Eliya watched Judah’s back as he walked away.
She wouldn’t be able to see him for another two days.
‘……’
Doubt began to sprout beneath her expressionless face.
Judah was avoiding her gaze today.
It was unusually awkward.
‘Has he figured it out?’
That she occasionally visited him at night?
Ever since she slept next to Judah, Eliya hadn’t heard the maddening whispers of fire.
If that was a side effect, she found herself thinking of Judah more often.
The cold aura that flowed in when their bodies touched.
The sensation that caressed her heart.
The warmth that eased the relentless nightmares since her mother’s death.
Now, the impulse to reach out to Judah surged within her.
Eliya fought that impulse every day.
Compared to the mad fire, it was something she could overcome.
She held it back.
It wasn’t to salvage her dignity as a noble.
She had to dream her nightmares.
She had that duty.
To feel the tragic loneliness of her mother, who died somewhere she couldn’t even see.
The screams that would have ignited in the dark path.
She had to endure that horror, even if it was torture.
To mutilate her mind and temper herself.
She couldn’t allow herself any comfort.
The version of herself who was once frightened in front of those nightmares was already dead.
Seeing Sardis’ specter was enough to feel fear for the first time.
She endured somehow.
To become more cruel, she had to do it.
To kill everything that threatened her.
Narcissi and Balak, who killed her mother.
She had to wipe out the Assassin Guild that carried out that mission.
She had to become more vicious and stronger.
Thus, Eliya suppressed the impulse to seek out Judah.
She struggled to push away the memory as clear as the first footprints carved into the snow.
Then, secretly, sometimes, when she absolutely couldn’t sleep, she would visit him.
She looked down at sleepy Judah and cautiously took his hand.
A chill flowed into her body as if it had been waiting.
She embraced him to keep the boiling heat from spilling over.
‘There’s no way Judah figured it out. Definitely.’
Last night.
So, it was this morning.
Holding Judah’s hand as he slept, he turned over suddenly.
Eliya, who had been enjoying the cold for a while, panicked.
What if he wakes up?
She couldn’t even think about letting go of his hand and teleporting away.
Instead, she covered his eyes with one hand.
At that moment, Judah mumbled in his sleep.
“Mmm… It’s still night…”
“……”
Then he fell back asleep.
Eliya let out a sigh of relief and continued to hold his hand.
At that moment, Judah murmured in his sleep.
“Eliya… No…”
A chuckle escaped her.
At the same time, she became curious.
Was he dreaming about her?
She’d met Judah in dreams a few times.
A cold light colliding with her like a shooting star.
What did she look like appearing in someone else’s dream, she wondered?
It would have been rude to call out his name, but she decided to let it slide.
However, only Judah knew that in the dream, Eliya had been on top of him, strangling him.
Anyway.
Judah was foolishly honest and bad at lying.
If he had known about her visits at night, it would have showed as soon as he realized it.
‘Hmm… I wonder why he’s acting like that. I can just ask him later.’
What mattered was that the fact she wouldn’t be able to see Judah for two days felt strangely uncomfortable.
She didn’t even know why it bothered her so much.
‘It’s not like I have to see Judah…’
Eliya shook off her wavering feelings.
She couldn’t become dependent.
If she depended on him, she’d become special, and if she was special, it would turn into a weakness.
Weakness is the shortcut to defeat.
“Gawain.”
“Yes, Miss.”
“Have you deployed enough surveillance near the exam area?”
Balak was gunning for Judah.
Thus, Eliya had to remain cautious as his master and stop him.
“I have implemented your directives to the letter.”
“Okay. I’ll trust you.”
She had checked everything off her list.
Judah had left.
Now Eliya had to return to her duties.
For some reason, she couldn’t quite set her feet down.
She was just fiddling with her useless cat doll.
*
She felt relieved only when she met Lindell and Perlyn.
She thought she would be able to pass the exam smoothly.
But she got cocky.
