She was fast. Faster than Kal had expected. But her speed was the least of his problems.

  Thanks to his mana sense, he knew the direction she was coming from, but it was vague. All he had was a sense of speed of the descending blur enclosing on him.

  Perhaps if he were blind and forced to constantly rely on this skill, he could overcome his disadvantage. But he wasn’t. He used mana sense to detect his surroundings, not pinpointing an enemy’s attack vector.

  The only spell that immediately came to thought was Steam Burst, and he couldn’t use it. Kal wasn’t entirely sure where the examiners drew the line at attacking other teams, but he was fairly certain it wasn’t okay to douse an opposing team member’s face with piping-hot steam.

  I have to be more creative than that.

  Remaining still, Kal focused himself. His only chance was to block out intrusions and hope that he could concentrate his mana detection enough to narrow the advantage between them.

  There!

  Sensing her mana near, Kal dove forward into a bear hug, wrapping his arms around the girl at the very moment she dove for the lantern.

  She gasped as he tightened his grip around her slender figure, sending mana into his core stat strength to ensure she couldn’t wiggle free.

  “Gotcha.”

  “Let go of me, human scum!” She squirmed. “Did your primitive brain forget we’re not allowed to attack each other?”

  “Since when did I attack you?” Kal countered. “I’m just holding you still. I don’t see how this is any different from what your friend did to me the other night. More physical, but the outcome is the same.”

  She continued to struggle against Kal’s hold, confirming to him that she had no answer to his simple attack. Or at least she didn’t have an answer that she was confident using without getting herself disqualified.

  “Look, I’m happy to let you go. Just release this darkness spell, and we can go our separate ways like last time.”

  “Ha. Why would I do that? Once my team is finished dealing with those mushrooms, what do you think they’ll do? You didn’t forget my friend, Ardel, did you? Perhaps you need to be reminded of her Eye of Paralyzation spell?”

  “She’s the one that locked down my mana points before?”

  The albinoid girl began to chuckle. “You see, It’s only a matter of time. That lantern will be ours. You can either wait for my friends or let go of me and see if you can outrun me in the dark. It’s up to you.”

  Kal was in a bad position, and he knew it. He had been bluffing. Hoping she would act hastily.

  Now what? She’s right; I can’t just wait for the rest of her team to show up.

  He had told Vae to collect the others and distance themselves from the grove. He wasn’t sure how far they had gone but was fairly sure they wouldn’t be coming to his aid.

  It wasn’t just her advantage in the dark he had to worry about either. He was in a forest, and it was literally filled with obstacles. He had just as much chance of impaling himself on a branch as he had of getting away from her.

  Suppose he could keep her wrapped up while he ran, though? Kal thought about it a moment. It was still risky, but he hadn’t got a second chance at life just to play it safe. If he wanted to play it safe, he might as well become a government clerk and work in an office.

  A shiver traced Kal’s spine at the thought. He would rather face a dragon than that possible future.

  What’s a little pain compared to failing to make the most of this opportunity?

  He had an idea. He wasn’t sure if it would work, but he had to try. Avoiding risks had already led to one wasted life.

  Casting Mana Whip, Kal lassoed the girl with the magical whip while maintaining his hold on her.

  “What are you doing, human?”

  “Keeping you in place. Now, I got to go. Until next time,” Kal said, releasing his grip and running straight ahead.

  “Hey, get back here!” She hissed, struggling against the whip.

  Some Mana Focus spells could be held over a long distance, but Mana Whip wasn’t one of them. It was because of how the spell’s mana constellation was formed. Mana Whip filled the most basic definition of a Mana Focus spell, but it wasn’t a true one. And it wasn’t meant to be used like this.

  Kal focused on the mana binding the spell to him, channeling whatever mana he could to it as the distance between them grew. But he knew it was weakening and fast.

