Alex froze, his face paling as the words registered.
Then his breathing steadied, and determination returned. He turned his sharp gaze back to Edmund.
"I’m going to take the fragments from our team. If they don’t hand them over, I’ll eliminate them myself."
"You shouldn’t do that—"
"Shut up," Alex snapped.
At the same time, far from them, another conversation was happening.
Orvane Drixley leaned back in his chair within his camp, staring at his vice commander.
"I wanted all of us to proceed to the second objective," Orvane admitted. "More people means more options if it turns out team-based. But now, we don’t have a choice. We need those fragments. If anyone refuses, we’ll take them by force."
Across another stretch of the battlefield,
Cassandra Evermere was saying nearly the same thing to her own team.
The message was clear: the rules had changed. Cooperation was finished.
Back in Edmund’s tent, Alex was about to storm out when another notification appeared in front of them.
[Althea Sylven Florathi Serinelle has completed the First Objective.]
[Number of participants in Second Objective: 2/64.]
Alex’s face twisted.
"See? We’re being left behind already! This is all because of your carelessness!" He pointed at Edmund, voice thick with blame.
Edmund gave a bitter chuckle.
Before Alex could continue his rant, another notification appeared, one that froze them both.
[Cārus has completed the Second Objective.]
[Cārus is now eligible to attempt the Third and Final Objective.]
The tent went silent.
Alex’s fists trembled.
His chest rose and fell sharply.
And Edmund, still seated on the ground, looked at the glowing words with unreadable eyes.
...
Five minutes earlier.
Isaac and Celia were moving away from Edmund’s group.
Their pace was steady, not hurried, as if the confrontation from earlier had left no mark on them.
They were heading toward Althea’s hiding place.
Isaac pulled the map fragments he had gathered and combined them.
[+1 Map Fragment]
[Map Fragment: 7/7]
[You have ranked 1st in the First Objective]
[Reward: Strength Potion (Effect: +100 to Strength)]
A glass vial appeared in his hand.
The liquid inside faintly glowed red.
He didn’t waste time examining it.
Instead, he slipped it into his spatial ring.
Emily could use it later.
Then the fragments in his hand shifted, merging into a larger image.
The torn edges sealed themselves into a yellowed parchment-like map.
Old lines and faded markings spread across the surface, showing rivers, ridges, and valleys.
At the center stood a single black mark: a mansion.
Around it, seven monstrous symbols dotted the border, stationed halfway between the forest’s edge and the mansion itself.
Almost immediately, notifications flashed before his eyes.
[Cārus has completed the First Objective!]
[Cārus will now proceed to the Second Objective.]
[Alert! A time limit has appeared for the remaining trial participants in the First Objective.]
[Complete the First Objective within 24 hours.]
[A hidden rule has been revealed.]
[Only the top 64 participants may proceed to the Second Objective.]
Isaac scanned the words calmly.
Then another screen appeared.
[Second Objective: Reach the mansion]
"So that’s it," he muttered. "We need to fight one of those seven monsters depending on which path we take."
He could easily guess they had all been dropped at different points along the forest’s edge.
Each participant would have to deal with one monster if they wanted to make it through.
Isaac passed the map to Celia, letting her study it while he slowed his steps.
Ahead, Althea slipped out from her cover.
She was looking at Isaac with a strange gaze.
"We got the map fragments."
Althea didn’t answer right away.
Her gaze flicked from Isaac to Celia, then back again.
"She is... your niece?" Althea finally asked, her gaze asking why they had been flirting if they were uncle and niece.
"Huh?" Isaac blinked.
"She called you uncle back there." Althea’s tone was strange. Suspicion? Confusion? It was hard to tell. But the way she looked at them made it obvious what she was thinking.
Isaac frowned, realizing the misunderstanding.
"We’re not uncle and niece," he clarified quickly.
"What?" Celia turned her head toward him.
Despite her face being hidden by the mask, her tone and body language said she was shocked that Isaac had ’lied’.
Althea looked at Isaac, as if to confirm her words.
But before he could speak, she stepped back slightly.
Her arms unconsciously moving as though she wanted more distance.
"What are you doing?"
"I— I’m not saying anything. Everyone has their own... preferences. Do what you wish."
Isaac’s lips twitched.
He glanced back at Celia, who had deliberately caused this misunderstanding in the first place.
Even with her mask, he could imagine her grinning a toothy grin.
He opened her status window just to be sure.
[Status: Finds it surprisingly fun to tease you.]
Isaac groaned inwardly.
First Professor Catherine, now Celia.
Why did everyone around him had strange habits?
At least, he thought, Celia’s teasing was still at a childish level.
Hopefully it would stay that way.
He decided it wasn’t worth explaining himself again to Althea.
Instead, he handed the completed map to Althea.
[Althea Sylven Florathi Serinelle has completed the First Objective.]
[Number of participants in Second Objective: 2/64.]
Althea’s own map updated in her hands, showing the same guardians surrounding the forest.
Her eyes narrowed, trying to not look at Isaac.
"Those are the Seven Guardians of the Cradle," she said, pointing to the monstrous symbols. "They’re not easy to defeat. In fact, this is where almost everyone fails. Unless people use bait to distract the monsters, not even ten would be able to defeat them."
Isaac didn’t ask what would be needed to be used as a bait.
It was obvious: other trial participants.
He turned to Celia.
"It should be possible with a single jump for these coordinates," she muttered.
Celia’s hands stretched outward, and a black-blue mist seeped into existence.
The cloud swirled, dark and heavy, and it began to expand until it filled the clearing.
"Follow us," Isaac told Althea.
He stepped inside first. The mist swallowed him whole. Celia followed without hesitation.
Althea stood frozen for a moment, staring at the unnatural sight.
Her lips trembled slightly.
"No... way..."
Her whole-body shook.
"It can’t be this easy. There has to be a problem that will stop us, right?"
But she couldn’t ignore the possibility the black-blue cloud represented.
With a steadying breath, she stepped into the mist.