It wouldn’t be that easy.
‘I did expect someone might come upon seeing the smoke from the campfire, but I certainly didn’t expect them to come so quickly.’
Perlyn was eliminated in the last exam due to a betrayal from a partner.
The reason was a fight over food and water.
Of course, Perlyn couldn’t prove he had been betrayed.
‘This is why I didn’t want to run into anyone other than Lindell and Perlyn…’
Snap, snap.
Someone was approaching.
There was no way to avoid it.
I carefully drew my sword and shield.
Lindell and Perlyn also pulled their swords, tensed.
‘Please don’t let them be sent by Balak…’
Then the bushes parted, revealing two figures.
Perhaps they were nervous, as they too were armed.
‘A candidate! Not someone I’m close with, but a face I recognize.’
“Oh…! It’s a real person!”
One of them exclaimed in an excited voice.
“You guys started the fire, right? Let’s team up!”
They tried to join our party, as if it was a given.
They lowered their weapons and smiled.
Their wariness disappeared in an instant.
They didn’t seem dangerous.
But I didn’t lower my weapon.
“Please, hold on.”
My antagonistic posture caused them to hesitate.
“What’s wrong…?”
“Are you the new candidate Judah? I think you might be misunderstanding something, but this exam isn’t meant for us to fight each other.”
I felt relaxed, but I couldn’t show it on the surface.
‘Looking back, the probability of them being sent by Balak is almost nonexistent. They approached way too clumsily.’
Anyway, the reason I hadn’t let my guard down was different.
“That’s not it. It’s just that I know someone who was betrayed and got eliminated.”
I didn’t mention Perlyn’s name.
If I revealed it, I could be seen as an easy target.
I still had no idea if I could trust them.
Perlyn also thoughtfully didn’t act suspiciously.
“Ah….”
Whether it was a convincing reason or not, the two nodded their heads in agreement.
“But those two next to you… Ah, you’re in 13th Room.”
“We’ll have a brief chat.”
I pulled Lindell and Perlyn a few paces away from them.
“What do you want to do?”
It would be difficult to blindly trust those two.
But it was also true that having more numbers would make things easier.
We were three. They were two.
Even if a dispute broke out, it was manageable.
And I recognized that I was being overly cautious.
It couldn’t be helped.
Though I didn’t know their names, I had seen their faces several times.
I often ran into people who eyed me enviously and uncomfortable as I walked from the training center.
Those two were the same type of candidates.
“Hm…. What do you think, Judah?”
“To be honest, having more people is only beneficial. Whether it’s for night shifts, obtaining food, or dealing with wild animals. It makes things easier in various ways. But we will have to share food and water among a larger group.”
“Hmm….”
Lindell, who had been contemplating, spoke up.
“Anyway, we’re a group of three, so it should be fine, right?”
However, Perlyn was a little negative.
“That’s true, but we never know how things might turn out…”
“Do you know who those people are?”
“That tall guy is Brown. He’s from Room 4. The one next to him, shorter and looks like a troublemaker, is Connor. Room 18, maybe. That’s all I know.”
“I’ll defer to your decision, Judah.”
Lindell was in favor.
Perlyn left the choice up to me.
Lindell looked at me too.
As if to say I should decide.
I didn’t take long to think.
“Let’s go together.”
At my suggestion, Brown sighed in relief, and Connor laughed boisterously.
“Thank goodness… I get to travel with someone who knows how to start a fire.”
“Yeah, good thinking.”
Now they all took their weapons down and stepped closer.
“Connor, Class 11.”
“Brown. I’m also Class 11.”
We exchanged brief introductions.
They claimed it was mere coincidence that they encountered us while passing through the forest.
Afterward, they had come over seeing the smoke rising in the distance.
Naturally, I became their central figure.
Even though I was the youngest and the rookie, it felt strange to take the lead.
“But where to next?”
Connor asked innocently.
