Rhodes quickly realized that the second exam wasn't just about finding something. Many of the scouting monsters he'd sent out earlier had already been sent back to the canyon to respawn.
Three of his wolves were gone, every last Raptor had been wiped out, three of his Wraiths had been destroyed, and even one of his Grumps had been taken down.
Rhodes linked his vision to one of the crabs, only to have the image suddenly go black. The crab was instantly sent back to the rift.
But just before it vanished, he caught a glimpse of a massive mouth. "An alligator? No… it looked way bigger than an alligator."
"What's wrong?" Wendy asked.
"There are dangerous beasts here," Rhodes warned, scanning their surroundings. "And not just on the ground, probably in the skies too. To be honest, my summons aren't exactly weak for beasts, but they're getting wiped out fast. That says a lot about this island."
Wendy nodded seriously. "I understand." She suddenly stopped, tilting her head back to sniff the air.
"You smell something?" Rhodes asked.
"Not exactly… but I can feel the air changing. I think it's going to rain soon," she said.
Rhodes glanced at the sky. He didn't notice anything unusual. Maybe he needed to Take Over the Cloud Dragon Soul to gain that kind of weather sense?
While Rhodes and Wendy began searching Tenrou Island, the other examinees were scattered across the island, each following their own hunches.
If there was a word to describe everyone's current situation, it would be… chaos.
The island's wildlife was beyond anything most of them expected. Towering carnivores, easily twenty to thirty meters tall, roamed the land. Packs of flying beasts, each with a wingspan of two to three meters, patrolled the skies in coordinated flocks. And then there were dangerous ambushers like the very same creature that had devoured one of Rhodes' crabs in a single bite.
Even Gray and Elfman's first instinct upon encountering some of these monsters was to turn and run without a second thought.
Tenrou Island had been uninhabited for countless years, but for whatever reason, these creatures were incredibly hostile, chasing down anything that moved with relentless persistence.
Juvia, who had originally been trying to trail Gray, found herself yanked into a full-on sprint by Lisanna. They didn't stop running until they'd found decent cover behind a boulder.
"So scary… why are there creatures that big on this island?" Lisanna gasped.
"Juvia is not afraid," Juvia said proudly, puffing her chest out. "Juvia's body is made of water."
Lisanna gave her a dry look. "What if one of them swallows you in a single gulp?"
"…" Juvia froze mid-sentence. "Then… Juvia would probably be digested."
Unless she could escape in time.
It didn't take long for Juvia and Lisanna to realize this exam wasn't just a test of finding the First Master's grave, it was also a survival challenge.
They'd already spotted more than one beasts in their path. On an island like this, a moment of carelessness could get you eliminated… or worse.
Meanwhile, Gray and Loke were having their own troubles. After being chased for what felt like forever by a squadron of monsters, they finally managed to lose them and slumped down behind a thick tree to rest.
"This isn't working," Gray muttered, leaning against the trunk. "If we keep getting chased by animals, we'll never have time to search properly."
"Fighting them might not be any better," Loke said. "The noise could draw in even more of them."
Before they could come up with a plan, the bushes nearby rustled. Both men shot to their feet like startled cats, ready to attack.
Out from the foliage padded… three Murk Wolves.
When the wolves spotted Gray and Loke, they didn't bare their fangs or attack. Instead, they padded right up to them, sniffed the air curiously, and then trotted off as if they had better things to do.
One even paused to let Gray scratch behind its ear before bounding after the others.
Gray smirked at their retreating backs. "I think I just got an idea."
Loke pushed up his sunglasses with a sly smile. "Same here."
They weren't exactly experts at tracking or searching… but someone else was.
And with two spots open for passing this stage, there was no rule saying they couldn't tail another examinee.
"I'm pretty sure he and Wendy headed that way," Gray said, jerking his thumb in the direction the wolves had gone.
"Then let's move, before they get too far ahead."
After a quick exchange, the two immediately took off, quietly trailing in the direction Rhodes and Wendy had gone.
Meanwhile, Rhodes was having his own thoughts.
"Are we going in circles? This path looks awfully familiar, it's almost like we're heading back toward the first exam site."
He glanced around. The forest canopy above was the same, the arrangement of roots and rocks was suspiciously familiar… Yeah, they'd definitely been here before.
Wendy's cheeks flushed pink. "S-sorry. I think… I might be lost."
Rhodes paused, then gave a small shrug. "It's fine. There's no fixed route for this exam anyway, so whichever way we go works."
Of course, what he didn't say out loud was that if they kept heading this way, they'd be conveniently close to the camp.
And if they happened to end up there… well, it would be nice to see Mira after two days apart.
Sensing that Wendy still felt guilty, Rhodes decided to distract her. "Hey, why don't you help me look for some nice flowers? I was thinking of making a wreath."
Wendy's eyes lit up instantly. "Alright!"
She loved picking flowers, so much so that she immediately thought about making one for herself and another for Carla.
Besides, after learning several intricate weaving techniques, putting together a simple flower wreath would be a breeze for her.
With a small goal to focus on, the walk felt less like wandering aimlessly.
Like a little forest fairy, Wendy darted between patches of sunlight, plucking blossoms in all colors and handing them to Rhodes to carry.
This, however, was pure torment for Gray and Loke.
They'd been careful not to get too close and risk being noticed, but now Wendy was zipping unpredictably from one side of the path to the other, making it almost impossible to follow without revealing themselves.
Gray muttered under his breath, "Are they here for the exam… or on a picnic?"
Loke chuckled. "When you've got an army of summoned beasts like Rhodes does, you can afford to take it slow."
That gave Gray an idea. "Wait, can't you call in some Celestial Spirits to help with the search?"
"Of course not," Loke said with a shrug. "Not every Spirit has as much free time as I do. And besides, unless I'm summoned them with a proper Celestial Spirit Key, it'd probably count as cheating."
Gray couldn't help but mutter, "Summoning magic really is convenient…"
He smirked faintly at the irony. Rhodes had once told him he envied the flexibility of Modeling Magic, and now here he was envying Rhodes. Life had a funny way of flipping things around.
Loke, on the other hand, was busy nursing a different sort of jealousy. "Have those two even run into any beasts at all? They've been strolling around like it's a walk in the park."
"It does seem that way, Wait! Look out!" Gray's eyes widened.
From the underbrush, a hulking beast, something between a wild boar and a bear, its spotted hide rippling with muscle, came barreling toward Wendy just as she bent down to pluck another flower.
Gray was about to leap out and help… but Rhodes was already moving.
Before the beast could close the final few meters, Rhodes' form shimmered, Take Over: Cloud Dragon Soul!, and in the blink of an eye, he slammed his fist straight down on the creature's skull.
There was a dull thud as the beast's head dented under the blow. Its eyes rolled back, and its massive body crumpled to the ground in a heap.
Then, as if venting long-held frustration, Rhodes stomped twice more on its head. "Finally found you, you damn thing!"
It wasn't just any random monster, it was a Pig-Bear. The same type of beast that had nearly killed Rhodes in the forest shortly after he first arrived in this world.
They were fairly common across Fiore, but Rhodes hadn't crossed paths with one in ages.
This time, however, he wasn't the one running away.
A grin spread across his face as he grabbed the beast by its legs. "Perfect… I'm dragging this back to camp. Mira's going to fry it, stir-fry it, boil it, deep-fry it, steam it, roast it and stew it.