Rook woke shortly after sunrise to the sound of someone moving near the entrance of the cave. He opened his eyes and remained still for a moment, listening to the forest outside before slowly sitting up.
The others were already beginning to prepare for the day, packing what little food they had left and checking their weapons. Rook opened his status window and glanced at his Mana, which had recovered significantly during the night. It still wasn’t completely full, but it was high enough for him to fight if necessary, and that was what mattered most.
Milo noticed him awake and tossed him a piece of cooked meat. "Eat. We’re leaving after breakfast."
Rook caught it and looked at the meat before taking a bite. "Where did this come from?"
"We hunted."
Rook looked toward the others, who were eating around the small fire. "Rabbits?"
"Several of them."
The meat wasn’t particularly impressive, but nobody complained. After spending an entire day inside a forest filled with demon beasts, having something warm to eat was enough to make the group considerably happier. They ate while discussing what they would do next, and it quickly became obvious that nobody wanted to remain inside the cave for another night.
"We can’t stay here forever," one of the participants said. "If a demon finds this place, we’ll all be trapped inside."
Another participant nodded. "We’ve also moved much deeper into the forest than we originally planned. We should start heading back toward the gate."
Rook agreed with them. Their current location was several miles away from the entrance, and the remaining twenty-four hours were not enough to waste. They still had no idea whether the academy expected every participant to possess a golden stone or whether the stones were simply proof that they had completed part of the objective.
The instructions had been vague enough to leave room for several interpretations, which was exactly the sort of thing academies apparently enjoyed doing to teenagers.
"We’ll search while we’re moving," Rook said. "If we find more stones along the way, we’ll take them. There’s no reason to stay here just for that."
Milo nodded. "Then we’re heading back."
Once they finished eating, the group extinguished the fire and packed everything they could carry. They left the cave together, with the stronger participants naturally positioning themselves around the others as they moved through the forest. Rook stayed near the front with Milo, occasionally stopping to examine the surroundings whenever something caught his attention.
The journey toward the gate was slow because they couldn’t simply run through the forest without knowing what was waiting ahead. They moved carefully between the trees, avoiding areas where they could hear the movements of demon beasts and checking every clearing before crossing it. Several times they found objects that looked like golden stones from a distance, only to discover that they were ordinary pieces of rock reflecting the sunlight.
Around midday, one of the girls suddenly stopped and pointed toward a bush.
"There!"
Everyone turned.
A golden stone was partially hidden beneath the leaves. The participant who spotted it immediately picked it up, and the others gathered around to inspect it.
"That’s real," Rook said after examining it.
The girl smiled. "Then that’s another one."
"Keep it safe," Rook replied. "We don’t know how many we’ll find before reaching the gate."
They continued their journey afterward, and the forest gradually became quieter as they moved farther away from the area where they had spent the previous day. Rook noticed the change almost immediately. There were fewer birds, fewer insects, and almost no distant sounds from demon beasts. Even the wind seemed strangely weak beneath the thick canopy.
He slowed down.
Milo noticed and looked at him. "What?"
"Nothing."
Rook continued walking, but his eyes remained fixed on the surroundings. The silence wasn’t necessarily dangerous, but after everything that had happened since entering the forest, he had learned not to ignore his instincts.
They eventually reached a wide section of forest surrounded by enormous trees. A shallow depression stretched across the ground ahead, and near its center lay what appeared to be a large injured animal.
Several members of the group immediately slowed down.
"Is that a demon beast?" someone asked.
Rook stared at it.
The creature had dark fur and appeared to be breathing heavily. One of its legs was bent awkwardly, and there were several scratches across its body. It looked weak enough that even a relatively inexperienced participant might have been able to kill it.
"We should go around," Rook said.
One of the participants frowned. "Why? It’s injured."
"We don’t know what it is."
"It could have a golden stone."
Rook’s expression tightened. "And it could also be bait."
The participant hesitated, but another stepped forward. "We’ve been walking for hours. If it’s injured, we can kill it quickly and keep moving."
Rook didn’t like the idea, but before he could stop them, the participant moved closer to the creature.
The demon beast slowly raised its head.
Its eyes were completely still.
Rook’s Perception suddenly picked up something beneath the ground.
His expression changed.
"Get back!"
The creature’s body suddenly disappeared into the earth.
A tremendous roar erupted from beneath them.
The ground exploded.
A massive creature burst from the depression, throwing dirt and broken roots into the air as its enormous body emerged. Its dark scales reflected the sunlight, while two enormous horns curved backward from its head. Its jaws opened wide, revealing rows of teeth that were far too large for any ordinary demon beast.
Rook immediately recognized the pressure coming from it.
"Rank D!"
The group froze for a fraction of a second before panic spread through them.
"Run!"
Everyone turned at once, but the demon beast slammed one massive claw into the ground.
The impact sent a shockwave through the earth, forcing several participants off their feet. Trees shook violently as the creature roared again, and Rook immediately realized that it wasn’t simply trying to attack one person.
It was controlling their escape route.
The beast moved between the group and the path they had been using, effectively cutting them off from the direction of the gate.
Rook clenched his fists.
The injured creature they had seen earlier hadn’t been injured at all.
It had been waiting beneath the ground.
The entire thing had been a trap.
Milo hurried toward Rook with his weapon drawn. "What now?"
Rook stared at the Rank D demon beast as it slowly lowered its body, preparing to charge.
His mind immediately began calculating their chances.
There were several participants, but none of them appeared capable of fighting a Rank D demon beast alone. Rook had enough mana to use several powerful abilities, but he had already learned the difference between fighting a skilled human and fighting a creature whose physical strength could overwhelm them.
He looked toward the trees behind the demon beast.
"The gate is that way."
Milo followed his gaze. "So we go around it?"
Rook shook his head.
"Not yet."
The demon beast suddenly charged.
Rook raised both hands as the earth beneath his feet cracked.
"If we run now, it’ll chase us."
The creature’s enormous body rapidly closed the distance.
Rook’s eyes hardened.
"We’re going to make it regret blocking our path."