“For now…”
I dragged my answer out and activated [Survival Expert].
Soon, information and clues I had no way of knowing appeared in my mind.
‘I need to get to a higher place to get a view of my surroundings.’
I looked around briefly.
A forest filled with dirt, grass, and trees.
How was I supposed to find a high and open area to survey the surroundings here?
I had no idea about such survival knowledge.
However, my eyes were drawn to a particular tree that stood out clearly.
Unlike the others, it seemed to gleam bright.
It was the tree pointed out by my [Survival Expert] trait.
“I think we should look for a higher place.”
“Higher place?”
“Yes. Just a moment.”
When I approached the tree and confirmed why it was pointing at it, I understood.
It was higher than the surrounding trees and looked easy to climb.
It was gnarled, allowing for many footholds.
I gave the tree a couple of knocks.
Sturdy.
“I’ll climb up and check the surroundings.”
“Can you even do that?”
Brown said with a hint of doubt.
I started climbing the tree, using the protrusions to grip or step on.
“Wow, you’re like a monkey…”
Reaching the top wasn’t hard at all.
Thanks to its climbable structure and the training I had similar to this in my past life.
‘Hmm. Now that I’m up here, I can see.’
The winter forest was a sea of brown.
Barren trees filled the area, stripped of their leaves.
We would have to stay here for two days.
Though it was daunting, thanks to my Survival Expert, I knew what to do moving forward.
‘There’s a valley.’
A clear crack ran through the forest.
A flowing water valley.
The trait directed me to the water’s edge.
“There seems to be a valley nearby.”
Once I climbed down from the tree and brushed off my palms, I spoke.
“For now, I’ll head to the valley and look for flat terrain close to the water. We can establish a camp at an appropriate spot. Water will also be nearby, and we might catch fish for food.”
“Ohhh….”
The four of them simultaneously exclaimed in admiration.
‘…This feels weird.’
I knew this thanks to my Survival Expert, but otherwise, I wouldn’t have had a clue.
Being praised for that made me feel strangely off.
‘I shouldn’t feel proud, but oddly I do…’
“You really are good at starting fires.”
“Is this something you know? I knew you were a unique newbie…”
“Defeating Galliot is no small feat.”
Brown and Connor exchanged compliments about me.
Out of nowhere, Connor threw his arm around my shoulder.
He was sticking too close.
I knew he had been giving me sidelong glances before.
‘These guys are more like flattering than truly complimenting…’
I subtly pushed his arm away.
Connor chuckled awkwardly.
“Where did you learn this stuff anyway?”
“Just, you know… it just happened somehow…”
Perlyn and Lindell asked with a sense of wonder.
I averted my gaze, feeling embarrassed.
“Just… well… it just happened… let’s move. This way.”
I hurried toward the direction of the valley.
Finding the valley and setting up camp as soon as possible was advantageous for conserving energy.
To ensure I was walking straight, I picked up stones and marked every large tree I passed.
“What are you doing?”
Lindell asked.
“I’m marking to see if I’m going in the right direction. Once I mark them and look back, I’ll know if I’m going straight.”
“Wow….”
“You should be the leader. That makes sense.”
Brown patted my shoulder and said.
He seemed more cautious compared to Connor.
Next, the subsequent steps I needed to take popped up clearly in my mind.
‘Three candidates for settling—near the water, in a cave, or in a tree.’
Each had its own pros and cons.
Near the water was easy to access but had a high chance of bumping into wild animals.
A cave would be hard to find, and while it also had the chance of encountering wild animals, it was difficult to escape.
But it guaranteed a cozy space.
In a tree would be risky and uncomfortable, but it was safe from animal threats.
‘But we have five people. So we likely don’t need the cave or the tree.’
Naturally, the unnecessary options shrank away, leaving only near the water as the candidate.
‘I’ve had the same feeling when using Hunter’s Sense; it really is handy to have a trait.’
*
We quickly found the valley.
