The forest had grown quieter.
Tovin moved between the trees with his hands tucked into his pockets, occasionally stepping over exposed roots and ducking beneath low branches. Unlike the other students scattered throughout the assessment grounds, he showed little interest in searching for opponents or accumulating easy victories.
He had somewhere to be.
And he was already running late.
"Tch. Of all the things that could waste my time, it had to be four idiots."
He sighed, then smiled to himself.
At least the scenery was pleasant.
He continued down the narrow trail until voices reached his ears. Four students stood ahead, occupying the only convenient passage between two rocky outcrops.
The tallest of them noticed Tovin first.
"Well, look at that. Another F-Class straggler."
One of the others laughed.
"Should we take his assessment points?"
Tovin stopped a few metres away and looked from one face to the next.
"Four against one?" He tilted his head. "I'm flattered. I didn't realise I looked so important."
The tallest student stepped forward.
"Drop the act. Hand over your points, and we'll let you leave."
"That's generous. Do you offer this excellent service to everyone, or am I receiving special treatment?"
The student's expression hardened.
Behind him, another boy was already moving to surround Tovin. The fourth student remained farther back, watching the path behind the group.
Tovin noticed all of it.
Leader at the front. Impatient one on his right. One trying to circle around. And the last one's smart enough to watch the exit.
Annoying.
Not particularly dangerous, but annoying.
"I'll give you one last chance," the leader said.
Tovin scratched his cheek.
"Can I ask a question first?"
"What?"
"Do you four always travel together? Or did you independently reach the conclusion that fighting me requires a committee?"
The impatient student lunged.
Tovin's smile widened.
There it is.
He stepped aside just enough to avoid the initial charge. The student swung again, forcing Tovin toward the rocks, while the others began closing in.
Tovin had no intention of winning a prolonged fight. Even if he could overcome them, the time spent doing so would be wasted.
And he had no desire to show strangers anything they didn't need to see.
His heel brushed a loose stone near the edge of the path.
As the impatient student rushed him again, Tovin lowered one hand and touched it.
Rotation.
The stone shifted beneath the attacker's foot at precisely the wrong moment.
His balance faltered.
That fraction of a second was all Tovin needed.
"Ooh, careful!" Tovin exclaimed, stepping aside as the student stumbled past him. "The ground's fighting back. You might want to report it to the academy."
"YOU—!"
Tovin flicked a handful of loose dirt toward the student's face.
It wasn't elegant.
It wasn't honourable.
It worked.
While the student recoiled, Tovin darted through the gap between him and the leader. The leader reached for his collar but caught only fabric slipping through his fingers.
"Get him!"
The rear guard moved to intercept, but Tovin had already changed direction. He vaulted over a low outcrop and disappeared between the trees before the group could reorganise.
"Damn it!" the leader shouted.
The impatient student wiped his face, furious.
"I'm going after him!"
"And do what?" the observer snapped. "Run blindly into the forest after someone who just tricked all four of us?"
"He got lucky!"
"Then why are you the only one covered in dirt?"
Their argument faded as Tovin increased the distance between them.
He didn't look back.
Once the voices were gone, he finally allowed himself a quiet laugh.
"Four people, and the most dangerous thing among them was their collective intelligence."
He brushed the dirt from his sleeve and resumed his journey.
The humour lingered for a few moments before his expression settled.
The encounter had cost him time. Not much, but enough to irritate him.
He checked his surroundings and adjusted his route slightly, avoiding the more open ground. He had no interest in another pointless confrontation.
Not today.
Today, he had something far more valuable to find.
The forest gradually changed as Tovin travelled deeper into the hills. The trees grew denser, and the familiar sounds of the assessment grounds became distant. Rocky slopes rose on either side of a narrow passage, their surfaces softened by moss and creeping vines.
Eventually, he reached a wall of stone almost entirely concealed by vegetation.
He stopped.
For a moment, he simply looked at it.
Then he pushed aside a curtain of vines, revealing a narrow opening in the rock.
A faint warmth drifted from within.
Tovin stepped through.
Beyond the entrance lay a secluded cavern. Its ceiling arched high overhead, and pale mineral deposits shimmered along the walls. At the centre rested a natural pool, its surface perfectly still, releasing delicate wisps of steam into the cool air.
The water was clear enough to reveal smooth stones beneath it.
There were no signs of recent visitors.
No voices.
No movement.
Just the quiet sound of water trickling somewhere beneath the rock.
Tovin approached the edge and crouched, dipping his fingers into the pool.
Warm.
A small smile appeared on his face.
"Finally."
He glanced back toward the entrance, confirming that nobody had followed him.
Satisfied, he returned his attention to the water.
For the first time since the assessment began, Tovin looked genuinely pleased.
He had found it.
And nobody else needed to know.
He removed his outer clothing, set it beside the pool, and slowly stepped into the water.
As it rose around him, he leaned back against the smooth stone and closed his eyes.
"Now then," he murmured, "let's see how much of a difference this makes."
The cavern fell silent once more.
Outside, the assessment continued.
And somewhere beyond the trees, the other students remained unaware that one of their weakest participants had just found something that could change the course of his growth.