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Amanda felt the heaviness in her eyelids. Her body was exhausted; she had spent all her mana during the battle. Her consciousness was rapidly fading, and her thoughts were becoming blurred. The world around her seemed to melt into darkness.
The last thing she remembered was collapsing to the ground, unable to support her own weight. She felt a warmth envelop her. Her eyes involuntarily closed, and she sank into a deep, unconscious sleep.
After hours of unconsciousness, Amanda became aware that she was lying on a warm surface. She wanted to open her eyes, but her body still felt heavy. As she drifted between sleep and wakefulness, she noticed a soft fabric draped over her. A rough cloak…
For a moment, she forgot where she was. Struggling to gather her memory, she lifted her head and looked around.
Kaelen was sitting just a few meters away by the campfire. He was calm and motionless, his eyes reflecting the flames, looking at her with his usual indifferent expression.
"How do you feel?" Kaelen asked, his voice calm as always, though there was a hint of curiosity hidden within. In his hand was a large piece of meat he had been cooking.
Amanda tried to sit up slightly. Her body ached, her muscles were stiff, and her head throbbed. Yet the rest of her body seemed to be in decent condition.
"A little… exhausted," she murmured, her voice still drowsy. "How long have I been unconscious?"
Kaelen didn't take his eyes off her. "A few hours. It's the morning of your third day," he replied, nodding toward the edge of the campsite. "By the way, we're no longer in the Rocky Valley."
Amanda furrowed her brows.
"Where are we now?"
She struggled to her feet, staggering as she stepped beyond the campsite. At that moment, she froze at the sight before her.
The landscape around them was completely different from the dry, rocky terrain of the Rocky Valley. The sky was still clear and bright, but the shimmering heat waves under the sun made the atmosphere wild and scorching.
Lava streams flowed between massive rocks, with thin cracks releasing hot steam. Volcanic stones and cracked earth glimmered with red hues, clearly marking the edge of a lava pit. The air was thick with the smell of sulfur, and the ground was too hot to walk on barefoot.
"This… is Volcano Mountain?" Amanda whispered in astonishment, looking around. They had set up camp in the middle of the island.
Kaelen, carving a piece of wood with his knife, gave a slight nod.
"Yes. If we had stayed too long in the Rocky Valley, the new day would have begun soon. I was curious how many had survived, so I brought us here. It's warmer, and less exposed to attacks."
Amanda's lips parted, but she didn't know what to say. Soon, even the Rocky Valley would cease to exist. There was no longer a truly safe area on the island, yet Kaelen had managed to find a spot. Looking back now, Amanda could see how rational Kaelen's thinking had been. It was not something that could be explained lightly. Kaelen was strong because of experience—experienced in battle, experienced in survival.
Though the volcanic terrain looked hostile, the Rocky Worms had little chance of surviving such heat. Additionally, the wide open areas made it possible to spot any approaching danger.
Amanda scanned the campsite again. The fire pit carefully arranged by Kaelen, neatly stacked firewood, and a water container placed to the side… he had done all of this himself.
This boy… was truly remarkable. Kaelen handed one of the cooked pieces of meat to Amanda.
The young mage closed her eyes, savoring the juicy flavor. She took a deep breath and tried to adjust to the hot air around her. Reflecting on the hardships of the past few days, she now fully understood that survival was no trivial matter.
Kaelen remained silently seated, examining the carved piece of wood carefully, then making small adjustments with his knife.
Amanda turned her gaze to him. Finally, curiosity got the better of her:
"Did you carry me here?"
Kaelen paused for a moment, lifting his eyes from the fire to look at her. "Who else would have? Besides, you were very heavy. For a moment, I hesitated whether to leave you there or not."
Amanda was used to Kaelen's usual indifferent demeanor, but there was something hidden in this response. His face remained expressionless, but a faint weariness could be sensed in his movements.
"Thank you," Amanda said sincerely.
"By the way, you didn't sleep at all last night?"
Amanda asked hesitantly.
"I haven't slept in almost two days. You never know when or where danger will strike. Especially when there are only two of us, you always have to stay alert."
Kaelen glanced at her briefly, then returned his attention to the knife. "It's fine. But make sure not to overexert yourself like that again. Fainting in battle could cost you your life."
Amanda knew there was a lesson in Kaelen's words. She had spent her mana too quickly during the fight. She needed to prioritize better. But, in part, it had also been Kaelen's fault—he had asked her to cast two spells simultaneously.
