In a different part of the monster zone, far from the colossal tree Cassius had wandered into, another group pressed deeper into the forest—a zone thick with verdant, untamed life.
This area was like something out of a forgotten age. Towering ancient trees stretched skyward like natural spires, their thick trunks blanketed in dense layers of dark green moss, giving off a damp, earthy scent.
Intertwined through their rough bark were long vines, twisted and coiled like resting serpents. Each vine was as thick as a baby’s arm and pulsed faintly, as if alive.
Overhead, the canopy was so tightly knit that it filtered the sunlight into thin shafts of green-tinted light, casting everything below in an eerie twilight hue.
The ground was no easier to traverse—waist-high grass grew in abundance, brushing against their limbs as they carved a path forward.
The blades shimmered faintly under the light, and some seemed to react slightly to movement, swaying even without wind.
In the middle of this lush, wild landscape, a group of five young aspirants moved carefully, yet purposefully. Each step they took was deliberate, each rustle of the grass marked with caution—but their nerves weren’t completely still.
Tension lurked beneath the surface.
Among them, a tall man with black hair that swept back and sharp brown eyes broke the silence. His tone was light, casual—an attempt to ease the creeping nerves.
"Hey, what do you guys think the top score’s gonna be?"
The teal-haired girl walking just a few steps ahead of him didn’t even bother to look back. Her icy blue eyes remained fixed ahead as she sliced away a curtain of vines with her short blade.
"Are you seriously trying to pass time with that kind of question?" she asked flatly. "Come on, Heath. There’s gotta be a better way."
Heath raised his hands in mock surrender, a sheepish grin tugging at his lips. "Alright, alright, guilty. Maybe I was just a little curious, that’s all."
Vanessa merely rolled her eyes in response, clearly unconvinced.
A few steps to the right, another member of the group chuckled lightly. He was average in height, his blonde hair tousled, and his hazel eyes glinting with amusement.
"Honestly," he said, glancing between the two, "it’s not a bad idea. Passing time helps ease the nerves. Don’t tell me none of you are bored?"
He looked at Vanessa, then at the other two members of their team—Elia and Leon. Neither replied immediately, but the brief pause in their movement said enough.
Then, Elia finally spoke. She had chestnut brown hair tied in a loose ponytail, and her blue eyes were sharp, scanning the treeline constantly.
Her voice was calm, but firm. "How about this, Xin? You and Heath stop chatting so loudly. If we lure something here by accident, no one’s going to be laughing."
Her words hung in the air with weight. Though spoken softly, they struck a chord with the group. The jungle wasn’t a place that forgave mistakes.
Then, the last among them moved—his expression was unreadable at first, his focus intense. Pale skin, platinum-white hair, and eyes like fresh snowfall made him stand out even among the greenery.
He was almost ethereal, like someone who belonged in a portrait rather than in the middle of a dangerous jungle.
But as the tension lingered, he finally cracked a small smile.
"Hey, Elia," he said playfully, "we’re here to get into the Academy. Not get expelled."
Elia turned her head and scowled, not at all amused. "We’re not even admitted yet, Leon."
Leon leaned slightly toward her, smile widening. "Exactly my point."
A long beat passed between them before she seemed to catch the double meaning in his words. Her eyes narrowed slightly, and then she sighed, muttering under her breath.
"...Then do what you want," she said, turning away with a pout. "Just don’t blame me when something hears us."
Her attitude drew a round of stifled laughter from the group.
Leon, still amused, raised his hand in surrender, grinning. "Alright, alright. No hard feelings. We’re just teasing you, Elia. But you know, being on high alert is one thing—but we’re not gonna score any points if we tiptoe around forever. We have to engage monsters sooner or later."
Heath clapped a hand on Leon’s shoulder, pulling him in with a grin. "That’s the spirit, man. And if anything does go wrong, we’ve got Leon with us. You know how strong he is."
He flashed a thumbs-up to the group.
