A Potential Ally?

Raelis silently explained the situation to his teammates, and soon, their expressions hardened.

"He's here...?" Alice asked, narrowing her eyes. "And that Zeri chick, aren't you strong enough to deal with her?"

He shook his head. "Because of her high bloodline purity, her senses are significantly heightened. With my current abilities, I wouldn't be able to get near her."

I could definitely reach her, but her durability is too high. I wouldn't even be able to pierce through her skin.

"I see..." Alice sighed. "So what now? Do we get out and wait for the thing to make up its mind?"

"Be more subtle," Clea added. "We're in a camp full of people. Anyone can hear us, and they definitely hear you."

"It should be fine, I'm dulling the noise," Raelis stated flatly, making the girls glance at him, puzzled.

But before they could speak up, Mathieu spoke up instead.

"Is it a part of your shadow technique? Hmm... I've only heard about it in stories, but those rogue techniques really are something..."

Raelis's brows twitched. "On that note. What can you do again? Mind magic?"

Mathieu nodded slowly. "I can influence people's decision-making to a certain degree... nothing more."

"That's good," Raelis replied, standing up.

He approached Mathieu and tapped him on the shoulder.

"We're getting out of here now. There are only a few hours left until the exam finishes. Let's have one final food break, shall we?"

They exchanged glances before letting out a sigh.

And with that, they left the campsite and headed in a random direction.

Raelis made sure to leave behind a few traces, like footsteps and dagger marks etched into the bark in case a certain someone came looking for them.

But even after they settled down, ate, and saw the sun rising in the faraway distance, no one sought them out.

Yet as he began cooking up another plan, the bushes rustled. In the next moment, a familiar figure stepped out.

It was Ajax, looking as smug as usual, but it was clear this wasn't really him.

"Resian." Raelis nodded at him and patted the ground beside him. "I'm glad you took my offer to heart."

"And what offer is that?" Resian scoffed. "You gave me a piece of cloth from your dead friend and walked away. The only reason I came here in the first place was to find out what was going through your tiny little mind."

"You answered your own question," Raelis remarked, picking up one of the skewered rabbits and taking a bite.

"Our teammate died, so we need a replacement and you seem like the perfect candidate. So what do you say? Do you want to impersonate a candidate alongside the person who—"

"Yeah yeah, the person who reached the 100th step," Resian cut him off with a scoff. "Don't worry about those small details. I inherit the basic memories of those I possess. But if they're dead, I gain everything."

Raelis simply nodded. He understood how mimics worked, and how overpowered they seemed.

But despite their obvious usage, they could not be trusted.

Mimics were swayed at the drop of a hat, and in that same manner, Resian's usefulness only extended to this single trial.

After that, he was completely useless to them.

And Resian knew that, hence the hesitance.

"I quite like this body," Resian said out of nowhere. "But I will only agree to help you if you promise me something."

"I don't do promises, Resian," Raelis stated coldly. "But the least I can do is hear you out."

Resian clicked his tongue. "Fine... when the headmaster detects me, because he obviously will, I want you to defend me. By that... Just get me through this one... and the next. After that, we're done anyway."

"Hmm...?" Raelis raised a brow. 'And we're done'? There are usually three to five exams, and it's random every year... The only reason I know is because I remember it, but...

Raelis was no genius, but for his own sake, he kept this slip-up to himself.

Since those words alone sparked yet another theory inside his mind.

Is he an exam overseer? I heard there used to be a few who directly interacted with the candidates... but a mana beast? Seriously?

Still, that knowledge alone gave Raelis more leverage.

And naturally, if his hunch was correct, then the right decision in this situation was...

"Very well, I'll defend you."

The moment Raelis uttered those words, Alice spat out a mouthful of water, dousing the fire.

"Y-You what? Are you...?"

He put a finger to his lips, motioning her to be quiet.

She furrowed her brows. "I know you don't need a retainer, but accepting something like that is stupid—"

Clea suddenly hit Alice over the head, causing her to bite her tongue and shut up.

"Raelis gave Clea an appreciative nod and turned back to Resian, who looked puzzled

"Seriously?" Resian asked with a chuckle. "Well shit, I don't mind. A deal's a deal then, yeah?"

He's even talking like Ajax now... Raelis thought as a small headache began to form.

Even so, as brittle as this alliance was, he'd take it.

But for good measure, he shot Mathieu a simple glance, as if insinuating something.

Mathieu flinched and opened his mouth, yet no words came out.

The only thing that changed was that he tightened his grip on the log beneath him.

Why isn't he using his Mind magic...?

That thought lingered for only a moment as Raelis finally understood the extent of the people who were beside him.

Alice was reliable, and Clea was a mystery. Even then, she was reliable enough for him to turn his back to her.

Then there was Mathieu, the person who was nothing but a disappointment since the very start.

It's my fault for expecting him to be able to do something so... simple.

Raelis stood up and, as if right on cue, the headmaster's voice rang out.

[Heya everybody. The second exam is finally over! Yay!] Arius clapped. [But now comes the evaluation...]

He cleared his throat.

[Out of the 790 who entered this exam, only 411 survived.]

The headmaster let that chilling thought linger in their minds for a few moments until eventually, a blue flare shot up into the sky before exploding.

[You all see that? Good. Head over to the source of the flare...] Arius trailed off, his voice growing cold.

[I will now be conducting the second exam's final evaluation.]