  Regardless, he powered through, raising his arms defensively as he smashed through branches and leaves filled his mouth. A log that must have been elevated atop a rock or something because it slammed straight against the middle of his shin. Pain erupted, but Kal defiantly bit down and grunted as he forced himself on. Entirely ignoring this thumping leg as he continued to run.

  Finally, he felt his link to the Mana Whip break, but the spell remained active for several seconds.

  Faster, I have to go faster!

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  Pain seared through his side as he slammed into a tree and rolled off to its trunk, briefly falling to one knee but kicking off against the ground and continuing his sprint.

  At that moment, he sensed the last of the Mana Whip’s mana evaporate. She was free, and she was coming for him.

  None of that mattered as he silenced his surroundings, cringing as he forced himself to run as fast as he could. It was only a matter of time before he ran into something else, but the fear of pain wasn’t about to deter him.

  Except, he didn’t crash. The darkness began to dissipate around him, and he saw light beyond it.

  The girl cursed at his back. She obviously knew he was reaching the edge of her spell’s reach.

  But just as he was leaving the darkness behind, tendrils of pure black shot out, threatening to drag the shroud of her spell back over him.

  She had cast the spell again. Unfortunately for her, the distance between them was much greater this time, and the spell seemed to be cast outward from where she was standing.

  Kal never gave in to his waning stamina or hurting body and continued to sprint with all he had. Before the second casting of the spell could wrap around him, he was already running out of its reach.

  As fast as the albinoid girl was, she wasn’t faster than Kal. For a fourteen-year-old, Kal’s stats weren’t just good; they were great. Even if she was a year or two older than him, she couldn't compete and, evidently, didn’t have a speed-boosting spell like his Swift Step in her arsenal.

  She kept casting her darkness spell again and again as the chase continued, but the distance between the two of them only grew, and her spell’s reach grew further and further out of range as Kal sprinted through the forest.

  Kal’s mana was low, and he worried that she might be able to outlast him as long as she just kept running. He knew he could outrun her with his core stats, but he wasn’t sure his battered body could if he ran out of mana.

  A glance back over his shoulder confirmed that she was in even worse shape, slowing down and her posture broken as she panted.

  He realized that she had all in on her darkness spell and exhausted her mana, casting it repetitively.

  “Good try, but it looks like I win again,” Kal turned to gloat as he ran.

  “You—get—back—here,” she clutched at her sides as she panted and attempted to keep running.

  “Nah, don’t think so.”

  “I’ll—get—you—”

  Kal’s eyes widened as he spotted a figure charging up from behind the girl. Severy second, they grew larger as they closed the distance, and he realized it was the ogre—Gronk.

  He was fast. Very fast.

  Kal immediately knew core stats alone wouldn’t help him escape this guy. He would need to hope his remnant mana would be enough to save him.

  I’ve got one, maybe two Swift Steps left. Maybe he could lasso the big guy up with a Mana Whip like the girl? No, that wouldn’t work. He would catch up when the spell broke.

  But a second later, while Kal was still considering his options, a vine of shrubbery sprung to life near the ogre’s feet and wrapped around him in a second, sending the brute falling to the ground. But they didn’t stop there, continuing to wrap around his body until he was fastened to the ground.

  “What is this?” Gronk roared as he struggled against the thickening bushy vines. He was strong, likely strong enough to tear the bush wrapping itself around him to shreds if he had the leverage—but with his arms pressed tightly against his body, that wasn’t possible.

  “You made it,” Vae said, stepping out from behind a tree to the right of Gronk. He held one of the bush's weedy branches in his hand.

  Puppet Hand! Kal was thoroughly impressed. The spell was impressive on its own, but Vae clearly knew how to make the most of it.

  “Vae, you have fantastic timing,” Kal explained. “And you failed again,” he grinned at the albinoid girl.

  “Hey, what about us?” Ellie said as she and Arix appeared from the underbrush just ahead of Kal.

  “Yeah, you guys, too,” Kal nodded.

  “Super convincing,” Ellie rolled her eyes.

