The students all scrambled across the forest. Nathaniel and Yenne also had to leave to hunt for monsters.
After walking some distance, Yenne opened the scroll. Her face lit up with shock. It was empty!
"uhh Nathaniel? We have a problem" Yenne spoke.
Nathaniel looked at her and then peeked into the scroll. It was blank. Well, not for Nathaniel though. He knew why it appeared to be blank.
"Can you give it to me?" Nathaniel asked.
Yenne handed over the scroll to him.
Nathaniel poured mana onto the scroll and the words lit up.
" Yenne gasped. "Woah! So it required mana?"
She leaned in, eyes shining with curiosity as the words became clear.
"A goblin is worth one point. An orc is two points," she read aloud. "Demonic beasts scale higher based on threat level."
Nathaniel scanned the forest while she read. The air felt… still. Too still.
"It's perfect," he said quietly.
Yenne looked up. "Perfect?"
"This area," he replied. "Low-level monsters usually roam the outer layers of Yivor Forest. Goblins, forest wolves, maybe an orc patrol if we're unlucky."
"Unlucky?" she repeated.
"For most people, yes."
Nathaniel tightened his grip on the scroll. "For us, it's manageable, probably."
Yenne smiled faintly. "Good. I was worried I'd slow you down."
He glanced at her. "You won't. It should be me who's slowing you down."
"Well, i can't say so. I am not that great at swordsmanship." Yenne chuckled.
Nathaniel stared at her face. He's not at it either. Should he be honest? Who cares?
"I am like a baby who is learning how to crawl. I don't really know a lot of stuff. Like really."
"Well, i guess then we should learn together and gain experience right?"
They moved forward.
It didn't take long.
A rustling sound echoed from the bushes to their right, followed by low, guttural murmurs. Nathaniel raised a hand, signaling Yenne to stop.
"Goblins," he whispered.
"How many?" Yenne asked, already placing her hand on the hilt of her sword.
"Three. Maybe four."
Before Nathaniel could say more, a shrill screech pierced the air.
A goblin burst out from the bushes, its green skin mottled and rough, jagged teeth bared as it charged toward them with a crude dagger in hand.
Yenne moved instantly.
Her body shifted smoothly, blade flashing as she stepped forward. The goblin barely had time to react before her sword struck cleanly. The creature collapsed, dissolving into dark particles.
Nathaniel froze.
His mind screamed move, but his body lagged behind.
Two more goblins rushed out, one from the left and one straight ahead.
"Behind you!" Yenne shouted.
Nathaniel snapped out of it.
He raised his hand instinctively, channeling mana without fully understanding how.
"—Gravity Bind!"
The air distorted.
The goblin charging toward him slammed into an invisible force, its body forced downward as if an immense weight had suddenly crushed it. The creature struggled, screeching before collapsing entirely.
Nathaniel stared at his own hand.
It worked…
The third goblin lunged toward Yenne.
She pivoted, sword meeting the dagger with a sharp clang. The goblin snarled, pushing back with surprising strength.
Then at a very high speed, the goblin's neck flew away from its body.
Yenne looked at Natheniel who was trying to maintain Gravity Bind.
Yenne struck a sword at the goblin who was held hostage by Nathaniel.
He wasn't stricken by fear of blood.
He recalled the times when the whole cult went on hunting animals to offer to the son of Goddess.
"We make a pretty good team!" Yenne said enthusiastically.
'Pretty good team? I didn't even do anything.'
Nathaniel didn't reply to her but he stared at her sword. Lost in his own thoughts.
Before Yenne snapped her fingers in front on his face.
"Hello? Back to Forest Yivor." She said.
"Oh! Sorry." Nathaniel said.
Yenne stared at him. He definitely looked like the type to get pushed around by others.
"How about we take a break?" Yenne asked.
He stared her.
He blinked twice.
"What?"
In the next few minutes, they found themselves under a shade of tree. There was still some time for evening to occur.
"We have to move. We only got 3 points..." Nathaniel complained.
"Relax. Most of the student gets eliminated before they could gather enough points. We should move strategically not fast.
Besides, the lowest passing score in history of academy was 24 And the last year's lowest score was 30.
We can make it.
If you want to rank a bit higher it's a different matter"
'That'a true." He thought. Survival is more important.
"So, You are from the house of Hale?" Yenne asked.
"Um yeah." He replied not sure what to say.
He had never created a baron house named 'Hale' which was his real surname.
So, how the hell was there a baron house named Hale?
It must be the 'System'. He must have created it since it's a novel, everything can be changed. Even the plot.
"Well, I am from the house Arista!" Yenne said.
There was no doubt about it.
She was Y/N.
Nathaniel stared at her. She was definitely not thin, petite, vulnerable, young and clingy that others often imagine her as.
Well but, Y/N literally stands for your name that means it's you.
The biggest mistake those writers make is to describe Y/N features. If the person reading has a chubby body or thin lips, why would Y/N have thin body and thin lips?
Because, Yenne who is Y/N is nothing like that. She sure is a beauty but she's a true fighter.
What Yenne described at battlefield was unlike her appearance. She didn't flinch. Her aura changed. She looked as if she was a warrior.
Definitely not the typical Y/N and exactly the main character he wrote.
"Hello sir, back to earth." Yenne said as she flicked her fingers in front of his face.
Nathaniel switched back to reality.
"You keep spacing out. Are you okay? I thought I had said something wrong."
"Oh. Sorry. I was just lost."
"Well, does that happen often?" She questioned.
"Uhh no."
Yenne smiled "Good. Anyways, i never knew that the Baron household Hale had a son."
"Huh?" Nathaniel gasped.
It was the perfect opportunity to gather some intel about it.
"So um what's our reputation?"
Yenne blinked at him before speaking "well, it's not bad but it's not good either."
"What do you mean?" Nathaniel questioned.
"As far as I know, the baron house is politically neutral. Also, the head of the house doesn't really attend social gatherings so almost no one has seen him."
"Have you seen him?"
"Sorry for disappoint you but I didn't even knew I was a noble a year ago."
"Oh right! You are illegitimate right?"
"Wow! You didn't even hide your intention." Yenne said in a dull voice.
Nathaniel flinched. He shouldn't have spoken about it.
Nathaniel shuttered as he tried to explain. Yenne couldn't hold it in and burst out laughing.
"Relax. That was sarcasm. You tense up easily!" She said.
"What else?"
"Huh?"
"What else is know about house Hale?"
Yenne looked at him for a while and spoke. "Well... Not to be offensive but there is a rumour that the head of the house was a dark magician... Is it true?"