Haru worked up as he picked up his sword before cleaning his face at the lake. His first move was to try eliminating Rei as possible out of the match for his own benefits. Getting rid of Rei is a bonus as his primary target is to be scouted by high ranking sorcerers who'll recruit him. The thoughts of being recruited sent a satisfying feeling in him although his sudden disdain towards a certain sorceress. Eunji Jeong, a high ranking sorceress despite being a final year student has already achieved such an acknowledgement towards her achievements as a prodigy next to the legend himself and being someone who has achieved 40 successful cases towards apprehending targets or eliminating rogue individuals.
His eyes glowed a bright blue before he chopped off the tree in front of him by manifesting a hand made out of black flames. His rage fuelled his desire to grow strong as he arrogance took over himself, the flames extinguishing by his control as he continued to walk deeper into the forest to proceed his next hunt. Other participants are a bonus for his victory but his main priority is to try eliminating Rei to prove his worth to scouting sorcerers group that he could flourish himself to reach the heights of the Black Reaper while imagining to look down at Eunji's defeated figure. "It would be nice to put her in her place." He muttered as he hopped off to continue his hunt.
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Rei woke up peacefully until the sudden headache gave into his head as flashes of memories went through his thought process, reminiscing of each single important detail of that ambush. "Ouch… So this is why senior told me to be careful with how much clones I'm making…" he held his head in pain as he groaned before activating his prowess to replicate a simple ice technique, shaping a large ice pack as he held it against his head to diminish the effects of the blood clone memory recall drawbacks.
"I should eat for a bit before heading out for a supply run…" he uttered before finally being able to stand on his own feet without getting any sudden dizziness or headaches. His first move was to prepare a simple meal by cooking the fish he had caught yesterday after gutting it out to clean it in a nearby lake before storing it in the makeshift storage he had built with the addition of the ice technique he had used. "Should I focus on the meat or try looking for vegetables or fruits for lower consumption…" he asked himself as he started grilling the fish after seasoning it with the honey he had found and harvested carefully without getting the bees aggravated.
The scent of the sweet honey mixing with the cooked flesh of the fish gave Rei a boost of energy as he excitedly awaited what he could do for the day. Could he finally be left out alone while training his prowess in peace or would he be able to see more interesting prowess that he could copy and replicate soon after? His anticipation dried down as he finally finished grilling the fish as the scent hit his nose completely, removing his worries and overwhelmed thoughts as the only thing that he could focus on the moment was to devour the meal he had prepared for himself.
Rei savoured his meal for each bite while also formulating a plan on what he should do if he ever gets into a fight. His first task was to scout the area even more while masking his presence from the technique he had picked up when he was experimenting with Sylvie's time manipulation. He could use it to freeze time while searching around before halting its use whenever he's done with the task. His worry for that method resolved with users who are in high-tier or god-tier level since they could hinder the effects by fighting it back with their own mana wave. The second option for that was to use Hinata's wind control to boost his speed and agility by circulating the wind around his body to lower his weight and to be able to adjust his style of action.
His next task was to find a way to maintain his supply run since it would be troublesome to continue hunting and gathering in multiple areas to keep up with his needs. Rei thought of a solution to find a lake that has a decent amount of what he could eat from there or to lay traps for meat related food. The vegetables or fruit were easy as he could just either make a farm although it would take a lot of time if he didn't use Sylvie's time manipulation to boost up the speed. The other option was to gather a large amount of it from an area that has lots of it which he could use in the long run.