Stepping on pebbles, I touched the water.
“Ah…”
Though it was only my hand, my whole body felt numb.
“Wow… to find water so quickly…”
Lindell seemed astonished by the situation.
“This terrain is too uneven. Let’s find somewhere a bit flatter.”
The other four followed my words without question.
As we moved downstream, we discovered a relatively flat piece of land.
The depth of the river wasn’t too bad.
I couldn’t confirm by going in, but the deepest part seemed to be about my waist.
Fish swam beneath the clear surface.
“How about we stay here for two days?”
“I’m fine with whatever you say.”
Lindell answered on behalf of the group, and the others nodded in agreement.
It’s nice to be settled.
After installing a simple trap in the river, we began constructing a makeshift tent right away.
It was a shabby shelter made from thick branches, vines, and leaves, but it was better than nothing.
No one here knew how to make a tent.
But I had the Survival Expert trait.
I directed my companions according to what the trait suggested.
I sometimes corrected how they mistakenly built it.
“Like this?”
“No, not there; cross the ends and weave them together…”
Like this.
We gradually completed a tent with a triangular entrance, narrowing inside.
“Where did you learn to do this?”
Perlyn asked while placing leaves on the roof.
“Just… you know… I picked it up over time.”
“Picked it up?”
“Uh, I learned it naturally.”
“I see. That’s impressive.”
With each one taking turns and purely amazed at what was happening, it was a little embarrassing.
Especially since I saw Eliya often.
If it were Eliya, she would have definitely reacted with a strange smile, saying ‘Hmm’ like.
Not truly believing but letting it slide.
With the sense of ‘it’s all under my control,’ or some look like that…
‘…Why am I thinking about her? Why does a choking scene spring to mind…’
After finishing the makeshift tent, we lit a campfire in the center.
We set up an alarm system to make noise if wild animals approached.
It would mostly consist of the sound of breaking twigs, but it would suffice.
By the time we caught three fish in the simple trap, the sun had set significantly.
Setting a rack made of wood over the campfire, we placed our water container on it to boil the water.
“Am I not supposed to drink it just like that?”
“Just in case.”
Parasites or something like that, you know.
“I’ve been drinking it straight until now… I can’t believe you think of that.”
While Connor mumbled blankly, the hunting team returned.
Lindell, Perlyn, and Brown.
The three of them made up the hunting squad.
The formation adhered to the principle of keeping Connor and Brown apart.
We three were always ideally positioned to overpower them.
Since I thought Connor could handle it barehanded, it turned out only I and he remained at the camp.
“Did you catch anything?”
As Connor asked, Brown waved what he was holding.
Two rabbits had been caught.
The hunting yield amounted to two rabbits and three fish.
It wasn’t abundant, but everyone would at least have something to eat.
“But can we just roast this?”
“Don’t we need to remove the insides or something?”
I spoke, but I also didn’t know the butchery process.
My Survival Expert and Hunter’s Sense didn’t teach me that.
“I’ll handle it.”
Fortunately, Lindell stepped up.
He took the rabbits to the water and started skinning them and removing the guts.
The fish underwent a similar process.
“I didn’t expect this exam to be this relaxed…”
Perlyn murmured blankly while gazing at the smoking meat on the campfire.
“Exactly.”
Brown chimed in.
“I feel ashamed for having given up during the last trial from searching for too long.”
“I quit because I was thirsty, but here we have water right beside us. Wow…”
“Judah.”
Following Connor’s protests, Lindell looked at me with a smile.
“Thanks to you, it’s all working out. I appreciate it.”
“Ah, well, it’s nothing really…”
That was true.
Finding the way, building the tent, starting the fire, etc.
Almost everything came from my help.
Fish and rabbits were alike.
I confirmed the path and set the traps with my Hunter’s Sense.
However, I was weak against this kind of blatant praise.
It wasn’t solely my skill.
It was because of the traits.
“…It looks done, so let’s eat.”
