[Elena POV]
That night, our clan gathered at the base camp to rest and discuss the developments in the first stage of the survival exam.
"The Dragon Clan, which controls the northern part of the island, will be conducting an expedition around the waterfall five kilometers from here," said a man named Russel. He was one of the team leaders who had helped form this clan. "If I remember correctly, Geralt de Jimena is the one leading that clan."
Geralt was a student from the elite class. He possessed a fairly powerful fire-based Nature Mana. I would say he was about as strong as Brian was at the moment.
"The Dragon Clan isn't the only one targeting that area. It seems the Lion Clan also intends to explore the area rumored to contain a large number of green crystals and two red crystals," said the bespectacled woman. Her name was Sarah Volkswagen.
Speaking of red crystals, I had just obtained one after fighting Raul earlier.
My heart was still pounding whenever I thought about it. It had been quite some time since I had encountered an opponent who could withstand my attacks without being instantly overwhelmed. He must have been holding back earlier, because Raul hadn't used his Nature Mana at all during our fight.
Could he be saving that trump card of his for a particular moment?
I stared at the red crystal in my hand. Without realizing it, my fingers brushed against my lips—the same lips that had been pressed against his earlier.
For some reason, obtaining the crystal that way didn't disgust me at all.
"Hmm…"
I wanted to fight him again...
I wanted to feel that adrenaline rush I had experienced earlier...
"Leader!"
Hearing someone call out to me, I snapped out of my thoughts.
"Why are you spacing out in the middle of our discussion, Leader?" Russel asked, looking puzzled by my behavior.
"S-Sorry. What were you talking about again?"
"We were discussing whether we should join the confrontation over the area near the waterfall," Sarah replied.
The waterfall area, huh?
There were still several areas on this island controlled by powerful clans. If we engaged in a confrontation right now, it would only weaken our forces and make things more difficult for my clan during the final days of the exam.
"My suggestion is that we wait and see how tomorrow's confrontation unfolds." For some reason, I had a bad feeling about bringing my clan into a battle there tomorrow. "It would be better for us to search another area for now."
"But, Leader, if we just sit back and watch while one of them takes control of an area containing so many crystals, our points will start falling behind theirs!" Sarah argued, clearly disagreeing with my suggestion.
Sarah had a valid point. At the moment, our clan had only accumulated around 220 points on the second day. And that number had yet to be divided among the twelve teams that made up our clan.
"You may be right, Sarah. But this is only the second day. We still have plenty of time to make up for the deficit later."
After hearing my reasoning, they eventually agreed not to participate in the confrontation over the waterfall area.
[3rd POV]
On the other side of the island, specifically in the northern territory controlled by the Dragon Clan, a red-haired man stood before the members of the other teams.
He was Geralt de Jimena—the leader of the Dragon Clan.
At present, they were leading the scoreboard with a total of 300 points, having obtained one red crystal, five green crystals, twenty-five blue crystals, and one hundred yellow crystals.
"Our scouting team has discovered an area that is highly likely to contain a large number of crystals," Geralt informed all the teams under his command. "However, before returning, our scouts spotted several scouting teams from another clan. It seems they belong to the Lion Clan, which controls the southern part of the island."
Upon hearing Geralt's report, the other members began whispering among themselves. One man then stepped forward.
"Geralt, are we going to engage them in a large-scale battle?" the man asked.
At his question, everyone fell silent, waiting to hear what their leader had to say.
In terms of overall strength, the Dragon Clan was the strongest group on the island. This was largely because many students from the elite class had joined them.
Within the Eagle Clan, only their leader, Elena, was someone they needed to be wary of. Meanwhile, the Lion Clan's strongest fighters were Brian and Valeria.
"Isn't it obvious?" Geralt said, clenching his fist before raising it into the air. "We'll crush their clan until nothing remains!"
.
.
.
On the eastern side of the island stood a large base camp capable of housing more than a hundred people. The wooden walls they had constructed appeared sturdy enough to serve as a defensive barrier should they come under attack.
In the center of the base camp, several people were gathered around a campfire, discussing something.
They were the Lion Clan, led by Brian the Hero.
"Are you certain you saw other people around the waterfall area?" Brian asked one of the scouts.
"I'm certain. I believe they were members of the Dragon Clan," the scout replied, reaffirming what he had seen.
"Brian, what are we going to do?" Valeria, who was also present at the discussion, asked. "They obviously want to seize control of the waterfall area as well."
As the two strongest members among them, Brian and Valeria had been appointed Leader and Vice Leader of the Lion Clan.
So far, Brian had only recruited weaker teams that had become targets for bullying by stronger groups.
This made him hesitant to confront the Dragon Clan directly at the waterfall. His clan was almost guaranteed to lose if they fought the Dragon Clan head-on. However, if they passed up this opportunity, their points would fall far behind. There were simply too many weak teams weighing down the clan Brian had built.
"You won't be fighting the Dragon Clan tomorrow."
Hearing this, the team leaders looked worried.
"Listen, Brian. If we don't secure that area, then more than seventy percent of our clan's members are practically guaranteed to fail this exam," Valeria explained, pointing out the risks of ignoring the challenge.
"Just because I'm not letting you fight doesn't mean we can't take control of the waterfall area," Brian said with a confident smile. "I'll challenge Geralt to a one-on-one fight."
At Brian's words, all the clan's team leaders stared at him in disbelief.
Then, suddenly, they began cheering and loudly chanting Brian's name, praising him for his courage.
"Brian!"
"Brian!"
"Brian!"
[Raul POV]
That night, Scarlett, Piers, and I were inside a cave located near the waterfall area. We had to come here at night so we could avoid being spotted by the two clans that were currently interested in this area.
Inside this cave was a secret chamber containing two red crystals.
"Captain, how much longer do we have to dig?" Piers complained.
Yes, we were digging through one of the cave walls to uncover the hidden chamber where the two red crystals were located.
"Let me take a look."
I walked over to Piers and placed my hand against the section of the earthen wall he had been digging through.
"I think that's enough."
"What exactly are you planning that requires us to dig this deep, Captain?" Piers asked curiously.
"Well... You'll find out tomorrow," I replied meaningfully. "Do you remember what I instructed you to do? If you hear an explosion from Scarlett, you have to destroy this wall. Understand?"
"I understand, Captain," Piers replied with a nod.
Yes... I was the one who created this secret chamber in the game.
There was a trap here consisting of a powerful current of water connected to the river behind this earthen wall. I had deliberately designed it as a trap that Players had to overcome before they could obtain the two red crystals.
I'd heard that Brian was going to challenge Geralt to a one-on-one duel over control of this area.
If my plan went smoothly, I could destroy both major clans in one move.
However, I was afraid Scarlett would be furious with me if she learned the details of my plan.
Well, I'd better keep what I intended to do to Geralt tomorrow a secret from Scarlett.
"Hey, Captain. you're making that terrifying smile again."