Chapter 33

Most of the pairs left at about the same time, but because of the size of the terrain and the dense snow, few could see which direction other pairs were going. Their views of the terrain were already poor during the early part of the day, and it would only get worse as it got darker.

There were several trees and steep terrain covered by snow. If it weren't for the studs on the soles of their boots, few would be able to walk on that terrain for long.

It had been about two hours since Annie and Ezir had left the base. They even considered walking with some of the other duos, but they lost sight of the others only a few minutes after they left.

Ezir knows that both of them would make it back alive even if they were alone, but Annie had no idea about Ezir's powers. She wondered where his abnormal physical strength came from, but she didn't suspect him of being a shifter as well, since they were pretty sure that coordinated could only be inside the Sina wall.

"Are you with the list?" - Annie.

"Yes...Here!" - Zirken, taking his hand out of his pocket and handing a rolled up piece of paper to Annie.

Annie unrolled the paper and began to examine it. After a few seconds, she fiddled a bit with the edge of her backpack and pulled out another rolled up paper. Opening it, she was shown a map of the region.

"One of the items we need is nearby, so let's go on it first." - Annie.

"Okay!" - Zirken, a little cheerful.

"I don't think I need to tell you this, but they will most likely have traps or wild animals nearby, so be careful." - Annie.

"Um" - Zirken.

They both continued walking towards the place marked on the map. Few words were exchanged between them after that, but Ezir couldn't take his eyes off the girl in front of him. He didn't know why, but she looked even more beautiful in the snow. Whether it was her beautiful face or her stunning blue eyes, everything seemed even more striking.

A slight redness appeared on Annie's cheeks, but Ezir figured it was only because of the cold. Not even a shifter could withstand the cold of a blizzard.

After a few long minutes, they arrived in the vicinity of their goal. The place is completely quiet and not a single soul in sight. It even seemed like a calm before the storm.

There were many pine trees, completely frozen and covered in snow. Even the ground seemed to be higher due to the accumulation of snow that was constantly falling.

They walked for a while longer as they scanned their surroundings for what they were looking for. However, a restlessness resonated through Annie's senses. Were her instincts alerting her to something?

"How strange...We've walked for so long and found no one." - Annie.

"You're right, I know the terrain of the mountains is huge, but there should be at least one more pair around here..." - Zirken.

"Let's find what we came for and leave immediately. I'm not liking the sense of danger this place gives me." - Annie.

They both moved on along the freezing and threatening path. A short time later, they could see some red patches sticking out of the snow. And as they walked a few more meters ahead, they stumbled upon something shocking.

"What the fuck is this, why do you have a shredded leg and arm here?!" - Zirken, keeping himself even more alert.

Annie looked coldly at the body and then decided to take a closer look at it.

"The fabric remains are the same color as ours, so it was probably a cadet like us. And those punctures are probably from a strong bite from some wild animal..." - Annie.

It was at that same instant that Ezir also noticed something strange further ahead.

"Look over there..." - Zirken, as he poked Annie and pointed forward.

What appeared in both of their vision was one of the items they need for their list. It is a red and black colored herb. This herb is special because it is hard to grow and only grows in a very cold climate. It is something that is very difficult to flower naturally and without any outside interference.

The only problem was that it was on top of a small hill, sticking out a lot more than it should have. Anyone looking at it would realize that it's obviously a trap.

"I don't think it's good for us to risk it. Let's just take only what we came for." - Zirken.

"No. Let's get that." - Annie, as she handed over the paper with list of items.

"See that score next to each item? He may have hidden that, but they'll probably account for the value of the items we got. And by that I mean..." - Annie.

"Those with the highest score will get some benefit!" - Zirken.

"Exactly. Now look at the item at the top of the list." - Annie.

Zirken ran his vision to the top of the list. His eyes widened at the same instant.

"Hanatsuki herb, 1000 points..."

"If we can catch her, it's almost certain we'll get first place. It might be risky, but with the two of us together the risks might be worth it." - Annie.

Ezir pondered his companion's suggestion for a moment. He could easily face any danger if he used his powers, but he still didn't trust Annie enough to expose himself that much.

After a few more seconds, he decided to take his chances.

