“Tomorrow, is it?”
The second test, Token Defense.
It was something that even Berton, the Chief Instructor of Hell Island, was quite looking forward to.
These past several years.
The rabble, gathered like crows, that had never once been united had changed.
And amusingly, the one who had gathered that trash was a trainee who had carried the nickname Idiot.
‘Idiot…… Theron.’
He could not know why the boy had carried such a nickname.
But what mattered was that the boy now held tremendous potential, more than any trainee Berton had ever seen.
Especially…….
‘What happened…… in the Shadow Forest?’
Not only his height but even his physique had changed.
The puny impression he had given was completely gone, and a very sturdy-looking presence stood out.
That was why Berton had moved Token Defense, originally prepared as the fourth test, to be the second test.
And had placed him in the same group as Section 3, where the most outstanding trainees were gathered, at that.
“Chief Instructor.”
An instructor said as he entered Berton's office.
“All preparations are complete. Shall I deploy the instructors?”
“How many are currently scheduled?”
“Fifty instructors will be deployed as observers of the test.”
They were called observers, but in effect, they served as watchers against any unsavory incidents that might occur.
At that, Berton seemed to ponder briefly, then.
“Deploy an additional twenty Enforcers. I will write a letter, so deliver it to Belatuk.”
Belatuk was the one who managed the Enforcers. At those words, the junior instructor gulped.
Though they were instructors here, the Enforcers were always uncomfortable presences.
Were they not the only ones over whom the instructors' authority held no sway?
“U, understood.”
“Any other problems?”
“None. As of now, we judge that preparations are perfect.”
“Even so, check everything once more, right to the end.”
“Yes, understood!”
At the junior instructor's answer, Berton gestured toward the door with his chin.
Soon, when he had left.
“I would like a somewhat unexpected result.”
He simply looked outside with an expression that, unlike usual, was mixed with a little expectation.
***
The week passed truly like an arrow.
At last, the day of the second test.
Under the instructors' control, the Section 5 trainees walked toward the forest where the test would be held.
And…….
“……F*ck, I'm so fucking nervous.”
“My heart's pounding.”
At Renil's words, Tioren muttered in a low voice.
They had prepared for this test more seriously and fiercely than for anything before.
Was that why?
There was no way to stop being more nervous than usual.
But it was then.
“Just do what you've been doing. Don't try to do better, either. That's usually when mistakes happen.”
“Doesn't it bother you at all? Word's spread through the whole training camp that we're aiming for third place in this test.”
That was the problem.
They did not know how it had spread, but rumors about Section 5 were already going around through the other instructors.
Naturally…….
“Everyone's going to be itching to eat us alive…… Haa…… it's driving me crazy already.”
Renil frowned and scratched his head roughly.
But Theron shook his head.
“Even so, nothing changes. We did everything we could over the past month.”
Soon they arrived at the forest where the test would be held. At that, Bengle turned around and said.
“This is our starting point. Even if you go in right away, you probably will not run into the other sections' trainees on the first day, so focus on guarding your tokens.”
The perimeter of the forest where the Token Defense test would be held was over 30km.
But it was not so large that one could not find others, so they could not let their guard down.
“I believe this is the first time I have said this to you…… but I wish you luck in battle.”
Bengle said calmly.
Because what these brats had shown over the past month was enough.
Now there was nothing to do but hope luck was on their side.
And at Bengle's words, the expressions of the Section 5 trainees turned serious.
“Hoo…… let's do this.”
“Yeah, it's not like we've just been goofing off all this time.”
Though they were at the bottom, had they not endured that grueling training and survived until now?
Moreover, this past month, they had pushed themselves incomparably harder than ever before.
Theron looked at them.
“Just remember what we learned over the past month. If anyone attacks, keep one thing in mind. They're not hunters. They're trainees pretending to be hunters…… no different from us at all.”
If they steadied themselves that way, they would not get scared in advance and make the worst move.
Theron recalled his past experience and spoke calmly to his companions.
At that…….
“Got it. I'll try.”
“……I don't like it, but I think you're right.”
Following Perka, Valk said in a low voice.
At first, Valk had seemed to follow only reluctantly, but after spending a month with Theron, he seemed to have come to acknowledge him a little.
But at Valk's words.
“What fucked-up crap. If he's right, he's right. What's this about not liking it?”
Harganto, who was standing behind him, said to Valk.
At those words, Valk bristled and looked back, but Theron stepped in immediately.
“If you plan on all of us dying in this test, go ahead and fight here. I'll just step out.”
“……No.”
“Sorry. That was uncalled for.”
The two each took a step back.
From what they had seen so far, Theron was the type who always kept the words he spoke.
At the swiftly settled situation, Theron said.
“Don't let your guard down from the moment you enter the forest. Like the instructor said, the other sections' bastards probably won't strike on the first day, but that's not the only thing we have to watch out for.”
Everyone nodded.
But unlike at first, the look of fear seemed to have faded a little.
At the sight, Theron looked at them.
They might have thought Theron was using them for the bet he had made with the instructor.
However, among the Section 5 trainees there, not a single one thought so.
This past month.
The diligence and grit Theron had shown.
And because they knew it was Theron who had changed the atmosphere of Section 5, which had been savage to a terrible degree.
‘If Theron disappears…….’
‘That hell will start all over again.’
Since Theron had taken control of Section 5, their bodies had been harder pressed by training than ever before.
