Chapter 40
Most teams took the shortest path to the final destination of the mountain hill, thinking of making their way there after getting the required number of crystals.
But it had been five hours, and still not a single team had passed.
The screen floating above their heads showed the current progress.
Crown Prince Daniel now occupied first position, with the marker indicating four white flags in front of his name. It already meant he was only short of one mana crystal and would soon be done.
Callisto's team occupied second, while Marian held third.
Lillian's team had already been pushed to fourth position.
But the biggest change on the list was Azek's team. Previously in the last position, it had suddenly jumped in rank.
It now stood at eighth position.
The marker only indicated two white flags, but the number of kills was frightening.
26.
Even the crown prince's team hadn't managed to get past seven kills, despite having the advantage of mana crystals.
When the number appeared, it sent chills down the entire battlefield.
Azek's hand still reverberated from the recoil of shooting bullets nonstop.
Cardinal Magnus had already warned him—his core was like a new born baby and it would collapse if he pushed past his limits.
And Azek knew exactly where those limits were.
Sixty percent.
That was the most internal mana he could use without burdening his core.
Much of that stability came from Cardinal's constant healing, and from Azek's strict habit of never exceeding twenty percent during training.
Now that caution was paying off.
He simply focused on one thing.
Maximize the result with minimal mana input.
Now a bit fatigued, he still managed to keep everything under forty percent.
A slightly painful tinge ran through his core and he put his hand into his inner pocket.
A bunch of holy amulets lay inside.
He had requested his family to procure as many as possible before the exams.
They had sent all the available amulets from the Willowheart residence in response to his request.
An amulet got crushed and seeped into his heart.
He felt a little better.
They trudged into the forest according to Edrin's map.
Rebecca was now actively checking for sound transmissions and making adjustments to their route.
They were currently headed toward the central area.
Unlike most parts of the forest, the central area showed fewer flags.
But none of them had been taken.
The screen floating above their heads changed again.
Two of the teams had given up their attempt and shot flare signals for help.
Their names turned red instantly, and professors rushed toward the location.
Azek's footsteps slowed.
He looked at the screen and then asked Rebecca,
"Can you pinpoint their location?"
She nodded and sat down.
Edrin moved beside her, ready to mark the map.
She placed her hands on the ground and the spell seeped into the earth.
After a few moments, she slowly opened her eyes.
"One is around 1,200 meters south, and one is toward the north. I can't tell the exact distance, but it is beyond 3,000 meters."
Azek pondered and formulated a plan.
"Let's head toward the center at full speed. I'm guessing after the professors rescue the students, the monsters will run in all directions, and we would most likely be swept away in the middle before even reaching our goal."
Edrin nodded thoughtfully and conjured a tree vein and asked them to grab it.
They did.
It launched like a whip, sending them into the air.
Rebecca manifested a simple boulder that cushioned their landing before they went airborne again.
The distance shortened rapidly while Mathew shot arrows at any monsters in their path, only injuring them so they wouldn't hinder their movement.
Azek killed the injured monsters whenever he got the chance, and the kill count on the screen slowly climbed upward.
An open area appeared before them.
A flat land without trees or cover stretched out ahead, with numerous monsters guarding the mana crystals.
"There are flags… but the of monsters is insane as well."
Mathew commented.
"There is no other way around. We have to lure them into the forest and kill them slowly."
Mathew grew distraught.
"Won't that take the whole day?"
"Don't worry. We have supplies precisely for such situations. And you're forgetting something."
Azek gestured toward the floating screen.
"There is no time indicated for the end of the exam."
They jolted at this realization.
The only time displayed was the start of the exam.
There was no timer showing when the exam would end.
Edrin immediately grabbed Azek's shoulder.
"Azek… don't tell me you—"
He swallowed the rest of his words.
"I don't know what you're thinking," Azek said calmly, "but I'm treating this exam as a training ground."
"After all, we don't know when we'll get such an opportunity again to fight monsters under safety measures."
"Because if a real situation occurs, we won't have time for anything except putting our lives on the line to fight these abominations."
he paused and then continued.
"And they won't be kind enough to announce themselves before arriving at our doorstep."
Silence descended.
Rebecca waved her hand and removed her robe.
Her hair, which she hadn't bothered styling much, had already become messy.
She tied it into a tight bun.
She opened the robe and folded the sleeves of her shirt taking off her vest.
Her bag now lay on the ground.
Birthmarks were visible on her arms, but she didn't hesitate.
And to no one's surprise, nobody asked about them.
She cast a spell and both pieces of cloth were neatly folded and buried alongside her bag inside a makeshift box beneath the boulder.
She then looked at the others.
"If you have anything to keep aside, lay it there. They will be safe."
The entire team immediately unloaded their extra load and only kept signal flares.
The boulder sank underground.
Rebecca placed both arms on the ground and began casting an elaborate incantation.
When she finished, she looked at Azek.
"So roughly how much time will we be spending in this exam?"
"It depends on how much mana reserve you have."
For the first time, they saw Rebecca smile.
"You sure drive people like slaves, don't you?"
Azek smiled as well and shrugged his shoulders..