'Depending on what problem arises, I just need to take Annie in my arms and run. I don't think I'll come out losing in either case, hehehe. ' - Zirken, laughing internally.

He decided to go ahead, as he could react faster than Annie when the trap activated. In a few steps, Ezir was already in front of the hanatsuki grass. As soon as he took his last step into the middle of the snow pile, his feet sank much deeper than they should have.

Mechanical sounds resounded through the silent forest, and in less than a second, a semi-transparent liquid was hurled towards Ezir from all sides. He could not use the lethal steps, as his feet had no support, and even if he jumped, he would not be able to dodge completely.

*splash*

Ezir now found himself completely drenched in a strange colorless liquid. He sniffed as soon as he could and realized that there was only a faint enough fragrance to go unnoticed by a human's normal sense of smell.

"It has almost no smell!" - Zirken.

"!!"

As if realizing something, Annie's eyes widened and her whole face took on an expression of shock.

"That's-"

*ROOOAAR * *Grooooooown *

Roars resounded from all directions. In a matter of a few seconds, three dark shadows appeared among the trees, surrounding the duo in a small encirclement.

"Bears..." - Zirken.

'Fuck!!! Who was the motherfucker who suggested putting bears on this test?! I swear I'm going to blow that bastard away!!!' - Zirken, feeling extremely angry.

Inside the base, sitting in an armchair inside the administration...

*ACHOOO*

"Tsk, that's the worst time of year!" - Keith Shadis.

Back to the pair...

"Annie! Get over here and stand still!" - Zirken.

The girl immediately reacted and ran to the top of the small hill where Ezir was. The boy quickly took his backpack off his back, removed a blade from the side, and handed it to Annie.

"I'm sure you've noticed, but the bears are being attracted because of my scent. Run away as soon as you see an opportunity! I'm going down to slow them down!" - Zirken.

'It'll make it easier for me to deal with this shit in case she's not watching!' - Zirken, saying internally.

However, to Ezir's surprise, Annie also dropped both backpacks on the ground and pulled out a blade.

"What yu-"

"Shut up." - Annie, speaking in an even more authoritative voice.

'aaargh! what the hell!' - ZIrken, annoyed at having to hold back.

The two quickly got into fighting stance and raised their blades. Zirken was perfectly fine, but Annie's muscles were tense from the cold. This makes her situation even worse, since her fighting style involves taking down humans instead of animals weighing more than 10 times her weight.

The bears were getting closer and further decreasing the space they both had to move.

"I will attack the one on the right from the front. I'll get their attention and you try to attack from the back, understood?" - Zirken.

He didn't even give her a chance to respond and quickly advanced on one of the bears. His movement was quick and without hesitation. In Annie's vision, it looked as if he didn't even fear being hit or killed.

The bear on the right raised its front paw and swung its claws down towards the boy who was approaching it from the front. Ezir's reflexes are honed to a level far above normal, so this blow seemed to be in slow motion in his eyes.

Ezir dodged perfectly and landed a diagonal blow directly to the bear's throat

*ROOOOAR* - Roar of pain.

The blade cut deep enough to make blood gush almost everywhere. The other two bears sensed the urgency and immediately rushed at the boy, completely forgetting about their other prey.

A broad smile formed on Ezir's lips. It seemed that he was going into ecstasy for reasons unknown. He held the blade even tighter and struck another blow at the bear, this time driving the blade into the animal's right eye.

He applied more force than he should have, causing the blade to penetrate almost completely, hitting even a part of the beast's brain. Causing it to unbalance and fall to the side.

'Where did he get so much strength from?!' - Annie, peering around waiting for the right moment to strike.

The two bears quickly caught up to him, one of them opened his mouth to apply a bite, while the other landed a blow with his claws.

Ezir wasted no time. He pulled the blade, threw himself to the side, and rolled across the ground, successfully dodging it. The bears stopped moving and stared at the boy, as if analyzing their prey.

Still without hesitation, as if he was throwing himself to his death, Ezir advanced against the two animals while still keeping a wide smile on his face.

'Today I will eat meat!!!' - Zirken, with a grin from ear to ear and almost drooling.