**Adam's POV**
Six days ago, after we got our first flag.
"We'll settle here for the time being," Tokito announced. No one objected, not when they had seen him tear an entire group into pieces.
But yours truly? "I'm afraid there's something of concern," I said. Heads turned to stare at me, and when I was sure everyone's attention was on me, I said, "When we got that group's flag, it turned blue, but ours still remained gold."
"So?" one of our fodders asked impatiently.
"It means that our real flag would always be noticeable no matter how many flags we get," I replied calmly. I saw their eyes widen as realization sank in. The original plan we had was that if we encountered a strong team—like one headed by a top-ten cadet—we would confuse them about our actual flag and the ones we stole.
"And what do you suggest?" Tokito asked expectantly.
"Why the hell is he looking at me like that?!" I thought. No, not only him—all of them were looking at me expectantly, as if they expected me to pull out something to revolutionize the situation. And they were right: I did have something already.
"You," I said, turning to a boy with a buzz cut whose name I hadn't bothered to remember.
"Hmmm?" he answered.
"You said you could make visually realistic illusions, right?" I asked.
"Yes," he answered.
"Oh, I see where you're going with this," Tokito commented. It seemed he had already caught on.
"Great; now try to make these two flags switch colors," I said. When we introduced ourselves, I hadn't cared about his ability that much, even though it could be great for group combat. Who knew it would come in handy?
"What?" the idiot asked, cluelessly.
"He means you should make one look like the other and vice versa using your illusions," Lara intervened. And it was good that she did; I was this close to smacking the idiot.
"Ooooh," it was then that the idiot finally grasped what I was insinuating.
He closed his eyes as if visualizing, and when he opened them, the flags before us switched colors: the gold became blue, and vice versa. But we knew they didn't actually change colors; it was just an illusion.
"How long will the illusion last?" I asked. It wouldn't do us any good if it didn't last long.
"Anytime between twelve and thirteen hours, and then I'll have to do it again," he replied.
And that was why I wasn't worried when the flag got snatched; in fact, I was planning to let her take it.
"Damn, dude, it actually worked!" Tokito grinned excitedly.
"Of course it did," I replied.
"Let's free her," I said, gesturing to Lara, who was still bound by vines.
"Took you long enough," she harrumphed as soon as the vines covering her mouth were removed. After that, we went around and picked up all the stray flags.
"So how many do we have?" asked Lara.
"We have twenty-five overall: our thirteen and the tree girl's twelve," I replied.
"What about Aurelia's?" Tokito chimed in.
"No, she took them all, not leaving a single one," I answered.
Yes, Aurelia had managed to get away with all of her group's flags. How she did it while fighting that red-haired bastard was beyond me.
---------
Somewhere close to the center, Aurora, Damien, and Quinn were fighting it out. From a secluded place, three cadets watched the fight.
"Do you see how she's destroying them?" Owen asked, bewilderedly.
"Yes, we can see that, idiot; she's a De Silva after all!" Jared muttered with pride.
"She's not even taking them seriously," Ashley muttered solemnly.
"Guys, I think we should leave this place," Owen suggested.
"Yeah, if she senses us, we'll be next," Jared affirmed.
And they left, with Ashley's group members trudging behind them. They didn't get to see Damien's arm being cut off or Quinn surrendering his flag. After they were sure they had gotten away, Ashley asked about the elephant in the room, "Now do we part in peace, or in pieces?" They had less than fifteen minutes for the trial to end, after all.
"What, you're scared?" Owen smirked.
"Not in the slightest, but two against one isn't very fair and square, is it?" she shot back. She didn't even count her group members in, as they were simply insignificant. "And besides, there are still about thirteen minutes left; who knows if our fight draws the wrong kind of attention?"
Owen's smirk faded. As much as he wanted to show her that he was stronger and better, he didn't want to risk losing his flag. "I'll surely get another time to show her her place, but now is not the time," Owen reasoned.
