The ground splits as a massive snake formed of twisting vines lunges toward Wang Hui's previous position, its maw snapping shut on empty air as he vanishes from where he stood.
He rolls to the side, barely regaining balance before a volley of wooden arrows whistles through the air, striking where he would have risen.
He does not stop moving.
Another step.
Another dodge.
The battlefield shifts constantly beneath his feet as vines erupt from the ground, twisting, coiling, striking, forcing him into motion without pause.
Ahead, two figures stand side by side.
A male and a female apprentice.
Both mid-level.
Their spells intertwine seamlessly.
The male raises his hand.
"Wooden Snake."
The vine serpent reforms, slithering across the ground with terrifying speed.
"Moon Vines."
Thin vines burst upward, reaching for Wang Hui's legs, attempting to bind him.
At the same time, the female lifts her palm.
"Wooden Arrow."
Another rain of sharpened wood tears through the air.
"Poison Kiss."
A green mist lingers within the arrows, turning each strike deadly.
Wang Hui grits his teeth.
He cannot get close.
Every step forward is blocked.
Every approach is cut off.
They fight like one mind.
He raises his hand.
"Magic Missile."
A rune formation flashes, and bolts of mana shoot toward them.
The male responds instantly.
"Meizi's Vine Shield."
Thick, red-tinged iron vines rise and coil together, forming a dense barrier.
The missiles shatter against it.
The female follows.
"Petal Shield."
Petal-like constructs of energy spin around her, deflecting stray impacts.
Wang Hui lands, breath slightly uneven.
He dodges again as the vine snake lunges.
Then again, as arrows streak past.
He raises his arm.
A thin layer of mana coats his skin.
An arrow grazes him.
It burns.
But not deeply.
He staggers slightly.
Breathes heavier.
Let his shoulders drop.
Let's slow his movements.
He acts.
As if he is reaching his limit.
The two apprentices notice.
Their attacks intensify.
They believe they are winning.
Wang Hui keeps retreating.
Dodging.
Blocking.
Breathing harder each time.
He lets his mana appear unstable.
Let his steps falter.
Inside, his mind remains calm.
Waiting.
Watching.
Time passes.
Their spells begin to slow.
The vine snake forms slightly later.
The arrows lose their earlier density.
The shields flicker faintly.
Mana depletion.
Wang Hui's eyes sharpen.
Now.
His body erupts.
Crimson runes blaze across his skin.
The air trembles as his aura surges.
He steps forward,
No,
He vanishes forward.
Charging straight toward the female apprentice.
The gloves on his hands glow deep crimson, like blood dripping from steel.
The female's eyes widen.
She is slower.
Weaker.
The male sees it instantly.
"No!"
He throws himself forward.
His body moves between them.
Wang Hui's punch lands.
Directly.
On the male apprentice's chest.
A heavy crack echoes.
Bones shatter inward.
The impact lifts the male slightly before slamming him back down.
But instead of collapsing,
The male grabs Wang Hui's arm.
His grip is tight.
Desperate.
"Yueru… escape!"
The female freezes.
Tears flood her eyes.
"No…"
Her voice trembles.
But her hands still move.
"Wooden Arrow!"
The spell forms.
And fires.
Wang Hui reacts without thinking.
His arm moves.
Not to dodge,
But to shield.
He pulls the male apprentice in front of him.
The arrows strike.
Piercing through the male's back.
One.
Two.
Three.
The force drives through him.
Blood spills.
Wang Hui freezes.
His mind goes blank for a moment.
He did not plan that.
He did not think.
It just happened.
The male's grip weakens.
His body slides down.
Falling from Wang Hui's grasp.
He hits the ground heavily.
Still breathing.
Barely.
His eyes find the girl.
"Yueru… please… escape…"
The female shakes.
Her tears fall freely now.
She takes a step back.
Then another.
Wang Hui stands still.
He does not move.
Something inside him twists.
This is not his first kill.
But this,
This feels different.
The girl turns.
And runs.
Disappearing into the forest.
Wang Hui does not chase.
He does not raise his hand.
He does nothing.
The male's breathing fades.
The forest grows quiet again.
Wang Hui remains standing there.
Frozen.
For the first time,
He feels like the villain.
He exhales slowly, forcing the thought down, though it lingers at the edge of his mind, then bends and takes the space bag from the male apprentice before turning away without looking back.
He moves through the forest in silence and heads toward a hiding place he had scouted earlier, a narrow cave concealed behind a thin waterfall, where the constant sound of falling water masks any movement or presence.
Stepping inside, he settles down and takes out the badge he received upon entering the pod, glancing at the three numbers displayed on its surface.
930 points for himself.
78520 points for his academy.
Current rank, ninth.
The academy's minimum goal was to enter the top ten, and it has achieved that, but maintaining the rank is what truly matters, especially with one week remaining.
He knows what that means.
From tomorrow onward, the final week begins, and the island will descend into darkness, cutting off all observation from the outside world, turning every battle into something unseen and far more brutal.
He closes his eyes and begins to meditate.
Time flows quietly.
The night passes.
Morning arrives.
When he opens his eyes again, he steps out of the cave, the waterfall parting briefly as he exits, and activates his academy badge.
A map forms in his vision.
His position appears as a red dot.
Around him, scattered across the island, yellow dots flicker, participants from his academy.
He studies the map briefly, then chooses a direction where several dots cluster together and begins moving.
The journey takes hours.
He does not rush.
He avoids unnecessary exposure.
By the time the sun begins to set, he finally reaches the location.
He steps out from the forest and stops at the foot of a low hill.
Two apprentices from his academy stand nearby.
They both turn sharply at his arrival, surprise flashing across their faces.
