I still lie on the bed recovering from my wound. Not an ounce of Lumin coursing through my skin.
It's strange—knowing the feeling of Lumin passing through your body. Like water flowing through a pipe, but it's inside you, and you know every coordinate it travels through. I wonder if I can feel this, even though I'm not from this world. What if Lumin could exist on Earth? But judging by how we treat things, they'd either weaponize it or make it illegal.
No one is with me right now. Aurelia is with Dominio, trying to talk to Zora. Rela is off doing her own things. Alexandria is being a loner as always.
It's just me. The setting sun. And the waves singing.
Never thought the journey to the Highlands would be this long. Judging by the map, it's comparable to the distance between France and the UK. If it takes almost this long to travel there, then this world is truly massive.
I sit up from the creaking bed.
Man, I'm bored. Nothing to do. Can't really do anything since my body is still recovering.
Usually I'm with Kora, and we just talk, or she'd teach me Drakvan. But now the separation has really dawned on me.
I miss her.
I miss that emotional red-haired Drakvan. Though she's on the adventurers' ship, meaning they'll reach the Highlands faster. I hope she's alright. I hope she doesn't miss me too much.
After seeing her cry in the Black Forest, something triggered in me. I don't want to see her crying. That's the main motivation for why I'm still alive. After fighting the rookies, Dell, Ren—it's because I don't want to die and make her sad.
It's like I'm her only anchor. And she's also my anchor.
Wait...
Do I like her?
My face reddens. I stand up and stretch.
No way. She's cute and emotional, but... nah. I can't. There's no way.
The metal safe opens slowly. I turn my head, then step back.
What the hell?!
A figure emerges. A guy with white hair and blue eyes. A face like a model, wearing a detailed coat.
"Man, these healers are fast." He stretches the back of his head casually. "Though the beds are uncomfortable."
His voice is almost British, but still different. Distinct.
He looks at me. "Oh, you're the crazy man who killed the lizard." He points at me. "What's the name again? Zack? Zon? Zain?"
"My name is Zain."
His eyes widen. "Zain, yes, yes. The one who tore the jaw off a man."
"Who are you?"
"Edward Garrendale. Ice mage."
I could've sworn I'd heard that name before. Aurelia mentioned it after I came back from my talk with Rowan.
"Why were you in the safe? Isn't that a surgery room?"
He scratches his head again. "Fought a religious maniac."
Religious maniac?
"Rowan?"
He nods. "He ambushed me to get a kill."
"Ambushed you?"
He sighs, then places a hand on his hip. "For points."
I sit on the bed as he leans on the wall beside me, crossing his arms.
"What do these points do? Each kill gives you a point, right? So what do they do?"
"The rookie with the highest kill count gets to change the rules. If you win, you can make a wish—an advantage for the final exam."
"And you're a psychopath." I look up at him, eyes narrowed.
There's no way he knows that much about the rules if he's not one.
"I am." His voice is low. Almost like he hates that position.
"Have you killed?"
"Only one. A rookie who was already dying. I just made his death quicker. I was the first to kill in the exam. Others caught up and surpassed me. I still have one kill after two days."
"You don't want the wish?"
"I don't want the idea of murdering someone and ruining their dream for my own selfish benefit."
I hadn't really thought of that. But why did he do it?
"What are the requirements of a psychopath?"
"There are no requirements. You're chosen by the moderators. They say kill rookies for points. Most points get you a wish."
...What?
The same moderators who lectured me about my values now make rookies fight and kill one another in this exam.
If they're doing this—if they're encouraging this violence—then why did they make us fight like savages? How did Kora and her brother survive this exam to become adventurers?
"So do you know who the psychopaths are?"
"Zora. Rowan. Me. Ren was one, but you killed him." He glances at my bandaged arms.
So Zora is one of them. I had a feeling. His aura was just different. It signaled danger.
Edward notices me thinking. "You okay?"
I shake my head. "Zora came to me asking for an alliance. His objective was to dominate the ship, but I didn't trust him. His aura was just... different. More deadly."
Edward nods. "I haven't seen him, but I trust you."
"You trust me? I literally killed a priest."
"I've heard of men doing worse things with a smile. But you're different. You show regret for what you've done."
"Thanks, I guess." I smile slightly.
Edward pushes himself off the wall and walks toward the door.
"If you have any problem, just call me. I also want to survive, but being a loner is suicide now."
He closes the door.
Now I'm alone again. Still recovering. Still waiting for my Lumin to return.
I'll need as much energy as possible for the war to come.