The last task that he needed to do as soon as possible was to find a way to avoid fights in order to keep his mana reserves balanced. Sure he could use his prowess when scouting, supply run or for daily necessities but it only takes less mana to be able to do it. Although, executing a technique in fights? It's a major issue for him since he would be wasting a lot of moves if it didn't hit the target nor gets countered by the opponent. His first option was to distract them with clones or a flashy technique that they could get caught off guard. If it were to fail, his second option was to create distance from them by executing a technique that could devastate the surrounding area in a way that could cause the opponent's attention and balance away from him. His last option was to try tapping into Keith's mana as he had previously used it before during his training session with Rinka which ended badly since he had been subdued almost immediately by Eunji and the headmaster. The mana was intoxicating and burning deep into his internal organs when he tapped into it unconsciously and unintentionally. Keith had warned him never to do it again as he was lucky enough to survive from it without his permission and knowledge although he never mentioned if he could benefit from it.
"Alright." Rei uttered after finishing his meal and disposing of the remains as fertilizer to the nearby plants. "Time to go!" He exclaimed before dashing out of the cave upon activating his prowess as he hopped on each tree branch and parkour throughout the forest, anticipating what would be ahead of him as he grinned to himself for the odd challenge that was against him.
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Hinata and Erika soon went back scouting for food as they unluckily ran onto Haru although they were lucky to escape from him by using the other team as a distraction. They've been hungry and injured to operate properly despite just barely being able to get through the second day. "You think we could find Rei?" Hinata asked as she limped throughout the walk while being helped by Erika. "I don't know but let's just hope we could run across someone who's merciful and will not take advantage of us." Erika responded as Hinata nodded at her. She was about to activate her prowess before Erika stopped her. "Don't waste your mana. You're barely able to execute any techniques later on." Hinata sighed as she couldn't argue with her logic.
The two eventually found food as they were able to take a rest after walking for a long time. They have only managed to get enough apples, mushrooms, edible berries and some fishes that could only last them for a day or two if they were able to ration it enough. Their only problem was shelter and a way to cook the fish since they barely know any method of making a safe meal out in the forest or camping environment. "Let's just make some storage for us to carry it." Hinata said after eating half an apple while Erika skipped as she helped her get up once again to continue their journey for a shelter for them to rest and gather their energy back up.
They heard a ruffling noise around the corner as the two anticipated while activating their prowess. Erika panicked as she had multiple scenarios of what they should do while Hinata was ready to give everything she had until a familiar pink hair appeared from the corner. "Oh? Hey guys!" He exclaimed happily, oblivious to what he had just done to the two as they eased up before deactivating their prowess. "Fucking hell… You scared us…" Hinata sighed while Erika helped her since they were out of balance when Haruki appeared. "My bad." He said before lending them a hand as he carried Hinata on his back while having some extra help by carrying their supplies with what he could carry.
"My camp is not that far from here." He said as he led the way while Erika looked around to scout if they were being followed in which she was relieved that they were not. "I wish we could meet up with Rei but we have no clue of his location." Haruki sighed as he pondered if they had the chance to hold on long to secure their spots. Erika agreed with his statement since they were only lucky last year since Haru was suspended early in the event due to excessive violence before it even started.
Hinata had herself relaxed upon reaching their destination as she sat on the makeshift bed. "Finally…" she let out a gasp upon getting relaxed while Haruki went on to make some food for them. "I have a couple of more food left before I go for a supply run tomorrow morning or afternoon depending on the rations." He said as he chopped some boar meat with a dagger before seasoning it with a couple of herbs he had in his supplies.
Erika and Hinata felt more hungry since they had lost some of their rations from the previous night while only being able to collect a bit from their run. The two girls eat the food he had provided almost instantly. Haruki knew the two were in a pinch after his quick observation with their injuries, rough appearance and barely sufficient supplies. "Eat well to get back into shape just in case we get any ambush from other players." He stated as he stretched himself before posting himself near the entrance to keep guard of their shelter.
Haruki noticed a particular black hair heading his way until they suddenly went in the opposite direction. "Thank god…" he uttered as he relaxed himself from tension by the sudden appearance. "I just hope we can win this event without extreme injuries…" he muttered to himself as he hoped that he and his friend could win the event without running into unfair opponents.