One of them speaks.
"I saw you approaching on the badge," he says, frowning slightly, "but I couldn't sense you at all."
His gaze sharpens.
"You learned a spell to conceal your aura."
Wang Hui nods calmly.
No explanation follows.
The two exchange a glance, then gesture for him to follow.
They guide him up the hill and into the temporary base of their academy.
It is a small camp, built quickly, with makeshift wooden houses arranged in rough order.
There is tension in the air.
Fatigue.
Caution.
He is led deeper inside until a peak-level apprentice steps forward and looks at him.
"You're Wang Hui?"
Wang Hui nods.
"I'm Zhao San," the man says, then turns. "You're with us."
Zhao San leads him toward one of the wooden houses.
Inside, several apprentices sit or rest, their expressions serious.
Through brief introductions and quiet exchanges, Wang Hui learns the situation.
Twenty apprentices are already dead.
Thirty-six more are seriously injured and unable to fight.
The losses are heavy.
The camp is divided into seven teams.
Plans are already in place.
Tomorrow, four teams will move out to seize the Teal Iron mine from the White and Black Thunder Academies.
Zhao San's team is one of them.
No one speaks of retreat.
No one questions the plan.
Night passes quickly.
At dawn, the four teams depart.
They move through the forest in coordinated silence until they reach the vicinity of the mine.
From a distance, they spread out and conceal themselves among the trees, surrounding the entrance without revealing their presence.
They wait.
Then,
A signal.
Instantly, spells erupt from the forest.
Magic missiles, elemental bursts, and various attacks shoot toward the apprentices guarding the mine.
Three fall immediately.
The rest retreat into the mine, shouting as they regroup and begin retaliating from within.
Spells fly back from the entrance.
The forest trembles under the exchange.
Both sides attack relentlessly.
Then, as their mana begins to drop,
The order comes.
Charge.
The four teams surge forward.
They rush toward the mine while continuing to cast.
Among them, Wang Hui moves without hesitation.
Crimson runes flare across his body as his formation activates.
At the same time, he raises his hand again and again, releasing Magic Missiles in rapid succession as he advances with the others toward the entrance of the mine.
The battlefield collapses into chaos the moment both sides collide at close range.
Spells no longer travel in arcs from a distance.
They explode at arm's length.
Wang Hui steps into the fight without hesitation.
A mid-level apprentice rushes him first, panic in his eyes, casting a hurried spell that barely forms before Wang Hui's Magic Missile tears through his chest.
The man falls instantly.
But Wang Hui does not get the chance to breathe.
A late-level apprentice appears from the side.
Fast.
Precise.
A blade of lightning slashes toward him.
Wang Hui reacts late.
The attack cuts across his shoulder, tearing flesh and burning deep into bone.
Pain explodes.
He grits his teeth and counters.
Crimson energy surges across his arms as his fist drives forward.
The opponent blocks once,
Twice,
But Wang Hui presses relentlessly.
Ignoring his own injury.
Each strike is heavier than the last.
A final punch lands squarely on the opponent's chest.
The impact caves it in.
The late-level apprentice staggers, breath cut off, then collapses.
Dead.
Wang Hui stumbles slightly.
Blood drips from his arm.
But the battle does not stop.
Around him, screams rise and fall.
Spells detonate.
Bodies drop.
Then,
Silence.
The last of the enemy inside the mine falls.
For a brief moment, no one moves.
Then cheers erupt.
Relief.
Victory.
Wang Hui breathes heavily, forcing himself to stand straight as others quickly move to gather the mined ore.
He takes out his badge and checks.
Rank, eighth.
They had dropped to tenth yesterday.
Now they rise again.
There is no time to celebrate.
The teams gather quickly and discuss.
Defending the mine is too risky.
Too visible.
Too easy to be surrounded.
They decide to take everything and leave.
The ore is distributed and secured.
Then they retreat.
Moving fast.
Quiet.
But not fast enough.
Midway through their return, the forest erupts again.
An ambush.
Spells rain down from multiple directions.
The teams react instantly.
Formations break.
Clashes begin.
Wang Hui throws himself into another fight.
This time, there is no clear advantage.
Both sides are exhausted.
Both sides are desperate.
The battle becomes messy.
Close.
Brutal.
More fall.
From both sides.
By the time it ends, the forest is littered with bodies.
No one speaks.
No one cheers.
They simply move.
Returning to the safe house.
Days pass.
Battle after battle.
Ambush after ambush.
All academies fight relentlessly.
The island becomes a war zone.
Through constant struggle, the First Academy rises.
From the ninth,
To eighth,
To sixth,
Then finally,
Fifth.
The final day arrives.
Wang Hui moves with his team once more.
They continue hunting.
Searching.
Gathering whatever points they can before the end.
Time runs out.
Six hours remain.
Still, they push forward.
Thirty minutes left.
They enter a narrow ridge.
The terrain tightens.
The forest thins.
Wang Hui walks at the front.
He frowns slightly.
"This is too late," he mutters, his voice carrying back, "we should return now."
No response.
He pauses.
Something feels wrong.
He turns.
No one.
The ridge behind him is empty.
His team,
Gone.
His heart tightens.
He runs.
Back toward the entrance.
Fast.
Faster.
But when he reaches it,
A barrier stands in his way.
Invisible.
Solid.
He slams into it.
Stops.
His eyes widen.
Without hesitation, he raises his fist and attacks.
Again.
Again.
Cracks form.
With a final strike,
The barrier shatters.
He bursts through.
And looks up.
The sky is filled with movement.
Flying ships.
Leaving.
Not one.
Not two.
All thirty.
They soar away from the island.
Leaving him behind.
Alone.