The Second Round

A large crowd of 400 students stood on the open field of the outer yard. This included Eliisabet and Custos who had decided to continue taking part in the tests to become Sicarius. They were waiting patiently for the second round to begin.

"I didn't expect this many students to be here..." Muttered Eliisabet.

"Why's that?" Asked Custos.

"I mean, the first round eliminated a lot of students, didn't it? I expected a lot less than 400 people to be here."

"Well, that's only because Class B was the only class to participate in the first round."

"What..? Seriously? Are you saying that Class A skipped the first round somehow?"

"That we did. The first round was only to weed out the weakest students. As far as the school is concerned, those in Class A are considered the elites. Due to that, we didn't need to take a test to prove ourselves. At least, not until now."

"I see... So that means this will probably be a lot harder than the first round then..."

"Indeed. It will probably be a lot more difficult for us than for others given that we still have Avic at the back of our minds. However, we need to focus if we're going to pass this test."

"I know..."

Just then, the entire crowd went silent. Eliisabet and Custos didn't know why until they looked forward. This was when they saw Principal Palem stepping onto a platform to give an announcement. By his side were two guards in full iron armor. It was evident that whatever was about to be said was important since the principal had decided to say it himself.

"Greetings to Regnum's future Sicarius! It's with great pleasure that I come before you all today to say congratulations on being accepted at this school and for making it to the second round! I'm sure you're all curious to know what kind of challenges await you next. And I'm here to tell you today that what lies ahead will not be easy. The challenge will be so difficult that an entire week will be given for it to be completed!"

A sea of chatter interrupted Principal Palem. He stood quietly as he waited for everyone to calm down. It only made sense that they would suddenly burst into chatter. It was difficult for anyone to believe that a single challenge would take up to a week to be completed. No one could comprehend what kind of challenge would take that long to be completed. Even Eliisabet and Custos were left a little confused.

"An entire week..? Just what exactly are they planning to have us do in the next round?" Queried Eliisabet with concern.

"I don't know but I think we're about to find out," answered Custos as he shifted his attention back to Principal Palem.

This was when the principal continued.

"I know it is hard to imagine a challenge that will take this long to be completed. However, currently, there are approximately 400 students who have made it to the second round. That's a large number that needs to be reduced significantly for the third round. Out of these 400 students, approximately 100 will become Sicarius. And out of that 100 Sicarius, only 50 will advance to the third and final round!"

"Can you get to the point and tell us what this test will be about already?" Questioned one man from the crowd.

"Not to worry. I was just about to get to that."

Principal Palem then turned himself around and extended his hand toward a fenced area a few meters behind him. It was a dark forest filled with endless trees as far as the eye could see. On the fence, a sign with the words "KEEP OUT! DANGEROUS MONSTERS AHEAD!" was present. This worried everyone who saw this quite a bit.

"Behind me, we have what we like to call the Forest Of Mortem. It's a dangerous forest containing vicious monsters that seasoned Sicarius deal with regularly. Each student will be given an item called a Scroll Of Life and will then be divided into teams of three of their choosing. The goal is to protect your Scrolls Of Life from other players and make it to the other side of the forest. If this is done then that student will pass this test."

"All of us will be given a scroll? But what if everyone decides to play it safe? If everyone has a scroll then there's no need for anyone to risk engaging in battle," declared a student.

"Yes, but that's not all. If you recall, I did mention that only 100 students will become Sicarius. Passing the test alone isn't all that needs to be done. That is only the minimum requirement. The most important requirement is to gather as many scrolls as possible by stealing them from other players. This can be done by using whatever tactic is deemed necessary. That involves killing your opponents if you believe you need to. When a week has passed, the top 100 students with the most scrolls will become Sicarius. And the top 50 students with the most scrolls will be allowed to participate in the final round for a special prize!"

The crowd of students remained quiet as they pondered. The second round sounded nothing short of dangerous. No one needed to say it but it was as clear as day that the forest would be a battleground decorated with death and bloodshed. The only comforting news was that they were able to form teams of three of their own choosing. This made Custos and Eliisabet feel a lot more comfortable.

"As Avic would normally say, this is gonna be a pain in the ass. I can't see this being easy, no matter how I look at it. So if you want to back out, this is your last chance, Eliisabet," warned Custos.

Eliisabet shook her head and steeled her resolve. She was determined to see the second round through and make it to the third round, no matter what. Whatever the letter she received was talking about, she wanted to know the truth.

"I'm not backing out. We're going in and we're going to win!"