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Rei found a spot to where he could potentially use to have infinite resources due to the massive cavern he had found bullnose exploring more of his shelter after failed attempts when he went out of his base. "Now I don't need to worry about running out." He exclaimed as he made sure to hide it from prying eyes by covering the hole with a boulder he pushed enough not to block it completely yet he could still gain access to it whenever he needed to. The only worry he had was being ambushed since he still needed information on what kind of prowess his assailant possessed.
"Time to workout for a while…" he uttered to himself before removing his shirt as he started doing variations of pushups. He continued for the next hour as he felt refreshed and hungry afterwards. "I should try using some herbs that I've collected down there…" He prepared his meal which consisted of rabbit meat, spring onions and carrots. Rei cooked the rabbit meat in a way that his father had taught him before. Remembering each step as if it was yesterday, he smiled to himself as he reminisced about the time he had cooked for Sylvie whenever she came over to his place. The laughter they shared while he was cooking or when Sylvie was helping him do the laundry. It was a memory that he couldn't forget until Keith interrupted him. "You have a few minutes to eat quickly after cooking all that. I sense five people around your perimeter with such techniques that could harm you." He warned while not forgetting to tease him about Sylvie and their intimate moments.
"What a bastard…" he uttered as he ate his lunch after cooking. Rei couldn't try to eat slowly to savour his meal since he had to take care of the people that were around his territory. He had to get rid of them before getting ambushed and kicked out of his base, the worst case scenario was getting eliminated himself out of the event for hesitation and time management. Rei formulated a plan on how to take care of them efficiently as he disposed of his finished meal on the sides once again just like what he had done with the remains.
The people around the perimeter stayed sharp as they tried to find a way to ambush Rei. Each of them barely controlled themselves from activating their prowess before they were surprised when Rei dashed out of the base and immediately formed sharp crystal spikes that he threw to them almost instantly if it weren't for their reaction time to activate their prowess to defend themselves. They were surprised at his precision since he threw those almost perfectly at them. "Rei Nishimura…" a male with purple hair stood as they used their prowess to wrap their arms with an elemental prowess related to earth or metal as it hardened after having his arm covered. "We'll kill you!" They all said in unison as Rei could see the prowess they were using.
The male with blue hair generated flames on each hand which Rei deduced that it's either a mid-tier prowess that could control some amount of flames. Two females had similar prowess with one of them being able to generate an energy like blade while the latter being able to shoot out energy beams. The last male had an ability similar to a person he had fought before during his middle school days, a claw that looked like a demon due to how dark and sharp it was when coating their hands although the one he had witnessed just now only sharpened and longer without the dark coating.
Rei had options whether to copy their prowess or not as he could feel his mana reserves are still full. He had a lot of techniques that he could use to eliminate them out of the event even if the output is little or average. "Fusion Art: Blazing Domain!" Rei chanted as he immediately generated a barrier around the five participants as he enclosed them while increasing the heat inside which made the trapped ones sweat and screamed from the burning sensation.
"Fusion Art: Blizzard Domain." He chanted to himself as he immediately changed the temperature to which made them scream once again out of the sensation they were feeling inside the barrier. Rei could see them in agony as he repeated the same techniques three times before he decided to let them go as he dispelled his technique which resulted in them dropping onto the ground from exhaustion. "Well… that's great…" he said as he watched their bodies covered in a glitch-like pattern which gave him the sign that they were out.
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Eunji and Rinka watched Rei's performance as they witnessed him eliminating the five participants that tried to fight him. "Well there's another count to his elimination…" Rinka said as she watched to the other angle which showed Haru once again being a nuisance by eliminating the rest so quickly while chuckling in the background as the participants screamed in agony. "Jeez… This guy… Does he want to get eliminated from the rest of the event again?" She stated as Eunji sighed before responding back. "Would happen but I could see some of those Sasaki members watching this…" she eyed to the corner of the spectators side as Rinka could only groan which Eunji agreed on as she sighed again. "I do hope they won't cause a scene like last year when that brat lost to me." Eunji groaned while Rinka rubbed her forehead with her fingers to express her stress. "Fuck… Let's just hope nothing goes downhill…" Eunji agreed with her statement as they both watched the event while ignoring the Sasaki Clan members who were shouting with all of their pride from watching Haru's performance.
