Chapter 14
"Section Five?"
The boy had a young face but cold eyes.
He looked toward the trainee beside him as though he had heard incorrectly.
"Don't be ridiculous. Those bastards are always last. This test was already scheduled anyway."
"That's what I'm saying. Apparently, one of them declared that if they don't reach the top three, he'll let them cut off his arms."
The boy laughed.
"Then everyone in Section Five is going to become one-armed."
The trainee shook his head.
"No. I heard only one guy made that promise."
The trainee was good at flattering the instructors, so he often managed to collect various pieces of information.
The more surprising question was where he obtained such detailed information.
But the boy cared about something else.
"Who was stupid enough to make a bet like that?"
"I don't know the name... Anyway, apparently the entire Section Five has become really serious because of it."
"...Interesting."
The boy smiled.
He had no idea why one trainee's bet with an instructor had caused the entire section to move.
There must be some reason.
Perhaps that trainee had taken complete control of Section Five, just as he had done here.
But did Section Five have someone capable of that?
Valk?
The boy immediately shook his head.
Valk was one of the more useful trainees in Section Five.
But he did not have the ability to become that kind of leader.
No matter how much the boy thought about it, no suitable name came to mind.
Still...
"Well... it doesn't matter."
His smile widened.
"We can just make them pay for making such a reckless bet."
"Exactly."
The trainee nodded.
The boy stood.
Then he turned toward the instructor standing nearby.
"Instructor, we'll begin training."
"The test is close. Don't overdo it."
"Yes."
The atmosphere here was completely different from the other training grounds.
The instructor simply stood with his hands behind his back and watched, almost as though he acknowledged the boy as an equal.
But how could he not?
Ever since that boy entered this training ground, Section Three had always been the strongest section on Hell Island.
Isaac.
He's only fourteen years old...
Who could have imagined that someone so young would completely dominate an entire section?
Raulic, the instructor responsible for Section Three, looked toward Isaac standing before the trainees.
As long as that boy remained here...
Section Three would continue taking first place.
"Getting results has never been this easy."
The Token Defense Test would be no different.
Raulic smiled happily.
Section Five was filled with more energy than ever.
"Faster!"
"Aaaaaaaah!"
"Push! Push harder!"
The training looked strange.
They were running while trying to shove each other aside.
Yet even while nearly foaming at the mouth from exhaustion, no one stopped.
They believed it was necessary for the upcoming test.
"Aagh!"
"I-I can't anymore..."
"Haah... Haah... Haah..."
Theron stood among the exhausted trainees.
"You okay?"
"More or less... Haaaah."
At Perka's question, Theron straightened his back and released a deep breath.
Training was difficult even for him.
He could have used mana and moved easily.
But...
The Blood Jade Fruit increased my stamina and strength. But this still isn't enough.
He could not rely only on the improvements given to him by the Blood Jade Fruit.
He needed to become even stronger.
Several people were watching Theron from a distance.
Bengle and the junior instructors.
One instructor muttered,
"Instructor, do you really think those brats can do it?"
"...The test is in one week. We'll know then."
Bengle honestly did not believe they could succeed.
He was simply watching because either way...
He was still known as the instructor responsible for the worst section.
"If they fail, I'll just cut off that bastard's arms and throw him out."
Bengle took a drink from a small container of alcohol.
For now, watching Theron struggle so desperately was amusing enough.
The result could wait.
Not that I think they'll actually succeed.
Honestly...
Even seventh or eighth place would be fortunate.
But third?
Bengle scoffed.
Theron already understood what Bengle was thinking.
There was no trust in the way the instructor watched them.
Still...
I'm not fully satisfied with our training so far, but we've at least built the basic foundation.
There was one problem.
All their training had happened either inside the training facility or on flat dirt roads.
Yet the previous test had taken place in a forest.
And the upcoming test would also happen in a forest.
They needed to practice running across terrain similar to the actual test area.
Spending one week adapting to that should be enough.
Theron looked toward the instructors.
He still disliked seeing them laugh while watching the trainees.
But...
For now...
He had no choice but to lower his head.
Theron stood and approached them.
"Instructor."
"What?"
"If possible, could we train outside from today until the test?"
"Outside?"
Bengle frowned.
Theron quickly explained.
