Daren and Michael were fortunate enough to meet near the starting point and were collecting points together. Although they had to divide the points between the two of them, they thought it was much better than wandering around in the mountains relying on no one.
Constantly communicating with each other, they safely completed the first day and now, on the morning of the second day, they were actively moving to gather points.
"I thought having this map would be enough, but I have no idea where we are."
"Yeah, seriously. Where are we right now?"
Despite waking up early in the morning and walking for a long time, they couldn't pinpoint their location. They remained vigilant of their surroundings while constantly referring to the map.
Snap!
Whoosh!
"Huh? Huh!"
Suddenly, the sound of a broken branch echoed, and as Daren was walking and looking at the map, he was instantly caught in a snare and suspended in mid-air.
"Daren!"
Michael, who had been walking ahead, quickly turned around and approached, but he too was instantly struck by a flying electric spell and collapsed without a moment's hesitation.
The magic hit Daren, who was hanging in the air, and both of them lost consciousness, falling to the ground.
As the two fell, Adrias and Dianne, who had been hiding nearby, appeared. They each tore off one student's bracelet without hesitation, absorbing their points.
"I really don't understand."
"What do you mean?"
"Everything."
After releasing the trapped students and absorbing the points, Dianne stared intently at Adrias.
"Where did you learn these techniques?"
"These capture skills? It's just a hobby of mine."
"You had such a hobby?"
Adrias discovered something and signaled for silence by putting a finger to his lips.
He looked around and then touched various things before speaking.
"Somebody passed through here before we caught these two. It wasn't long ago."
"So?"
"Let's chase after them."
"Again?"
Adrias gestured for them to follow quickly and went ahead.
Although his skills were impressive, Dianne found it exhausting to keep up with his pace.
Already, they had captured more than six students today alone.
And considering it was still early in the day, it clearly showed how frenzied their pursuit had been.
"Just this one more capture, and then let's take a break."
"Okay."
Despite their fatigue, Dianne managed to keep up with Adrias.
.
.
.
.
In truth, when she first saw him, he tried to ignore her, pretending not to notice her presence. Since it seemed like she was only discovered from his side, if he left her alone, she would naturally pass by.
'Dianne Alben. Could I use her?'
If she managed to endure for two nights and three days while collecting small points, she would achieve a reasonable score. But if Dianne teamed up with him, couldn't they aim for a top-ranking score?
Tracking for point hunting, finding traces, and overall survival would be his responsibility, and she would fight in his place.
Of course, he could do it alone, but in that case, there were variables such as stamina and unforeseen circumstances.
"It should work, right?"
Dianne, with her keen ears, couldn't catch on to his intentions. Perhaps she would wield her magical powers recklessly and end up disqualified due to mana depletion or survival issues.
So, it didn't seem too bad to manipulate the situation to benefit both of them.
He revealed himself and was able to invite her to their hideout.
However, when they finished eating and tried to discuss the team, Dianne fell asleep.
"This is a bit inconvenient."
Still, as he watched her sleeping, memories of their childhood came to mind.
Although it was not something he personally experienced, it was a memory stored in his body, but it did evoke nostalgic emotions.
When she woke up later, she was still wary of him, but eventually, she became trapped in the comfort and convenience he provided.
In this way, I, who briefly allowed her to taste comfort in this unfamiliar place, proposed a deal to her.
To become a team and gather points together.
Initially, she showed signs of reluctance, but it didn't take long for her to naturally become part of the team, becoming my loyal hunting dog.
"With this number of points, we should easily rank high."
I was traveling around the map with Dianne, tracking down the points indicated, and hunting down students caught in between.
Finding traces was easy.
If it was a snowy mountain, then traces would be spread far and wide.
Tracking and tracing were well within my knowledge and skills, so there were no issues.
After I handled the tracking and tracing, Dianne took care of the final stages.
At first, Dianne was hesitant about my tracking abilities, but as she witnessed my ability to quickly locate targets, her trust gradually grew.
And when we set traps after reading the traces and anticipating the route, her trust reached its peak.
Instead, every time she saw me like this, she would have an indescribable expression, but I didn't bother hiding my abilities.
It didn't matter what she thought anyway.
'As long as I don't get exposed as a dark magician, it doesn't matter anymore.'
As we continued to chase the next set of traces, we finally discovered the endpoint where the traces ended.
I stood still and carefully surveyed the surroundings, confirming that there was something behind the tree in front of us.
Using mana detect would have been more reliable, but using that skill would make the opponents aware of our presence, so there was no point in ambushing them.
I immediately signaled Dianne.
"There?"
"Yes, behind that tree."
Without any hesitation, Dianne looked at the tree I pointed to and gathered mana.
She truly is a genius.
Observing her mana control left me in awe.
Her magic, which reduced the power by fine-tuning the mana, delivered enough impact to stun the opponent accurately.
Not only that, her casting speed and magic accuracy were both 100%, so there was no need for words.
As I watched in admiration, her magic was activated, and a bolt arrow made of electricity flew towards the tree.
