Kaen had just finished taking down a monster with a weird humanoid look. Grayish skin and limbs way too long for its body.
The creature hit the ground with a dry thud, dissolving into black particles right after.
Kaen stepped back a little, rotating his right wrist.
He could still feel the vibration of the repulsion echoing through his bones.
He had used Vector Fist, one of the game character's moves, to break the monster's guard and finish it with a quick burst from behind.
'If I push too hard, I'll end up snapping my arm.'
He looked at the bracelet.
His score was slowly going up, but he didn't care much.
He was still running tests.
Kaen stopped for a second, closed his eyes, and slowly stretched his hands out.
He felt the lines of repulsion around him. Truly felt them. Now he could fully understand those tiny invisible tensions in the air, like strings of force between him and the world around.
That was how he activated his skill, by tweaking the direction and strength of the impacts he wanted to release.
'In the game it all worked automatically... but here... I gotta feel it, measure it, and adjust too.'
He planted his feet and focused his energy into them, launching himself backwards. He flew about three meters, touched the ground, and slid until he stopped.
"Hah... that's new."
The repulsion reacted stronger. Like the lines were denser here in the physical world than in the game simulation.
Rustle... rustle...
A noise in the bushes caught Kaen's attention.
It was quiet, but fast. He turned immediately, activating Contact Dodge by instinct.
A magical boar leapt out from the foliage, its eyes glowing and tusks coated in mana. The creature charged straight at him, full speed and rage.
As soon as it hit Kaen's body, an invisible pulse exploded around him.
The boar was thrown sideways like it had smashed into a force wall.
"That was close."
Contact Dodge didn't last long. Two seconds max.
But in that moment, the repulsion zone wrapped around Kaen was enough to block anything that touched him.
The boar charged again.
Kaen sidestepped and shoved it with a short repulsion shot.
... THUMP!
The hit threw it off balance. Kaen moved in, charging power into his right fist as he slammed it into the boar's ribs.
THRAMM!
Its body flew into a tree.
"Here, take another little breeze..."
Kaen stretched out his hand and finished it off with another repulsion blast, smashing it into the trunk before it even hit the ground.
The bracelet beeped.
[ +13 Points ]
He took a deep breath.
He stared at the bracelet.
'Hmmm? Looks like when they don't drop crystals, it just gives you a flat score.'
"Alright... time to test this properly."
Kaen turned and started walking deeper into the forest, looking for a more interesting enemy.
===
That side of the forest was dead quiet.
The leaves barely moved, and the air felt heavier.
Elena clenched the cloth between her teeth, trying to suppress the pain as she tied a bandage around her left arm.
"Nnh..."
A small groan slipped from her lips.
She remembered the fight with Iris.
She barely made it out, thanks to something she pulled off using a trick from her past life. A blurry memory, but it worked.
She sighed and muttered:
"Sorry, Iris... ended up using something I learned somewhere else..."
She looked down, still pressing the cloth over the cut.
"But you also attacked me from behind... you really were a..."
Realizing she was about to say something a bit too harsh for a bunch of teenagers, she stopped before cursing. Closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
Then stood up slowly, leaning against the tree.
"I just need to hold on until the test ends."
Looking at her bracelet, she saw there were still 43 minutes left.
She had 152 points.
If she got knocked out, she'd lose 30% of that. Still, it would be enough to stay in the top twenty. But that wasn't what she wanted.
She needed more.
She needed to be at the top, get into the best classes, with the most sought-after instructors. This was her second chance. Her new life. And she wasn't planning on wasting it.
'This is my second chance... and I'm not making the same mistakes.'
She kept walking, stepping carefully between roots and dry branches. For a while, the only sound was her own breathing.
Until she heard something.
Light footsteps.
Someone was close.
'~shit...'
She turned immediately, shifting into a combat stance without even thinking, even with her injured arm.
But the one who came out from between the trees wasn't a monster.
It was someone she knew all too well.
Tall, dark brown hair, eyes a sharp grayish green. He had the proud stance of a warrior and the relaxed walk of someone who knew exactly what they were worth.
Rayden Velmar.
A well-known name among the young elite.
Elena knew him well.
Not just because of his famous family, but because they had worked together before, in the future.
He watched her for a few seconds, then spoke.
"It's okay. I'm not gonna fight you."