But their hearts had never suffered.
They never wanted to go back to how things had been.
At the sight of his comrades, Theron chuckled.
“Let's all pass this test and go back, no matter what. Let's show them we've changed.”
“Yeah!”
“We can do it!”
“Let's do this, what the hell!”
With morale soaring, the Section 5 trainees began to enter the forest.
Everyone wore a determined expression.
Among them, Theron, the only one with a calm expression, said.
“Never leave the squads we set up in advance, and focus on watch duty, especially at night. The moment even one person gets careless, that squad could just fall apart.”
“Don't worry. But will you be okay alone?”
Of the forty-two trainees, only Theron had decided to move alone.
They trusted Theron's skill, but the worry that going alone might be too dangerous came first.
But Theron shook his head.
“Don't worry about me. Just focus on your own survival.”
“……Okay.”
“See you safe and sound, Theron.”
“Be careful.”
After saying goodbye to the roommate trio and parting ways, Theron immediately picked up speed and ran into the forest.
Analyzing the present coldly, as long as they avoided the Section 3 guys, there was no one who could overwhelmingly crush them.
That meant that if the Section 3 guys were caught first, there was a chance every trainee of Theron's Section 5 could succeed.
So his companions had formed squads of six and devised a defense-oriented strategy at designated hideouts.
And while they survived by defending.
‘Section 3 first…… I'll strike them first.’
Before long, Theron's figure was seeping into the thicket.
***
“What are we doing about Section 5?”
“Obviously, we find them first.”
“Then you're planning to hit them right away, right?”
The place where the Section 3 trainees were gathered.
At one trainee's words, the guy beside him frowned.
“We can't hit them right away. They'll be hoping for a bright result in their own way, won't they? We leave them alone until the last day and wipe them out right before it ends.”
“Oh?”
“That sounds fun.”
The atmosphere heated up in an instant.
Taking first place was already a given.
The Section 3 trainees were full of thoughts about how to torment the other sections' bastards.
And the trainee who had come up with that plan looked at Isaac, who was sitting a little way off.
“Isaac, the plan's good, right? First we just pinpoint where the other sections' bastards are, then slowly tighten the noose.”
“…….”
Isaac was silent.
Since entering this forest, he had been bothered by a strangely irritating feeling.
‘What is this feeling?’
A filthy feeling, as if someone were watching him.
Isaac used mana to heighten his senses.
But as if this feeling were merely needless worry on his part, there was nothing around.
Then the guy who had devised the plan approached Isaac.
“Isaac?”
“I changed my mind. We're sweeping them all away from the first day.”
“All of them?”
“Yeah. We're taking the tokens of every last bastard except us.”
It was a test that had set the table for them to fight properly.
Only by winning overwhelmingly in a test like this could they keep their life in this training camp comfortable from here on.
‘If we show even the slightest opening…….’
There was no knowing when those fickle instructors would turn their backs on them.
For now, they were guaranteed a degree of freedom thanks to their good marks, but he knew how the trainees of the other sections lived.
“Find those Section 5 bastards. They had the nerve to run their mouths about third place, so they'll have to pay the price.”
Isaac said, with the filthy feeling of someone holding a knife to the back of his head.
It felt as though he could only be at ease once he had settled the match as quickly as possible.
‘……This has never happened before.’
Was it because it was the first time competing with other trainees in the same place?
He acted as though it was not, but…….
‘Am I nervous?’
For reasons he could not know, Isaac's mind grew complicated.
But it did not matter.
He could just smash everything anyway.
“Split into squads and find where the others are. Then we regroup at this point.”
Isaac pointed to one part of the terrain map he had received in advance from the instructor.
On the fairly detailed terrain map, their assembly point was marked.
And as soon as Isaac finished speaking, the Section 3 trainees moved in perfect order to their assigned areas.
And then.
“…….”
Theron, who had been watching all this while hidden up in a tree.
He began to move stealthily somewhere.
Tab 16
The hidden power of the Valenruk family, which supported the Third Prince of the Kingdom of Bartian.
Called the Shadow Knight Order, they gathered after completing their final mission.
Now, all that remained for them was their moment of freedom, but…….
“A new history of the kingdom will be written thanks to what you wretches accomplished. Consider it an honor and close your eyes.”
‘Honor……? A new history of the kingdom……?’
What was any of that crap supposed to mean?
And so, Theron, Commander of the Shadow Knight Order, desperately wished for another chance before he died.
And he returned to the starting point of everything.
“This time, my sword will pierce your hearts, you wretches.”
Genres: Action, Adventure, Drama, Fantasy, Martial Arts, Seinen
Tags: Male Protagonist, Revenge, Betrayal, Second Chance, Time Travel, Mature Protagonist, Cold Protagonist, Calm Protagonist, Clever Protagonist, Genius Protagonist, Strategist, Hiding True Abilities, Hidden Abilities, Underestimated Protagonist, Weak to Strong, Hard-Working Protagonist, Charismatic Protagonist, Leadership, Past Plays a Big Role, Tragic Past, Death of Loved Ones, Cultivation, Mana, Sword And Magic, Sword Wielder, Knights, Nobles, Royalty, Kingdoms, Schemes And Conspiracies, Secret Organizations, Assassins, Survival, Cruel Characters, Poisons, Friendship, Comrades, Teamwork, Loyal Subordinates, Military