Meanwhile, on another side, Tengen noticed the Sasaki Clan members as he sighed. "They came again this time? Didn't they get kicked out last year for causing trouble due to their own pride and selfishness?" He stated after recalling the events of the disastrous day when they declared themselves to be higher than everyone in the academy and should be respected. The prideful group almost harmed others by showcasing their techniques with such pride if it weren't for the headmaster to cancel the event and put them in their place by punishing them with his powerful presence and experience.
Tengen sighed as he sat back as he went back to spectate Rei, noticing his confidence and battle intellect as Tengen smirked to himself. "Maybe I should stir up this time to see how they'll react…" he muttered as he looked at the Sasaki Clan member one last time while gazing at Eunji's direction and the headmaster before spectating back to the event.
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"Holy shit…" a student muttered as they watched Rei outperform the others who tried to challenge him. Each of them failed so badly as Rei only knocked them hard enough to be eliminated from the competition. "I know the headmaster said he had potential but I didn't expect it to be at this level…" they stated as they witnessed him using the opponent's prowess better than themselves. "At this point… He's not just an ordinary S-rank sorcerer… he's like on the level of seniors." They said as they sweat dropped at the memory of Rinka, Eunji, and a blue haired individual from another academy. All of them perform at another level of sorcery compared to them.
Rei deactivated his prowess after finishing his fight with those who had challenged him. He could feel his reserves barely spent since he had trained so much on mana output to the point he could have total mastery of his mimicry technique without struggling how to hold it for long durations. Rei noticed the student that was watching him, he was about to activate his prowess in response just in case they try to challenge him but the student ran away immediately in a state he recognised. Surprised, confused and afraid, he felt ashamed upon seeing their expression before Rei had calmed himself down, reminding himself that they were only like that since he performed well, not from his status or how he looked when fighting.
"Well… time to head back I guess…" Rei sighed to himself as he started going back to his base not before paying attention to his passive. His senses are trying to pick up any spiritual energy waves that are either emitting from someone's active prowess or just someone in general. After checking his passive sensory technique, he had returned to his shelter swiftly as he anticipated what could happen later on or tomorrow before noticing how time has passed by quickly when occupied with something that took his attention completely. "Seems like I've survived another day…" he smiled to himself before preparing himself his dinner and some tasks for the next day or later on.
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Haru was disappointed once again after seeing the results of today's progress. He was fuming for the fact that he had expected to be on the top of the leaderboard that was projecting in front of him in a system like panel since he had been running around and eliminating every single participant that he had come across without any hesitation and remorse. "Fuck!" He screamed at the top of his lungs as he clenched his sword tightly to the point he had poured his mana into it unconsciously which sparked a black flame to coat it.
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[Day 02 Top Survivor]
[Rei Nishimura] Total Elimination: 56
[Haru Sasaki] Total Elimination: 48
[Neon] Total Elimination: 32
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He was fuming to the fact that he hunted twice the amount he had dealt with yesterday but the fact that Rei had done the same, he was raging as he wanted to find more participants to deal with yet Haru knew he couldn't since it was already nighttime and needed to replenish his mana reserves to be able continue longer for the next of the days.
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Meanwhile, Eunji frowned at the name below Haru. Neon, a sixth year male student like herself except he was more cunning and adding the fact that he had proposed himself to be her fiancé prior to clan family matters.
"For fuck sake…" she groaned as she clenched her fist tightly to the point it started bleeding while Rinka could only comfor her by patting her back as she tried to distract her.
It seemed like there were more problems than everyone would be dealing with in this current situation.
A messed up and stressful thing is bound to happen soon.