Arkas had originally said we would have three days, but to our surprise, he returned within a day. He came back just to inform us that the plan was approved and ready to move forward.
When I asked him why he was in such a hurry, he simply said, "Whatever you did worked better than expected." That was all he offered, and then he moved on.
That very night, King left Unit 02. Both he and his cousin officially withdrew, despite the fact that doing so came with a huge penalty. They were also permanently banned from the royal army. It was a shocking move, but none of us had the time to process it.
We were left with only one day to prepare.
Because of the sudden timeline, Steve wasn't able to finish learning his skill, and I couldn't make any progress on creating the soul shackle.
Still, I wasn't too worried. Even without new abilities, I was far stronger than most people at my level. My base stats alone were enough to crush anything within ten levels of me. I didn't even need to use Essence for that.
The next morning, fresh and cold, the top twenty members of Unit 02 gathered in the mission hall. Arkas and June stood waiting for us at the front.
I greeted North when I saw her and, reluctantly, also greeted Sarah, who now seemed to be sticking to North like glue.
I glanced at the rest of the top twenty. Besides Sarah and some guy whose name I couldn't remember, I didn't know any of them personally.
But as my eyes moved across the group, each of them gave me a small nod of acknowledgment.
I chuckled inwardly and nodded back.
Steve nudged me and leaned in close.
"I thought Arkas was going to give us some kind of secret weapon or tool to help us survive. But he hasn't given us anything. What's going on?"
His words made me frown. I had expected the same. Up until now, there had been no sign of any special preparation from Arkas.
I whispered back, "Let's just wait and see."
After ten minutes of silence, Arkas finally spoke.
"All right, step on the circle. We're ready to go."
We did as he said. The circle beneath us began to glow with energy, and in the next moment, we were no longer in the mission hall.
I opened my eyes and was immediately hit by a cold chill in the air.
Looking around, I realized we were in the middle of a forest blanketed with snow. Huge trees stood all around us like silent guards. The air was so cold it felt like it was trying to seep into our bones.
Arkas raised his voice so everyone could hear.
"We've landed in the middle of a forest crawling with Abominations. Your mission is simple: I want each of you to level up five times. Except for Billion and Steve—they'll each be leading a team of nine."
I blinked in surprise, then just shrugged.
Leveling up was never a problem for me and I did not go there for leveling up but to get captured.
After that, Arkas gave a few more instructions. He split the remaining eighteen people into two random groups of nine. One group was assigned to Steve, and the other was handed over to me.
My group was sent to the left side of the forest, while Steve led his group to the right.
I moved forward with the nine people walking behind me. Unfortunately, North had ended up in Steve's group, while Sarah was stuck in mine. If it had been the other way around, this could've actually felt like a nice little date in a snowy wonderland.
I sighed and walked slowly, hands stuffed in my pockets, with my staff hanging loosely from the belt at my side.
My perception stretched outward to its full range, sweeping the surrounding area.
I detected four Abominations nearby. Two of them were to the east, one to the north, and another to the west. I tilted my head, thinking about which one we should target first.
Before I could decide, Sarah's voice rang out behind me.
"Yo, Mr. Leader, what are you daydreaming about?"
I stopped and turned to face her, rubbing my chin in mock thought.
"Nothing much," I said. "Just wondering whether you'd look better in a pink bra or a black one."
Her eyes widened in shock, and she clenched her jaw, anger flaring across her face.
"You're a scum, just like the rest of them."
I shrugged without much concern. "Yeah, yeah. Now please don't interrupt my daydreams. They really help me sleep well at night."
She let out a sharp breath and looked away, clearly annoyed.
Turning my attention back toward the east, I began walking again.
"All right," I called over my shoulder. "We've got two dumb Blizzard Bear Abominations up ahead. Get ready."
Behind me, I heard the shuffle of movement as everyone drew their weapons and prepared for the coming fight.
Soon enough, we came across the two bears. They were busy munching on something—probably the remains of their last prey.
I quickly scanned them.
[Blizzard Bear - Level 29]
[Blizzard Bear - Level 31]
Tilting my head slightly, I glanced back at the group and spoke casually.
"Everyone except Sarah, go ahead and attack. If you get injured or die, that's on you."
Sarah walked up beside me and frowned. "Hey, I want to fight too."
I nodded. "Yeah, I understand, Sarah. But honestly, these things are way too weak for you."
She paused, then gave a small nod. She didn't say anything else.
The other eight members of the group rushed forward, surrounding the bears with practiced movements.
Once I saw everyone was in position, I lifted my leg and slammed it down into the ground. The impact shook the snow-covered earth, sending a wave of force outward.
That got the bears' attention. They lifted their heads, roared, and charged at the group surrounding them.
I leaned against a nearby tree and watched silently as the battle began. Skills lit up the space like flashes of light, and weapons slashed with force and energy.
As I observed the fight, I couldn't help but notice how differently I fought compared to them.
They used their skills exactly as the system gave them—no tweaks, no adjustments. It was like watching a machine perform a task with no creativity. I could tell the system was doing most of the work for them, and they were just going along with it.
I kept an eye on everyone to make sure no one died, though I didn't feel the need to step in.
At the same time, Steve and his group were still within my perception range. They were fighting their own group of Abominations.
My attention drifted to North. I saw her darting between the trees, graceful and fast, almost like a blur. But even with her skill, I could tell she was holding back—letting others get hits in so they wouldn't feel useless.
I shook my head in disappointment.
In my view, you should only help others after you've done everything you can for yourself. Sacrificing your potential to make others feel better wasn't noble, it was foolish.
Suddenly, I heard a whisper right next to my ear.
"Hey kid, can you slip away for a moment?"
I knew that voice—it was Edgar. I straightened up quickly and glanced at Sarah, who was standing nearby, keeping watch over the others.
"Hey, can you keep an eye on everyone for a minute? I'll be right back," I said.
She narrowed her eyes at me, clearly suspicious.
"Why? Where are you going? Don't tell me you're trying to get out of your responsibilities."
I almost rolled my eyes but held back.
"No, nothing like that. I just need to pee."
She scrunched up her face in disgust.
"Gross."
I shrugged. "What can I say? I'm only human."
With a wave of her hand, she dismissed me like I was an annoying bug. I couldn't help but chuckle as I turned and jogged off toward the trees. Once I felt I was far enough away and no one could hear me, I called out.
"Edgar? Where are you?"
Almost immediately, shadows started shifting in front of me. They twisted and curled together until Edgar stepped out from them like some kind of ghost.
He was wearing his usual loose-fitting robe and holding a drink in one hand—something that looked suspiciously homemade. I stared at him, raising an eyebrow.
"Do you always have to make an entrance like that?"
He laughed.
"Of course. It's always fun to see how you kids react."
Then his expression turned serious as he spoke.
"The Holts are here—and they've come prepared. Looks like you really offended that kid."
He shook his head before continuing.
"They've brought a Grandmaster to deal with Arkas, and four Master-rank fighters are with them as well.
Their real targets are probably you and Steve. You'll need to put up a fight, but don't go all out—hold back. Don't reveal your trump cards unless absolutely necessary. I'll stay hidden in the shadows and step in if things get out of hand."