"— Huh, why?" Aren asked while reading.
"— What do you mean why? I bought them to use them," Jariz replied, puzzled.
"— I know you're going to use them, but I'm asking what you're going to use them for," Aren added, a bit irritated.
"— Oh! That's your question. I bought two, so one is for you. We'll use them to—"
"— No way," Aren interrupted. Frowning deeply, he added, "I'm not touching that thing."
"— Without it, how are we supposed to find each other if we get separated?" Jariz asked.
"— Fuck, I said no. Do you ever listen?" Aren replied firmly, swearing.
"— With these things, I can find you, and without me, you won't be able to properly search for your sister," Jariz said in a haughty tone.
"— Tsk." Aren clicked his tongue while staring at the objects, then said, "You're one weird asshole. Hand it over."
"— And how can you be so sure we'll get separated?" Aren asked, genuinely curious.
"— Well, I heard some rumors about the trials when I went to see the merchants," Jariz began, sitting down on the bed. Then he added, "They say one of the trials will take place in a forest."
"— And like an idiot, you believed them," Aren said mockingly. "Don't you think it was just a trick to make you buy this crap?"
"— They said they received orders from the Academy regarding tracker beetles, and that they're used for surveillance, so I figured that—"
"— Doesn't matter," Aren interrupted. "You bought them, so I'll just say thanks."
"— Uh… actually, I got them for free."
BAM!
A blow crashed down on Jariz's head.
"That fucking hurts!" Jariz cried out in pain.
"— Tsk, you had that coming," Aren said, clicking his tongue as he turned his head back toward his book.
Remembering that moment, Aren couldn't help but sigh.
After dealing with the orc, Aren continued on his way. Thanks to the vibrations of the creature he was holding, he followed Jariz's trail—the more the creature vibrated, the closer he was getting to Jariz.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
"What is that?" Aren wondered as he saw explosions in the distance. "I should probably avoid going over there. At least, that's what I want to do, but…"
The place where the fiery explosions were coming from was also where the creature's vibrations intensified.
"So I don't really have a choice," he said with a sigh.
Aren approached cautiously, then stopped and climbed up a tree.
"A goblin village," Aren said as he observed from afar.
He was about to climb down to take a closer look when he saw someone exit one of the huts.
"What is she doing here?" Aren thought as he saw the girl come out carrying a bag.
"She's still just as reckless," Aren thought as he watched her collect monster cores from the dead goblins.
"Shit, I need to hurry, or that idiot is going to get hurt."
He jumped down from the tree.
He then saw a goblin that had been lying on the ground suddenly stand up and leap toward the girl with a dagger.
"I won't make it in time—"
Fwoooch!
"Huh… what was that?" Aren thought as he suddenly stopped.
An arrow pierced straight through the goblin's head.
"Ah…" Aren sighed in relief.
Then he saw Jariz climbing down from a tree on the other side of the village.
Aren walked toward them and said, "Hey, Jariz. What are you doing here?"
"I was looking for you," Jariz replied. "Then I saw the lady here needed help, so I helped her."
"Lady…?" Aren repeated, looking at the so-called lady. Then he added, "I don't see any 'lady' here. All I see is a reckless kid who—"
BAM!
A punch interrupted Aren mid-sentence.
What saved Aren was that the fist stopped just inches from his face.
"She really intended to hit me," Aren realized as he felt the gust of air blow his hair back.
"If that punch had landed, I might've been knocked out," he thought, swallowing.
"Shut up, asshole," Stella said, her brows furrowed.
"You're the one who should shut up," Aren replied, frowning as well.
"What were you thinking? Why didn't you make sure all the goblins were dead? If Jariz hadn't intervened, you could've died."
Stella, embarrassed, couldn't respond. She simply lowered her head, her face reddening.
Jariz, who had been watching the scene, didn't understand anything.
"Do they… know each other?" he muttered.
"You're acting like you were never a mercenary," Aren finished. Then, looking around once more, he added,
"And why would a mage attack a goblin village alone?"
"I don't know," she replied, pouting. "When I was teleported, I ended up here."
