Just in an instant, all the kids were teleported to different places. Erin was startled by the sudden change and stumbled a little.
'So, accordingly, either survive or kill. I'll just kill.'
She jumped off and started running to find others.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the forest, a black-clad man stated,
"Either join or die."
He was holding a sword near a girl's throat. At any instant, he could kill her.
"Why can't you just kill me?"
He smirked, his green eyes shining. He had golden-yellow hair.
"Well, according to the rules, I have to survive or kill until 80 of us remain. Then how about forming a team to ensure both our survival?"
She halted for a moment and then nodded in agreement.
**
"And this is my sixth kill,"
Erin announced while slicing the throat of an unknown opponent. Her face had bloody cuts, her hands were covered in blood, and her sword dripped with the crimson fluid. She was huffing, but her expression didn't show any changes.
"There are still 120 students remaining. It's been half a day now." She said, looking at the pendant given to them. It had a small computer-like screen operated by magic, displaying the number 120.
She sighed and moved forward, remembering the examiner's warning not to harm nature in this realm. "Is he an environmentalist?"
As Erin wandered aimlessly to find an opponent, she heard a sudden sound
. "Zzzhhh."
'Sound of a stream?'
She ran in that direction as fast as she could. Since there was water, someone might be there to drink it. There was a high chance of finding a prey (student) near the lake rather than wandering aimlessly.
"Another kill..."
She finally reached the place and, as she pushed the bushes aside, her eyes widened in surprise.
It was a small spring that had formed a lake. The environment was different from the forest earlier; it was like a piece of heaven in the deep jungle. The water was transparent, and beautiful aquatic life could be easily seen.
Near this heavenly place, a figure was humming. While everyone else was trying to kill or survive, this person was enjoying their time in the lovely place. His eyes were closed, and his long silver hair was messy around his face.
Erin gazed at him for a long time, remembering flashes of memories.
{A silver-haired boy, his hair waving in the air, gave Erin his hand. Her eyes were watery, cheeks wet from crying. Her eyes were little puffed, and she looked at him in a daze.}
"Your Highness?" she blurted out.
That guy opened his eyes, raising his eyebrows.
"But you weren't supposed to be here..."
** Elmar Dukedom. (Edward's office)
"What nonsense is this?"
Edward shouted, losing his cold temperament. The floor was covered with papers. In front of him was a man in a knight's suit, kneeling.
"Are you sure the report is true?" he warned, his voice harsh and eyes cold. His face clearly showed anger. The knight nodded.
"Shit," Edward muttered, showing his displeasure.
The knight continued,
"As His Grace asked, we questioned all the knights and obtained this information."
"No knight, nor a maid, had helped that girl learn swordsmanship."
Edward looked at him in fury and sighed.
"And you're telling me that wench has learned enough swordsmanship to hold her own against Ser Estrid, simply by reading books she secretly stole from the library?"
The knight looked at him in fear and nodded.
"Are you kidding me?"
A silence engulfed the room.
"Is my training becoming too easy for a newbie to defeat you?"
He sighed and touched his head with displeasure.
"Even my Irena, after receiving training from me, will lose to her." "And according to you, that wench is self-taught?"
"Unbelievable."
Edward closed his eyes, imagining glimpses of a small girl trying to read and learn everything. She struggled to grasp some sentences, lonely and unable to get help.
She tried, retried, and tried again. Her little hands struggled to hold a sword, trying wrong movements in a lonely room.
She stayed up at nights, trying to figure out she'd been practicing wrong movements. With many blunders and errors forcing her small body to train, she practiced wrong stances, then corrected herself, practicing again and re-correcting.
Like a small kid who falls and tries to walk again, but for her, there were no parents. She did it all herself. Maybe she thought it was useless to cry since no one would come to help, so her tears just dried up.
'Poor...' He paused,
remembering what he had unexpectedly blurted. His eyes were in shock.
'Looks like I'm becoming mad to have some sympathy to have some sympathy for a WENCH like her.'
'If not for the fact you were that woman's child I might've cherished you...'
Edward clenched his Remembering a faded women with golden hairs looking at him with a blissful smile.
He pressed his chest and sighed.
'But it's useless now. The day you were born in HER womb you lost your everything.'
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