The gusts of wind moved the leaves of the trees, and silence became an absolute part of the forest.
The sound of fast footsteps shook the silence of the forest.
Buk buk buk
A brown-haired boy moved quickly from one place to another. At each stop, he attached papers with strange symbols, or placed stones carved with strange symbols.
The boy wiped the sweat dripping from his face, exhaled his rough breath, and looked up at the sky.
The sunlight was still high, but something else decorated the sky—a girl's silhouette flying while attaching papers filled with strange symbols to the upper parts of the trees.
The boy looked at her.
"Kayla, are you finished?"
Kayla looked down and slowly descended.
"Yes, are you finished too, Azka?"
Azka nodded.
"Yes, it seems like this area is done."
Kayla looked around the forest, then pointed to a certain direction.
"In that case, let's go there."
Azka nodded.
They walked together.
Kayla glanced at Azka.
"Will this trap really work?"
Azka looked at her and shrugged.
"Maybe? You've seen it yourself how absurd the things inside those symbols are."
Kayla nodded.
"Yeah… Alex is really strange, he puts all kinds of things in there."
Azka chuckled.
"So yeah, it will definitely work."
Several footsteps were suddenly heard by Azka and Kayla. They reflexively turned and prepared themselves, drawing their weapons.
Woosh
A group of black-robed figures appeared.
They looked at each other.
One of the robed figures sighed and opened their hood.
"Were you sent by that sly class representative?"
Azka and Kayla swallowed.
"Reva? What are you doing?"
Reva sighed.
"I was told by that sly guy to patrol and kill anyone spying on us."
Azka and Kayla nodded.
"Isn't it a bit too early? Wouldn't it be better to focus on gathering logistics?"
Reva scratched his head.
"Yeah… Alex just said it was a precaution, so here I am."
Reva looked behind him toward his team, then back at Azka and Kayla.
"In that case, we'll keep patrolling."
"Yeah… be careful."
Just as they were about to part ways, another strange sound suddenly appeared.
Reva and his team immediately stood on guard, looking toward the source of the sound, while Kayla and Azka drew their weapons.
From the bushes, a boy suddenly appeared. His hair was shoulder-length and black, and a katana hung at his waist.
Reva's eyes widened. He was the first to speak.
"You…."
The boy looked at Reva and the others, one of his eyebrows raised.
"Reva?"
Reva entered a defensive stance, ready to fight at any moment. The tension in the air rose, and his team swallowed nervously, gripping their weapons tighter.
The boy raised both his hands.
"Whoa, whoa, I didn't know your class was near our territory."
Reva clicked his tongue.
"Are you going to attack?"
The boy shook his head.
"No, no. Maybe I was going to, but after realizing it's your class—and Katarina—I decided not to."
Reva's eyebrow twitched.
"What are you planning? Are you still targeting the princess?"
The boy's eyes widened.
"No, no, that's not wha—"
Before he could finish speaking, voices suddenly appeared from all around Reva and the others, emerging from behind trees and bushes.
Reva and the others looked around. Their numbers were far fewer. A suffocating silence filled the air.
One of those who appeared from behind a tree looked at Reva and the others.
"Ken, we need to eliminate them quickly."
Ken, who had a katana at his waist, swallowed and shook his head.
"No… no, we're not going to elimi—"
Before Ken could finish his sentence, Reva cut him off again while staring at him.
"So you really are planning to attack us?"
Reva clicked his tongue.
"Tch, I won't let you get close to the princess!"
Sweat began to drip from Ken's forehead.
"No, no Reva, I won't attack if—"
Before Ken could finish again, his words were interrupted.
"Let's kill them quickly, Ken."
"This will be a good opening!"
"Or we could use them as hostages?"
Reva and the others formed a circle. They grew increasingly nervous as they were outnumbered and surrounded from all directions.
Reva looked at Ken.
"Fine then. Come on, coward—the one brave enough only when ganging up."
Ken looked at him, his eyes shimmering as if about to tear up.
"No, no. I don't want to fight you."
Reva shook his head in disbelief.
"Tch. This is why I don't like you getting close to the princess."
Reva lowered his posture, channeling mana throughout his body and into his two black daggers.
Everyone prepared for the clash.
Ken swallowed.
Reva slightly bent his knees, and then the sound of an explosion that cracked the earth rang out.
Brak
Cracks appeared on the ground as Reva shot forward toward Ken.
Ken's eyes widened as he shouted to everyone.
"No one fight!!!"
His shout made everyone freeze, unsure of what to do.
Reva ignored him and rushed toward Ken.
Ken drew his katana without fully unsheathing it and poured mana into the blade.