Aren had an idea of what might be going on—but decided to ignore it.
"It's not because of her… right?" he thought.
"Uh… you know each other?" Jariz finally asked.
"Oh right, I never told you," Aren said, turning to Jariz. "She was my partner back when I was a mercenary."
"Really?" Jariz exclaimed.
"And you? How did you get here?" Stella asked Aren.
"With this," Aren said, pulling out the red beetle.
"Eww! That's disgusting!" Stella exclaimed, stepping back.
"Yeah. I know," Aren replied with a faint smile.
In this world, there were three types of beetles: green beetles, which were normal insects; giant black beetles, which were closer to monsters than insects; and red beetles, which could track scents by vibrating.
Aren had infused Jariz's scent into the beetle, allowing him to follow him—and Jariz had done the same.
"So, are you coming with us?" Aren asked, looking at Stella.
After thinking for a few moments, she replied, "Alright."
"Good. We'll split the cores evenly. Let's start hunting."
*
*
*
There were no specific conditions to pass the trial. They were simply asked to survive in the forest for two weeks.
Naturally, the Academy had ensured that all the monsters in the forest were suited to the candidates' level, making the trial reasonable.
At least, that was how it was supposed to be.
In reality, the woman who was the Academy's director had noticed an unusual existence.
When she had intentionally released her killing intent, a boy who—after being scanned—didn't possess even a single drop of mana had managed to resist it. That intrigued her.
So Scalia decided to observe him.
When the candidates were teleported, she immediately directed a tracker beetle toward that individual. After locating him, what she saw left her speechless.
"How is that possible?" she exclaimed, springing up from her chair.
Aren, who had been ambushed by the orc, had displayed astonishing reaction speed.
That alone wasn't impossible to explain—one could argue he simply had good reflexes.
But…
"My eyes can't be wrong. He has no mana in his body. So how can he move like that? And more importantly, how did he cut through an orc's sturdy body?" Scalia wondered, staring at the projection before her.
"It is indeed surprising," Scalia's assistant finally reacted from behind her.
"Of course it's surprising!" Scalia exclaimed in response. "I've never seen anything like this in my entire life," she added, her eyes shining with curiosity.
Orcs were relatively slow monsters, but their strength and durability were exceptional.
As long as one was fast enough, they could be defeated—especially for candidates averaging four stars. Their only way to kill an orc was to pierce its throat, because at their current level, it was impossible for them to fully sever a limb.
"Of course, there are always exceptions, but…" Scalia said as she looked toward the projection of those exceptions, then added, "With them, I can understand. But this kid doesn't even have mana."
"That's true, Madam. But it could also be that the orc was weakened," the assistant said while observing Aren's movements.
"You think so? That might be the case," Scalia replied thoughtfully. "And how is the Saint doing?" she asked, looking for her.
"She's there," the assistant replied, pointing at another projection. "She landed in the northern part of the forest."
"Those candidates hiding there found her and started monitoring her," she added.
"It seems so. Judging by their sacred power, they're paladins in training," Scalia said with a smile.
"And to think those fanatics dared to send trainee paladins disguised as candidates to watch her. Maybe I should blow them up. What do you think, Dona?" she added, snapping her fan shut.
"We can't do that. They're still candidates," Dona replied.
"Still as stiff as ever, this elf," Scalia thought with a sigh.
"But the Saint is incredibly gifted," Scalia continued while watching her. "Calling her gifted would be an insult. She's a genius of sacred magic."
"Indeed. Those wolves died instantly. What's impressive is that her light completely erased their bodies," Dona replied.
"But that still doesn't justify why they're here, disguised as candidates, monitoring a legitimate one. Have they forgotten we're in a neutral kingdom?"
*
*
*
On the continent of Hura, there were four major powers.
The Yevell Empire, also known as the Neutral Empire, is ruled by the emperor and is primarily known for its religious neutrality. The Nerathis Academy is also located here.
Eleanor, the Magical Kingdom, known for its powerful mages and vast magical knowledge, ruled by a king.
Aurelion, the Sacred Kingdom of Light, governed by the Pope, considered the closest person to God after the Saint.
