Chapter 13 – Decision in the Middle of the Night

Several hours had passed, the sky had become dark.

Cain slowly regained consciousness. His head throbbed painfully, as if he had just been hit by a large rock. His vision blurred for a moment before finally coming into focus. The first thing he noticed was the dim light of the campfire illuminating the rough cave wall. The faint scent of burning wood smoke could be smelled, mixed with the smell of damp earth and dried blood on his body.

Cain tried to move, but immediately felt his hands being restrained behind his back. Rough ropes wrapped around his wrists, restricting his freedom. His wounds that had previously been sore were now slightly better, wrapped in makeshift cloth.

He lifted his head, looking around.

In front of him, three people were sitting in relaxed positions. Yama, the black-haired man he had previously knocked unconscious, was now smiling slightly as he leaned his back against the cave wall. Next to him, the white-haired man sat with a neutral expression, while the brown-haired girl with a side ponytail, seemed to be sitting with her arms crossed with a look of displeasure on her face.

There was a moment of silence before Yama broke the silence.

"You're finally awake." Her voice sounded relaxed, almost like an old friend greeting after a long time. "You're quite stubborn, huh? I thought you'd be unconscious until morning."

Cain ignored her comment and looked around the cave. His eyes traced every corner, trying to understand where he was. The familiarity he had felt earlier grew stronger.

"...This cave..." Cain muttered softly. "I feel like I've seen it before."

Yama chuckled at that. "Of course you're familiar. This is the cave you planned to use as your residence during the exam, then trapped the Emberfang Primate. Right?"

Cain was slightly surprised, then realized that what Yama said made sense. This was the place he wanted for his temporary residence, with clear running water inside the cave and fruits collected by the Emberfang Primate, these were fruits that were safe for humans to eat.

The brown-haired girl snorted sarcastically. "Thanks to your idea, I'm the one who has to face a group of Emberfang Primates all by myself!"

Cain turned to her, and saw the girl's angry gaze.

Yama shrugged, still with his casual expression. "After you trapped her in the cave, Lena was forced to fight the Emberfang Primate leader along with another Emberfang Primate who had successfully detoxified your paralyzing poison. Of course she won, but it wasn't an easy fight."

The white-haired man added in his flat voice. "She was quite injured from the fight. It's only natural that she's not happy with you."

Lena growled. "Quite injured?! I almost died! It was very dark in the cave with minimal lighting, let alone I was surrounded by a group of Emberfang Primates."

Cain fell silent. He didn't expect that his trap would cause one of them to fight alone against the Emberfang Primate leader. He thought that this was just a clever strategy, but now he saw the consequences firsthand.

Cain didn't answer right away. He took a deep breath, trying to organize his still messy thoughts. This defeat was a huge blow to him. He had underestimated opponents who turned out to be as strong as him.

Lena clicked her tongue in annoyance. "Let's just throw her away. There's no point in keeping someone who almost killed us!"

Cain turned to look at her. Lena's eyes were burning with anger that had not yet fully subsided.

Yama shrugged, still with his casual expression. "Calm down, Lena. If we wanted to throw her away, we wouldn't have to bother treating her wounds."

Lena folded her arms, her expression growing increasingly annoyed. "That's because Weiss said she could be useful. I still disagree!"

Weiss, who saw her opinion being refuted, finally spoke. Her voice was calm and even. "It's true. She has potential. If she's willing to cooperate, we can gain an advantage. Although I can strategize, I'm too lazy to do it, let this person set traps, attract attention and so on."

Cain was silent, watching their interaction. Yama seemed more relaxed and humorous, Weiss was the cold and rational type, while Lena was more emotional and impulsive.

Yama looked back at Cain. "You heard, right? So how about we make a deal?"

Cain narrowed his eyes. "Deal?"

"Yes. Join us," Yama said lightly, as if the offer was something simple.

Cain stared at them in silence. This offer... made sense.

He could refuse it and try to survive on his own, but after what happened earlier, he realized that being alone was a huge weakness. If he had encountered another, more ruthless group, he would probably be dead by now.

Lena snickered. "This is a bad idea. He even tried to set us up earlier. What if he betrays us in the end next time?"

Yama chuckled. "If he tries, we can just beat him up again. Easy, right?"

Cain took a deep breath, thinking quickly. "If I join... won't you guys restrict my movements?"

