Extra's Descent

Evelyn returned to the camp not long after and immediately called for attention. All eyes fell on her at that moment as she went on to announce:

"Things are progressing well so far. The first few days were—chaotic, to say the least. But now, everyone seems to be handling the situation more strategically."

"Did you deal with the rumors, Field Marshal?"

One of the instructors asked.

"I have. And they were nothing but rumors."

The rumors had been a bit—exaggerated. A story about ghosts and whatnot. Even going so far as saying a wyvern was hiding deep inside the mist.

But that shouldn't be the case.

After all, the wyvern had yet to be set free.

Yes, in the final week, they would set the wyvern they had captured free. All for the sole purpose of cadets—working together to subjugate such a beast.

After all, wyverns were well within the S– to to S rank. Of course, they would strictly supervise the entire ordeal—in the off chance that a cadet would clumsily die in the middle of the fight.

"However, the mist is real and I have seen it for myself. I will tell all of you this—"

Evelyn paused, allowing the tension to sink in.

"Do not interfere with the mist. It's nothing but another cadet's strategy."

"Is that so? Have you verified this cadet?"

"I have."

After debriefing them for a while about the current situation, Evelyn entered a tent and began resting. Another instructor took her place and entered the forest soon after.

***

Two weeks had passed since the start of the training camp.

Rachel and Amy teamed up right at the start.

They'd offered the same proposition to Claire. However, to their surprise, Claire shot their offer down immediately under the pretenses of; "I want to challenge myself."

They respected her decision and did not press further.

At the moment, the two had secluded themselves inside a cave they had been occupying for a week now.

The two might've been rivals, and it was much faster if the two of them duke it out and retrieve either's badges.

However, the two decided to wait until the end.

But still, they didn't remain stagnant.

They had gathered a total of 18 badges so far, only needing 22 more for both of them to pass without fighting each other.

It had to be said that not everyone could revel in this strategy.

After all, each class had about ninety or so cadets. Meaning, there were 270 cadets scattered around Aetherwild Woods.

For a single group to pass without fighting their rivals, they would need to accumulate a total of eighty badges.

For Rachel and Amy, they only needed to secure forty badges to pass with flying colors.

It was currently daybreak.

And it was cold.

Really cold.

Bundled under a fur blanket, Rachel and Amy stared at the campfire as they sipped on their mugs filled with hot cocoa.

They had packed quite a lot. Enough to last for more than two months.

After resting and having breakfast, light shone outside the cave and the two cleared their camp, beckoning outside the cave soon after.

They had understood the true nature of this training camp.

Under the exposure of dense mana in the atmosphere, they felt their mana in their cores rise gradually.

For that reason, if they were to expend and perfect their techniques, it was highly likely they would break through the A ranks soon.

Especially in the case of Rachel, who was regarded as probably the strongest cadet in the B tier, followed after Claire.

But Rachel knew that shouldn't be the case. It was only because of her elemental assimilation awakening.

If she had to be honest, she would place Amy above her in terms of raw skill. Especially so, knowing Amy's ridiculous mana capacity.

Destructive wise, Amy only lagged behind Reinhard slightly.

Yet for some reason, it seemed like Amy was holding back.

But despite the questions bottling up in her head, Rachel had never asked.

After all, it seemed as if Amy was hiding something.

As they continued traversing the forest, they were halted in their steps upon noticing several presences from all sides.

"Rachel."

"Yeah."

Their guards raised, and the two women fixed into a battle stance.

Mana beasts emerged from the bushes, around four of them.

This took Rachel aback, reminiscing over a year ago. Particularly, their school trip.

Everglade.

Back then, they would struggle defeating a single mana beast.

But now…?

A piece of cake.

Rachel didn't even need to activate her assimilation to handle the beasts.

Swoosh—!

At that moment, water bullets caneered towards the mana beasts, penetrating right through their skin.

As Rachel clenched her hand tightly, the water bullets instantly froze. Amy contorted her hands and the frozen water expanded, the mana beasts starting to balloon in size.

Clap—! Clapping her hands together, Rachel distorted the frozen water's shape into jagged crystalline ice spikes, protruding themselves, rupturing through the mana beasts flesh.

Just like that, they had easily vanquished four mana beasts. Monsters ranked within the C to B ranks in a matter of seconds.

Their affinities were scarily compatible. At a young age, the two had already been training together. Despite their parent's divorce, they had never cut each other off.

Shortly after, they headed deeper into the forest, heading straight towards the sound of magic clashing against magic a few kilometers away.

***

Claire had subjected herself to intense meditation, seated with her legs crossed and her eyes closed.

"Huu…. Haaa…."

Allowing the abundance of mana in the air inside her lungs, Claire took deep heavy breaths, white mists fading from each breath she took.

Despite the harsh climate, she removed most of her clothing. Only wearing a black sports–bra and a pair of shorts, exposing her skin to the frosty chill.

Her body shuddered slightly, but Claire never faltered.

"Huu…. Haaa….."

Claire's meditation deepened as she embraced the cold, letting the harsh air hit her exposed skin.

She focused on the mana swirling around her, allowing it to seep into her body, feeling it resonate with her core. Her breathing was steady now, controlled.

Each breath pulled in mana, expanding her reserves. She could feel the raw energy coiling within her like a tightly wound spring.

Three weeks had passed since the start of the training camp, yet not once had Claire engaged in combat.

And since she had ventured deep within the forest, clearing hordes of monsters that obstructed her path, until finally—she had found a secluded area where a river—surprisingly unfrozen—was available.

She had been sitting on a protruding rock amidst the center of the river for as long as she could remember.

Her focus only halted whenever she needed to replenish herself with food and water.

She planned on waiting it out until there were only two weeks left, aware of the most optimal strategy to pass the training camp.

For that reason, she continued isolating herself.

However, her brows twitched slightly at that moment.

Her perception heightened. There, on her left, she could sense mana signatures looming close. But from the fluctuating distortions, she could tell it wasn't human.

Which meant only one thing…..

Monsters.

Immediately, Claire opened her eyes and held onto her rapier which was carefully placed right in front of her.

The sound of rabid dogs reached her ears and Claire turned her head to the left slightly.

There, she could see a pack of wolves, as big as an adult human. Their fangs gleamed and their red eyes flickered menacingly.

"Huu…."

Taking a breath, Claire closed her eyes. Purple sparks rippled around her, and she felt the rapid pace of mana surging within her.

Her blood pumped with artificial adrenaline, and as Claire peered her eyes open….

Tzz—

Her figure flashed at an astonishing speed.

Without any wasted second, Claire appeared right in front of the pack of wolves. Their towering figures blocked any light, shading Claire.

However, Claire wasn't frightened in the least bit.

In a flash, Claire blinked forward, leaving streaks of purple sparks. A split second had only passed, and she appeared right behind the pack of wolves.

Purple streaks of lightning crackled around the wolves. Shortly after spasming slightly, the wolves plummeted down, shaking the snowy ground slightly.

Swinging her rapier to the side, blood spattered, staining the sheets of white snow.

"Ah."

As Claire lowered her head, she pulled up the strap of her bra that had loosened due to the fight.

Instinctively, she rubbed her shoulders.

"Since when was it this cold?"

Shortly after, she returned to rock and continued to meditate.