Chapter 21

  Team 2 had a terrible first day. None of them had any idea how to navigate a wild forest, and they repeatedly got lost before finding so much as a hint of the Rockbiter kobolds. It was pure dumb luck that Guy just so happened to stumble into a snare trap.

  Axel and Paris had hidden and waited for hours in the bushes before the kobold hunters showed up to check their trap, only to find Guy dangling like a fool. From there, negotiations immediately broke down due to the language barrier and Axel’s attempt to strongarm them into servitude.

  It was up to Paris to infiltrate the base and try to find a way to win them over, which led to them finding an artifact they had enshrined deep in the cave.

  Long story short, it belonged to… someone important to the kobolds, so Paris stole it and they used it as leverage to force them to listen.

  Luckily, the eldest kobold spoke basic common, and they made some progress. The artifact, a black spear with a red tip, was usable only by those with the blood of dragons. Or so the elder claimed.

  Technically, kobolds have that very blood in them, but they were too short to hold the spear properly and didn't know how to activate the enchantment. So it had been sitting unused in their cave for years.

  A little ‘accidental’ trip from Guy led to his fangs penetrating one of the kobolds. Then, wouldn’t you know it, he could suddenly call flames forth from the spear. His Blood Thief's application was broader than initially thought.

  The kobolds bowed to their new lord, and it was smooth sailing from there. Axel, seeing no reason to actually use the kobolds to bring down the other tribes, used their information and immediately set out for the goblins' base.

  Paris insisted that some kobolds accompany him to serve as witnesses for his takeover, but they wouldn’t follow him. Therefore, Guy had to tag along as well.

  So, the two of them walked casually to their target while Paris stayed cloaked in the distance, scouting for any ambushes.

  If they had properly discussed and planned prior to rushing into a fight, they would have settled on a way to communicate with one another. Axel and Guy would have realised long ago that Paris was already compromised and they were walking into a trap.

  ***

  Paris, a serpentes therian, was proud of her racial abilities. She could twist, bend, and stretch any part of her body with ease, and her bones would barely inhibit this. But the ability she was most proud of was her persistent camouflage.

  It was an extremely rare genetic mutation that only occurred in a small number of therians belonging to the reptilia class. One minute of perfect stillness, and she would fade from sight. Near-complete invisibility would be achieved, and she could even move short distances before it wore off.

  This, coupled with her light frame and expert dexterity, earned her the title ‘Silent Death’ in her time before the IMA.

  Sight and sound would not save you from her approach, and by the time you felt her blade coming for your throat, it was too late.

  Axel wasn’t needed; she could incapacitate the others on her own in no time. And now that she had Team 3’s location, she would do exactly that.

  Her confidence was well-deserved, after all, the only ones who had ever spotted her in stealth were her superiors back home, whose senses transcended even therian standards.

  So, when she saw Rex and Fleur leading a large group of goblins through a clearing, she was all but guaranteed to beat Axel to the punch.

  With all of that in mind, why then was she gagged, bound, thrown into a pit, and treated like a mild inconvenience?

  ***

  “We’re being watched.”

  Fleur whispered to me. Her spirits were keeping an eye on Team 2’s progress so we could intercept at a prime location, but they had just found someone watching us.

  “I know, Tia sniffed her out ages ago.”

  I briefly shared senses with Tiara to find our stalker’s exact location, and was surprised to see Paris standing right in the open. Clearly, since I couldn’t see her before, there was some sort of trick going on here. Regardless, she looked ridiculous in that moment, even if you’re invisible, at least duck behind a rock or something.

  She looked to be so sure of her imperceptible state that she didn’t bother paying attention to Fleur as she circled around and fired off a trio of arrows. Each one was wrapped with a sticky web-like substance that Fleur had prepared before the test’s start. It was some kind of alchemical concoction designed to restrain enemies, but only Fleur could use it in this way.

  As the arrows flew, a birdlike wind spirit I hadn’t seen yet was summoned and shifted the air around them, causing an impossible curve shot that allowed Fleur to wrap her targets in a single attack. The sticky substance followed the wide arc of the arrows it was attached to and ensnared the clueless therian.

  Paris was caught off guard, and even her flexibility couldn’t help her now. Still, we wasted no time piling goblins onto her the moment the invisibility faded.

