-Frey Starlight's POV-
– Day 24 of the Island Trial –
I decided to move on my own again.
I informed the princess of my decision, and this time, she couldn't stop me—not after what happened last night.
Messing with that kind of power any further could bring a disaster down on our heads…
"Are you sure about this? Jessica hasn't returned yet..."
Gathering all the second-year students wasn't an easy task.
"It's fine. The third-years won't catch me that easily. At the very least, I'll hold out until Jessica Thivenin shows up."
Sansa gave me a slow nod. She looked more exhausted than she had on any previous day.
"Don't push yourself any more than this, Sansa... You'd be better off withdrawing now."
There was no point in her staying on the island any longer—she wouldn't be participating in the finals anyway.
"It's fine... I'll stay until the end, just in case something happens."
She had nerves of steel, I'll give her that.
"Thank you, Sansa. You really saved me this time."
She managed a weak smile as we stood at the tree's entrance.
"There's no need to thank me. I've simply managed to repay a small part of my debt to you..."
Debt, huh?
"I didn't save you back then expecting anything in return, But if thinking that way brings you peace, then go ahead."
I turned around after spending two full days with the princess.
"Until we meet again, then… Sansa."
She nodded faintly as she bid me farewell.
"Yes… Take care until then."
"You too."
I leapt away, enveloped in a wave of dark aura.
Just a few seconds passed before we were completely out of each other's sight.
Sansa remained with Adriana, whose presence was nearly nonexistent—she was clearly frightened of the princess now.
As for me… the real work started now.
I had six days left to survive on this godforsaken island.
There was no room for retreat now.
...
...
...
Strangely enough, time started to pass quickly.
Ding!
Please proceed to point C4.
The notifications were coming in almost constantly now.
This time, I was focused entirely on gathering points—to widen the gap between me and the rest of the rankings behind me.
I didn't stop. Using the advantage of my SSS-ranked aura reserve, I pushed forward without pause.
At least I didn't have to worry about exhaustion.
Now that we were nearing the final days of the exam, the island had become eerily quiet.
I rarely came across other students anymore...
All I encountered were Nightmare Beasts, which I cut down with my blade.
Ding!
You've reached your destination.
Arrival Rank: 1
Points: +5 (base) +20 (bonus)
As soon as I reached each target location, I would leave immediately, since I was being hunted.
I kept moving.
I could see the Eight-Legged Lady from where I stood.
I had to constantly take her position into account—she might seem distant one moment, then appear right in front of you the next due to her insane mobility.
And after hours of non-stop movement… I ran into the third-year students.
A squad led by Raegan.
He attacked the moment he spotted me, but I escaped instantly.
"You won't get away! Frey Starlight!"
So they had split up into teams to track me down faster?
That likely meant he'd already sent some sort of signal to Magnus…
Engaging him here would've been a foolish move.
My best option? Run.
Using Phantom Steps, I surged away, pursued nonstop.
Raegan was clearly frustrated—watching a first-year outrun him like this was clearly getting under his skin.
Gripping his dagger by the blade, Raegan concentrated a dense flow of Wind Aura around it.
'If I can't catch him…'
Without warning, Raegan hurled the dagger at me with terrifying speed.
It spun violently like a massive shuriken, empowered by the swirling Wind Aura.
I hadn't expected Raegan to have a ranged attack like that—so I was just about to dodge, but I didn't need to.
The projectile was knocked off course by an unseen force.
Everything became clear the moment Jessica Thevenin appeared, accompanied by a large group of students, radiating waves of Gravity Aura.
"Second-year students?"
Raegan was visibly shocked, while I simply grinned and propelled myself away.
"I'll leave the rest to you guys ~"
I gestured mockingly at Jessica, who still looked less than pleased. She probably wasn't fully convinced about what she was doing—but the princess's orders had been crystal clear.
"Jessica Thevenin! What's the meaning of this?!"
The second-years launched a surprise attack, targeting everyone who had been chasing me. Moody or not, Jessica was at least doing her job properly.
"From this point on, we won't let any of you touch Frey Starlight."
"What?!"
Another unexpected variable had appeared in front of the third-years.
Their pursuit of me always seemed to end like this.
What had initially seemed like an easy mission… had become a complete nightmare.
Raegan cursed and launched an attack.
"Engage them! Hold the line until Magnus arrives!"
A violent clash erupted between the second and third-year students.
I left the skirmish behind, continuing on my path.
The third-years were no longer my problem.
---
Day 25 on the island —
Slash!
I was surprised to run into an old friend… the Scythe Fiend of the nightmare land.
Seeing that faceless face again stirred a flood of memories.
Its eyeless head and those scythe-like limbs…
My dear friend had returned to visit me after a long absence.
And my dear friend looked best when shredded to pieces.
I charged at the Scythe Fiend with fury.
"You know, Mr. Scythe… I'm only doing this because I love you."
Slash!
Its head flew off, and only a mutilated corpse remained.
That made ten so far.
I still remember the time one of these things tore me apart…
My left arm, which became Balerion, ended up like that because of one of them.
Can't help but get a little sentimental every time I see one.
---
Day 26 on the island —
Ding!
Ranking Update:
1 - Snow Leonhart: 6000 points
2 - Daemon Valerion: 5950 points
The monster duel continued, neck and neck.
You could say they were the main event, as the broadcast kept focusing on them—exactly what the audience wanted.
Meanwhile, after resuming my point-gathering efforts:
3 - Frey Starlight: 4000 points
4 - Seris Moonlight: 3900 points
Seris was catching up to me.
I hadn't seen her face since that day…
I wondered how the supposed heroine of my story was faring on her own.
Snow was supposed to save her from her family's darkness—but with everything so scrambled now, that clearly wasn't going to happen.
She was on her own. I couldn't help but wonder what kind of growth she'd undergo from here.
I wished her the best… as long as she didn't get in my way.
I pressed on through the island's depths.
The score gap between the top ten was razor thin—except for Snow and Daemon, the remaining eight were clustered close together. I couldn't afford to stop.
---
Day 27 on the island —
Only three days left…
The battle between the third and second-year students came to an end when I noticed the names shifting on the leaderboard.
Apparently… the second-year cohort had been wiped out in an unprecedented incident. Meanwhile, the third-years suffered massive damage of their own.
The deciding factor was Magnus's injury—losing his arm left him unable to fight properly.
So, even though they technically won… the third-year students were in shambles.
Raegan Zenen was eliminated after a tough battle against Jessica Thivenin, who also fell in the process.
Over 30 second-years were gone…
Nearly all of the third-years, with the exception of Magnus and a few others...
We might even witness the cancellation of the second and third-year finals for the first time ever.
I didn't know exactly what had happened… but the spectators had witnessed an epic clash between the temple's elite from the second and third years.
A battle that lasted an entire day.
And now, only 30 students remained on the island.
Hard to believe that out of 500 players, this few survived...
The path ahead looked clear.