The entire group dashed through the forest. It was dense and uneven, with roots snaking across the ground and low branches clawing at their clothes.
After several minutes, they finally found a solid vantage point.
And of course, they weren't alone, as a familiar face stood not too far away.
It was Auren, his voice sharp and unwavering as he directed several scattered teams like a general on a battlefield.
Once Auren noticed him, he simply sent a nod his way, then got back to grouping the others.
With that, Raelis climbed the rocky hill and arrived at the very top soon enough.
On it were many more people than he was expecting to see, and even a few of his siblings were present.
Namely, Therin and Sylis.
Zeri was nowhere in sight, which, knowing her, probably meant she was safer than all of them. She always did have a knack for coiling people around her finger.
Still... too many people in one place isn't the best either, Raelis thought as he led his team toward the mountain slope.
If things went south, they'd jump down and escape.
The candidates kept scrambling around, and just a few minutes later, the ground shook.
Not even a single person let out a noise as mutual understanding kicked in.
The headmaster had released the Mana Beasts. Every single one of them.
"Clea. What are your powers?" Raelis asked abruptly. "We will be doing some tower defense here, so if I don't know who I can leave my back open to, then you're as good as dead to me."
"..." Clea's gaze hardened as she let out a sigh. "I can sharpen objects."
He stayed silent for a moment, making sure he heard correctly.
"...Is that it?"
Clea nodded.
A moment later, the familiar faint white glow he saw earlier surrounded her arm, swirling downward until it wrapped itself around her nails.
She cast him a glance, knelt slowly, and let her nails scrape across the slab.
To his surprise, she cut through it like butter.
Clea stood up and cleaned off her nails before tilting her head.
"Are you happy now?" she asked. "Or do you want me to fight you to prove myself?"
"I like this girl," Ajax said with a grin. "Hey, wanna go out on a date?"
She didn't even acknowledge his comment as she continued staring at Raelis, who, after a few seconds, clapped his hands.
"That's a very good skill. Can you use it on other people's weapons too?" Raelis asked.
"I can, but I won't. It consumes too much mana, and my mana reserves are way too small," Clea replied. "But I'll make sure no one sneaks behind you, if that matters that much to you. Though with your skills, I'd be surprised if you were hit at all."
Raelis chuckled as he turned around.
But just as things seemed to settle, Raelis's gaze hardened.
He swiftly unsheathed his daggers and swung them straight at Clea's throat, fast enough to kill.
Before they could connect, he stopped, gazing into her violet eyes, which, for a single moment, glowed with a familiar pink gleam that only he managed to catch onto.
Most importantly...
"You followed my dagger, and you didn't even flinch."
I made sure to use my full speed, yet she still tracked it. Is she stronger than me? Raelis wondered warily.
But if she wasn't an enemy, then that meant he could trust his back to her, even if only cautiously.
Clea remained silent as she raised her finger, pointing behind him.
He didn't need to turn around to realize what she was signaling, just as the ground began to shake violently.
"Focus. We're on the edge of the hill, but if they get past everyone and reach us, we're going to retreat," Raelis ordered as he took the vanguard.
Ajax was right beside him, and Clea, Alice, and Mathieu were at the very back.
Soon, a horde of Mana Beasts stormed up the mountain, crushing some candidates.
But they weren't all incompetent.
Auren appeared as he dashed beneath the monsters with his shining silver sword, slashing their legs, then delivering fierce thrusts straight through their mana cores.
It all seemed to be going well, but as the candidates grew overly reliant on him, he eventually made a blunder.
One of the Mana Beasts caught his leg, and as Auren cut the Mana Beast in half, he was met with a tentacle that slammed him to the ground with full force, knocking the wind out of him.
At the sight, some candidates stepped forward, raising their weapons against the Mana Beasts as they entered a defensive formation.
Why isn't he using his Flame Body technique...?
The weaker candidates brought Auren back and set him down beside the healers, who managed to fix him up right away.
Thus, the stalemate continued.
But as it stood, Raelis had seen the outcome long before it transpired.
There were roughly 11 hours and 30 minutes left until the exam finished.
At least 30 candidates had died already, and many had grown tired.
The healers looked pale, sweat clinging to their brows as they channeled what little mana they had left.
Then there was the other side, the Mana Beasts.
They were being killed rapidly, but with each death, two more came back.
It was endless, and Raelis knew better than anyone that this was a lost cause.
Yet as he turned toward his team to suggest retreat, he noticed one person had vanished from their formation.
Ajax.
He met Alice's furrowed brows as she pointed ahead.
And when he followed her mark, he saw Ajax jumping on top of candidates and decimating the heads of the Mana Beasts.
Blood streaked down his arms, his shirt torn to shreds as wounds piled on, but almost like a berserker, that only made his strength grow further.
"I think we should help him," Alice said plainly. "If he dies, it's going to be bad for us, right? At this rate, he's definitely going to die."
"I agree..." Clea mumbled hesitantly.
Upon hearing that, Raelis's brows furrowed.
Retreating was naturally a solid choice.
They could fight monsters on the run, and because of their power, they would have very little risk of being surrounded.
But thanks to one impulsive idiot, Raelis's plans were foiled.
Since Raelis needed him alive, they had no other choice.
He straightened his back and pulled out his daggers, glaring in Ajax's direction.
"Back me up... We're going to save that idiot."