Weiss looked at him. "As long as you don't try to backstab us, there's no reason to restrict your movements."

Cain was silent for a moment, then finally nodded. "Alright. I'll join."

Yama smiled in satisfaction. "Good. From now on, we're a team."

Weiss nodded curtly, while Lena let out a long sigh before finally turning her face away in annoyance. "I still disagree."

Yama ignored Lena's complaints and looked at Cain. "Now, formal introductions. I'm Yama."

Weiss looked at Cain with a neutral expression. "Weiss."

Lena just snickered before muttering, "Lena."

Cain nodded, noting their names in his mind. "Cain."

Yama chuckled. "We already know your names, but still, it's been a pleasure working together, Cain."

Cain remained silent, staring at the campfire with a serious expression. In his mind, he knew that this was the best move for now. However, could he really trust them?

The atmosphere became a little more relaxed after the introductions were over. Yama began to talk nonsense, while Lena still looked reluctant to accept Cain's presence. Weiss, as before, remained calm and did more observing.

Deep down, Cain realized one thing, this trial was far from over. And now, with this new group dynamic, greater challenges might be waiting for them ahead.

After their brief introductions, the atmosphere in the cave returned to silence. The campfire was still burning, providing a dim light that danced on the rough stone walls.

Cain rested his back against the cave wall, his body still feeling tired from the previous fight. He stared at the fire, his mind still filled with what had just happened. His defeat was still fresh in his mind.

Weiss, who was sitting not far from him, finally spoke up. "Cain."

Cain raised his head, looking at the white-haired man.

"Since when did you start fighting?" Weiss asked in a flat tone.

Cain was a little surprised by the question. "What do you mean?"

Weiss stared at him with sharp eyes. "I want to know how much combat experience you have. Seeing how you fought earlier, it seems like you've never really fought before, right?"

Cain was silent for a moment, before finally sighing. "I only really fought when this exam started."

Lena let out a long sigh with an irritated expression. "Seriously? So you just came to this exam with no combat experience at all?"

Cain nodded slowly. "I only trained for three days with a friend before. That's all."

Yama chuckled, while Weiss continued to stare at Cain with an unreadable expression.

"I expected that," Weiss said. "You have talent, Cain. I can't deny that. But talent alone isn't enough in a real fight."

Cain looked at Weiss with a little doubt. "What do you mean?"

Weiss crossed her arms. "Your previous plan did seem quite clever, but it was full of flaws. You were trying to trap us and the Emberfang Primate into this cave. It was a good idea to kill two birds with one stone, but that was… only on paper."

Cain remained silent, listening intently.

"But the main problem is that you didn't consider another variable," Weiss continued. "What if the Emberfang Primate didn't enter the cave right away, but instead chose to flee? The behavior of mutated animals cannot be equated with that of ordinary animals, you were just gambling. What if we realized the trap early and found another way to deal with you? What if we were stronger than you thought?"

"For the second and third points, I think they are your biggest mistakes. The second point, from the start I already realized that there was something wrong with the surroundings, realized your trap, it's just that I was lazy and chose to play with you." Weiss said, she was not arrogant at all, just telling the truth.

"The third point, actually we are stronger than you think, when you made Yama faint in just a few seconds he immediately woke up and just watched our fight from afar." Now Weiss' eyes turned to Yama with a cold gaze, she was a little annoyed by Yama's actions.

"I'm sorry..."

"Plus, actually when Lena and I fought against the Emberfang Primate, we didn't use all our strength at all, saving our energy in case something happened."

Cain frowned, realizing that all those scenarios had really happened and he experienced them.

"And more than that," Weiss continued, "you don't have a backup plan. You bet everything on one strategy without thinking about the next step if something doesn't go according to plan."

Cain bit his lip, his heart felt heavy.

"So you think... I'm still too raw?" he asked in a low voice.

Weiss nodded without hesitation. "Yes. You may be talented, but you don't have enough understanding of how combat works. If you fight someone more experienced, you'll lose every time."

Cain clenched his fists. Weiss' words hurt, but he knew they weren't lies. They were a reflection of the reality he had to face.

Yama smiled broadly. "Don't think too much about it, Cain. If you stay with us, you'll learn a lot. Who knows, maybe after we pass the Arkaneum exam you can take revenge on Weiss."

