[40]: Unicorn Bears

Breakfast time ended, and the candidates resumed their hunt for treasures.

To encourage competition, the examiners had announced they would only assess the value of the treasures on the seventh day. Until then, each candidate had to guard their finds themselves. Protecting one's treasure was also part of the exam.

While some candidates were busy combing the forest, others had more sinister plans.

Malo, who had become a target simply because he made a decent grilled fish, now faced a growing crowd of twisted smiles closing in on him. Taking a deep breath, he turned and bolted.

"Don't let him get away!"

"Catch him!"

"Our entire exam depends on him!"

As he ran, Malo yelled over his shoulder, "I won't help any of you!"

There was no way he would work for people trying to threaten or force him.

A knife suddenly flew toward him from behind. Acting on instinct, Malo dove to the ground, rolling through grass and mud as the blade embedded itself into a tree trunk ahead.

Without wasting a second, he scrambled to his feet and dashed deeper into the forest.

He recalled stumbling across some large footprints and beast droppings while treasure hunting yesterday. If he could make it to that area, there had to be a large magical beast nearby.

Once they encountered the beast, those chasing him would likely have bigger problems than catching him.

Of course, it was risky—he'd be in danger too.

But Malo was confident in his escape skills. And with so many people behind him, the beast would have plenty to feast on. It wouldn't bother chasing after him once it was full.

There was an 80% chance this plan would succeed.

The remaining 20%? That depended on whether the beast was in a frenzy, more interested in killing everyone than eating.

Faster. I need to be faster.

The golden-haired boy sprinted with everything he had, a mob of candidates hot on his heels.

Above them, Cyr quietly observed the unfolding drama.

His Six Eyes revealed that if Malo kept running in this direction, he would encounter three magical beasts in three minutes. Each beast possessed enough life energy to overwhelm ten of these candidates combined.

Judging by Malo's deliberate route, it seemed like this was his plan all along.

---

Exactly three minutes later, the mob and the three beasts came face-to-face.

The creatures were five meters tall—about the height of a two-story building—and resembled grizzly bears. However, each had a sharp horn protruding from its forehead.

"Let's call them Unicorn Bears," Cyr mused, watching from above.

The moment the mob saw the Unicorn Bears, they halted their pursuit.

"Over here!" Malo shouted, pulling a stone from his pocket and hurling it at one of the bears.

The rock caused no real damage, but the insult was clear.

Seeing this, the Unicorn Bear believed it had been humiliated by the small, weak two-legged creature. Enraged, it raised its massive paw and slammed it down.

The instigator, Malo, ran with incredible speed, almost at the front of everyone, making it seem like the others were still chasing him.

In reality... everyone was running for their lives.

"This guy really is two-faced," Cyr remarked, his tone full of inevitability.

Back when he saw how someone as weak as Malo managed to make it to the airship, Cyr already suspected he wasn't as simple as he seemed.

Now it was clear: while Malo's strength was lacking, his brain worked quite well.

After all, strength could be improved, but a dull mind? That was usually a lifelong affliction.

However, Malo miscalculated one thing:

The Unicorn Bear's sense of smell and thirst for revenge was exceptionally strong.

Though it indirectly killed several examinees while chasing Malo, once the others realized the bear's target was solely Marlow, they quickly scattered in all directions.

Meanwhile, Malo was relentlessly pursued for two hours straight.

During those two hours, the Unicorn Bear kept leaving him a sliver of hope, as if deliberately toying with him.

Finally, utterly exhausted, his legs gave out, and Malo collapsed to the ground with a thud, his vision spinning.

*Drip... drip...* Foul-smelling liquid dripped onto his face.

When his sight cleared, the first thing he saw was the gaping maw of the beast, its long tongue and razor-sharp teeth dripping with saliva like a waterfall.

'Am I... going to be eaten?'

The Unicorn Bear licked his face with its slimy tongue but didn't start from the head. Instead, it pinned him down with a paw, intending to start devouring him from the bottom up.

This way, the prey would watch themselves being consumed alive—a horrific form of both physical and psychological torment.

Its sharp snout opened slightly, as if savoring the thought, and it took a small bite out of Malo's right leg.

"Ahhh!" he screamed in agony.

A large chunk of flesh was torn away, exposing the white bone beneath.

It hurts—!

It hurts so much—!

"Help me—!"

"Somebody help—!"

Faced with the beast's cruel feasting, the golden-haired boy could no longer maintain his composure and cried out for help.

But no one would come to save him.

Just as no one had stopped his so-called siblings from beating him to the ground in the past.

He was going to die, eaten alive by the monster, becoming yet another pile of bones in the forest.

I'm not willing to die...

Malo lay there, his dull, pain-filled eyes staring blankly at the sky.

In the vast expanse above, a lone figure appeared.

"Do you want my help?" asked the boy lounging mid-air, his voice calm and indifferent. His hair and eyes blended almost seamlessly with the sky behind him.

The moment he spoke, the Unicorn Bear paused its feast, wary of this new presence.

The light in Malo's eyes reignited, brighter than ever.

"Save... save me..." He reached out as though trying to grasp the clouds above.

The white-haired boy, Cyr, landed lightly on the ground.

"Alright, consider it a good deed for the day," he said casually, as dark blue energy enveloped his right hand.

The Unicorn Bear raised its paw to strike, but Cyr met it with his left hand, blocking it effortlessly. With his right fist, he delivered a powerful blow to the bear's abdomen.

An unseen shockwave erupted where his fist connected, sending the Bear flying three meters before it crashed heavily to the ground.

Cyr withdrew his fist and approached Malo's, looking down at him from above.

"How pathetic," he remarked coldly, his icy blue eyes scanning Malo's mutilated leg and tear-streaked face.

"If you lack the strength, any plan you make could lead to your death."

"You've got a long way to go." His voice was emotionless.

"Lord Cyr..." Marlow struggled to sit up.

"I'm so glad I got to see you..." Tears welled in his eyes as he forced a smile.

"After breakfast, I wanted to find you, but all of this happened... I thought I wouldn't get the chance anymore..." He began rambling, his words pouring out in a flood.

"Find me?" Cyr raised an eyebrow.

"Please let me follow you!" The golden-haired boy knelt down, bowing low in submission.

His body trembled slightly, his breathing ragged from pain—or perhaps fear of rejection.

"I can wash your clothes, cook, clean your home... Please, let me stay by your side." Malo kept his head down, desperately selling himself.

His injured leg left a pool of blood on the ground, but he seemed oblivious.

"Oh, I see," Cyr said, his tone faintly amused.

So that's how it was.

All the waiting, the calculated timing to let him experience the terror of death and feel eternally grateful—it turned out to be unnecessary.

Well, Malo didn't die in the end, and he was still willing to work for him.

The process didn't matter; the outcome was what counted.

"Alright," Cyr said nonchalantly, pulling a pouch of medicine from his bag and tossing it at Marlow's feet.

"Use this. I don't want a cripple following me around."

°°°

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