Her eyes screamed for help, but all she met was a pair of cold, eerie blue eyes. After a second, those cold eyes turned warm, and the intimidating face became gentle. She felt two strong, warm hands pressing against her small hand. "Everything will be alright. Fight and tear the threads that bind you."
*Exhale.*
The stifled breath within her chest finally escaped, and the blueness disappeared from her face. As her breathing returned to normal, she became aware that the boy who was supposed to apologize to her was holding her hand. Everyone's eyes nearly popped out in astonishment at the swift change in events. His once blue face had turned red, and she pulled her hand away, shouting.
"How dare you hold my hand again!"
"The second time? The first time we met, you were in the middle of the road, surrounded by bags that had flown out of the cube's key. You were shouting for help. How was I supposed to close the key circle without grabbing your hand?"
"You didn't just hold my hand, you took my bag of herbs!"
"When someone helps another person, they either get thanked or rewarded. I didn't hear a word of thanks; all I heard was your condescending tone. You said, 'Take the bag.' I considered it as my reward. If I knew that helping someone who made a grave mistake like reserving—"
"I'm sorry."
The girl screamed at the top of her lungs, interrupting him above all the embarrassment she had endured that day. She didn't want anyone to hear about her imprisonment a living entity inside her spatial cube. No one could be foolish enough to commit such a mistake. "I'm sorry. Everything that happened was my misjudgment of the situation. Let's forget about it. Oh, guard, I'm withdrawing my complaint. I was the one who was mistaken."
The beautiful girl left the place, leaving everyone bewildered. Alex turned to the guard, who seemed more embarrassed than the girl. The situation, resembling a lover's quarrel, made him lose face. Of course, Alex didn't pity him.
"You've heard the apology you wanted, so stop wasting my time," Alex gestured for him to leave, then returned to his seat to resume his work. The guard's anger escalated, smoke practically coming out of his ears. The white-haired devil hadn't only missed the chance to get some money; he had been humiliated in front of everyone.
Despite all of this, he couldn't touch him after stealing an apology from the complainant. His only option was to withdraw in silence, but his eyes indicated that the story of the day wasn't over.
Alex finished breaking the seals of all the scrolls. He felt fatigue and exhaustion. He recalled his modest rented room and felt some regret. Perhaps he should have chosen a more comfortable place.
"You're amazing, you're truly my hero. I've never seen anyone like you," Steve, who had been silent, burst forth with a shower of praise, his eyes gleaming brightly.
"Don't exaggerate, it's just a basic magic circle. I'm sure any magic student at the institute could have finished the task in half the time," Alex shook his head.
Steve nodded vigorously. "I'm talking about the beauty from the Fontaine family. She held my hand twice in front of everyone and made her apologize on top of that. Without mentioning your lovers' quarrel, it's a hundred percent a lovers' quarrel. Oh, you heartbreaker of virgins!" Steve raised his thumb playfully.
"Enough of your nonsense. Let's rest a little; tomorrow will be a long day," Alex replied.
As the two young men left, two people watched them from a distance. One was the massive guard in a white robe, and the other was a short figure shrouded in a black cloak. "That scoundrel must have won at least two thousand silver coins. Make sure to take them from him before he finishes," the man in the black cloak grinned, revealing his yellow teeth, then licked his lips.
On the night before the exam day, each competitor received a scroll and a small box containing a hexagonal badge, either yellow or gold. Each scroll specified the location, time, and task of its owner. There were over twenty different tasks, ranging from hunting various monsters to collecting badges. The participants were divided into five locations at four different times.
In the rented room, Steve opened the scroll and read it aloud, "One o'clock in the afternoon, Zone Three. The task is to reach the gate while keeping the badge golden in color." Then he opened the second scroll, "Nine in the morning, Zone One. Reach the gate with two yellow badges. So, this is the role of the badges. It seems that competitors can exchange tasks among themselves. Luckily, I got the easier task, while you have to fight to obtain the second badge and fight to keep it." Steve gazed at Alex, waiting for him to ask for a task exchange. He imagined Alex begging and pleading for help, with himself stepping in as the heroic savior. As usual, he got lost in his imagination, and a silly expression formed on his face.
"Steve, the golden badge fades as soon as you take it out of the box. Why don't you try to restore its golden color? That would be good practice for tomorrow."
Steve walked confidently, pulling the badge out of its box, but his confidence evaporated within minutes. No matter how hard he focused his energy into the badge, it barely glowed gold for a second before losing its color again.
"What's happening? Why can't I make it turn gold?"
On the task document, it was mentioned that if the badge loses its golden color for more than ten minutes, it turns white, and its owner automatically loses. He realized he was in trouble.
"You're a fool! The exam has already started, and the first step is to find the task that matches your abilities with your poor control over your energy. This is the worst task you could have received. By the way, obtaining two badges is not for my scrolls. I've already exchanged it with a talented girl who's skilled with a bow. My task was to capture ten blue-feathered birds." He took the badge from Steve's hand, and within a second, it was glowing with a golden light.
"When I noticed you weren't paying attention, I exchanged my task for one that suits you, Steve. I don't mind helping you, but you need to use your brain more. Remember, in our world, success isn't just about talent and strength. Luck and intelligence are essential factors."
For the first time, Steve felt inadequate. How could he not have noticed the trap? He didn't even check if he could make his badge glow or not. Today, he learned a new lesson, a lesson he wouldn't forget for the rest of his life. "I said luck is the foundation of success, and I'm the luckiest person. Since I met you, my life has changed. I promise I'll better myself to be worthy of standing by your side."
Alex shifted his gaze and began speaking with feigned shyness, mimicking a girl's voice, "Oh... Steve, your confession surprised me. Your sweet words moved my feelings, but I'm a man like you, so I can't accept your confession... I'm sorry."
Steve froze in place, realizing that his words sounded like a confession. He then started screaming, "I take back what I said! I can't have my first confession to a guy. Do something, erase it from my mind! You're a sorcerer, create an amnesia potion for me, chant a spell, draw a magic circle, do something!"
From the adjacent room, someone angrily interrupted, "Stop screaming! My exam is at six in the morning." Their neighbor's outburst made Steve notice the different exam times. He checked the document and confirmed a dangerous thought that crossed his mind. "Alex, because you broke all the seals, you've read all types of documents. Could it be that you didn't notice to alert me beforehand? To ensure you get my task scheduled for after lunch."
"Damn it! I asked him to use his brain, but I didn't expect him to act on my words so quickly," Jin's face turned pale, but he didn't respond and just pretended to be sleeping.