After waving goodbye, I followed the guide to where the path gave way to the jungle.
Aside from her smug attitude, she didn't give much away. An introvert, I suppose.
As we walked, I observed the liquid-bronze pattern embroidered into her short cloak, as it swayed gently with each step just above her slender hips.
Vines blocked the path ahead.
We halted.
I watched closely as the girl planted her high boots apart, adjusting her stance.
From beneath her cloak, she drew a wand and began tracing smooth, practiced patterns in the air. The vines twisted, roots wormed backward, and everything withdrew to open a path.
While holding the spell, she glanced back at me with a sideways smirk.
I took a moment to process what I'd just seen.
A wand?
"…Was I mistaken and actually reincarnated into Harry Potter?"
Later I learned it was just her personal tool.
.
.
As we walked, the vines behind us slowly closed in again.
"Hey," I broke the silence,
"By the patterns on your cloak, I thought you were a water elementalist. So how are you controlling vines?"
"—Don't converse with me, you filthy monk."
She kept her chin high and her pace steady.
'…She's a tough one.'
I needed that skill.
Sure, I could rely on the weird technique Fang taught me, but it's not exactly reliable. Breaking my body hurts like hell, and I can feel my mind slipping toward insanity every time.
If I could figure out the trick, entering and leaving would become easy.
'I need to convince her. Shit, what was her name again?'
I stepped up beside her, feigning admiration.
"Come on, it's impressive. Few can do what you're doing, and at such a young age?"
She didn't answer. Only the rustle of vines parting around us filled the silence.
"Keep up," she said. "Chatting will slow us down."
Her expression stayed cold. But I caught it; she fell for it.
After a moment of silence, I murmured just loud enough for her to hear.
"…Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe it's just that stick doing it. Not even a real skill."
She halted abruptly.
"What!?" she snapped at me.
"A filthy thing like you should feel honored that I, Tzaleah, gifted with the utmost rare dual elements, bearer of primordial blood, and disciple of the great Yun Storm am willing to answer you!"
Oh damn. Daenerys is that you? What a crazy thing to say.
"…It has nothing to do with elements. Water, fire, light—it doesn't matter. Anyone can learn." She smirked, supremely smug. "If you're talented, that is."
That was all I needed to hear.
But I kept pushing for more. Yet aside from it being an ancient technique passed down by the higher-ups, she didn't say anything useful.
.
Hours passed.
We kept stopping for rest at each vineless spot.
His time was a ravine veined with thick roots and crumbled stone. That's when I noticed the trail marks: long scrapes, crushed moss, and the musty smell of freshly turned dirt.
We were near a Gorvex nest.
Not anything I remembered from the lore, though.
But Fang had taught me about this creature. Subterranean. Massive. Blind. Mostly harmless… unless it sensed heavy vibrations.
I opened the UI.
Tap-Tap.
My feet struck the ground firmly right in front of Tzaleah.
"…?" One of her eyebrow rose.
I grabbed her shoulder, lips curling into a sharp grin.
"…What are you doing?"
My skin flashed white, then green. The brilliance fell down to my feet, heavy like a falling star.
THRUM-UM-HR-UM!
Everything trembled. The light expanded outward in a circular pulse before the ground cracked again beneath us.
KRRAKOOOM!
That was [Aftershock].
"What happened!?" she shouted as everything trembled.
The tremors grew. But this time, they weren't from my rune.
SKREEE—
Tzaleah yanked out her wand, searching for the source of the screech.
FZZZT-BOOM!
The huge worm erupted like a thunderbolt from below. She tried to leap away, but her leg wobbled—probably still rattled from the lingering shock of the rune.
In that frozen moment, she reached a hand toward me, eyes wide, silently begging for help.
I stepped out of range.
The beast slammed into her side, sending her crashing to the ground.
She rolled. Bone snapped. Blood sprayed.
BOOM!
The worm vanished just as quickly, diving back into the earth.
I observed for a moment before walked near.
"You're not dead, right?"
…later, I feigned sadness as I bandage her up.
Her face was scratched, her wrist broken. She didn't mutter a word, still dazed.
It was curious.
Even though her hair was a mess and her clothes reduced to torn straps, her cloak had only gathered dust.
'Magical shit, I bet.'
