We got far away from the cavern without leaving anyone behind. Still, most of the cadets with us had been badly injured, as my aura could only protect the outer shell of the sphere at that time. That limitation caused those with weaker physiques to become liabilities.
The orcs had crafted a structured plan. With those shamans still alive and the mastermind of the attack hiding in the shadows, we had no way of launching a counterattack—at least not yet. However, we did know their base of operations was somewhere near the center of this zone.
"We have to attack them without a plan," Tommy said as we walked toward the river under the starlit sky.
"Are you crazy? Having no plan is a stupid plan," I replied. I had told him about my deduction concerning the prophecy makers, but I hadn't expected such a response from someone like him.
"Raymond, when you're hunting intelligent creatures who know you're going to do something smart to capture them, they'll plan accordingly—baiting you into overthinking until they become the hunters instead. In cases like this, you have to do something they'd consider too stupid to expect from someone like you. I know it hurts your pride, but we don't have another option here," Tommy explained. "Besides, the other cadets aren't in any condition to fight. I doubt the orcs will expect an attack anytime soon."
"So you're saying just the two of us will be enough to raid their base? While that plan isn't exactly to my liking, if we manage to hide the others, it could work," I replied, beginning to see the logic in it. "Actually, I could have a few friends protect them while we're gone."
"How do you know they won't just steal the cadets' points?" Tom asked, pointing back at them.
"I trust them. They're strong enough to earn their own points easily—they wouldn't stoop that low," I said without a hint of doubt.
"If you're talking about people like that alien, then I get where your confidence comes from," Tommy said, his voice more reassured.
"There's a slight problem, though—they've set up a barrier around their main outpost. I can interfere with it and create a temporary hole without alerting them," I began to explain, but stopped as the river came into view.
"Well, this is where we part ways, I believe," I said, turning around. "You all just have to swim to the end of this river. My friends will take care of you from there."
"W-Wait! You're leaving us in the care of someone who might not even show up? And if they do, what guarantee do we have that they won't just take our points?" asked the same cadet who had doubted our plan earlier, still carrying someone on his back.
"If you don't trust the guy who literally risked his life to save yours, then you're probably better off not trusting anyone at all," Tom replied before walking away.
"…He was rude, but I would've said the same thing—just in a kinder way. Don't worry about it. They won't let any of you die, and I believe your survival matters more than the points you earn in this exam," I added before walking off after him.
"Some people just can't stop being greedy," Tom said, turning the lower half of his vessel into water and crossing the river.
"You can't really blame them. We're all under pressure. This exam could change their lives forever. A little greed is understandable," I replied, walking across the water with my ability activated.
"Shut it. All you Allens are too kind to know when to stand up for yourselves," Tom scolded. "Anyway, how does this barrier interference of yours work?"
"You know how already-cast spells can sometimes be disrupted in the presence of mana from a counter-path? If you apply your stagnation property to the barrier, the section you affect won't repel us—it'll freeze in a way that lets us move through it. It's called magic interference, not barrier interference, and it works on any spell made of a mana path you can counter," I explained, conjuring a small hologram made of mana to clarify.
"Wait a minute… what part do you play in this?" Tom asked, suddenly realizing my intent.
"You told me to go in without a plan—so I made a plan for you. I've got a better way to get in… even without one," I said. "I'm going to let myself get captured on purpose."
If they tried to kill me, I could just stop my heart to make it seem like I was dead. That would actually work better, since corpses were typically sent straight to the kitchen when found.
The fact that I could speak the Orcish language made it safer for me to interrogate their chef than it would be for an actual warrior to find the prison cells. Most warriors were tight-lipped—they'd rather bite their tongues than speak.
The main outpost of the orcs was smaller than we had expected, but the mana radiating from it confirmed that this was the place we were looking for.
It was jagged—built from wood and stone—with tall walls lined with spikes and old bones. A few torn red flags flapped in the wind, marked with the symbol of a black fang. Smoke rose from within, and orc guards stood watch from towers on either side of the heavy front gate. A faint, glowing dome of magic covered the whole structure, ensuring nothing could get in—or out.
"Well... how do you plan to get inside now?" Tom asked, eyeing the watchtowers.
"Shoot me in the back of the head as I walk toward the gate," I replied. "Aim for a spot where it'll pierce, but won't reach my skull. It needs to look convincing."
"…You are borderline insane," Tom muttered in a serious tone, pulling his sniper from his utility belt and backing away.
Mimicking his footsteps, I walked slowly toward the outpost. Then I suddenly broke into a sprint, catching the guards' attention—just as the sharp crack of a shot echoed through the night, alerting the entire outpost as I collapsed onto the ground.