Kael slowly pushed himself upright, one hand pressed against his chest where Rook’s Flame Burst had struck him. His breathing was heavier than before, and several cuts covered his uniform, but the swordsman still managed to keep his balance.
Rook watched him carefully, expecting another attack, yet Kael simply glanced toward the direction of the distant roar before turning around.
Without saying another word, Kael began running into the forest.
Rook stared at his back for a moment, disbelief written across his face.
"Bastard."
He wanted to chase him, but another roar echoed through the trees, much louder this time. The ground beneath his feet trembled slightly, and the sound of heavy footsteps followed from somewhere deeper in the forest.
Rook turned and sprinted in the opposite direction. His body was exhausted, his mana was dangerously low, and fighting another opponent right now would be nothing short of stupidity, a quality humanity already possessed in embarrassing quantities without his help.
He pushed his Agility as hard as he could while searching for Milo. The trees blurred around him as another roar shook the forest, followed by the snapping of several branches.
"Milo!"
A few seconds later, Milo emerged from between the trees and nearly collided with him.
"Rook? Where’s Kael?"
"He ran."
Milo stared at him. "He ran?"
"Yes, and we’re doing the same thing."
Before Milo could ask another question, a massive shadow moved between the trees behind them.
Rook’s expression hardened.
"Run faster."
Rook and Milo continued running until the sounds of the approaching demon gradually faded behind them. Neither of them dared to slow down at first, knowing that the creature could easily change direction and follow their scent if they remained nearby. Rook pushed his exhausted body forward despite the burning sensation in his lungs, while Milo stayed close behind him, occasionally glancing over his shoulder to make sure nothing was following them.
After several minutes, Rook finally raised his hand.
"Slow down. I don’t hear it anymore."
Milo reduced his pace, and the two eventually came to a stop beneath a cluster of thick trees. Rook leaned against one of the trunks and took several deep breaths while Milo bent forward with his hands resting on his knees.
"That was insane," Milo muttered. "First Kael, then those clones, and now a demon."
Rook wiped the sweat from his forehead. "You forgot the fake golden stones."
Milo looked at him and sighed. "I was trying to forget those."
Rook almost laughed, but the exhaustion in his body quickly killed the amusement. His mana was still recovering, and every muscle felt heavier than it had before the battle. He knew they couldn’t remain in the open for long, especially after attracting the attention of whatever demon had been approaching them.
"We need somewhere to hide until morning."
Milo nodded. "Agreed."
They continued through the forest at a slower pace, carefully avoiding areas where they could hear movement. The sun had already disappeared behind the trees, leaving the forest covered in darkness. Their vision was limited, and even Rook’s Perception couldn’t completely compensate for the lack of light.
Eventually, Milo noticed something between two large rock formations.
"Over there."
Rook followed his gaze and saw a narrow opening between the rocks. They approached cautiously and discovered that it led into a small cave. It wasn’t particularly deep, but the entrance was partially concealed by vegetation, making it difficult to notice unless someone was specifically looking for it.
Rook examined the surroundings before entering.
"There are footprints."
Milo crouched and looked at them. "Human?"
"Looks like it."
They exchanged a glance before carefully entering the cave.
The moment they stepped inside, several voices came from deeper within.
"Who’s there?"
Rook immediately stopped.
A group of people emerged from the darkness, weapons already in their hands. There were five of them, consisting of three boys and two girls, all wearing Ashline uniforms. They looked exhausted, but none appeared seriously injured.
One of the boys lowered his weapon after recognizing them.
"You’re participants."
Milo nodded. "So are you."
The boy relaxed slightly. "We thought you were demons."
Rook glanced around the cave. "You thought demons could talk?"
"Some of them probably can."
Rook couldn’t argue with that.
The group eventually allowed them inside, and the tension gradually disappeared after everyone realized they were fellow participants. One of the girls offered them some water, while another participant explained that they had discovered the cave several hours earlier after being chased by a group of demon beasts.
"We’ve been staying here because it’s safer than wandering around at night," the girl explained. "We’re planning to search again in the morning."
Milo thanked her before sitting against the cave wall.
"Did you find any golden stones?"
The participants exchanged glances.
"Two," one of them admitted. "We were lucky."
Milo immediately looked at Rook.
Rook shook his head slightly, silently telling him not to mention their own stone.
The group continued talking, sharing what little information they had gathered about the forest. Some participants had encountered low-ranked demon beasts, while others had encountered much stronger ones.
Rook listened quietly.
The more information he gathered, the stranger the trial seemed.
This was supposed to be an evaluation where they simply needed to survive and collect golden stones. Yet there were people like Kael manipulating other participants, strange clones appearing throughout the forest, and demons that seemed far more dangerous than the academy’s original description had suggested.
Something about the entire situation felt wrong.
Eventually, night settled completely over the forest.
One of the participants volunteered to keep watch near the entrance while everyone else rested. Rook didn’t object. He had no reason to distrust them yet, but he still didn’t intend to sleep directly beside a group of strangers.
He moved deeper into the cave and found a relatively flat section against the wall.
"This should do."
Milo looked toward him. "You’re not sleeping with the rest of us?"
"I prefer somewhere quieter."
Milo shrugged. "Suit yourself."
Rook sat down and finally opened his system.
The familiar blue screen appeared before his eyes.
═══════════════
STATUS
═══════════════
Name: Rook
Class: Elementalist
Rank: F
Health: 158/190
Mana: 19/150
Stamina: 47/100
Strength: 30
Agility: 130
Vitality: 30
Intelligence: 30
Spirit: 30
Perception: 30
Luck: 30
Upgrade Points: ∞
═══════════════
Rook stared at his Mana.
"That low?"
He had expected it to be depleted after using so many abilities against Kael, but seeing nineteen points remaining still made him frown. At least the number was slowly increasing. It was painfully slow, but it was increasing.
His Health had also fallen considerably, although he wasn’t surprised after taking several direct hits during the battle.
Rook’s eyes eventually moved toward Luck.
He stared at the number for several seconds.
Thirty.
He had completely maxed it.
And what had happened afterward?
He had discovered a pile of fake golden stones, been ambushed by clones, fought an absurdly skilled swordsman, nearly exhausted his entire mana supply, and then discovered that the stones weren’t even real.
Rook’s mouth twitched.
"Excellent."
His Luck was apparently working overtime.
Still, he couldn’t conclude anything yet. Luck was different from his other attributes. Strength obviously made him stronger, Agility made him faster, and Perception improved his ability to notice things. Luck was impossible to measure directly.
Maybe it affected probability.
Maybe it influenced opportunities.
Maybe it hadn’t done anything at all.
Rook couldn’t know until he encountered enough situations to observe a pattern.
He closed the status window and leaned his head against the cave wall.
At least the upgrade hadn’t cost him anything meaningful. With infinite Upgrade Points, leaving Luck at five simply because he didn’t understand it would have been unnecessarily cautious.
His eyes slowly became heavier.
Before closing them, Rook glanced toward the cave entrance.
The participant keeping watch was sitting quietly with his weapon beside him, staring into the darkness outside.
For tonight, that was enough.
Rook shifted into a more comfortable position and allowed his body to relax.
The forest remained silent beyond the cave.
Rook finally allowed himself to rest.