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Faulty Contract
Chapter 13 – Black Forest
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The field team left the academy at dawn.
No ceremony.
No audience.
Just a team of six and a supervising instructor.
Mission:
Verify the missing transport convoy.
If alive → escort them back.
If not → recover the research items.
---
The Black Forest began three hours' travel from the academy.
Tall trees.
Thick canopy.
Light cut into small patches.
Mana in the air fluctuated abnormally.
Not strong enough to be dangerous.
But enough to interfere with detection magic.
Elias stopped at the forest's edge.
"This is not a drill."
No one spoke.
He continued:
"No points."
"If things go wrong, retreat."
His gaze settled on Rei.
"Survival first."
Rei nodded.
---
The formation moved in a diamond structure.
Rei at the front.
Lira at the rear left.
Two support students in the middle.
One guarding the rear.
Elias at the end.
The forest was quiet.
Too quiet.
---
After 40 minutes—
Rei stopped.
"Drag marks."
The ground had long scratches.
Not animals.
Something heavy had been dragged.
Lira bent to examine.
"A transport cart."
"At least one."
Rei added:
"Blood. Three people."
"Not much."
"Not killed on the spot."
Elias looked around.
"Move on."
---
Twenty minutes later—
They found the cart.
Overturned.
Broken wood.
Contents gone.
No corpses.
Only deeper drag marks into the forest.
One student swallowed nervously.
"We're being led somewhere."
Rei looked at the canopy.
"No."
"Chased."
Everyone stared at him.
Rei explained:
"Human footprints running."
"Uneven."
"They're being hunted."
---
The wind shifted.
Rei turned.
"Thirty meters."
"Right side."
No one heard anything.
A second later—
A roar echoed.
A creature leapt from the bushes.
Over two meters long.
Lean but muscular body.
Dull yellow eyes.
Not a magical beast ever recorded by the academy.
---
It charged at the last person in the formation.
Rei moved before an order was given.
Twenty meters distance.
He cut across its path.
No magic.
Just precise steps.
A punch straight to the jaw.
The creature was deflected.
But didn't fall.
It twisted its head and bit.
Rei stepped back half a pace.
Just enough to avoid.
Lira fired magic from behind.
A beam struck the creature's flank.
It roared.
Then retreated into the forest.
---
No one chased.
Elias raised a hand.
"Hold position."
Rei looked at the blood on the ground.
Not the creature's.
Human.
Fresh.
---
They continued.
Ten minutes later—
Heavy breathing came from ahead.
A man slumped under a tree.
Transport uniform.
Shoulder bitten.
Blood partially dried.
He saw the academy team.
Eyes brightened.
"Finally…"
Lira ran over.
"What about the others?"
The man gasped.
"Taken…"
"By… who?"
"Not… beasts…"
He coughed violently.
Blood gushed.
"Someone… controlling…"
Rei crouched.
"How many?"
The man looked at him.
"Two… or three…"
"Magic involved?"
"Can't see… but…"
He grabbed Rei's hand.
"Don't… go deeper…"
"Trap…"
His hand fell.
Unconscious.
But still alive.
---
Lira looked at Elias.
"We should retreat."
A student nodded immediately.
"Someone is controlling the creatures."
"Not the original mission."
Elias was silent.
He looked at Rei.
"Assessment?"
Rei looked at the drag marks.
Looked at the wind direction.
Looked at the blood on the leaves.
"Prisoners still alive."
"Distance less than an hour."
"The enemy wants to lure us deeper."
"Why?"
"Not enough data."
Elias asked further:
"Risk?"
"High."
"Chance of rescue?"
Rei paused 0.6 seconds.
"Better than none."
---
Lira clenched her fists.
"Sir?"
Elias looked at the team.
This was the turning point.
No more simulations.
No more tests.
If they went deeper—
They might encounter an unknown enemy.
If they retreated—
The captives could die.
He turned to Rei.
"What do you think?"
A rare question.
Rei looked deep into the forest.
Analyzed quickly:
Retreat → team safe.
Advance → high risk.
But with an additional variable.
> The captured people
He said:
"Decision not optimal for team survival."
"But if rescue succeeds, strategic value is high."
"What do you mean?"
Rei looked at Elias.
"Can continue."
Not an order.
Not opposition.
Just an assessment.
---
Elias turned back to the team.
"We advance thirty more minutes."
"If no clear signs, retreat."
No one objected.
But the atmosphere grew heavy.
---
As they continued into the forest—
Rei felt something.
Not danger.
A gaze.
From afar.
Someone was watching.
Not a creature.
A human.
---
Deep in the forest.
A man lowered a magical lens.
"Just as expected."
"The academy team moves in."
Another voice asked:
"Target?"
The man smiled.
"At the front line."
"Rei."
"Faulty entity."
"We'll see… how the system reacts when we place him in a trap."
---
End of chapter.
Internal status board of Rei:
> Environment: Undefined
Ambush probability: 64%
Current action: Advancing
A new line appeared.
> Reason for choice:
Mission
Rescue potential
…
The final line was incomplete.
But the internal system recorded:
> Decision not entirely based on optimal survival.
Arc 2 continues.
And this time—
Someone is deliberately creating such decisions.