[Valeria's POV]
The second phase of the exam has begun, and all teams are entering the desert area.
At this point, this perverted guy and I have walked about 8 kilometers in two hours. However, the scorching heat of the sun has already made me feel exhausted.
I glanced to the side, where the black-haired man was still walking as usual, showing no signs of fatigue whatsoever.
Ugh... It seems it's true that Knight students are far more physically capable than Mage students.
"We still have a long way to go, you know," the man said flatly. "Want me to carry you? You look tired."
"Huh? W-What do you mean? I'm not tired at all!" I replied, denying what he said.
I quickened my pace; I didn't want to seem weak in front of that perverted man.
Thud!
I tripped on something, losing my balance. I shouldn't have let his words distract me like this.
However, my body didn't hit the ground. A hand firmly held my waist.
Our faces were close, his black eyes like the night sky during a full moon. His expressionless face was oddly mesmerizing.
His grip was strong...
Are all men's hands like this...?
Slam!
"Ow!"
Suddenly, he released me, and I fell to the ground.
"Ugh... Why did you do that?" I complained, rubbing the back of my head.
"Get ready... some monsters are approaching," he said without taking his eyes off the distance.
Huh? Monsters?
I quickly stood up and saw a pack of dog-like creatures about a hundred meters ahead.
"Those are... Desert Predator Dogs..." I muttered, noticing they were much larger than the illustrations I had seen in the monster encyclopedia.
The Desert Predator Dogs were about two meters long and one meter tall. They were the largest dog species in this desert and categorized as level 1 monsters.
Eight... Nine... Ten...
However, with this many, their difficulty level seemed to be equivalent to level three or even four monsters.
Shing!
The perverted man unsheathed his sword and, without hesitation, dashed toward the pack of dogs.
Grrr...
Five dogs started advancing toward me. Their drool dripped to the ground, tongues out, and sharp fangs showing that these dogs were hungry.
"Bark! Bark! Bark!"
Seeing the threat approach, I began preparing my magic.
'Wind Cutter!'
A gust of wind shot toward the five dogs, causing slashes to appear on their bodies. Two of them collapsed as my attack hit their vital organs.
"Bark! Bark! Bark!"
The remaining three dogs jumped at me. I wanted to dodge, but the gear I was carrying made it difficult to maneuver.
'Earth Wall.'
A wall of earth appeared right in front of me, blocking the three dogs. I heard the thud as they slammed into the wall hard.
However, the impact didn't stop them. One of them circled the wall and leapt toward me.
'Wind Blow!'
The dog was sent flying into the air by my spell.
"Bark! Bark! Bark!"
I was thrown forward and fell to the ground as another dog pounced on my backpack, which contained food.
I tried to free myself from the heavy pack, but I struggled because the dog pinned me down, making it hard to move.
"Bark! Bark!"
The last remaining dog was closing in, its sharp teeth terrifying as it neared.
I had to get away, fast!
"Bark! Bark!"
The dog was getting closer and then leaped, aiming to bite my head.
Slash!
The dog's head fell to the ground, severed from its body by the swing of the black-haired man's sword, who had suddenly appeared in front of me.
"Bark! Bark! Bark!"
The last dog, which had been tearing into my backpack, jumped at the man. But he swiftly thrust his sword into its mouth, piercing its throat.
In an instant, the two dogs that had been about to devour me were killed by him.
"I told you, didn't I? Your heavy gear is only going to slow you down," the black-haired man said as he sheathed his sword again.
I stood up and resumed walking without thinking too much about what had just happened. It was embarrassing to be saved by a man I despised.
"Are you still going to carry that heavy pack?"
I ignored his words.
It's true that the pack I was carrying slowed me down in battle, but it would be useful when there was no shelter or place to rest later.
---
[Scarlett's POV]
The exam had just started two hours ago, but we had already faced quite a number of monsters here.
"Crescent Slash!"
A bird's head was separated from its body after being slashed by my sword.
Although these monsters were low-level, their large numbers slowed our progress. If this keeps up, we won't be able to cover 40 kilometers in one day.
