Nathan's Choices

One week later. 

Jason looked at the students with a solemn expression. "Everyone has worked hard in the past seven days. However, everything is just a preparation for this.

"For the next seven days, all of you will be living inside the Tevlan Forest. You only have one task on this trip. It's to get as many points as you can. Take a look at this list." Jason pointed at the poster he had just put up.

Survive: 1000 points.

Kill a proto-class: 10 points.

Kill a juvenile class: 100 points.

"These three are the only ways to earn points. The five people who have gotten the most points will be rewarded with special grade sacrifice material and cores. Any questions?" 

"Teacher. Isn't the forest dangerous?" A student asked, her face turning pale as there was a possibility of dying. 

"You will be given this necklace." Jason took out a simple necklace with a tiny green jade on it. "This necklace serves three purposes: showing us your location and counting the number of your kills. There will be four teachers, including me, that will monitor the whole forest. We are assisted by our familiars to keep you safe. 

"However, if we deem that you have failed, it means that you will have to retire with the amount of points you've gathered at that point.

"Of course, if you think that you can't continue the trip anymore, you are free to crush this necklace. It'll give us a signal that you've given up."

Another student asked, "What will happen if we kill an alien together?"

"The points will be divided evenly. The pendant will record it directly, so you don't have to worry about it." Jason fell silent for a minute. Seeing there were no other people raising their hands, Jason pointed out the pile of items behind them. "In that case, we'll call your names and let you choose the ten items that you'll bring for this trip. We'll also make sure that you don't bring anything else. Each person only has five minutes to choose."

"Stella Riveria."

"Here!" 

The teacher started calling the people one by one. People were panicking because they didn't know what to bring. 

Some of them had family members that had gone to this academy once, so they understood a bit of survival items. 

Meanwhile, those without experiences or those underestimating this trip choose items randomly, thinking this was easy. 

Some people actually chose different items due to their summons. If they summoned an elf, they didn't really have to bring a lot of things since the elf was a survival specialist. 

After more than an hour, Nathan was called. 

He looked at the piles of items. Even though he had expected this, he was quite overwhelmed by the sheer amount of items he could pick. 

'Should I pick a tent? But I don't know how to set up the tent. Cooking? I have never learned how to cook, but at least I should make a fire to warm me up, so a box of matches is it?

'Even though I don't use weapons, I think I should bring a survival knife as well. I will also have a first aid kit, a water bottle, a rope, a blanket, a small towel, a compass, a small iron pot, and some spices, I guess. Maybe Fenrir can catch some fish, and I'll grill it. It should be simple, right?' 

Nathan picked up all the items he had in mind and showed them to Jason. 

"You have ten items." Jason confirmed it with a nod before handing a small box. "This will be your share of jerky. It should be enough to last for ten days. You will also receive two pairs of t-shirts and pants. That's all you'll have for the next seven days. If you want to change some items, you still have two minutes."

"No. This is fine."

"Alright. You may proceed to the carriage that will bring you to the teleportation circle."

Nathan nodded. He packed up his luggage nicely inside the bag. It was quite big, but not too heavy for him to carry. It might hinder him a bit during a battle, but he should be able to easily drop the bag.

Of course, he was also wearing the gloves that Vivian gave. 

When he came out of the room, he noticed that several students had actually summoned their familiars to carry the stuff for them.

Nathan couldn't help but wonder what they would do if the familiar became too tired or unable to move perfectly when they encountered an enemy. 

In the end, Nathan just went ahead and sat on the carriage. It took them a while before the carriage was filled up. Because they called the people randomly, Selena was already ahead, making him once again an outcast.

It took them only several minutes to reach the city's plaza. Instead of a water fountain to decorate the middle of the plaza, they erected a huge circular platform in the middle. There were two big white pillars connected with an arch at the top. 

When they climbed onto the platform, they could see a huge, complex magic circle covering the entire platform.

An old woman wearing a school uniform had been waiting for them.

"Welcome. Some of you might already know this, but this might be the first time for some of you. This is a teleportation circle that has been arranged by familiars. We'll be using this to reach the rural village located near the entrance of Tevlan Forest.

"Once you reach the village, there will be another teacher telling you the next step. This might get a bit dizzy even for people who have used it several times. You can close your eyes to reduce it. Get ready everyone."

Once the old woman tapped the ground, the magic circle shone brightly. 

Some students closed their eyes out of fear, while others were already used to it. Nathan's eyes remained open this time, finding his vision blinded by rainbow-colored light as if he were accelerating.

It was no wonder why the teacher said they would get dizzy. It wasn't just moving in a single direction. The light was curving randomly for several seconds before the sunlight once again replaced the blurry light. It was also the sign that they had reached the village.