"Yes. There were a lot of things we lacked during the previous test. If the next test happens somewhere like a forest, I think practicing on hills would help more than training on flat ground."
"..."
Bengle narrowed his eyes.
Does this brat know something?
There had been no information leak about the test.
After thinking for a moment, Bengle nodded.
"Would the hill beside the training facility be enough?"
"That's more than enough."
"Fine. One instructor will accompany you during training."
Bengle's expression hardened.
"If you try anything strange while you're out there... our agreement is over."
That meant everything would return to how it had been before.
Theron nodded.
"Understood."
"Then work hard."
Bengle returned inside.
Theron released a quiet breath of relief.
Then he walked toward an empty place.
"Now..."
Theron searched through his memories.
The Token Defense Test remained especially clear in his mind.
It was during that test that he had nearly died and eventually discovered the Blood Jade Fruit.
The terrain was... something like this.
Theron picked up a branch and drew the test forest on the ground.
He carefully recalled hiding places and areas where most of the fighting had occurred.
More than ten years had passed since those memories.
Yet they remained as vivid as if they had happened yesterday.
Five teams started from different locations.
Theron remembered where Section Five had started in his previous life.
However...
The order of the tests has already changed. The starting locations could change too.
It would be troublesome.
But he needed plans for every possible starting point.
Around an hour passed.
Creating the strategies was easier than expected.
Even if they began from different locations, the forest itself would remain the same.
There was only one thing that required special caution.
Section Three.
He needed to predict how they would move.
Isaac... If it's him, then he'll definitely...
Theron remembered Isaac.
He was cautious but also extremely aggressive.
In Theron's previous life, Section Three had watched and tracked the other sections like true hunters.
Then, during the dawn between the second and third days...
That was when everything became chaotic.
It was not a pleasant memory.
Still, Theron calmly reconstructed what had happened.
Section Three was their greatest threat.
But they could not ignore the others either.
Even after their recent training, Section Five would still look like easy prey.
But we can use that weakness against them.
If they turned their apparent weakness into a weapon, it might create an opportunity.
Once Theron finished organizing his thoughts, he stood and looked toward the others.
"Everyone, gather over here!"
After resting for around an hour, his companions quickly approached.
Theron pointed toward the forest map drawn on the ground.
"This is roughly what the forest for our next test looks like."
Everyone listened seriously.
"I don't know which starting position we'll get, but..."
Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.
Theron marked five locations with the branch.
"It'll probably be one of these."
The others nodded.
Then...
"Theron, how do you know this?"
"When I went to Head Instructor Berton's office, I happened to see it. It's the same place being used for this test."
"...You're seriously something else."
"You had enough courage to look around while standing in front of the Head Instructor? I can't even look him in the eyes."
The trainees stared at Theron with admiration.
Theron ignored them and continued.
"What we need to do during the next week is simple."
He looked around.
"Run while pushing away anyone who attacks you, then escape."
Obtaining a token itself would not be difficult.
The important part was protecting it until the time limit ended.
"There will probably be trainees hunting people inside the forest."
Theron's expression became serious.
"After you get your token, you need to know how to hide and how to escape."
"...Hunting."
The word sounded unpleasant.
But everyone could easily imagine Section Three doing exactly that.
"From now on, we'll train on the hill beside the training facility. Not on the path."
Theron pointed toward the rough terrain.
"You need to become comfortable running through bushes, rocks, roots, and uneven ground."
They had one week.
From now on, we only need to adapt to forest terrain while avoiding injuries.
It would not suddenly solve every problem.
But the fact that Section Five had already united was a huge achievement.
In Theron's previous life, everyone had moved alone.
And they had eventually collapsed one after another.
Theron remembered the Token Defense Test from his previous life.
For most trainees, including Theron, it had been true hell.
Inside that forest...
The trainees had been divided into hunters and prey according to their strength.
Back then, Theron had been prey.
Weak, easy prey.
But...
This time, our positions are going to be very different.
Very different.
And...
One week from now...
Once the Token Defense Test began, Theron knew he would eventually run into him.
Isaac was not someone who would simply hide and wait.
Isaac...
What should Theron say when they met?
Now that he had returned to the past...
The thought of meeting Isaac again made Theron's heart beat strangely fast.
