. I was getting bored."
As they moved deeper into the forest, the ground began to glow faintly gold.
A voice echoed through the wind — the Saint's voice, Alisa Yurica.
> "Attention participants. Half of the time limit remains. The forest's core will now awaken."
Sho and Liyana exchanged a glance — the air itself was changing.
A low hum vibrated in the earth, and the temperature dropped sharply.
Liyana smiled faintly. "Now this… this might actually be fun."