The orange hue slipped between the dense pine trees, casting a warm glow over the forest.
As the sun was setting, Adrian and the group decided to travel off of the forest's main road to find a suitable campsite for the night.
Upon arriving in a clearing, Adrian pulled the reins to halt his horse and his friends followed suit.
—Neigh!
The group took in the surroundings and Ralph conveyed his mind.
"I think this place is the ideal place to set up our camp."
Adrian nodded in agreement.
"I agree."
The ground was flat and dry; it was a perfect spot for making a campsite.
"Alright."
They dismounted and tied their horses to trees.
"By the way, let's split the task."
Adrian suggested and after gaining his friends' attention, he continued.
"I'll scout the area."
Péréz raised his hand and spoke.
"I'll look for dry branches to make the campfire."
After each of them relaying their plans, they soon dispersed to complete their respective tasks.
When the sky gradually darkened, they reconvened at the campsite and began to prepare their dinner.
Done with their meal, they decided to call it a day; since there was a long way to go, it was better to save energy.
They exchanged night watches every hour, ensuring everyone got enough rest and staying alert for any potential danger.
Luckily, the first night was relatively calm.
No monsters approached them, only some curious nocturnal animals.
Hour by hour passed and the pinkish hue steadily rose above the sky; shifting the raven color that illuminated the sky.
After finishing their breakfast and packing their things, Adrian, Ralph along with Péréz kicked the soil to extinguish the campfire.
Of course, they didn't want the forest set on fire after they left this place.
However, Adrian stopped whatever he did and darted sideways—something were approaching them in the distance.
Péréz, who noticed him, asked.
"What is it?"
Adrian returned his sight and saw the boys staring at him.
"Did you hear that?"
"?"
The duo furrowed their brows and began to sharpen their hearing.
The moment the voice entered their ears, they immediately rushed toward the horses.
—Drrtt!
But to their surprise, a tall earth wall emerged and blocked them from getting near the horses.
"No."
A cold and firm voice was heard.
All eyes fixated on the white-haired boy and Péréz asked in disbelief.
"Ian, seriously?"
"We still don't know if it's real or a trap."
"But—"
"Péréz, stop. Ian is right."
Ralph cut in and continued.
"Remember what Gizel said, they will make the scenarios as realistic as possible."
After a brief silence, Péréz nodded and opened his mouth.
"So, what's the plan?"
The girls arrived before them and Rhea jumped into the conversation.
"What happ—"
"Help!! Please help me!!"
And the desperate voice of a woman that was previously subtle now became clearer.
"Wait. Did you hear what I heard just now?"
Rhea scanned his comrades and all of them nodded their heads.
.
.
.
—Rustle —Rustle —Rustle
"Help! Somebody! Please help!"
A brown-haired woman frantically ran in the middle of the wilderness.
Her breath was haggard and her face glistened with sweat.
She peeked behind her shoulder and her brown eyes widened upon glimpsing a big bald man chasing after her.
"!"
"Wahaha!! Why are you running young lady?"
The man bellowed, his voice echoing through the trees.
She could hear the man's heavy footsteps getting closer and closer.
"Help! Help me!"
The woman pushed herself to run faster, ignoring every branch that tore her skin.
"Urg!"
She tripped on a root and fell flat on the ground.
She tried to get up but her ankle had twisted painfully and she couldn't put any weight on it.
Her brown eyes looked up and saw the man looming over her.
"Please, no!"
She begged as she crawled forward using her elbows to propel herself and tears flowed down her face uncontrollably.
"Hehehe."
Yet, the man just laughed cruelly and grabbed her by the hair; yanking her head to face him.
"Arghh!"
She screamed in pain, but he didn't bother to let go.
He grinned wickedly and licked her cheek up and down slowly, causing her to shudder in disgust.
"Let's have some fun, young lady~"
The woman's body trembled with fear, but she didn't give up.
She searched the ground for something to defend herself and the moment her fingers brushed against something hard.
