Thirty minutes had elapsed since the start of the exam. By now, every team had scattered throughout the vast forest.
As for Team A (Finral,Boa Yu and David)
Boa Yu: "The centre is where everyone is ultimately going so we might as well set traps as close to there as possible.
Finral: "I'm sensing a team's mana signature nearby. Looks like they've already found us."
David: "Oh, you mean those guys? I've already taken care of them."
He whispered without looking up from the comic book he was reading.
Suddenly, three people came crashing down from the trees, their bodies completely covered by a swarm of ants.
They writhed on the ground, screaming in agony as countless ants bit into their bodies.
David: "Harvester ants can sense perspiration and body heat and attack in mass. And they have a venomous sting that paralyzes their target.
Boa Yu: "Well, I guess that's one team down. Let's see if they have the gemstone we need."
Finral crouched down and searched the three unconscious applicants.
Finral: "No luck. They have the Heaven Gemstone—the same one we do."
Boa Yu: Guess we'll look elsewhere then.
Meanwhile as for Team E
Aturia: Did you guys hear someone scream?
Miki: "This place is creeping me out.
Seig: "I'll protect you, Miki. There's nothing to be afraid of.
He said with a reassuring smile, though deep down, he was just as scared.
Seig: "I gotta go take a leak I'll be right back. He says as he scurries behind the bushes and comes out a few minutes later.
Seig: "Phew what a relief I'm feeling all better.
Aturia stepped forward, her expression stern.
Aturia: "Seig... turn your head."
Seig: "Sure. Why?"
Aturia: "I knew it."
Before Seig could react, Aturia's fist shot forward and slammed into his cheek, making him stumble back in surprise.
Miki: "W-What the...? Aturia, what are you doing?!"
Seig wiped the corner of his mouth.
Seig: "What was that for?"
Aturia grabbed him by the collar, glaring into his eyes.
Aturia: "Who are you? What have you done with the real Seig?"
Seig: "I'm right here."
Aturia: "Don't play dumb with me. The cut on the side of your cheek—the one you got from the proctor earlier is gone. And i know for a fact Miki didn't heal you."
She tightened her grip on his collar.
Aturia: "Which means... you're an impostor."
Then suddenly Seig's body vanished into a puff of smoke as the imposter ran toward Aturia.
Imposter: "Unfortunately you've forced me to be direct now tell me which one of you has the gemstone.
Mana swirled around Aturia as she fired dozens of ice spikes at the impostor. He swiftly dodged every one of them before lunging forward with a blade. Aturia met the attack head-on, conjuring an ice dagger and intercepting his strike.
The impostor turned and ran, with Aturia close behind in pursuit. Suddenly, she heard Seig scream her name.
She quickly turned her head and froze.
Seig was buried in the ground, with only his head sticking out of the earth.
Aturia: "I'm kinda busy right now Seig, Miki help him out.
Miki: "Right.
She hurried over to where Seig was and pulled him out of the ground.
Impostor: "You left yourself wide open. Lucky me. Plant Magic: Vine Whip!"
At his command, multiple vines burst from the earth and lashed toward Aturia. She dodged most of them, but one caught her squarely, sending her skidding across the ground.
Aturia stood up slowly: "Ow that hurt.
She barely recovered before the imposter stood behind her.
Imposter: "One false move and I'll kill you so hand over your team gemstone.
Without warning, a massive fireball shot toward them. The impostor swiftly sprang into the air, narrowly dodging the incoming attack.
Seig: "You're not getting away that easily.
Aturia immediately activated her Hex Eyes as two glowing lines spread across her irises.
Her perception sharpened instantly, analyzing every contraction of the impostor's muscle movements.
Aturia thought: "He leaped to avoid the attack. Judging by his trajectory, he'll land on that tree branch in approximately ten seconds."
Although her eyes had already seen the outcome, her body couldn't react as quickly as her mind. As soon as five seconds passed She immediately broke into a sprint toward the predicted landing spot.
Just as the impostor descended toward the branch, Aturia reached the spot a split second ahead of him and drove an ice dagger into his chest.
The imposter coughed out blood.
Impostor: "I've been wounded... This is bad. I need to get out of here and regroup with my team."
Suddenly, he cast Plant Magic as thick vines burst from the ground, coiling around his body before violently yanking him away from Aturia's ice dagger and out of danger.
Aturia deactivated her Hex Eyes. The two glowing lines across her irises gradually faded away, returning her eyes to their normal appearance.
Seig: "He's gone.
Aturia: "Miki do you still have it
Miki searches in her pocket: yeah i still have our gemstone.
Aturia: "The safest thing for us to do now is to have a secret password we can't trust each other blindly. That way we'll know if it's an enemy or not.
Seig: "Yeah you're right and also sorry i got us into trouble.
Aturia: "Just be careful next time dufus
Seig: "Dweeb.
Miki: "Oh, I have an idea for the password we should use. It's from a famous verse in the Book of Merlin. Listen carefully, because I'm only going to say this once and here's what you'll both say.
"In the beginning was mana and mana was with the world and mana was the world"
Aturia nods: "I got it
Seig: "Wait hold on I'm a bit confused do you mind repeating.
Aturia: No time we have to keep moving.
Seig: how do you expect to remember that password, shouldn't we use something simpler like "meat"
Without warning, a powerful gust of wind swept through the area, toppling several trees around them and interrupting their conversation.
A few minutes later the dust begins to settle.
Aturia: Miki
Miki stepped back: "Wait hold on.. what's the password in the book of merlin?
Aturia: "In the beginning was mana and mana was with the world and mana was the world"
Miki: "Good.
Seig: Hey are you two alright?
Aturia: Not so fast Seig what's the password from the book of merlin?
Seig: "In the beginning was mana and mana was with the world and mana was the world"
Aturia immediately forged two ice daggers in her hand and threw it towards Seig.
Miki: "But Seig got the password right
Aturia: That's the problem.
Seig was just struggling to remember the password just a while ago but all of a sudden he gets it all correctly to the very last detail.
Miki realizes: Oh you're right Seig is to dense to memorize something like that.
Aturia: That's right which means we have another imposter.
Miki: "Which means the real Seig was kidnapped again.
The Seig in front of them vanished into a puff of smoke. As a tall slim looking man wearing a straw hat walked toward them
Jiao: "I see so that's what gave me away.
Miki: "Who are you? And where have you taken Seig this time.
Jiao: "I suppose this is what your team is after"
He pulls out a black (hell) gemstone.
Jiao: "Since you've already got a white (heaven) gemstone you'll try to steal this one from me won't you?
Before anyone could react he suddenly opens his mouth and swallows the black gemstone.
Jiao: "Then I guess you have no choice but to fight me to the death for it."
A devilish grin spread across his face as his inhumanly long black tongue slowly slithered from his mouth.