So I hurriedly changed the subject.
“Judah, you go first.”
There were five pieces of food.
Two of which were rabbit meat, and three were fish.
Rabbit meat was larger and more substantial than fish in this case.
In situations like this, I usually don’t hesitate or yield.
“So I’ll gladly take this.”
I picked the largest piece of rabbit meat right away.
Praise makes me awkward, but I thought it deserved to be eaten since I’d earned it.
The remaining four decided who would take what by playing rock-paper-scissors.
It wasn’t a lavish meal.
We had even skipped lunch.
But for our first meal thrown into the wild, it wasn’t bad.
The taste of rabbit meat, something I had never eaten before, was pretty good.
‘Tough and lean.’
That would mean it was high in protein content.
‘We need carbohydrates and fats too… but in this environment, that’s a luxury.’
Everyone talked about various things while eating.
Their training center life, exams, the Bevel family, and more—trivial chatter.
Crackling, the campfire crackled, and the creek water babbled.
It was peaceful noise.
In that moment, Connor, who had finished his fish first, nudged Perlyn.
“Hey. Share that with me.”
“What?”
“Looking at how slow you eat, you won’t finish it; just give me some.”
“…No.”
“How much could that possibly be…?”
The atmosphere shifted awkwardly.
Lindell and Brown fell silent, watching the two intently.
Before things got sour, I interjected.
“Let’s drop it there. You all agreed to divide it equally.”
“…Uh, oh, okay.”
Connor didn’t retort to my words.
He rubbed the back of his head awkwardly and retreated.
‘It’s a classic case of ‘power plays can create friction.’
It was no surprise.
That kind of person was everywhere.
After the meal, we set the watch shifts.
Two would keep watch, alternating with one each.
“We change every two hours; however, we have no clocks, so waking the next person is up to each other’s conscience. Now for the order…”
“Judah, you can just rest.”
Lindell said.
“Honestly, without you, we wouldn’t have had it this easy; you can skip the night watch.”
Perlyn nodded in agreement, as if endorsing that idea.
However, Brown and Connor did not respond immediately.
It felt like they wanted to argue back but were holding their tongues.
‘Having eaten well and ensured safety, I guess they’re feeling more relaxed.’
Anyway, once tomorrow passes, I wouldn’t see each of their faces often.
Not being set for watch duty felt prickly to my conscience.
But I wasn’t about to yield.
“I’ll handle the first watch.”
Brown and Connor nodded in concession.
*
Tap, crackle.
I woke up listening to the sound of embers from the campfire.
It was quiet and dark.
It was likely still dawn.
‘Did I sleep too long…?’
I couldn’t even get deep sleep initially.
Brown and Connor.
At first, they seemed to meld well, but their increasingly uncomfortable demeanor bothered me deeply.
‘Why does my hand feel so empty…? Is it because I haven’t done grip exercises?’
When I looked up, I saw the two of them sitting in front of the campfire side by side.
‘You should sit facing each other to minimize blind spots, but I couldn’t tell them…’
The two were Brown and Connor.
If I calculated the time, it had been about four hours since they’d slept, I guessed.
I could hear soft chatter.
“…So, he acts like he’s something. He needs to learn humility.”
Brown.
“Did you see him giving me orders earlier? Ridiculous… His expression when he tried to take my arm off was infuriating.”
Connor.
‘…They’re gossiping behind my back?’
“I almost stomped him right there, but I thought it’d be easier to pass the exam comfortably, so I held back.”
“I see you have confidence, huh?”
“That guy’s nothing; it’s natural to ask if I can take him down. Tell me, didn’t you almost fight him?”
Their tone was filled with mocking laughter.
It felt unpleasant, yet it wasn’t overly bothersome—it was painfully predictable.
I had known these guys would be like this.
Dull and overly common to the point of being clichéd.
‘As long as they don’t stab us in the back like last time, I can handle it.’
