At the front of the group, candidates could see wooden stakes driven into the riverbanks, still wrapped with uncut hemp ropes. Floating on the river's surface were a few broken planks and wood chips—clear signs that the bridge had been deliberately destroyed not long ago.
The team leader clutched a map bought in town yesterday, shouting in confusion, "Where's the bridge?! A bridge that long and wide, where'd it go?!"
"It's gotta be those guys' doing!"
"That's low!"
In this situation, unless they or their teammates had magic to cross the river, their only option was to swim.
A quick-witted candidate piped up, "Is there anyone here with ice magic? Freeze the river, and we can all cross together!"
But a voice from the back snapped, "Are you an idiot? It's not winter! The ice we could make at our level would collapse if we all tried to cross!"
"Who're you calling an idiot?!"
"I'm calling you, what about it?"
"You wanna fight?!"
"Bring it on!"
The two started arguing, and soon enough, their argument turned into a brawl. As they fought, they dragged a few others into the chaos. By the time they were too tired to continue and called a truce, they realized… their magic stones were gone!
"Oh no! My magic stone's missing! Did you steal it?!"
"Jerk, you're the one who stole mine! Give it back!!"
Their furious shouts startled the others, who instinctively reached for their own hiding spots to check their stones.
Those who found their stones let out a relieved sigh. "Phew, mine's still here…"
But soon, another voice cried out, "Nooo! My magic stone's gone too! How?!"
That did it. Panic spread like wildfire. Candidates frantically patted themselves down, turning the scene into chaos. Many started arguing with those around them, completely forgetting the two who'd started the fight.
Unbeknownst to them, a sharp-eyed boy was watching it all unfold.
"Pockets… sleeves… hats… bags… heh heh heh…"
From above, on a flying carpet, Kira observed with amusement. He recognized the boy—it was the one who'd called Konas an "old hag" at the exam yesterday. And he was the one who'd just shouted about his missing magic stone.
"He's causing a scene to figure out where everyone's hiding their stones, huh? What's his next move?" Kira wondered.
Soon, he got his answer.
Only a small number of candidates had lost their stones. Most were still focused on crossing the river. They'd initially planned to send a few people to scout for ambushes in the water, but no one volunteered to go first, so they scrapped the idea.
Then, all sorts of magic came into play.
Elemental mages took the lead, conjuring wooden bridges, stone paths, and ice sheets to help those who couldn't swim. Creation mages weren't far behind, building sturdier paths. There were also less common magics like gravity or spatial magic, and of course, some candidates who were confident in their swimming skills just dove in.
When about a third of the group had made it to the other side, the ambush hit.
Of the roughly 300 candidates eliminated yesterday, a third of them—about 100—appeared here. These "little bandits" surrounded the candidates who'd just crossed, shouting loud enough to shake the sky.
"Charge, brothers!!"
"Grab 'em!!"
In the chaos, the candidates' responses were sloppy. Facing the overwhelming numbers, some tried to flee but were quickly caught and forced to huddle together defensively.
Those who'd crossed yelled, "Hold on! Once the others get here, we'll—"
A voice cut them off from behind. "Bad news! They're coming from the rear!!"
Initially, the ambushers on the hillside numbered about 50. After the first clash, they'd lost half their group, but the candidates had lost over 20 as well—a brutal fight. Now, the ambushers were back, using the terrain to attack from both sides.
The pursuers from behind started firing off magic, destroying the makeshift paths across the river. Candidates still crossing fell into the water, where they were pelted with spells. Unable to find footing and hampered by the terrain, they could only take the beating.
"Hahaha! You're surrounded! Hand over your magic stones!"
The candidates' leader, sweating bullets, made a desperate move to sow discord. "Hand them over? There's so many of you—how're you gonna split them?"
Less than half the candidates had crossed, and they were clearly outnumbered. All he could do was stall.
"Uh…" The bandits exchanged wary glances. "Don't worry about that! We've got it covered."
There's hope! The leader's eyes lit up, and he pressed on. "You may have numbers, but we've got plenty on our side too. If we really fight, you might not win!"
Some candidates caught on to his plan and played along to buy time. "Yeah, exactly! You're just yesterday's losers. Even teamed up, how strong can you be? What, you don't agree? Wanna go one-on-one? I'll bet my magic stone!"
Among the crowd, Ika, Akas, Sanmaru, and Rufus stayed quiet, patiently watching the situation unfold.
Suddenly, a voice rang out. "Oh no, boss! They're stalling!"
"What?! You sneaky brats—charge, brothers!"
The stalling tactic failed, and the candidates fought back fiercely. "Don't let them push us around! Let's go all out!"
The strategy of fighting with their backs to the wall worked. Fifty candidates held their own against 100 bandits, and as more candidates crossed the river to join the fray, the outcome of this second skirmish became anyone's guess.
Amid the chaos, a small figure—the one Kira had been watching—darted through the crowd. He bumped here, brushed there, knocked this way, and nudged that way.
Kira couldn't help but marvel. "This kid's got skills. He's probably swiped half their stones by now…"
What a talent!
"Number 26 in the bag. Next up… you."
This time, his target was Ika!
Just as the exam's little thief was about to bump into Ika, a hand shot out from the side, grabbing his collar and yanking him back with force, sending him tumbling.
"You can steal from others, and I'll pretend I didn't see," Rufus said, "but mess with my friend? I can't let that slide!"
At the critical moment, Rufus had stepped in, saving Ika's magic stone!
The boy's eyes widened. "W-What are you talking about? I don't get it…"
"I've been watching you for a while," Rufus said, adjusting his nobleman's hat. "You're using spatial magic, right? You started that commotion earlier to scope out where everyone's hiding their stones, then struck while they were distracted by the attack. I bet you've got a nice haul by now."
Caught red-handed, the boy's face paled, and he stammered, "N-No way!"
Seeing Rufus's icy stare, the boy panicked, scrambled to his feet, and bolted.
"What's up, Rufus?" Sanmaru asked from behind.
Rufus turned with a soft smile. "Nothing, just a little trouble."
Up in the air, Kira grinned knowingly…
The battlefield was pure chaos, and none of the 100-plus candidates noticed they had a traitor in their midst—a thief using his magic to swipe the very tokens they thought were safely hidden.
The fight by the river dragged on. It was noon, the hottest and hungriest time of day. The revival group had the advantage of being well-rested, and they fought without restraint—after all, they'd already lost yesterday, so anything they grabbed now was a win. Meanwhile, the qualifiers, fresh from their trek out of Hams City, were starving and exhausted. Some had just crossed the river, leaving them drained and struggling to keep up.
Slowly, the qualifiers began to falter. By the end, only about a quarter of them were still holding on. The rest were beaten down, sprawled out to rest mid-battle.
Kira noticed some candidates had given up entirely, sitting off to the side to eat their packed lunches. He even saw a few whose meals had been ruined in the scuffle, mashed into a mess—probably not tasty, but they ate anyway.
Just when it seemed the robbers would win, they unexpectedly pulled back, leaving the candidates baffled.
"They were about to wipe us out… Why'd they stop?"
The remaining candidates exchanged confused looks, unsure why their opponents had let them off so easily. But with the sun blazing, and hunger and thirst setting in, they didn't have time to dwell on it. They chose to rest where they stood. Seeing the main group stay put, the stragglers didn't dare move on alone either, finding spots to recover their strength.