  There was no diplomacy, and no witty remarks. We just dogpiled her, then tossed her into an old leftover pitfall trap after making sure she couldn't move her limbs.

  The only noise she made was an initial yelp, some muffled yelling, then a low growl as she accepted her defeat.

  I knew her skill in combat; if she weren’t so arrogant, she would have had a real impact in this trial. Instead, she marked the first elimination.

  “Paris Vipera. You will be taken back to Borderton.”

  We all jumped at the calm, steady voice that suddenly sounded from right behind us.

  There, a feline therian was standing calmly with a notebook. He was well dressed despite our location and appeared totally unconcerned with the hostile goblins pointing weapons at him.

  “Greetings Team 3, and well done. We will have time for introductions another day, I’m sure.”

  With that, he hopped into the pit, threw Paris over his shoulder, then fled with mind-boggling speed. Paris was glaring daggers at us as she bounced around like a fish out of water.

  “...Ah.”

  Fleur broke the silence, seemingly understanding what had happened.

  “Professor did say we ‘we will be watching always’, remember?”

  That would mean this man was an IMA staff member. Even so… none of us could sense him? Who the hell was that guy?

  This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

  ***

  Axel was growing bored with having to walk at such a snail’s pace. Those stubby kobold legs were to blame, and the happy-go-lucky vampire who revelled in their praise wasn't much better.

  This idiot is a Vespertille? I still don’t believe it…

  Axel grumbled inwardly. Unfortunately, he saw Guy use his Blood Thief Gift with his own eyes, leaving no room to doubt his authenticity. Everybody in Soleo learnt of the Vespertille’s rising pride when his Gift was made public seven years ago. But for that same person to be the moron who tripped over his own weapon and fell into a kobold trap?

  “Unbelievable…”

  Axel grumbled outwardly now. Were he alone, he would have already decimated the goblins and moved on to Team 1.

  Trees, bushes, trees, bushes…

  Over and over, everything looked the same here. Was he even going the right way anymore?

  Trees, bushes, trees, bushes…

  Axel had killed goblins as a child, but they were all in the mountains or scattered in various caves around Soleo. All he had to do before was follow a guide, then start punching. Now, he had only vague directions from minuscule reptiles to rely on.

  Trees, bushes, trees, skeleton.

  “Hold up.”

  Axel stopped—finally, something to work with.

  It appeared to be the body of a small humanoid with a large head and sharp teeth. He was on the right track.

  Looking around, he could see a faint path that had been trodden by small feet. Not a proper road by any standard, but it was still clearly a frequently used route.

  “We’re here, don’t fall behind.”

  With a grin, he ran forth, ignoring Guy’s voice calling him back. Old traps began activating, holes opened up beneath him, logs came swinging at him, and wooden stakes came flying out of the ground to impede him.

  But he was Axel Lionheart. His reaction speed was superb, his body was like iron, and his will was unshakeable. What couldn’t be dodged could be smashed apart, and what couldn’t be broken could be allowed to bounce harmlessly off his perfect body.

  Squeeeeee!

  Then, the world turned upside down, and Axel had to twist his body to land on his feet, bewildered by what had just happened. Then he saw it.

  A fellow student in a green cloak, riding a huge savage boar.

  “Alright, Axel?”

  “Yeah, you?”

  They greeted each other casually, but both were preparing for a brutal fight.

  ***

  With Rex leading most of the goblins to intercept Axel, who had abruptly broken off from his allies, Fleur was left to deal with Guy.

  Speaking of the vampire, he was carrying an impressive new weapon. One that Piki was warning Fleur to watch out for.

  She observed from a branch overhead, and the few Goblins who stayed with her followed suit. They took their positions without a word uttered between them. This was the first time she had seen how a goblin ambush functions from the other side.

  They were chaotic, savage, bloodthirsty monsters. They would run head-on into danger without a care and trample over their comrades’ corpses as if it were only natural. But when it came to executing an attack on someone else, they could act like true hunters.

  Unfortunately, they still had no respect for Fleur herself and did not wait for her to give an order. Instead, the moment they were all in position, they all fired their arrows as one.

