Arc 1 Chapter 44 : Oasis

Elena's PoV]

We won... Somehow, we actually won.

"Brian!"

"Brian!"

Right now, the participants are throwing the blond-haired man into the air, celebrating his victory thanks to his ultimate attack earlier.

I watched it—there's no way the large amount of mana that Brian released could be done by a mere student at the academy.

It turns out to be true: he possesses the Codex of Pendragon. A Codex only held by chosen Heroes, selected once every hundred years. I need to report this discovery to Father after the exam.

I believe the magic technique Brian used earlier is one of his Profound Codex spells, just like my Almerio del Relampago spell.

With this, it's certain that Brian will become one of the strongest Knights at the academy.

I need to return to my Soul Room for training if I don't want Brian to surpass my abilities. It's been about two months since I last spoke to Uncle Miguel-Guider, who's guiding me in developing my Profound Codex.

I glanced at Valeria, who was standing where the giant monster had been slain by Brian's attack. It seemed like she was investigating something.

I approached her.

"What are you doing, Valeria? Is something wrong?" I asked.

"Ah, Elena." Valeria turned her attention to me. "I'm just analyzing why Brian's attack was able to kill the monster when none of ours could."

Hmm... Hearing her say that made me think about the battle earlier.

It's true that none of our previous attacks managed to take the monster down completely. Not with magic explosions, cutting its vital areas, or attacking it from within. But why did Brian's attack finish it off?

"We'll think about this later, Valeria. We should hurry and leave this place to continue the competition."

"You're right, let's get out of here."

We headed back to meet the other participants. Tomorrow is the last day, and we need to move as far as possible to have time to reach the finish line.

"By the way, Valeria," I suddenly remembered, "where's your teammate? Did they drop out?" I was a bit curious about who Valeria was paired with for this exam.

"Oh, no. I think he's still hanging on," Valeria replied nonchalantly. "We split up when the chaos from the monster happened. He preferred to leave the city while I stayed to help fight."

"Is that so?" I muttered.

It seems like Valeria's teammate is selfish and not very helpful to her. I bet during the entire exam, Valeria has been carrying the team whenever they faced monsters.

"That sounds tough," I said sympathetically.

At least my teammate, Geralt, was somewhat useful when we faced monsters.

"Well... On the contrary, I think I've learned a lot from him," Valeria answered, a slight smile forming on her lips.

Huh? What's going on with Valeria? It's the first time I've seen her smile like this when talking about someone.

I wonder what made her change like this.

But asking about something so personal doesn't seem appropriate, given that we're not that close.

Maybe I'll ask her about it some other time.

---

[Ariel's PoV]

Brian is truly amazing. I watched his gallant figure as he swung his sword, imbued with magic waves, at the evil monster.

It seems the gap between our abilities has widened again. Just when I thought I had changed and left my old self behind, Brian keeps running ahead, getting stronger.

I... I want to be stronger too.

"Hey, we've been here too long."

Suddenly, I heard a man's voice from behind. I turned around and saw my teammate approaching.

"How long are we going to wait here? We need to reach the finish line to score more points," he said with a pushy tone.

"But, I still need to heal some of the others from the earlier monster fight." I refused his suggestion. As a Priestess, leaving behind the injured weighed heavily on me.

"But we're in a competition!" the man shouted, stepping closer to me. "Soon, everyone will be our enemy!"

He then grabbed my arm and tried to force me to follow him.

-Bam!

Suddenly, a loud thud was heard, and the man's grip on my arm loosened as his body was flung backward by a blond man who had punched him hard in the face.

"B-Brian?" I stammered, shocked at what had just happened.

"Touch Ariel again, and your life at the academy will be over," he said coldly to the man.

The man stood up, clutching his bruised cheek. "What's it to you, Brian? She's my teammate! You have no right to interfere!"

Hearing those words, Brian's face turned red with anger, his hand starting to glow with golden light. As he prepared to cast his magic, I quickly stopped him by hugging his arm.

"Stop, Brian! Don't dirty your hands over something so small!" I pleaded.

Everyone here is under a truce. I don't want Brian to break it over such a minor issue.

Hearing my request, Brian looked at me. "Ariel, how about finishing the rest of the second-stage exam with me?"

Huh? With Brian? Does he mean forming an alliance?

Hearing his offer, I glanced at Scarlett, who was standing not far away. The red-haired girl nodded, indicating that she didn't mind if I joined them.

"Alright, Brian. Let's finish the exam together."

---

[Raul's PoV]

That afternoon, I was at a large oasis. After refreshing myself with a bath, I sat back, leaning against a palm tree.

If we weren't in the middle of an exam, this place would be perfect for participants to spend time on vacation.

After this, we'll go through an underground labyrinth before reaching the finish line and completing the second-stage exam.

Tomorrow is the final day of the exam. I believe we'll reach the finish line by nightfall after passing through the labyrinth. There will be some troublesome monsters in there, but nothing like the Neracion Monster we faced earlier.

I don't think I left any traps in there if I remember correctly.

That reminds me of something.

I haven't activated my Blessing at all or checked my progress with the Profound Codex I can use. After the exam, I'll visit my Soul Room and see who my Guider will be.

Looking out toward the horizon, I saw a green-haired woman waving her hand at me. It seems Valeria has arrived.

I stood up as she approached.

"So, how was the battle in the city center?" I asked, even though I already knew the outcome.

Valeria smiled and replied, "Well... We won the battle."

She then sat down, leaning against the palm tree, her body drenched in sweat.

"Thanks to Brian's powerful magic, we survived," Valeria said, closing her eyes.

Brian? Has he started using his Profound Codex? That means he's already visited his Soul Room and met his Guider—Pendragon.

"And where's your uniform? Why are you only wearing your undershirt?" Valeria asked as she began removing her uniform.

"My uniform was damaged by the monster's attack while I was escaping the city area," I half-lied.

Valeria didn't say much more, and I handed her a water pouch from the supply bag we were given earlier.

"Drink and rest. Tomorrow is the final day," I told her.

Valeria caught the water pouch and drank it until it was empty. "Thanks, I'll bathe first before resting. My body feels awful after four days without soaking in clean water, you know."

Tomorrow will determine who advances to the final stage of the exam, where there are always casualties among the participants.