She kept her guard up a second longer, then let out a soft sigh and relaxed her shoulders.
"Well... if you say so..."
Rayden took a few steps until he was beside her. Elena still kept a bit of distance, but she didn't seem worried anymore.
"You don't look so good."
"I've been worse."
Rayden raised an eyebrow, curious.
'Worse than this?'
He thought it, but didn't say it out loud.
'What kind of training would make someone like her see this as nothing?'
He wanted to ask but held back as the two started walking.
"It's nothing serious. If it was, I would've been eliminated already."
They exchanged a few words as they moved through the forest. Nothing deep. At least not for Elena.
Rayden, on the other hand, seemed more focused than he let on.
"Wait, really??"
"Yeah. I got 178 points."
"You were really aiming for first place."
"Well... you're not slacking either."
Elena looked away and, for a second, glanced at herself.
Her academy uniform was torn in a few places, especially on the left side. The bottom of her pants was caked in dried mud, and the sleeve still had dark blood stains. The makeshift bandage on her recently injured arm was tight, but barely hid the wound.
The sweat on her face had already dried, but left clear marks. Stray strands of hair kept sticking to her forehead.
Any noble girl her age would've screamed seeing that mess.
Elena, just like Rayden, was taking things seriously.
But why?
Anyone could've asked that.
Elena also came from a prestigious family. The great House Elrien, known for wielding the legendary Scarlet Flame.
So why go so hard? Why push herself like this on the very first test?
She shook her head gently, like brushing off a memory before it could fully form.
Elena's mind wanted to go back. To remember the real reason behind all of this. But she didn't like that. The past wasn't something she wanted to relive.
Rayden noticed.
He had been watching in silence until then, and said in a light tone:
"You don't have to prove anything to anyone here. Just do things your own way."
Elena turned her face slightly toward him, surprised.
But she didn't respond.
She only thought:
'...What is this?? Am I getting life advice from a kid?'
"Looks like I'm goi—"
Elena stopped mid-sentence.
Her body froze for a second.
A presence was approaching.
Rayden felt it too. His hand was already resting on his sword, ready for anything.
Both stared toward the trail covered in bushes and twisted trees, where that flow of mana was coming from.
"What do you think, Elena?! A monster?"
"No... the mana is way too stable for that."
Rayden's eyes stayed sharp.
"If he wants to fight, things might get messy."
From within the vegetation, footsteps crunched over dry leaves.
A shadow appeared. Shoulders relaxed, light hair a bit messy, and half-lidded eyes, a dull red. His posture was way too calm for the situation.
'That guy... here?'
Rayden thought, already on alert.
Kaen walked straight toward them. Elena didn't take her eyes off him for a second. She didn't look surprised. Or scared. But there was something strange on her face. Something Rayden couldn't read.
Rayden stared at Kaen, who kept coming toward them.
'Is he looking for a fight?? I can handle myself... but what about Elena?'
Kaen kept getting closer.
Rayden glanced quickly at Elena. She still hadn't looked away.
'Damn... if he tries anything against Elena, we've got a problem.'
Rayden got ready. Hands tight on the hilt of his sword. His mind ran through tactics, positioning, possible moves, ways to counter...
'I can manage, but I can't fight while protecting Elena. I don't even know his abilities. This could go south for her. How's he gonna strike? What's his range? How does he—'
Kaen walked right past them.
He was fiddling with his bracelet, pressing buttons.
"Why won't this stupid thing work...?"
He muttered under his breath, trying to register the magic crystal in his hand.
Rayden followed him with his eyes.
Kaen didn't look at them. Didn't acknowledge them. Didn't say a word. It was like they didn't even exist.
And for some reason... that bothered Rayden more than if they had been attacked.
He kept staring at Kaen's back, until he vanished into the bushes.
'Why didn't he do anything?'
Rayden asked himself.
He had so many chances to strike. Even if he didn't want to fight, letting someone get that close without warning was insane during a test.
But... he didn't do anything.
Rayden turned, looking to Elena for some kind of answer.
But what he saw made him stop.
She wasn't angry. Or tense. Or relieved.
Her expression was calm.
It looked...
Sad.
A look of pity.
Rayden didn't get it.
'Pity...? Why?'
What did that guy have... that made Elena look at him like that?