  Impact had been applied to their arrows, causing them to break through the kobold’s scales despite their shoddy design. Leap was cast on their makeshift shoes, which crumbled apart as they sprang onto their foes and sank their daggers in.

  Throats were cut, blood sprayed, and the cackling of the goblins drowned out the pitiful screeching of their victims.

  Fleur suppressed her disgust and fired a trio of arrows at Guy.

  But to her surprise, he reacted like a machine. He twirled his spear and conjured flames that burned through her sticky-snare thread.

  Not a moment later, that same spear hurtled towards her and shattered the branch beneath her feet.

  She fell and quickly rolled behind a tree.

  But before she could find another sniping spot, the entire tree she called her shield was split in half.

  Guy had linked his hand to the base of the spear with what looked to be a strand of lava. He was using this to whip the spear around violently and break through any obstacle Fleur attempted to impose between them.

  Fleur’s heart was racing. She had only been concerned about the insurmountable wall known as Axel and had completely disregarded Guy as a threat.

  “Piki!”

  She had no time to curse her carelessness.

  She summoned Piki and urged her to attack.

  The spear flew back into Guy’s hands, and he jabbed towards the flying water spirit with terrifying speed. He missed his mark, however, and began waving it around in wide arcs instead, fanning flames out all over the place.

  “Kiihihi!”

  “Shaaa! Kish! Kish!”

  The goblins had already killed all the kobolds in their initial attack, but the flames had set their minds ablaze along with the trees around them.

  They ran at Guy with startling speed. This squad of goblins only had knives and bows, and unfortunately, they were opting to stab instead of shoot.

  Guy ignored Piki and began skewering the goblins one by one.

  He opted not to burn the goblins with another sweeping attack, which left him open longer than necessary. Piki dived at him from above and exploded, drenching him with freezing water.

  “Hm? Was that meant to be cold?”

  He chuckled, seemingly unaffected.

  “I’m a vampire, remember?”

  Of course, Fleur had not forgotten something so basic. No undead creature would care about the cold. She recalled Piki and summoned Gogo, a spirit that looked like a chubby little genie made from storm clouds.

  Guy seemed to understand what was going on and urgently turned to throw his spear at her.

  “Diedie!”

  But a goblin had activated Longstride and suddenly closed the distance. Defenceless, Guy could only grit his teeth as his thigh was deeply cut.

  What’s more, a bolt of lightning from Gogo rebounded the spear, making his attack meaningless.

  Guy booted the goblin and recalled the spear with the same strand of lava as before. He was trying to get some distance and reset the momentum of the fight. After all, a lightning bolt spell takes a while to cast, so surely he had—

  Boom!

  Another crack of thunder sounded, and Guy’s body went numb; his wet body conducted the electricity wonderfully.

  Still, he wasn’t out yet. He grabbed a glass vial in his satchel and went to drink the blood within.

  Boom!

  Impossibly, a third lightning bolt blew him back and sent the vial flying.

  Guy was baffled. How was Fleur repeatedly firing off so many spells?

  If only Team 2 had studied their opponents. He would have known how to combat a Spirit Sorcerer like Fleur.

  That realisation would not reach his brain, unfortunately, as Gogo was dismissed and Fleur’s fire spirit was called out next—a large salamander made from flames.

  It inhaled, and their belly inflated as all the fire that Guy had spread earlier was absorbed. By the time they were done, the spirit resembled a tiny sun, its small limbs and head now barely visible due to its massive stomach.

  Fleur finally decided she was in a position to relax and spoke up.

  “This is Shar. He can explode at my command…”

  Shar waddled closer to Guy as he lifted himself from the ground.

  He wasn’t too badly wounded, but he knew which way the wind was blowing at this point,

  “Haaa… Damnit.”

  He threw his spear down and sat down, clearly frustrated with himself.

  The goblins’ bloodlust vanished along with the fire, and they remembered Rex’s order not to kill anyone outside the tribes.

  Guy had killed three of them and wounded the remaining seven, all on his own. Fleur restrained him and looked at the remaining goblins.

  Guy’s attacks were powerful and swift, but showed a clear lack of experience. So many attacks were poorly aimed, too shallow, or overly telegraphed. If he had been better trained, would the goblins have survived long enough to allow Fleur to turn things around?