After sending Riya home with Emily, Johnson took charge of everything.
He refused to give up hope. Although it seemed nearly impossible given his son's strength, he clung to the belief that his son would survive the monster wave.
His anger toward his daughter was apparent. He knew that the situation in the forest was far too dire at that moment, but having fought in multiple dangerous battles in his life, he could not help but think that if only Jenny and her teammates had acted quickly instead of hesitating at the last moment when Skyler fell—no, if they had kept an eye on him from the start and made him run in the front, knowing he had no elemental power and was the weakest—they could have helped him in time!
He clenched his fists.
"Jenny... I hope you have a solid explanation for what you did! You should have told your team to let your brother run in the front the instant you all learned about the monster wave...!"
He took a deep breath to calm down. Instead of directing his frustration at Jenny, it was more productive to focus on searching for Skyler in all the livestreams.
He didn't rest, nor did he allow the Lights working for him to rest. He even contacted the academies he could for direct access to the livestreams of their students.
Everyone was on edge, watching every broadcast day and night in search of just a glimpse of Skyler's living figure. Many of the Lights believed the kid would have already died. How could he survive without any elemental power or battle experience?
However, they worked for Johnson's guild, so they didn't dare voice their opinions and continued searching, consuming countless cups of coffee to stay awake.
Even when the other leader of the guild discovered this, he didn't interfere and kept his distance, cheering them on from afar, knowing he would be dragged into work as well by Johnson if he showed up.
***
At the same time, in the preliminary test, the monster wave was still wreaking havoc.
Many participants died, but the number of casualties was low since nearly all of them were trained to fight and survive.
They fought alongside their teammates or on their own to survive the monster wave, finding refuge in caves, hidden groves, tree canopies, and elevated areas such as cliffs and ridges throughout the forest.
Inside a cave concealed behind a layer of green vines, Austin spotted his teammates and quickly gestured for them to enter the cave he had found on the way.
"Where is Sky?"
He asked when he noticed only three panting figures entering the cave. Upon hearing his question, Jenny suddenly broke down in tears, while Max stepped forward and shoved his chest roughly.
"You jerk! Why did you run off first? You know your light element is the strongest among us! You could have healed him... if you had just stayed behind!"
Austin frowned and shoved Max away. He couldn't understand why they were directing their anger at him when they were clearly the ones who had left Sky behind.
"What the... why should I stay back and die just because you all want to save someone we just met? I ran off to survive."
He straightened his clothes.
"I don't see what the big deal is... he was just a stranger, anyway."
Max's jaw clenched. It was Jenny who responded to him in a loud voice.
"He wasn't! Alright! He wasn't!"
Now, she regretted it. She truly did.
She wanted to go back and save him, but she knew it was too late. She realized she had made a mistake. How could she leave her brother behind to die just because she thought he was an embarrassment? How would she now face her parents?
Eerie silence fell in the cave, with all eyes on Jenny's tearful figure.
Elena observed her from a distance with narrowed eyes. If Sky was truly important to her, why did she hesitate?
Just because she stopped her?
If he truly mattered to her, Jenny would have leaped into danger to save him rather than wallowing in regret afterward.
Max settled down next to Jenny.
"Don't worry. He will be fine. I saw him hiding... Plus, you created a wind barrier. The moment the monster wave is gone, we will all go look for him. He will be okay."
His golden eyes stared into hers with such confidence that she stopped crying.
Austin clicked his tongue at the scene. Even after all this, Jenny still hadn't revealed how Sky was related to her.
"I am not going, even if he is important to you. He means nothing to me. Go find him on your own."
He said this but trailed behind quietly as they all went out to search for Skyler.
The wind barrier Jenny had created before leaving was gone; clearly, it had shattered. Everything in that area lay in ruins, just like the entire forest, which was devastated by the powerful monster wave.
Austin's expression remained casual as he bent down to touch a patch of blood amidst the debris and glanced at Elena.
"Can you sense a human dead body nearby with your darkness element?"
His words were harsh, but no one said anything. They watched as Elena spread her elemental power and shook her head.
Austin scoffed.
"He survived. Now, stop wasting time. We still need to complete our kill count."
Jenny shook her head.
"We need to find him. Even if he survived, with all this blood, he is gravely injured and needs urgent treatment."
Austin wanted to argue about how they could possibly find a single man in such a vast forest filled with so many people, but he shook his head when Max agreed.
"Ugh, why did I join your team? I'm regretting it now!"
They searched for Skyler for two whole days, but it was as if he had vanished into thin air. They couldn't find him even after following the blood trail, which was barely visible after the monster wave. The group passed by the small rabbit holes, but due to the destruction, all the entrances were concealed among the fallen trees and debris, so they didn't notice them.
For some reason, Max was certain that Skyler was alive, which made Jenny feel better. Ultimately, they all began hunting monsters to complete their mission while simultaneously searching for Skyler.
The team wasn't sure why Max was so certain, but they trusted him since he had never been wrong. What they didn't know was that, just like a certain someone, Max was favored by a higher being.
#Goddess of Compassion: He is alive. I cannot sense his current location, as I am not permitted to interfere in the preliminary test. But his system hasn't yet reported his death. So, there is no need to worry about him. Focus on completing your trial.