Because of her state, I could finally take a proper look at her. The torn clothes beneath revealed the undersides of her chests, a slim, flat belly, and a seductive navel. An elf, as copy-pasted as they come.
'That went perfect.'
She couldn't lift either hand. Which meant no gestures. Which meant no vines. Which meant we were trapped.
But the perfection of it reminded me: I'd gotten lucky. Her neck could've snapped. One careless moment means death.
Roaming alone is usually foolish. Either you're overconfident, or you wait for your teammates to catch up.
'But I don't wish having a team. I only need to get stronger.'
I pulled the bandage a little too tight.
"Ahh! Careful, you—!" She finally spoke, glaring at me. Her jaw clenched, then avoided eye contact.
Then, in a softer tone:
"…Please be careful."
'Huh. Docile now?'
She tried to cover her exposed skin, cheeks coloring faintly.
I wasn't sure if she was just shy, afraid I'd abandon her to die, or scared of me doing worse.
"You need to teach me that skill," I told her.
"Otherwise, we die here."
She glared again, swallowing her pride with every word:
"This can't be happening… This… You—you planned this… Why is this…"
I smile,
Only looking at her.
.
.
//Pov change, Examiner.
A group of teens stood shoulder-to-shoulder, a nervous huddle staring at the ancient trial ahead;
A mist.
Tall, dark trees filled the space as white smoke slithered like wandering ghosts. For generations they had whispered that the mist was alive. Even my own master had said so.
"Hmm,"
I adjusted my observation charm, making sure the concealment held. Just keep them breathing. That's the job.
A bulky boy stepped forward first.
Ten steps in, his knees buckled. The mist engulfed him, squeezing until he collapsed.
"Good," I whispered, writing notes.
"Quick response. The others dragged him out immediately too. Teamwork is good."
Two days had passed since then. The teens still hadn't found the trial's secret.
"You can never be masters if don't overcome this." I kept commenting to myself while hidden.
'At their age, it took me four days. They praised me as a very promising child.'
"Let's wait and see. Hopefully someone from my batch can do it in a week and…"
Shuffle.
Suddenly, another boy appeared. A stranger. He carried an injured girl clung on his back. The boy clothes were also unusual. And his eyes… something about his eyes didn't resemble that of a kid.
"Who…?" I muttered.
After the boy murmured something to girl on his back, the boy placed the girl down.
Then continued forward toward the mist.
The other kids shouted warnings as he walked past:
"You'll suffocate!"
"Don't do it!"
He didn't even glance their way.
As he strode toward the mist, three children broke from the group.
A girl with long braids lunged, yanking his shirt.
"Stop! You'll die!"
His pace didn't falter, so her feet slid forward across the dirt. She was dragged like a child trying to stop a rolling boulder.
"Arrogant bastard," muttered a boy with ritual scars.
A small girl with blue hair ran ahead, arms spread wide.
"P-please! The examiners say—"
SMACK!
His palm slapped across her face with the casual violence of swatting a fly, sending her head-first into a puddle.
She crumpled into the mud, nose bleeding, stunned.
Everyone froze, baffled. The braided hair girl let go of him.
Even I stiffened in my hiding spot.
"That boy has no manners," I whispered, watching the other children's expressions twist from shock to murderous rage.
He stepped into the mist.
As if karma, the mist consumed him faster than the others. Violet clouds lashing like angry serpents. Nature itself seemed to reject his arrogance.
Four steps in. Five—
He vanished. Too dense to see.
"Did he die?"
VRUUUM!
The earth hummed.
Trees splintered. Birds fleeting from the canopy like dark storm clouds.
The mist trembled, vibrating until nearby rocks fractured with gunshot cracks. It contracted violently, spinning faster, condensing.
Then, with a deafening SWOOSH and a blinding green-blue flare…
…there was
no
mist
left.
"WHAAAAA—!?" My scream echoed—way too loud. Several kids glanced toward my hidden spot. I ducked, heart hammering in my throat.
'Idiot.'
When I dared look again, I confirmed it.
No mist. Tens of stunned children. And no insane boy.
The silence was heavy. No one spoke.
'Generations of tradition… gone in a breath.'
"And I don't even know why! How do I report this!"
Who is he? And how did he do it?
//POV End.