She grabbed it and instantly swung her arm, hitting the man in the head with all her might.
"Arrgghh!!"
He stumbled backward, clutching his forehead and wailing in agony.
Blood oozed from the wound, staining his palm and face in red.
Wasting no more time, the woman scrambled to her feet, ignoring the pain in her ankle.
However, unthinkably, the bald man grabbed her wrist and threw her to the ground.
"You little wrench!! You will pay for this!!"
The man shouted and his face turned feral.
He took out a morning star from his Magical Sphere and swung it toward her.
"Aahh!"
The woman shrieked and immediately closed her eyes, bracing herself for the impact.
—Clank!
However, before the weapon could strike her, a spear blocked the attack.
As the anticipation of the attack did not come, the woman opened her eyes and saw a figure standing between her and the bandit.
The bald man turned to the owner of the spear and met with a boy with wheat hair.
His hazel eyes glared at him menacingly.
Unbeknownst to him, Ralph, who had covered his right hand with earth imitating a boxing glove, leaped down and flung his fist.
He veered at the black-haired boy, but it was too late.
"Argh!"
Hearing the bandit's groan, the woman opened her eyes and saw the man roll several times on the floor; two boys were standing in front of her.
The man came to a full stop and spat saliva mixed with blood sideways.
He stood up confidently and scoffed wryly.
"Ha! A bunch of kids trying to become a her-r-r-r-r—"
The man's body shook violently with glints of lightning coating his body.
He stopped moving and eventually crashed to the ground unconsciously, revealing a black hooded boy behind him—it was Adrian.
"Are you okay?"
Sylvina and Rhea moved toward the woman who was still in shock from the recent attack.
"Ah, thank you. I'm all—"
Recalling something important, crawled towards Ralph and kneeled before him; her eyes pleading.
"Please! Please! Help my family!"
"Ma'am, please get up."
Ralph tried to help her stand up, but she stubbornly held onto his feet.
"Please! I beg you!"
She continued, desperation was evident in her voice.
She pulled out her necklace and shoved it to Ralph, tears sliding down her face.
"I only have this with me, please… please, accept this! Please help my family."
Ralph, who was unsure of what to do, turned toward Adrian, he was telepathically asking for assistance.
The white-haired boy sighed and strode to them.
"If you calm down a bit and let my friends treat your wounds, maybe we can consider your request."
The woman immediately shut her mouth and nodded her head rapidly like a woodpecker.
The boys took care of the bandit's body and the girls began to treat the woman's wounds with magic.
As the woman was being healed, Adrian asked her a question.
"Mind telling us what happened?"
The woman looked up at him, her eyes were bloodshot and filled with tears.
"My family is a merchant, we usually used this track to travel for years. But today, unexpectedly we were ambushed by bandits."
She wiped her tears and continued.
"They were heavily armed and asked for our valuable items. We gave them what they wanted, but suddenly they changed their minds and attacked us."
A sob escaped her mouth.
"My family… my father and my brother were captured, but I managed to escape."
Her voice shook with emotion and tears streamed down her face.
"Please, help me. They are the only ones I have. Please, please. I beg you."
She covered her face to suppress her cries, but they grew louder.
Sylvina and Rhea patted her back to comfort her.
Adrian said no more and excused himself, he walked away and the boys followed him.
Once they were far enough from the woman, Adrian opened the discussion.
"So, what do you think?"
"Wait guys, is this real or just a part of the test?"
Péréz tilted his head, his face masked with question marks.
Adrian shrugged and casually answered.
"It's hard to say. But the fact that Gizel's team doesn't interfere, it seems like it's part of the test."
Ralph made a thinking pose and responded.
"So, in other words, they wanted us to play the hero, huh?"
"That's lame."
Péréz stuck out his tongue and made a disgusted expression.
"Whether we like it or not, we must save her family successfully."
Adrian reminded them and they nodded their heads in agreement.
With that, Adrian began to explain the plan.
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