Reva spread both his arms, then brought them forward in a stabbing motion toward Ken's body.
Ken reacted by blocking with his mana-coated katana.
A shockwave hit everyone when Ken's weapon and Reva's daggers collided.
Ken stepped back several steps, staring at Reva with wide eyes.
'I'm being forced into this fight… and it's even against Reva?'
Reva rushed forward again. This time his right hand stabbed toward Ken's head.
Ken blocked again with his katana. Reva flipped the grip of the dagger in his left hand into a reverse hold, then spun his entire body like a whirlwind.
Slash!
Ken's arm was cut.
Everyone watching widened their eyes.
Reva's team, along with Kayla and Azka, shouted.
"That short-tempered Reva has actually improved!"
The others nodded in agreement.
Meanwhile, members of Ken's class swallowed nervously and shouted.
"You have to get serious, Ken!!"
"You can't lose!!"
Ken wiped the blood from the cut on his right arm, his left hand raised.
"Wait, Reva. I don't intend to fight! I didn't know it was your class and Katarina's."
Reva exhaled deeply. He was now more focused than anyone else. The only thought in his mind was eliminating Ken.
Reva stared at Ken, his mind in turmoil.
'I have to go all in to defeat him. No matter what, he's the representative of another class. I won't let him get close to the princess.'
Reva stared at Ken again.
His mana surged more violently, covering his entire body in shadows. His two black daggers trembled as they were enveloped in darkness.
Ken swallowed. His eyes widened, and his stance became more prepared.
Silence returned to the forest until Reva moved from his position.
An explosion of power echoed as the trees shook.
The force of Reva's step as he charged forward left destruction on the ground.
Reva shot forward much faster than before.
Ken closed his right eye, while the pupil of his left eye turned white. In Ken's vision, Reva now looked different—several red points appeared across his body within the shadowy aura.
Reva drew closer. Ken channeled mana into his katana and began thrusting at the red points on Reva's body using the mana-coated hilt of his katana.
BOOM!!
An explosion erupted, shaking the surrounding forest.
The shockwave reached the campsite of Class 1C.
At the campsite of Class 1C, moments before the explosion was heard.
The voices of students building the campsite could be heard everywhere.
In one place, Alex was standing face-to-face with Mira.
Mira was covered in sweat and her face was slightly dirty.
Her complaint could be heard.
"Can't we stop training? Besides, we're in the middle of nowhere."
Alex looked at her and clicked his tongue.
"Tch, you have the potential to become a killing machine, so it has to be used."
Mira pouted, then looked at a dark red-haired girl not far away.
"Rina, please tell this liar that at least let me rest for these three days."
Katarina sighed and looked at Mira.
"That liar is actually right, Mira. You have to keep training."
Alex's eyebrow twitched as he looked at Katarina.
"So now you're calling me that too…"
Alex nodded.
"Alright, I get it."
Katarina looked at Alex.
"You really are a li—"
Before Katarina could finish speaking, a loud explosion suddenly echoed.
BOOM!!
Alex and Katarina, who had been looking at each other, widened their eyes and turned toward the direction of the explosion, where black smoke rose.
Everyone looked in the same direction.
Alex immediately rushed forward without looking back, his voice the only thing heard.
"Mira! You and Aril guard this place. Prepare to fight!"
"Katarina! Bring your team and follow me!"
Katarina immediately did as she was told, while Mira and Aril with their team prepared for an emergency.
Alex, Katarina, and the others split through the forest, their footsteps making the ground rumble.
Katarina looked at Alex.
"Was that your trap? Or Reva?"
Alex shook his head.
"That's not my trap. It's probably Reva."
Katarina swallowed nervously, and the others became tense.
Moments later they arrived at the site of the explosion.
The surrounding trees had fallen, and some parts of the ground had been blown apart.
Alex, Katarina, and the others looked around.
Alex's eyes widened when he saw in one corner—Reva lying on the ground. Not far from him stood someone holding a sheathed katana.
Meanwhile, Katarina saw Reva beginning to disappear.
"Reva!!"
The figure holding the katana near Reva turned toward Katarina.
The tension between them rose. Katarina channeled mana into her hands, and blue flames manifested.
Katarina fired a stream of blue fire toward the figure standing near the disappearing Reva.
Fwoosh.
Boom!!
The figure dodged to the side.
Alex channeled mana throughout his body.
His eyes scanned the entire area, looking at the traps that had been set.
Sweat dripped from his forehead, his heart pounding rapidly. As he glanced around, Alex also saw the others—Reva's team along with Azka and Kayla.
Alex stomped his foot forward to advance.
Several traps that had already been set responded to his movement.