The teachers had made multiple lines, where the students were now waiting for their turn to take their assigned tents. From the looks of it, depending on the number of people in a party, the bigger the tent they would receive.
So, while the people who had decided to challenge the competition solo were given smaller tents, the ones with large teams—some with more than eight people—were given gigantic tents that required multiple people to carry.
Currently, Zaroth and his squad were waiting for their turn to be given their tent.
"So, what do you think?" Zaroth asked, turning to his friends.
"While it may be good to set up our tent here in the assigned zone—close to the teachers and the infirmary—it would be disadvantageous, as there will be too many people here," Zack began.
"Yet going deep into the forest could bring unforeseen challenges that we haven't accounted for…" Roran spoke firmly.
"But we have to take some risks if we actually want a shot at being chosen to participate in the tournament. Plus," Lily said, her face turning grim as she shifted her gaze to a breathtaking woman with blue hair and eyes that radiated an aura of mysterious strength.
"We have an actual princess participating in the competition. She, along with the other fourth-year students, would be a challenge to surpass in achievements."
"I agree," Zaroth spoke firmly. "I think we should risk it and go deep into the forest, where there would be fewer students to take our prey."
"I see. Then, I guess going deep into the forest it is," Roran said with a sigh. It seemed he was the only one worried about the beasts roaming the forest.
"Still," he shifted his gaze to Lily, speaking coldly, almost like a command, "I want you always in my line of sight."
After waiting for almost half an hour, their turn finally came.
"Okay, here is your tent. I just need the signature of your leader confirming that you have received it," the teacher said.
'Leader?' Zaroth thought. They hadn't discussed anything like this, so he turned to his companions, only to see all of them staring at him.
Raising an eyebrow, he asked, "What?"
"You're the leader," Zack said with a smile on his face.
"Why me?" Zaroth asked.
"You were the one who suggested we team up in the first place. Don't get cold feet now—accept the role!" Lily commanded.
Glancing back, Zaroth noticed that many of the students waiting in line looked irritated as they waited for their turn. Seeing that it wasn't a good idea to hold up the line, Zaroth sighed and signed the form.
"As leader, you will be responsible for your team's safety and condition should anything happen to them," the teacher explained as he handed them the tent.
'Great. Responsibility I didn't ask for,' Zaroth cursed inwardly as he took the tent from the teacher's hands.
After checking if everyone had gathered what they needed, including weapons and other necessities, Zaroth sighed in relief and spoke,
"All right, deep into the forest it is."
He and his party headed towards the forest in search of a place to set up camp.
*****
"Hey, carry the tent," Zaroth said, turning his head to Zack.
"Eh? Why me?" Zack asked, not wanting to deal with the trouble.
"First, because I'm sure you're of the knight category, making you physically stronger than me. And second, because I'm now the leader, and I said so," Zaroth replied with a grin.
"Sure, we have a tyrant on our hands now…" Zack muttered as he took the tent from Zaroth's hands.
"Hey! I heard that," Zaroth cried, staring daggers at Zack.
In response, the man smiled widely.
"I know. I said it just loud enough so you could hear," Zack said.
As they slowly entered the forest, the loud chatter of the students became distant, fading away as they pushed further and further into the woods.
"So, where should we set up our tent?" Zaroth asked, turning to his companions to hear their opinions.
"First and foremost, the most important thing is water. We won't last if we die of thirst in the middle of the competition," Roran replied firmly. It seemed he had thought this through before.
"So, near a river would be the best choice."
"But there is one thing we have to consider," Lily said, her face darkening.
"In the forest, we aren't constantly protected by the teachers... So, there's not only a chance we'll be attacked by beasts while we sleep but also…"
"By humans as well," Zack said, his eyes narrowing as he quickly caught on to what she was hinting at.
"Yes. Considering we're first years—and the fact that you three made fools of yourselves at the announcement of the tournament—it's almost guaranteed someone will try to bother us," Lily continued.
"So, the camp should be somewhere where we have easy access to water but are also well hidden from both beasts and other participants," Zaroth muttered, deep in thought.
"Well, I'm sure we'll find a place like that. First things first, we need to go deeper into the forest," Roran chimed in.
"Yeah, but the question is, how deep do we go?" Zack asked as he shifted the tent to his other shoulder. It seemed carrying it wasn't a problem for him.
"From what I know, the forest is truly vast, spanning dozens of kilometers. So I believe it would be smart to walk at least a few hours away from the camp," Roran added.
"I've been wondering…" Zaroth said, frowning. "How do the teachers plan to ensure there aren't any accidents? If the forest is so vast, someone's bound to get lost."
"This is just speculation, but…" Lily said, raising her right hand and pointing to her golden bracelet with her other hand. "I think these things might point to our location."
"That's smart…" Zaroth muttered under his breath.
They had walked for a few hours already, far enough from the camp that they shouldn't encounter other students—hopefully. As the sun began to set, Zaroth spoke.
"I think we can camp here for the night."
Zack was about to say something—probably complaining about setting up the tent only to have to move it the next day—but he stopped abruptly, his attention drawn to a rustling noise in the nearby bushes.
Dropping the tent, he grabbed the sword from his back. Zaroth and Roran followed suit, while Lily stepped back, ready to fire a spell or two if the need arose.
"A beast on the first night? All right, let's see it!" Zaroth proclaimed, tightening his grip on his sword. But his eyes narrowed in the next second.
"This is certainly something I didn't expect," he muttered to himself.