Leon offered a small, wry smile, brushing a stray strand of platinum hair behind his ear. "Oh, come on. Don’t start depending on me. That’ll only hinder your own growth."
Heath shrugged, completely unfazed by the subtle warning. "I’m not really here to grow my strength, Leon. I’m already from a well-off household. I just need to get admitted into the Academy and somehow scrape by until graduation. That’s it. Nothing else matters but survival."
He said it with a laid-back tone, as if it were the most logical thing in the world.
Xin, ever the agreeable one, nodded along beside him. "Yeah, same here. We’ve got it easy. Family money, political backing, inheritance—it’s all lined up. Why would we need to train ourselves into the ground if life’s already set?"
Leon’s smile lingered, but his expression sobered. He gently shrugged Heath’s arm off his shoulder—not rudely, but deliberately, like he was drawing a boundary. "That makes sense. You’re right in your own way. Everyone’s got their reasons."
His pale hand gestured lazily toward the two girls walking ahead. "What about you two?"
Vanessa and Elia exchanged a glance, their eyes briefly betraying hesitation. Then Vanessa gave a wry chuckle and tilted her head. "Not gonna lie, I’m tempted to follow their footsteps. My family’s well-off too. Comfort’s tempting."
Elia chimed in, finishing the sentiment with a dry smile. "Yeah, but if we don’t show growth or talent, we’re just going to be used for political marriages. We’ll become bargaining chips. That’s the reality for noble daughters."
There was no bitterness in her voice—just clarity. A truth she had long come to terms with.
The three boys nodded solemnly. None of them offered words of comfort. They all understood, to some degree, the cruel mechanics of nobility and the unseen burdens it carried.
Then Leon suddenly clapped his hands, the sound echoing faintly through the jungle and snapping the group back to the present. "Alright, enough talk. Let’s move forward. We need to find some low-level enemies and start stacking points."
Xin perked up with sudden enthusiasm. "Hey, I’ve got an idea! Why don’t we set a goal? Like, a target number of points we should all aim for."
The others paused, considering it.
Heath was the first to toss out a number. "How about fifty? Seems decent, right?"
Vanessa tilted her head thoughtfully, brushing some grass aside with her blade. "Fifty’s not bad, but what if we raise it a bit? Seventy sounds safer, in case the cutoff’s higher."
Elia nodded. "Yeah, seventy sounds more like a buffer. We don’t want to just barely pass."
Leon had his hand propped on his chin, his gaze distant—calculating. Then he spoke, voice cool and composed. "Let’s make it a hundred."
The group turned to him with varying levels of surprise.
Elia raised a brow. "A hundred? Isn’t that pushing it? We only get around two points from a ★-rank monster. That’s fifty monsters. And we haven’t even seen a single one yet."
Leon shrugged as if the problem didn’t exist. "Yeah, fifty. Just fifty."
He smiled again—gentle, but something in his tone shifted. The lightness was still there, but the warmth had vanished.
"Don’t worry," he continued. "I’ll be helping you all. There’s no need to be concerned about the numbers."
There was something off about the latter part of his statement. His words hung heavy in the air, laced with something they couldn’t quite name. Something cold.
They all noticed it. A strange undercurrent in his tone, as if there was a second meaning veiled behind the offer. But none of them commented. No one dared to break the strange silence that followed.
They just nodded, each unwilling to confront the unease they suddenly felt.
With that, Leon’s expression bloomed into a bright, almost forced but perfect smile. "Alright, then. Everything’s settled. Let’s get moving."
He stepped forward confidently. The rest of the group followed in silent agreement.
Yet, even as they resumed their march, a creeping suspicion festered in their minds. There was something about Leon—something not quite right. His charisma was undeniable, his presence magnetic.
But beneath it all... they couldn’t shake the feeling that Leon wasn’t who he pretended to be.
That maybe, just maybe—he already knew.
That they were planning to kill him for points.
And worse... maybe he was planning something far more terrifying in return.