  Betsy raced toward them, skidding to a halt beside Gronk, and shortly after, a one-eyed girl Kal assumed had to be named Ardel caught up.

  Seriously, a freaking cyclopean? That’s sooo cool!

  “What are you staring at?” The girl sneered, and Kal realized he was probably staring at her while grinning like an idiot.

  “I–uh—”

  “Humans, pfft,” the albinoid girl hissed and spat at the ground.

  The cyclopean wasn’t what Kal had expected. The eye wasn’t as big, and the girl was not as ugly as he imagined. She had long, straight dark hair and perfectly normal feminine features—save the singular eye in the middle of her head.

  “Are you okay, Jasmine?” Ardel said, lowering to the albinoid’s side.

  “I’m fine, just get the lantern,” she hissed back.

  “Bu-but—”

  “We’re outnumbered with you and Gronk out, and these bozos are better than they look,” Betsy sighed.

  “You’re giving up?” Jasmine struggled to her feet.

  “You can barely stand,” Betsy shook her head. “And if Ardel uses her Eye of Paralyzation, the rest will be up to me. I’m honored you think I can take three of these bozos by myself, but it ain’t gonna work.”

  “Gronk?” Jasmine turned to the ogre swallowed by vegetation.

  “I can’t move. This spell is deceptively strong,” he grunted in frustration.

  Kal raised his arm and used the bracelet to bring up the leaderboard.

  “Let’s see,” he said aloud, making sure the other team could hear him.

  65. Team Manaweave - 45

  66. Team Berserker - 45

  67. Team Shadowpact - 40

  “Here you are. 40 points,” Kal said, slowly drifting his gaze down from the leaderboard and toward Team Shadowpact as a devilish grin perked his lips.

  “Look, you won. We get it,” Betsy raised her hands and slowly stepped backward. “Good job.”

  What’s the chance she’s the one with the Astral Pouch? Kal couldn’t actually see the pouch from here because she wore a cloak that shrouded most of her body. But her body language and the fact that she was remarkably fast meant that she would be an excellent choice to carry it.

  “Where are you going?” Kal teased, taking a single step forward.

  “It’s fine, humy. Keep the lantern. This was just a big misunderstanding, okay? We get it. You’re better than us.”

  “What are you saying,” Jasmine growled. “We got this. He’s low on mana as well. I know it,” she bent her brow into a glare at Kal.

  “There’s no way of knowing that. His core is entirely hidden,” Betsy sighed. “Just forget it.”

  The half-girl turned to Ardel and attempted a stealthy gesture, but Kal read it with ease. His play had worked, and she was worried.

  “Where are you two going?” Jasmine turned to the girls as they backed away.

  “It’s over, Jasmine. Forget about it. We’ll find an easier mark. There’s plenty of hopeless mages in this exam.”

  “No, no,” Jasmine shook, balling her white fists. "There’s no way I’ll let you get away with this,” she stubbled toward Kal. “It’s bad enough you stole our score, but you had your grubby human hands all over me? I know who you are now, and mark my words, I’ll get my revenge on you!”

  “It wasn’t like that!” Kal reddened. “I was just trying to win, swear,” Kal turned to the rest of his team.

  Seriously? Gross. I’m not some creep. I just want to win this stupid exam. This is defamation!

  “Yeah, right,” Ellie shook her head.

  “Wait, what did you do to her, Kal?” Arix said.

  “Nothing. She attacked me. It was self-defense. I swear it!”

  “So, Kal is your name. From here on out, Kal. We’re rivals. And I will show you what I’m capable of,” Jasmine said, retracting her lip to show her abnormally long and sharp canines.

  Bloodline Trait Unlocked: Rival Magnet +2 Strength | +2 Toughness -2 | Charisma | Appearance penalty

  What, an appearance penalty? Seriously? And here I was thinking these things were going to turn me into a looker.

  “You really did a number on her,” Vae said, his voice floral and full of amusement.