This isn't normal—why are there so many monsters roaming this dry area?
"Lightning Cut!"
"Sky Dragon Dance!"
"Light Burst!"
I turned at the sound of a man shouting the names of his techniques.
A blond-haired man was slashing down one monster after another as they approached him. His body was enveloped in a blinding golden light.
He'd been fighting and casting a large number of spells for nearly half an hour now. But why hasn't he experienced Mana Exhaustion, unlike me when I fought that man?
"Light Executioner!"
With a wide slash, he instantly wiped out the six monsters surrounding him.
Brian's abilities were far above average. His magic and sword skills were even better than third-year students'. But how could a man with such talent and skill be so easily defeated by that guy?
"Did you see that, Scarlett? I told you not to worry about the monsters here!" Brian said confidently. "We just need to move forward and be the first to reach the finish line!"
I nodded in response.
I think I can now understand why Brian was easily defeated by Raul.
The blond-haired man was overly confident and tended to be reckless in his attacks. But given his talent, his attitude made sense.
Against normal enemies, Brian could surely defeat them easily.
But against an opponent like Raul, who fought with cunning tactics and clever combat strategies, he could easily exploit Brian's tendency to rely solely on instinct in battle.
"Let's keep moving, Scarlett!"
I don't know what will happen next in this second phase of the exam. I just hope everything goes smoothly until the end.
---
[Raul's POV]
Valeria and I decided to rest after walking for four hours in this desert region. At this point, I estimated we had covered around 15 to 17 kilometers, which was on target, considering it was already two in the afternoon.
This desert has certain characteristics.
In the outer region, it's mostly barren land, and it's difficult to find water sources here. However, in the next region, we will come across an abandoned city.
In the past, humans inhabited this area. But after it became part of the Empire, the original inhabitants left because they didn't want to be a minority in a foreign land. Thus, the people who lived in the city abandoned it.
Imperial citizens were also reluctant to move to this city because it was far from the center of civilization. Eventually, the Empire only used this place as a site for mining crystals and gold.
Entering the urban area, there will be many monsters hiding there, using the abandoned buildings as shelter from sandstorms and the scorching sun.
There's also an oasis located after this city. It's the source of water for the monsters living in this area.
At our current pace, we should reach the urban area on the second day. However, I'm not sure our journey will go that smoothly.
On top of that, the students will likely fight to take supplies from other participants. As time passes, the food and water they carry will run low.
I had planned for this ahead of time. That's why I brought only a small amount of supplies to reach the urban area faster than the others, giving me enough time to ambush participants who arrive later.
However, Valeria's insistence on carrying so much gear has slowed down our progress.
She's in the tent she set up not far from where I am. I'm resting under the only tree that grows as far as the eye can see.
"Should I teach her a few survival lessons in this world?"
Well... Compared to Brian and Ariel, Valeria has a logical mind and can easily recognize her weaknesses. But her ego often hinders her progress.
"What she needs right now is combat experience."
Yes... Valeria may have a wide range of magic because she's not limited by the rules of Nature Mana. However, this prevents her from focusing on mastering one type of magic to its full potential.
"But I believe she can overcome that."
There are still many battle styles for mages that Valeria hasn't mastered yet, like Multiple-Casting, Moving-Incantation, Mixing Elements, and so on.
In the game, Valeria would eventually master all of this. But now that this world is real, one fatal mistake could lead to death, and there will be no respawn to restart life.
I watched as Valeria came out of her tent and walked toward me.
She had taken off her academy uniform, apparently unable to endure the scorching heat of the desert.
"Get up, or we'll be late if we stay here too long," she ordered in an unpleasant tone.
"Hey, weren't you the one who asked us to rest earlier?" I teased her.
"Sh-shut up, you need rest too, right? Hurry up! Stop wasting time," Valeria replied, her cheeks were visibly flushed.
"Okay, okay..." I rose to my feet. "Why are you always angry with me? You better control your temper so that we can relax on the way," I quipped to her.
She just turned around and walked away without responding to my words.
I caught up with her from behind while watching her beautiful braided hair swaying.