The first lesson has officially started, and I just discussed my plan with my groupmates.
We agreed to work in a team of two, Arlan with Elric, and Aria with me, Selena Aurelius.
The reason was quite simple.
It's better to expand our area of search by splitting, to increase efficiency.
Moreover, me and Arlan have prior knowledge of combat techniques of our respective families, so it would help in defeating the simulated monsters, who are protecting the mana stones.
There were other aspects of the rule, I had my doubts on, so we decided to give signals, we agreed on, if something happens.
First of all, as it was written that mana stones would be limited, we had to hurry our searching process.
And in the tips' section. it was instructed that mana stones of an attribute would glow, if a skill of the same attribute is used in it's vicinity.
But, that method is inefficient, as using a skill continuously, would drain our mana quickly.
So, we would do things a bit differently, by searching for simulated monsters first. Then, we would search the nearby area for mana stone, the monster would be protecting.
After that, the one in-charge of combat would distract the monster while the other one would take the mana stone.
Then, they both work together to defeat the monster for extra mana stones.
It was a simple, yet effective plan.
Effective because, 2 of our groupmates, that is me and Arlan, have prior combat knowledge.
Aria and I were heading towards west, while Arlan and Elric went towards east.
As I was moving slowly, calculating and predicting the plausible locations of mana stones, Aria stopped on her tracks.
There were exactly two types of skills given to us at the entrance ceremony.
An active and a passive skill.
While the active skill mainly focused on combat, the passive one was for tactical decision making.
My active skill was "Sword Mastery", which I have been practicing from childhood, incorporating my family's sword wielding technique.
My passive is a bit confusing to me, but at this beginner level, it allows me to detect heartbeats of a living object in my vicinity.
And, quite obviously, my class is fighter.
Moreover, during the group discussion that took place yesterday at the training ground, we, group one members showed each other our skills and class, except that shithead, who doesn't have a skill or class.
So, I know what Aria's skills are.
While her active skill and class are the same as mine, as she told that she doesn't have combat experience, it wouldn't be useful anyhow.
But, her passive skill would be the most useful one here.
Spatial Detection.
Of course, she is at a beginner level in this skill right now, so, it allows her to detect objects at a radius of 10 meters only.
Hence, we are using it currently, to detect monsters.
And, she stopped behind a large, profusely branched tree, implying there is a monster in front of us.
Aria, as if hiding behind the tree, looked at me, and pointed at north direction, that is in the east direction from our path.
I had seen monsters in pictures and my family's museum only.
This was the first time I was seeing a real one.
Well, it's not exactly real, but something very close to being real.
As I peered in the direction Aria pointed, I saw the simulated monster standing a short distance away.
It resembled a creature out of a nightmare—a hulking, four-legged beast covered in dark, matted fur.
Its glowing red eyes scanned the area, alert and menacing.
Large, jagged fangs protruded from its maw, and sharp claws dug into the ground beneath its massive paws.
The creature's presence was eerie, as if it were more than just a simulation—a predator stalking its prey in the dense, misty forest.
Its size was imposing, but what struck me most was the subtle shimmer that surrounded the beast—an indication that the mana stone we sought was nearby.
I instructed Aria to use the spatial detection skill once more to find out the exact location of the mana stone, once I grab the monster's attention.
Aria nodded silently, her expression calm and focused.
We had no time to waste.
The longer we delayed, the more likely other groups would find the mana stones before us.
My heart raced, but I steeled myself.
This was no different from the training I had endured growing up in House Aurelius.
I took a deep breath, and tapped on my active skill. That's how a skill can be used.
A sword of crimson red color popped out of thin air.
I grabbed the sword and ignited it with a soft flame, using minimal amount of my mana.
My goal here was just to distract the monster for a few minutes.
The heat from the sword radiated faintly in my hand as I held it steady, its crimson glow barely visible in the misty forest.
I stepped out from behind the tree, making sure to step on a few dry leaves and twigs to make noise.
The monster's ears twitched at the sound, and its glowing red eyes locked onto me with an eerie precision.
I raised my sword and adopted a defensive stance, my eyes never leaving the creature.
The beast growled, a deep rumble that sent vibrations through the ground.
It was sizing me up, trying to determine whether I was a threat or prey.
I stood my ground, slowly backing away to lure it further from the area where it was standing.
"Come on, follow me," I muttered under my breath.
It growled violently like a beast would, looking at it's prey.
I looked for any unusual structures like rocks or something, as it might have been used to hide the mana stone.
But, there was none, in the surrounding area.
The only thing present there , was a large tree, profusely branched like any other tree.
"Aria!", I called out to her without looking away from the monster in front of me.
"Any signs of mana stone?", I asked.
"No, not yet!" , she replied concentrating on the search.
I continued to move forward with the crimson red sword imbued with faint glow with a defensive stance, slowly.
The monster's growl deepened, but it remained at it's position without moving forward.
"Found it! The mana stone is directly below the monster, buried in the ground!" , said Aria.
"Understood! On the count of 3, I would start attacking it from it's behind. At the same time, you would take out the mana stone. Don't worry about the monster at all. I would keep it occupied.", I entailed the plan of action to Aria.
"Got it!, Aria exclaimed.
There are certain things I need to clarify from this plan too.
As we both got ready, the forest surrounding us was filled with the monster's violent roars.
Then, I started the countdown.
"...3..."
" ..2..."
"...1..."
"Let's go!"
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Author's Notes :
Please comment down your thoughts on the story so far.
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