Saving Drexel

In the cave, Arix had just finished taking care of Drexel's injuries. She stared straight at the handsome guy sleeping in front of her, her eyes flickering with intense struggle.

She was torn between saving him or not. If she saved him, she'd use up all her meds. If she didn't, she'd feel guilty.

After a bit of thinking, Arix, still undecided, opened her opticomputer and clicked on "Logistics Supplement" in the exam section.

A dazzling array of weapons, meds, and food appeared before her eyes, pricking her already vulnerable heart.

A basic nutrient solution was 10,000 astrocredits a dose; a pure steel sword was 500,000 astrocredits; a low-tier healing potion was a million a pop...

Arix took a deep breath to hold back the curses lodged in her throat.

Outside, a basic nutrient solution that cost ten was marked up a thousand times in this pay-to-win store. And the low-tier potions were even worse; what cost 1,000 astrocredits outside was now a million here in the Logistics Supplement.

Arix was on the verge of tears. If only she had checked the tutorial on making low-tier healing potions before entering the exam, she wouldn't be in this predicament, knowing full well it was a trap but having no choice but to step into it.

Finally, Arix clenched her teeth, shut her eyes tight, and bought a low-tier healing potion. She comforted herself non-stop. If that guy hadn't taken on those five insectoids, she wouldn't have had the chance to make insecticida. And that would have meant elimination for her.

Though that was the logic, Arix still felt so heartbroken that she bit her lips hard.

An NPC that looked like an angel appeared mid-air. Despite his cuteness and almost instant delivery, Arix still left a one-star review to vent her anger.

The little angel's eyes instantly filled with tears. He turned to leave with swallowed anger.

Arix, cruel and indifferent, turned around. She poured the potion into Drexel's mouth, deliberately leaving a drop. She wanted to see if she could analyze its components.

Arix first smelled it, then carefully tasted the potion.

After analyzing all the ingredients, Arix stared blankly at the empty potion bottle in her hand. 

These ingredients, worth just a few dozen astrocredits, had cost her a million. And this was all happening in a virtual world.

Arix rolled her eyes and said sarcastically, "The five academies might as well go rob in the streets. It'd look better than this."

Maybe it was because the potion worked well, or maybe Drexel was just naturally strong, but as Arix was still muttering, Drexel had already woken up. He looked around the cave and then focused on Arix.

"Did you save me?" Drexel seemed surprised as he sized up the small, slim girl in front of him.

Hearing the voice, Arix looked up at Drexel, her smile not quite reaching her eyes as she retorted, "Who else? You think someone else would spend a million to get you a healing potion?"

Drexel might have been a bit proud, but he was very grateful to the girl who saved him. He replied, "Thanks. I'm Drexel Kering. And you are?"

When Arix heard the young man's name was Drexel, she thought she was hearing things. In disbelief, she asked, "Drexel Kering? The guy who leads the team from the Hecaris Military Academy? How did you end up in such a mess? If I hadn't... saved you in time, you would have been eliminated by now."

Arix paused when she was about to mention the insecticida, subtly changing the subject. It wasn't that she was wary of Drexel; they just weren't close enough for her to reveal all her secrets.

Drexel saw the shock on Arix's face and felt uncomfortable, touching his nose awkwardly. "I didn't expect this year's entrance exam to be so tough. Students from the other four military schools were robbing us, and to make things worse, the insectoids that usually appear as the final challenge were everywhere this year. I got badly injured trying to take down a Subgiant-Class insectoid. Just when I finally managed to kill it, five Planet-Class insectoids showed up."

Arix fell silent, realizing something was off with the exam. She had thought she'd been scammed by the person who sold her the info, but it turned out the exam had been made more difficult.

Thinking this over, Arix looked up at Drexel and asked, "So you have no idea what's going on either?"

Drexel thought for a moment and replied, "If it were before, I might have thought it was because of Cirilla, the heir of the Rinn family. But since the Subgiant-Class insectoid, I'm not so sure. After all, a family heir shouldn't have the power to influence the military academy's exam."

Arix was a bit disappointed. Seeing Drexel looking even more troubled than herself, she got an idea and said with a twinkle in her eye, "Instead of sitting ducks, why don't we team up? We can share the points we get from killing insectoids. Sounds fair, right?"

Drexel gave Arix a look as if she were crazy. "You sure that's fair?"

Arix was displeased. "Hey, watch that look. Don't forget, I saved you from two Planet-Class insectoids."

Drexel was taken aback, not having fully realized it. The girl in front of him was lean, she looked like she could snap at any moment. From her appearance, Drexel couldn't see any sign that she could have saved him from two insectoids.

After a moment's hesitation, Drexel asked curiously, "Speaking of which... how did you save me from those two Planet-Class insectoids?"

"I'll tell you if you agree with the deal," Arix raised an eyebrow.

Drexel nodded promptly. He would have agreed just for Arix saving him, let alone anything else.

…

In a thicket on the battlefield, two sneaky figures peered through the bushes, scouting the surroundings.

Countless insectoid limbs were scattered across the ground, and the deep green blood of the insects corroded the earth, emitting a foul stench.

Numerous insectoids were devouring each other, evolving in the process.