For a while, they silently watched the fire burn. As the air grew warmer, Amanda felt her restlessness stirring. Every moment with Kaelen made her want to learn more about him—the calmness, the decisiveness of his actions, and his skill as a warrior… all captivated her curiosity.
"So, what do we do now?" Amanda finally asked, breaking the silence.
Kaelen sheathed his knife and stood, brushing the dust off his clothes. "We'll rest a little more. Once another part of the island disappears, we'll move deeper into Volcano Mountain. Now that we're near the end, we must focus."
Amanda exhaled. "You're putting me in danger again, Kaelen."
Kaelen smiled slightly, a nearly imperceptible grin. "Hehehe, am I?"
Amanda didn't reply. She just took a deep breath and turned her eyes to the horizon. The final stage of the battle royale was near. She wanted to finish with as high a score as possible.
The campfire flickered in the hot volcanic wind. As the sun slowly climbed the sky, Kaelen and Amanda prepared themselves for the unknown ahead…
As the sun reappeared over the island, Kaelen fixed his gaze on a faint blue line on the horizon.
"This…"
His mouth opened slightly, unconsciously. Amanda noticed it too.
Kaelen pointed toward the line on the horizon.
"That thing! Is it a tsunami?"
"No way."
A massive wave crashed onto the beach where they had first arrived. The sand was now covered with volcanic stones formed from cooled lava, giving it a slight elevation above sea level. But the size of the wave was immense. Kaelen, having never experienced such life-threatening events before, had no idea what would happen next. He hadn't considered that a tsunami would first engulf the beach, then the fog-covered forest, and finally the rocky terrain.
The waves reached within 50 meters of Kaelen and Amanda and crashed harshly against the steep slopes of Volcano Mountain.
The rising spray of water touched Amanda's face, cooling her in the intense heat.
Both of them were stunned. Then, a sound unlike the roar of the waves echoed across the island once more.
It was the voice of the master mage, Pheniyet. Letters and names formed in mana appeared high above the island.
[Congratulations to all of you for surviving the morning of the third day.]
Kaelen tried to ignore the echoing voice in his mind, but the faintly mocking tone did not escape his attention. The game Pheniyet had created for the students seemed to have turned into his own amusement.
[Unexpectedly, many students survived to the final stage.]
[First, I commend you for this achievement. Now, take a final look at the rankings.]
Kaelen focused on the flickering letters above the island. The blue-green mana could be easily seen even against the bright sky.
Before the letters disappeared, Kaelen blinked several times. The list of names was steadily shrinking.
[1. Estelle Escard – 560 points
2. Arnold Turner – 390 points
3. Sofia Lyons – 385 points
4. Liam Carter – 360 points
5. Olivia Nightshade – 330 points
6. Amanda Oren – 80 points
7. Kaelen – 80 points]
As the ranking ended, Kaelen noticed how few names remained.
"Only seven of us left?"
Kaelen was shocked. About 500 students had started the exam, and now only seven remained. Moreover, Amanda had only five points yesterday; now she was close to 80. Kaelen hadn't killed any students, so he had an idea about the scoring system. As the monsters' levels increased, the points given to students rose as well. Of course, that wasn't all. Anyone who helped defeat the monsters also gained an equal amount of points. Pheniyet's message was clear: instead of killing each other, defeat the mana monsters and earn the same score. Unfortunately, the exam wasn't designed for cooperation. Students couldn't trust one another; backstabbing was often the more rational solution. Friendships and alliances were fragile. A single moment of mistrust could doom the entire team.
"The last seven?"
Amanda's blue eyes widened like a pufferfish.
"Kaelen, look! We're among the last seven!"
The young mage grabbed Kaelen's arm and pointed to the flickering letters in the sky, her voice full of excitement.
Kaelen thought, He probably didn't expect anyone to progress this far either. He couldn't blame him. The remaining students were like monsters themselves. Looking at Liam and Olivia's scores, he frowned.
They… have been hiding themselves.
Kaelen realized he hadn't seen either Olivia or Liam at the academy, not even in his past life. These thoughts changed his perception of them.
The future had already shifted. Kaelen didn't care. His goal was not to change the future but to save himself from becoming a ruthless killer.
"No matter the cost!"
Kaelen clenched his fists and muttered. He rose to his feet and looked across the island, which now resembled a scene of utter destruction.
The tsunami had swallowed everything. Trees ripped from their roots floated on the ocean. The green fog had vanished, leaving Volcano Mountain as the only habitable place on the island.
"Let's finish this exam."
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