"The second round will now begin! Good luck to all of you on your quest to become Registered Sicarius! Commence the Second Exam!!"
Principal Palem gave the order. The gates to the entrance of the Forest Of Mortem were shot open like a bullet. Hundreds of heavy footsteps pounded against the ground, leaving trails of dust behind.
Every participant ran through the gates as fast as they could. Their Scrolls Of Life were held firmly in their grasp. It was the beginning of a week of pain, death, and bloodshed. Little by little, they filtered into the forest. Before anyone knew it, every single participant had left the field.
Principal Palem took a deep breath as he watched them. The two guards by his side stood firmly, observing him closely. They too knew what awaited them ahead.
"The Unregistered Sicarius have entered the Forest Of Mortem alongside the students as planned. Are you sure it was a good idea to let them in?" Asked one of the guards in a slightly energetic voice.
"Have faith. I know that my plan can work. If we were to confront them this early then they could easily escape. It's best to let them enter the Forest Of Mortem first before confronting them. That way, we can have them surrounded," answered Principal Palem.
"Just make sure you've dealt with your side of the plan already. This is turning out to be a real drag..." Muttered the other guard.
"Hoho! I have already dispatched a few instructors, guards, and even some of the elite students from the Knights' Faction into the forest. Not to mention that the King Of Regnum himself sent special soldiers here to assist us. I'm sure they'll be able to contain the damage. All that's left is for you two to take care of the tasks I assigned you. You must find out which two students Valkyrie and Valves are disguised as."
"We got this!"
"Then I place my full confidence in the both of you. Just remember to keep your identities hidden. It's important that no one finds out who you are. You must wait until the third round to reveal yourselves. Also, I know you might find it difficult to move around in those heavy iron armors. You can change into something else but ensure your faces aren't revealed. Do you understand me?"
"We understand, Old Man!" Answered both the guards simultaneously.
"Good then. You may now go ahead and enter the Forest Of Mortem. Good luck!"
The two guards then quickly dispersed, leaving Principal Palem behind. He looked up at the sky and took a deep breath. It was all about to begin.
"Good luck to both of you. The Kingdom Of Regnum's fate may very well rest upon both your shoulders."
____________________________________________________________________________________________
Meanwhile...
Eliisabet, Custos, and Chrono did their best to move away from the large crowd. They hadn't expected that they would have all been allowed to pass through the same gate to enter the forest. That was just asking to start a fight before the exam even began.
Due to this, the three had to do their best to steer clear of any unnecessary confrontations. Being caught in a major fight in the first minute of the exam was the last thing they wanted. They had to keep their scrolls safe.
They watched as some students immediately began attacking one another. Monsters poured out from almost all directions, slaughtering others. Blood, pain, and death had already made themselves known. Headless bodies flew through the air alongside other internal organs such as kidneys, intestines, hearts, and many other dead bodies. Danger lurked in all directions.
If they hoped to survive then they'd need to be smart, tactical, and skilled. The Forest Of Mortem would put their survival skills to the ultimate test. Surviving was only one of the many challenges they'd have to face.
Fortunately, with some luck, they managed to move clear of all other participants without getting into any needless confrontations. All they had been forced to do was dodge a few leech-like monsters that were known for sucking Hemo Energy from their victims until they were dead. Due to this, they stopped by the base of a large tree in a shrub of bushes to get discuss what needed to be done next.
"First thing's first. We need to find somewhere secluded that we can use as a base," proposed Custos.
"I agree. But I also think that we shouldn't stick to just one base. Sticking to one area for too long will draw attention. I believe that we should find a new base every 24 hours. That way, we won't be tracked down as easily," added Chrono.
No one argued. Instead, they began looking around to see what they could find. The forest was very vast. Many trees spread throughout the area as far as the eye could see. A majority of the trees were also quite large, stretching hundreds of feet into the air.
The ground was littered with leaves and short grass and the air felt as fresh as an ocean breeze. It seemed quite peaceful but they knew better than to allow themselves to become too relaxed.
"Maybe we can hide at the top of one of those trees," suggested Eliisabet.
"No. That's too obvious..." Argued Custos.
"Maybe she has a point," muttered Chrono.
"Huh? How so?"
"Look up there at that tree. If you look closely, you'll see that there's a large hole in the tree's bark. It's not easy to see because of the leaves that are blocking it."
Custos and Eliisabet then adjusted their gaze, immediately spotting the hole Chrono was talking about.
"I think I see it..." Muttered Custos.
"Holes like that are created by certain monsters as homes. If we can kill the monster that made the hole then we can take it for ourselves as a temporary hideout."
Custos and Eliisabet agreed. It seemed like a good plan.
"Fine then. Let's go kick that monster from its own house!"