"We'll part in peace," Jared spoke once again.
"Hey, who are you to decide that?" he glared at Jared before turning back to Ashley. "We'll part in peace," he said.
But Jared wasn't having it. "What do you mean, 'Who am I to say that?' Do you take yourself to be better than me?" he scoffed.
As they continued their banter, Ashley took her group members and left. Meanwhile, her group members were thinking, "Is that how the nobles behave? If that is how they behave, then they're no different from us. I thought they were supposed to be refined and elegant." But alas, no one could answer their questions because they wouldn't be bold enough to ask them.
**Adam's POV**
I watched with bated breath as the countdown reached its last minute. To be honest, I spent the last fifteen minutes on edge, hoping that we would be free from trouble until the end of the exam. I was expecting a group herded by one of the top cadets to suddenly appear, but fortunately, they didn't.
The moment the countdown reached zero, my consciousness blanked out, and I found myself in a white expanse once more. Then I felt my mind suddenly being drawn away again. Then,
"Cadet Adam Walker, Rank 178, exiting simulation," the robotic voice echoed in the confines of the pod as I came to. With a subtle hiss, the lid opened. I tried to stand up, but my body felt heavy, as if I hadn't moved in years. I had to relax for a few seconds more before I was able to get out of the pod, right at the same time as others.
The instructor was standing before us, and I felt a gaze boring into my being. I followed that gaze, and there she was: Lily Greatwoods, the first year's Rank 2. She did not look like she was in a good mood—why? Because her glare was literally saying, "I will kill you." She glared at me with an incensed expression for a few moments before she looked away.
Yeah, I was in for it, and it didn't help that other cadets in the room also noticed the exchange. I can only hope Aurora will be able to shield me from this storm.
"Attention, cadets: here are your rankings for this trial," the instructor announced. A hologram appeared before us, displaying:
Trial rankings
1. Team Aurora → 37 flags.
"Hmmm, why am I not surprised?" I mumbled.
2. Team Tokito → 25 flags.
"Now that's a big surprise," I said.
3. Team Owen and Team Ashley → 12 flags.
"Owen's gonna be pissed," I muttered.
4. Team Aurelia → 11 flags.
"Damn, she really did not surrender a single flag" I muttered in awe.
5. Team Victor → 1 flag.
*****
"As you can see, these are the winners of the trial, even though the last ranking was rather lackluster," the instructor announced.
"Yeah, serves the red-haired bastard right," I muttered.
"Now you're free to go, and I forgot to mention—you get points for every flag you acquire. That is, every flag is worth ten points for each member of the group. So, for example, the members of Team Aurora who possess 37 flags each get 370 points."
'The hell?' I thought. Now I'm jealous that I'm not part of her group. Humans are always bothered by what they can't get and mostly overlook what they have. Even though I was getting 250 points, my eyes were still on the extra 120 points Aurora's group was getting.
Cadets started walking out in droves; I also opted to leave.
"Hey, Adam," someone called out, but after hearing that voice for the better part of a week, I already knew it was Tokito.
"Hmmm?" I said, turning back.
"I'll see you later," he said.
"See you later too," I replied.
We could be friends, him and me.
As I walked out of the hall with the pods, I suddenly felt a tap on my shoulder; I almost couldn't resist the urge to sigh.
"You saw my group's ranking, right? You should have been in my group," he smirked.
"Why would I want to be in your group when my group is ranked second?" I asked, amused.
"What... you..." His smirk faded as he tried to confirm.
"Yes," I nodded, my lips curling up. "It's you who should have been in my group."
"What? It's just some stupid ranking anyway," he said, patting my shoulder. "Why should we care about it?"
The major difference between Owen and Tokito would be none other than Owen's shamelessness. He never ceases to amaze me.
-----
A/N:
IF YOU'RE ENJOYING THIS NOVEL, PLEASE LEAVE A REVIEW 🙏🙏🙏🙏.