Chapter 226: Elsewhere on the Island (1)
Shima rested a hand beneath her chin, her gaze fixed on Horren’s bracelet.
"Looks like we’ve got our first points."
Ruvian nodded.
’60 points within the first hour of the test. Not a bad start. If I remembered correctly, not every squad would even reach 50 by now.’
Yerin smiled and turned to face the northern horizon.
"Alright, let’s keep moving. We still need to bring down a Crestbeak Fowl if we want a proper meal by nightfall."
*****
[Vanessa’s POV]
[Grid Location: B9]
The heat was far worse than Vanessa had imagined. Warm air burned against her throat with every breath, and the ceaseless desert wind showered her face with stinging grains of sand.
She quickly raised a hand, shielding her eyes as another wave of sand rushed toward her.
’Why... why did it have to be a desert...?’
Even then, tiny grains found their way past her fingers, stinging her eyes until she had to squint through the endless haze.
Vanessa’s lips puffed into a tiny pout.
’Ugh... out of all one hundred sectors on this island... we seriously had to end up in C5? I can’t believe this...’
She wanted to complain even more. Perhaps even blame the academy for such dreadful luck.
But she couldn’t bring herself to.
Instead, she let out the faintest sigh.
Unable to bear the sand constantly pelting her face any longer, she quietly cast [Telekinesis], guiding an invisible layer of force in front of herself to deflect the incoming grains.
The relief was immediate.
The sharp sting against her cheeks faded, and the swirling haze no longer obscured her vision as badly.
’Haa... I should’ve done this from the beginning.’
Only then did she lift her gaze.
Her eyes slowly traveled along the immense corpse of a Dunemaw Serpent, its colossal body sprawled across the desert like a fallen ridge of stone.
It was a Wretched-Rank Voidspawn. Its sheer size was huge enough to leave most first-year scholars frozen in place.
Yet it had been slain within moments.
Standing atop the lifeless beast was a tall young woman.
She looked almost statuesque, standing with calm conviction as the scorching wind stirred her olive-green cloak and sent her high ponytail dancing through the heated air.
’She really took down that creature all by herself.’
Vanessa couldn’t help but marvel at Rosalin’s strength.
Rosalin then leapt from the corpse. As she descended, she sliced open the giant worm’s carcass with her blade, exposing its glistening interior before landing lightly on the sand.
Turning toward her teammates, Arrin and Talon, she calmly gave her order. "Arrin, Talon, could you handle the Voidshard? I’ll keep an eye on our surroundings."
The two nodded in unison and made their way to the opened carcass, standing beside it as they began extracting the Voidshard.
Then, she turned back at Vanessa and Freya.
"I’ve already checked the area ahead. There’s a mountain to the north. Once we reach the rocky terrain, we won’t have to worry about running into any more Dunemaws. We’ll head that way after we collect the Voidshard."
Vanessa hesitated for a moment before speaking.
"...I don’t think we should head north."
The words caused Arrin and Talon to pause briefly in the middle of their work. Even Freya turned toward Vanessa with a puzzled expression.
Rosalin blinked, a faint look of surprise crossing her face. But instead of dismissing it, a small, reassuring smile found its way onto her face.
"Oh?"
She met Vanessa’s gaze, her voice remaining as calm as ever.
"Would you mind telling me you’re reasoning?"
Vanessa gave a small nod before inhaling a deep breath. ’Alright, Vanessa... you’ve got to convince her. Think of something. A reason that’ll actually make sense.’
Her fingers unconsciously curled against her palm.
’I have to make sure Lady Rosalin and Lady Calyra cross paths.’
If she were being honest with herself, she still didn’t fully understand Ruvian’s plan. She couldn’t see how provoking a clash between two of the academy’s strongest scholars could possibly benefit them in the future.
Yet, despite her doubts, she trusted his judgment.
Ruvian seemed to be knowing something about it that she doesn’t. She can tell that.
Or to be accurate, she can smell that...
Besides, helping him was part of the agreement they had made. She had promised to lend him her support whenever she could, just as he would’ve done for her.
Taking another quiet breath, Vanessa finally lifted her eyes to meet Rosalin’s.
"I think... we should head east instead. The river is over there, right? I think securing a water source would be more important. We need to stay hydrated, after all."
The explanation came out far less convincing than Vanessa had hoped.
Freya raised an eyebrow.
"But we already have plenty of water. Arrin bought enough dimensional water flask storage for all five of us before the test. Don’t you remember?"
Vanessa’s lips parted.
Before she could answer, Rosalin gave a small nod.
"She’s right. Also, crossing the open desert toward the river would expose us to more Dunemaws. They thrive beneath loose sand. The mountains are the safer route."
"..."
Vanessa lowered her gaze.
’Damn it. That didn’t work...’
Her mind raced for another excuse.
But suddenly....
Grrr...
A soft but unmistakable growl came from her stomach.
Silence fell upon them.
Freya and Rosalin instinctively looked toward the source of the sound. At the same time, Vanessa’s cheeks immediately turned red, though she also got another excuse to say now.
"...Food."
She cleared her throat before forcing a bright smile.
"If we head for the river, we could hunt better-tasting Voidspawn than desert ones! River creatures should have... much better meat!"
Freya stared at her, shaking her head for a long second before letting out a defeated sigh.
"...This is a survival test."
She pinched the bridge of her nose.
"And all this Class E girl can think about is food."
Her gaze shifted toward the endless sea of dunes stretching into the distance.
"Have you also considered what it would take to cross all that? We’d be walking through open desert the entire way. It’s not easy to detect when a Dunemaw is about to burst out from beneath the sand."
Vanessa’s expression faltered. For a brief moment, she had nothing to say. Then her shoulders straightened.
"No." (+100PP)
The quiet answer made both Rosalin and Freya look back at her.
Vanessa’s eyes sparkled with newfound confidence.
"There is a way."
Rosalin tilted her head, slightly curious.
"...How?"
Vanessa pointed toward the massive Dunemaw lying motionless beside them. "I was the one who warned everyone before that thing attacked from underground."
She met Rosalin’s gaze without wavering.
"So, trust me... I can do it again." (+100PP)
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[Chapter 226: Elsewhere on the Island (1)]
Plot Points= 14,505