Things were slightly different from the time with Galliot.
For now, having those two with me was beneficial for survival.
‘In the first place, my purpose was always just to snag the Moon Deer, taking them down was a stroke of luck.’
Nobody likes gossiping, but I particularly hate it.
I can’t speak what I will not say to someone’s face.
‘I’ll just take this chance to practice controlling my temper…’
But sleeping was out of the question.
“Hey, are you going to be the knight protecting Eliya or what?”
“Sure, if I’m given the chance.”
“But he’s a bastard…”
‘…….’
“Oh, right. That is a concern; we’re not in a position to be picky, though.”
“Even so… would it have been better if he joined a different Bevel direct lineage? I sometimes think about challenging the system after this…”
“Is there any chance a pure-blood lineage would even look at us?”
Bastard. Eliya.
I heard every word from the two’s chatter clearly.
Even though I didn’t want to, it stuck in my ears.
I couldn’t close my eyes now.
If the concerned parties didn’t hear it, people could even badmouth the god.
Yet, in this world, the deities might not be insulted.
But I bet the Emperor would be.
I knew, and yet…
“Hey, hey. Wake up.”
Connor said.
The next watch would probably be Lindell.
Connor would be switching out.
“Oh, is it my turn already?”
Asked Lindell in a groggy voice.
“Yeah. Wake up and get your act together.”
“Okay…”
Lindell, still swaying, got up and sat by the campfire.
But, Connor didn’t go straight to his tent.
“Hey, but can I ask you one thing?”
“What is it?”
“Is that guy good at fighting for real?”
“…Judah?”
“Yeah.”
“Have you not seen him fight Galliot?”
“No, I’ve seen it. But how can you be sure it wasn’t lucky?”
Brown chuckled from the side.
“You’re saying behind that mask of confidence, he’s nothing.”
What about you? You almost fought him, right?”
The situation forced me into the gossip.
Lindell contemplated for a long time before finally speaking up.
I had become pretty adept at this ambiguous maneuver.
Creating a threatening atmosphere to coax gossip through fear.
“Quit with the childish nonsense and just go to sleep.”
“…What?”
“You wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for Judah…”
“Ha, look at him.”
The air grew tense.
“Maybe I should just knock them both out and run away while they sleep?”
“I won’t just sit still…”
Lindell was about to say something when he held his tongue.
As he lifted his head to look at me.
I had somehow arrived right behind Connor.
Using [Silent Steps].
A voice came out, low and foreboding as a warning.
“Go ahead.”
I stretched out my arm, wrapping my left arm around Connor’s neck and grabbing his right bicep with my right arm.
My right hand rested on my shoulder.
With all my strength, I clamped down on his neck.
The recognition was slow, processes concrete, but my muscle memory executed every part simultaneously.
Commonly known as a ‘Rear Naked Choke’ technique.
Translates directly to a style in Judo.
‘Naked choke.’
“If you can.”
“Kak?!”
Connor tried to grab my arm, but it was too late.
It gripped tight.
Three seconds to unconsciousness.
‘3, 2, 1.’
Connor’s eyes rolled back, and his body went limp.
I threw him straight down to the ground.
If I tightened further, it could lead to brain damage.
“Y-yu-Judah…”
Lindell looked up at me, his face full of surprise.
I approached Brown, who had collapsed on the ground.
His eyes trembled in fear.
“W-what are you doing?! You’ll get us disqualified!”
“I know.”
“What…?”
“I know. I plan to take you two down and get myself disqualified.”
He hastily rose to his feet, gripping his training sword, directing it at me.
I also picked up a wooden sword and shield from the side.
There’s a limit to tolerance.
I had tried to withstand even their insults.
But these two had crossed my threshold.
I don’t mind when they point at me, but touching someone close to me is something I can’t bear.
I couldn’t take it anymore.
Whether I was disqualified or not.
With a trembling tip of Brown’s sword aimed at me, I charged first.
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