And the Great Empire of Notchar.
"It only recently became an empire," Dona said while watching the projection.
"Yeah. After that pointless war," Scalia replied.
Before the war that took place fifteen years ago, Notchar had been a kingdom equal in size to Aurelion and Eleanor. But after invading Walver kingdom, it declared itself a Grand Empire.
The Empire is ruled by the Emperor and the Council of the Five Priests of the God of Darkness.
"So he's an Apostle of Darkness?" Scalia asked, still seated before the projection.
"Yes," Dona replied simply. "He's the strongest in this trial."
"I can see that," Scalia nodded.
He had green hair and yellow eyes. His skin was pale, yet he was handsome.
He was surrounded by six blue-scaled lizardmen. With their scales, these monsters were almost as durable as orcs.
Standing in the middle of them, Genric Morwel stared at them with cold, piercing eyes. He raised his sword and concentrated his mana into it, forming sword aura.
The moment the blade descended, the heads of two lizardmen fell simultaneously. The movement had been so fast that, despite their exceptional eyesight, the lizardmen hadn't even moved.
The aura emanating from Genric was icy.
"They must all be exterminated," he said coldly.
VOOCH!
He severed the arm of the lizardman charging toward him, then pierced its throat.
At that sight, the remaining two began to tremble—then fled.
"You're not going anywhere," he declared, sheathing his sword and taking an attack stance with his hand on the hilt.
BOOM!
In a single leap, he reached them from behind and said, "Die."
Fwoooch!
The remaining two were cut in half at the waist.
Thus ended the one-sided massacre.
His clothes stained with the monsters' black blood, Genric glanced at them briefly before moving on, having collected their cores.
*
*
*
"ahhaaa... I'm sick of this place," Stella sighed as she sat by the campfire.
Twelve days had passed since the start of the second trial. They were exhausted. Throughout those days in the forest, they had done nothing but fight monsters, and they had slept very little.
"You can sleep. I'll take the first watch," Aren said, ignoring Stella's complaints.
"Alright," Jariz replied, lying down immediately. "Wake me when it's my turn."
Jariz fell asleep instantly.
"And you? You're not sleeping?" Aren asked, sighing as he looked at Stella.
"I can't sleep," she replied. "You can sleep if you want."
Aren looked at her, then nodded. "Alright. Wake me in two hours."
Aren lay down.
"How was your mercenary life after I left?" Stella asked, curious.
"I'm alive, so I won't complain," Aren replied. Then, half-asleep, he added,
"But it was way too quiet without you and your shitty personality."
BOOM!
"Ow! Damn it, why?" Aren shouted as he jolted awake. A burning twig flew toward his head.
"You asked for it, asshole," Stella said, frowning.
"Shit, I spoke without thinking," Aren thought as he lay back down. Then he said,
"I've seen your progress. You must've worked hard."
"That's true," Stella replied seriously. Then, smiling, she added,
"My progress, huh… that's perfectly normal since I'm a genius at magic."
"There it is—that shitty personality," Aren thought, forcing himself not to say it out loud.
"I don't want to end up burned alive."
"Yeah, yeah. You're a genius," Aren said resignedly.
"Why do I feel like you're not being sincere?" Stella asked, lifting a burning twig with telekinesis.
A shiver ran down Aren's spine. He felt danger at his back—not just from the glowing red twig, but from something else entirely.
He stood up.
"Aren, you feel it too," Stella said urgently. "What is that?"
Despite it being night, birds suddenly began fleeing in the same direction.
Aren and Stella felt unease and revulsion coming from the north of the forest.
Using her water magic, Stella quickly extinguished the fire.
"Jariz," Aren said, shaking him. "We're moving."
"Huh… what… leave? Why? What's going on?" Jariz asked, confused.
"Shut up and move," Stella said, lifting the bag filled with cores.
"I've got a bad feeling," Aren said as he grabbed his own bag of collected cores. "Let's go see what's happening."
Like the others, Jariz picked up his bag and said, "I can smell blood reaching all the way here."
"What's happening over there?" Stella asked.
"Let's go," Aren said. "We'll find out when we get there."