The Forest Of Mortem

Eliisabet and Custos stood side by side. The Scrolls Of Life had already been handed out and the second round was about to begin. However, they weren't quite ready. They watched as everyone paired into teams of three, ready to take on the next challenge. However, Eliisabet and Custos were still looking for a third member.

A few people had come asking to join their team, knowing just how strong Custos was. However, he had rejected them due to wanting only quality members. He did not wish for just anyone to join them.

"Custos, time is running out and we still don't have a complete team as yet... Maybe we should team up with the next person who asks to join us," proposed Eliisabet.

"No, we can't do that. Our team needs quality members. There are still other powerful students out there. I don't plan on underestimating them. Because of that, I believe that the third member of our team should be someone who can hold their own in battle," argued Custos.

"If only Avic was here..."

"Let's focus, Eliisabet. Remember, we can't think about Avic right now. We have to stay focused if we hope to beat this round."

"If you're looking for a third member then I'll join you," suddenly said a cool familiar voice from behind.

Eliisabet and Custos then turned around to see none other than Chrono standing behind them with his arms folded. His blonde mohawk swayed calmly in the wind and his ice-cold eyes stared at them intently.

"Chrono..?" Muttered Custos.

"Don't think anything of it. I'm only joining you because I don't desire to be a part of a weak team. The last thing I want in a competition like this is for a bunch of weaklings to hold me back."

"Fair enough. If you want to join us then I don't see any problems with that."

"Why the girl? She's from Class B, isn't she? I'm sure you can find better teammates in Class A. I hope you're not letting a sense of friendship block your vision, Custos. That would be disappointing."

"Eliisabet's strong. Don't judge her based on what class she's in. And she's more of my responsibility than just a simple friend."

"Hmph. I see. I'll take your word for it then. By the way, I heard that friend of yours died in the first round. Avic, was it? I did warn him that he had the wrong concept of what a Sicarius should be. That's probably what caused him to die. He wasn't fit to be a Sicarius with his attitude. It was inevitable that he'd die sooner or later."

"Hey, don't talk about Avic like that! Just who do you think you are?!" Shouted Eliisabet angrily.

Chrono paused as he looked into her eyes.

"It's simply the truth. Sicarius are allowed to live one way and one way only. Kill their emotions and do whatever they must to survive. Think by logic and not by heart. Anyone who does otherwise always dies sooner or later."

"You don't know anything about Avic! Who gave you the right to judge him?! Sure he may not seem hardworking or heartless like you are! But that's just who he is! Why does he have to change that for some dumb rule made up by dumb Sicarius!?"

Custos quickly laid his hand atop Eliisabet's shoulder to calm her down. This was when she noticed she was losing herself in emotion. She needed to control herself or she wouldn't be able to focus in the Forest Of Mortem.

"Calm down, Eliisabet. It's okay. It's only natural that Chrono would assume that about Avic. He hasn't gotten the chance to know how Avic truly is."

"You're right... I'm sorry..."

"Chrono, as I said before, you're free to join us. I think you're capable enough to be on our team."

"Do you already have a plan?" He answered.

"Not exactly, but I at least have an idea of what I need us to do."

"I'm listening."

Before continuing, Custos looked around to make sure that no one was listening in on their conversation. He had to be careful since everyone else was considered an enemy.

"Since we have an entire week to get to the finish line, I think we should use the first two or three days to gather resources and familiarize ourselves with the area. Once we do that, we don't have to worry about stuff like food, drink, or other important necessities."

"I see. So we should avoid fighting and use that time to create different tactics once we have a better understanding of the Forest Of Mortem. Since this isn't necessarily a race to the finish line, we can take our time to become more strategic and conservative. I like that idea."

"Exactly. Most of the other students who are confident in their abilities will have no problem bulldozing their way through enemies and stealing scrolls to get to the finish line. But we don't need to do that. By laying low for a while, we'll be able to dodge the stronger enemies and instead take on weaker enemies. This will allow us to not only conserve energy but also gain scrolls a lot easier."

Chrono did not see an issue with Custos's plan. The goal of the second round was not about being the strongest. It was about knowing how to survive and how to take out enemies using tactical maneuvers. The less confrontation they had with stronger enemies, the better things would be for them. Custos' plan was the embodiment of this.

"Custos, how can we be sure that your plan will work though? If we wait for the stronger enemies to make their move then won't they simply defeat the weaker enemies, leaving us with nothing at the end?" Queried Eliisabet.

"Not at all. You see, those who know that their skills aren't the best in combat will try to avoid powerful enemies. Due to this, they'll lay low just like us at the start so that powerful enemies can eliminate one another. Once they believe that most of the more powerful students have been eliminated or have already gone to the finish line, they'll feel a lot more encouraged to come out and make their move. That's when we make our move. That way, we'll gather a ton of scrolls without much difficulty. Trust me. I've already analyzed a lot of the students here. We can win..!"