Rin and Jin stepped through the portal and emerged into a dense forest. Towering trees loomed around them, their thick canopies blotting out most of the sky. Moss-covered rocks littered the forest floor, and the silence was thick—unnatural. Not even birdsong. Not even wind.
As they walked, Rin glanced at Jin. "Hey, do we have a plan for this exam? Professor Kobe said we're supposed to survive out here for a week."
Jin kept walking, his expression unreadable. "For survival, we eat whatever monster corpses we kill. For points? We kill anything that moves."
Rin sighed inwardly. Ella, since we're here now… is it possible for me to finally awaken a trait for one of my elements?
Ella's voice echoed in his mind. Wait, don't tell me—you don't have a fire trait yet?
I guess not, Rin admitted.
How lame are you? she groaned. You should've told me sooner!
Well, I figured the brilliant young lady with snow-white eyes would've noticed, Rin teased.
I can only see your attributes, not your traits, dumbass. And stop calling me like that, she snapped.
Before Rin could respond, Jin came to a halt. "Hey. We've been walking since we got here, but I haven't seen a single monster."
Rin frowned. "That is weird. Also… haven't we passed that same twisted tree at least three times now?"
Jin narrowed his eyes. "Yeah. We're in an illusion. Stay sharp."
Rin tensed. Shadows twisted along the forest edges, and trees seemed to shift when he wasn't looking. The silence pressed in harder now, like the whole forest was holding its breath.
"So our opponent's good with illusions," Rin muttered. "That narrows it down."
---
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the forest—
"Phew," Kaela muttered, wiping her brow. "That's the fifth minotaur we've passed. I didn't think there'd be so many."
"Yeah," Taro said, glancing around. "If we only need 300 points, this might actually be easy for us."
Kaela shook her head. "I'm not just aiming to pass. I want to be at the top of the class."
Taro smiled at that, watching her stride ahead with determination. "Hey, Kaela… I wanted to ask you something."
She looked back. "What is it?"
"Before we were sorted into classes, Rin and I were walking down a hallway. We overheard you talking to an upperclassman… he said some pretty nasty things about you. Who was he?"
Kaela hesitated. "Ah. That was my older brother. He wanted to become the head of our family, but our father chose my eldest sister instead. He sees me as a threat, so he's made it clear that if I even dream of surpassing him… he'll make my life hell."
Taro frowned. "I had an older brother too. When our father died, he took over the family and banished me. Said I wasn't fit to carry the family name. I was only allowed to keep my mother's."
Kaela's eyes softened. "I'm sorry. I didn't think someone else might've had it worse."
Taro smiled faintly. "If you knew what Rin went through, both our stories would sound like a walk in the park."
She tilted her head. "Really? What happened to him?"
"I'll tell you later," Taro said, his tone darkening. "Right now, we've got company to deal with."
---
Back in the illusioned forest—
Rin stopped, groaning. "Okay, this is ridiculous. I've seen that same twisted tree at least twenty times. Jin, do you actually have a plan?"
Jin shrugged. "Technically, no. But illusions require mana. They should run out eventually."
A branch snapped behind them.
Both boys spun around—but nothing was there.
Ella, Rin thought. What if it's not one person? What if it's two people casting the same dark trait illusion?
Ella answered instantly. Then we're screwed. You might want to tell him that.
Rin relayed the idea, and Jin grimaced. "Didn't consider that… Alright, let's try something."
"Like what?"
"You said you've got the fire attribute, right? Let's burn this damn forest down."
Rin blinked. "You want me to set the whole forest on fire?"
Jin smirked. "If it's fake, it'll collapse. If it's real, we'll draw the monsters out. Either way, we win."
A cold breeze swept through the clearing. For a moment, the trees shimmered—as if uncertain of their form.
Rin cracked his knuckles, flames beginning to flicker across his fingertips. "Alright. Let's light this place up."
To be continued…