The bolt arrow attacked the hidden opponent behind the tree, drawing a gentle arc.
However, the result was unexpectedly revealed with a completely different noise.
Thud! Crackling!
"What the hell?"
This voice? Could it be?
The opponent effortlessly blocked Dianne's magic with a sword and stepped out from behind the tree.
Assuming a nonchalant posture, she held a sword in one hand and a cigarette in the other. It was none other than Ivy Claire.
"Professor Ivy?"
"What's up? Another magic user, huh?"
She took a drag from her cigarette, exhaled smoke, and then flicked the ash on the ground.
She then pointed her sword at me.
"How did you know I was here and attacked?"
"We were following the traces. We didn't know it was you, Professor."
"Traces? What the hell are you talking about? You think I didn't notice that you discovered me?"
"Indeed. I don't know what kind of tricks you're using, but my colleague here, Adrias, has the ability to find and track traces."
Tricks? Why does it sound like I'm using some kind of sorcery?
Ivy glanced at Dianne with a puzzled expression, as if to say, "What is this about?"
She casually flicked her sword, as if indicating that she was annoyed and wanted us to leave.
"These Knight Division assistants who transport the eliminated students have a hard time," I thought.
I nodded politely and called for Dianne to follow me, leaving the scene.
Dianne asked me, "Do you know that person?"
"Yes, she was one of the assistants from our group during the midterm evaluation."
"Ah! The one who caught the dark magician?"
"Yes."
In reality, I caught the dark magician on my own, but rumors within the academy made it seem like we caught them together. I didn't bother correcting it because I had my own reasons for not revealing the truth.
"She's impressive. How was it? Catching a dark magician together?"
"Well, I was just distracted at the time. That's all."
Come to think of it, this guy was a knight enthusiast.
I tried to brush it off, but he seemed eager to know more.
To change the subject, I brought up another topic.
"Let's go back to our hideout for now."
"Suddenly?"
"Yes. We'll return to the hideout, rest, and come out again at night."
Dianne nodded as if she understood my intention.
"Nighttime would be better for hunting, but is it possible?"
"Don't worry."
When night falls, visibility will be reduced, but I had the mana of a knight.
I could easily illuminate our surroundings.
"Don't worry, just follow me."
We would dominate the rankings.
.
.
.
.
The next day, the man who resembled a goblin and was staring at the snowy mountains turned to look at the towering figure walking beside him.
"No matter how I think about it, something feels suspicious."
"I already received the payment. There's no turning back."
The towering man spoke as if there was no other choice, and deep down, I knew he was right.
However, we couldn't afford to draw too much attention with the members in black robes following us.
"After we finish this job, we should avoid getting involved again," he said to himself.
"Hehe, of course! We received a lot of money, so we can have fun and live it up for a while. That's great!" the goblin-like man laughed nonchalantly.
At that moment, one of the members in black robes stepped forward and interrupted their conversation.
"After we finish this job, we don't plan on getting involved with trash like you."
"Oh, look who it is. Sir Kidwell, the boss, huh? Hehe," the goblin-like man smirked.
The robed figure clicked his tongue as he held a cigarette.
"Don't act all buddy-buddy. You filthy mongrel," he sneered.
"Do you want to die? Your words are getting too harsh," the towering man stopped in his tracks and exuded a threatening aura.
As a surge of energy filled the air, the other members in black robes who were walking behind them came to a halt and looked at the man.
Before long, as they gathered mana, the man turned his head and retracted his intimidating presence.
"If you've received payment, focus on completing the task. Useless worries like that should be done before receiving the money," the robed man remarked.
The towering man, without saying a word, resumed walking ahead.
The goblin-like man followed closely behind him.
"Also, don't forget. Jester himself commissioned this job to you."
"...I know," he replied.
The sun was gradually setting, and the members in black robes began to disperse in different directions into the mountains.
As we continued walking forward, scattering in different directions, the last remaining member named Kidwell spoke.
"Your only goal should be one thing. It would be better to kill as many students as possible. Of course, the more students you kill the better. But don't do anything useless."
"Oh my Boss. If you give me more money, I'll do whatever you want."
"Okay then. Do well in whatever task you have been given. It shouldn't be difficult."
Kidwell grabbed the towering man.
"I have one question."
"What is it now? Spit it out quickly."
"I found out that the target assigned to us isn't anything special. I mean, sure, he's been making potions or something, but is he really worth us going after?"
"I don't have detailed information about him either. Jester simply assigned the task to you. Make sure to kill him and bring back the corpse."
"It shouldn't be too difficult. It's our job."
Kidwell disappeared, and the goblin-like man, who had been smiling, spat on the ground.
"Tch! That damn mountain of a guy who can't even live or die is blabbering nonsense!"
"Let's start moving."
"But how are we going to find him in these mountains?"
"...We'll keep killing until we find him."
"What? Hahaha! That's right! You're right!"
With their conversation over, the sun began to set over the Bilbore Mountains.