Cain sighed softly. He knew this wasn't just about revenge, but about survival. If he wanted to move forward, he had to accept the fact that he was still weak and he had to get stronger.

Cain immediately calmed his mind that was still filled with thoughts about the previous fight. He realized that every word Weiss said was true, he was still too raw in fighting, and his strategy was full of loopholes.

Cain looked at Weiss, who was still sitting with her expressionless expression. "Thank you," he said sincerely.

Weiss raised her eyebrows slightly. "For what?"

"For your advice," Cain replied. "I actually know that I'm weak, but I always act strong to motivate myself and end up letting my guard down. I'm still too weak, and I have a lot to improve on."

Weiss stared at him for a few seconds before finally nodding slightly. "It's good that you realize that."

Cain clenched his fists and stared at the bonfire in front of him. "I won't just sit there and accept defeat like that. I will learn from my mistakes, and I will become stronger. I promise."

Yama chuckled as he patted Cain's shoulder. "That's a good spirit! Don't be so serious, Cain. If you think too much about losing, you'll only get worse. Just enjoy the process."

Lena still looked annoyed, but this time she didn't say anything. Although she had disliked Cain from the start, she could see that the young man wasn't just arrogant for no reason, he had the will to learn.

Weiss finally said, "Alright, if you really want to improve, prove it with your actions. Don't just talk."

Cain nodded firmly. "I'll do it."

For the first time since that battle, Cain felt something different. He didn't just want to survive, he wanted to grow, he wanted to prove that he deserved to be here. With this new team, he had the chance to learn more.

And he wasn't going to waste that chance.

Yama stretched his body casually, then looked at Lena with his trademark grin. "Alright, since we're done with the serious talk, now let's decide on the guard shifts. Tonight, Lena will be on guard first."

Lena immediately turned her head sharply at him. "Why am I on guard first?"

Yama chuckled. "Because I decided."

Lena snorted in annoyance, but she didn't argue further. She knew that in this group, everyone had to share the duties, even though she was still annoyed with Cain.

"After Lena, Cain will be on guard," Yama continued while looking at Cain. "Just think of this as training for you, so that you get used to conditions like this. There's no telling when we'll be attacked, so get used to keeping watch at night."

Cain nodded without protest. "Okay."

Weiss remained silent, while Lena still grumbled softly before finally standing up and walking to the cave entrance. She leaned against the wall, adjusting her eyes to the darkness outside.

Yama lay down near the campfire and closed his eyes. "Okay, I'll go to sleep first. Don't let your guard down, okay?"

Weiss followed quietly, leaving Lena and Cain to take turns guarding. Cain stared at the campfire that was starting to dim, feeling that this was the beginning of something new, not just a survival test, but a journey that would shape him in the future.

Cain then got up and walked closer to the cave entrance and sat down, replacing Lena who was still leaning against the wall with her arms crossed. The night air was cold, but the sky above them was so clear, filled with twinkling stars. The dim light created faint shadows on the ground.

Lena glanced at Cain briefly, then sighed softly. "You're really troublesome, you know?"

Cain looked at her with a flat expression. "I know."

Lena clicked her tongue. "If you knew, you shouldn't have done something stupid like that. Trapping me in a cave with that noisy monkey? Seriously?"

Cain shrugged. "I had no choice at the time, I was very sensitive to strangers during the exam."

Lena gave him a sharp look, then took a deep breath. "You won't last long if you just rely on half-baked plans."

Cain didn't answer right away. He stared at sky, trying to understand Lena's words. After a while, she finally said softly, "I learn from my mistakes."

Lena snorted. "Good then."

They were silent for a moment, the only sound of the night wind blowing around them.

"The sky here is quite beautiful," Cain finally said, trying to change the mood. "I rarely see this many stars in Solmora City."

Lena glanced up, then smiled a little, though she quickly hid it. "Well… if it weren't for this exam, I probably wouldn't have noticed it."

Cain looked at her from the side. For a moment, Lena didn't seem as upset as before. She seemed calmer, her usually sharp eyes now looking softer under the starlight.

"I'll prove that I can be relied on," Cain said, his voice steady.

Lena turned to him, then smiled lopsidedly. "We'll see."

The night continued, and the two of them fell silent again, enjoying the vast starry sky above them.