Alisia opened her eyes, and the first thing she saw was the canopy.
Dense leaves and branches blocked the sky, with only a few beams of sunlight filtering through the gaps, falling onto the damp grass.
The air was a bit humid and smelled of earth. The distant chirping of birds came faintly, and beyond that, was the deep, prolonged sound of the wind deep within the forest.
She blinked, confirming that she was no longer at the Magic Academy Square.
“A forest…”
She murmured softly.
‘It’s true, if wilderness survival training didn’t throw students into a forest or a swamp, it wouldn’t really make sense.’
However, she quickly noticed that they weren’t the only three there.
The newly arrived students were scattered about the forest clearing. Some were dazedly checking their gear, others were already on high alert, and a few were immediately opening their packs to make sure their food and water canteens weren’t damaged.
And in the center of everyone’s attention, Lu Xien was lazily leaning against a tree.
The scholar held an Academy instruction manual in one hand, while the other was on his hip. His round-rimmed glasses reflected a somewhat malicious glint.
“Well, let me see…”
Lu Xien pushed up his glasses and cleared his throat.
“Attention, students who are about to be eliminated without even realizing it.”
The new students fell into an awkward silence.
Qiu Meng stood beside Alisia, her cloak not yet straightened. When she heard that opening line, her expression stiffened noticeably.
Alisia, on the other hand, watched Lu Xien with a blank expression.
‘So, he’s the instructor… This feels troublesome.’
Acting as if he hadn’t noticed the crowd’s reaction at all, Lu Xien cheerfully announced:
“I, your teacher, hereby declare that the Wilderness Survival Trial is about to begin.”
As he spoke, he raised his hand.
A large number of black magic boxes materialized out of thin air.
The structure of those boxes resembled a Rubik’s cube cut into countless tiny squares, their surfaces etched with fine silver runes.
Each magic box floated in front of its respective team.
Alisia reached out and took the one belonging to their team.
The magic box wasn’t heavy in her hand, but its surface transmitted a faint magical fluctuation.
The next second, the number 10 lit up on the box’s face.
“Starting points, huh…”
Alisia murmured in judgment.
Lu Xien continued with a smile:
“Your goal isn’t just to pass. It’s to make all the demon beasts and forest creatures willingly write a ‘Plea for Mercy Letter.’ Of course, more importantly—don’t become a demon beast’s tasty snack.”
Qiu Meng muttered under her breath:
“Why does that sound like a threat…”
Cadela didn’t speak. She just tightened her grip on her syringe longsword, her eyes becoming heavier than before.
Lu Xien, meanwhile, flipped through the instruction manual and added with a wicked grin:
“This survival trial isn’t limited to hunting demon beasts, nor is it limited to resource competition among the students.
In other words, if anyone starts a campfire first, you can go dump water on it. If anyone catches a fish first, you can also electrify the water.”
A clamor arose from the scene.
Lu Xien nodded in satisfaction.
“That’s right. Use stolen tents and snatched rations to become the only capitalist in this forest. If you’re skilled enough, train a demon beast to be your nighttime temperature alarm—the Academy won’t stop you.”
“Also, making demon beasts work for you doesn’t count as a rule violation.”
Alisia raised an eyebrow slightly.
‘How did this guy become a teacher??’
Lu Xien raised his hand again, finally starting to explain the serious rules.
“Points are calculated based on demon beast kills, survival days, and material acquisition. The maximum time limit for earning points in this survival trial is five days. In the event of a life-threatening situation that the Academy cannot feasibly rescue you from, the Academy reserves the right of final interpretation.”
“Students are allowed to compete for resources among themselves, but direct, visible life-threatening conflict is prohibited. If monitored, the Academy will deal with it according to regulations.”
Alisia let out a soft breath.
“Good… At least that avoids the situation of being directly targeted to death.”
Qiu Meng nodded, but still felt a bit uneasy.
“Yeah… It doesn’t seem as strict as I imagined.”
Even as she said that, she quickly noticed Lu Xien planting a wooden sign into the ground.
Several lines of text were written on the sign.
Friendly Reminder: Magic Staff Barbecue.
“Fully Automatic Barbecue”—You Deserve It.
Cumin Flavor Coverage Radius: 500 Meters.
—Admission Fee: Oil.
Below that, there was a smaller line:
Don’t ask why I use your magic staff to grill my meat. The Academy rules don’t say you can’t steal.
“…”
Qiu Meng fell silent.
Alisia was also silent.
Cadela glanced at the sign and said quietly:
“This teacher definitely has ulterior motives.”
Lu Xien seemed completely unconcerned with everyone’s expressions. He just patted the wooden sign, tamping it firmly into the dirt.
“The right of final interpretation belongs to the teacher. I wish all students a safe return—”
As his words faded, he snapped his fingers.
A pale golden light illuminated the surrounding space.
The next instant, a massive countdown appeared in the very center of the sky.
Five Days.
The number hung high in the air, yet it wasn’t glaring. No matter which direction you looked from, it appeared like a transparent clock face engraved on the heavens, reminding everyone that the trial had officially started from this moment.
The barrier magic closed.
The sounds of the forest—the wind, the insects, and the low growls of some distant beast—finally truly flooded into everyone’s ears.
Alisia looked up at the countdown and said in a low voice:
“It’s quite convenient to see the remaining time at any moment.”
Qiu Meng tightened her cloak.
“So, should we get moving?”
“Looks like it.”
Alisia pulled up her hood.
And just then, she suddenly caught a glimpse of Lu Xien’s eyes.
It was only for a moment.
Those pupils, which had looked like an ordinary human’s, suddenly transformed into some kind of inhuman, vertical slit, carrying a chilling light that sent a shiver down her spine. But the next second, he pushed up his glasses, and his pupils returned to normal.
Alisia’s heart sank.
‘Just now… were those the eyes of the Demon Race?’
She didn’t say a word.
If this was true, it wasn’t a small issue that could be casually exposed on the spot.
‘And furthermore, why could someone suspected to be of the Demon Race become a teacher at the Magic Academy…?’
Qiu Meng was looking at her.
“Do you have any tactics?”
Alisia snapped back to attention and looked around.
This forest was exceptionally dense. The trees were tall, and the branches and leaves overlapped in layers, almost completely blocking out most of the sunlight. The location they had been dropped into seemed to be deep within the forest; at least, no clear exit or path was visible.
“First, let’s determine our position.”
Alisia said.
Qiu Meng instinctively pointed in a direction.
“Should we head south?”
As soon as she said it, she realized her mistake.
“Ah… we need to figure out our bearings first.”
She looked up at the canopy.
“Can you climb a tree?”
Alisia glanced at the greatsword on her back.
“You want me to climb a tree carrying this?”
“…”
Qiu Meng then said:
“It really doesn’t seem like something you can climb with.”
Besides, the trees here were absurdly tall, and the trunks were slippery. Even regular climbing tools might not be useful. Alisia estimated the height and shook her head.
“The trees are too high. Even with tools, we might not be able to get up.”
She looked at Cadela.
“Cadela, any ideas?”
Cadela thought for a moment.
Then she lightly stepped on the ground, and the next moment, she jumped straight up.
Her longsword pierced the tree trunk, using it for leverage to swing herself, and her body landed nimbly on a sturdy branch above. Using her sword and physical strength, she continued climbing upward, quickly disappearing into the high branches and leaves.
Qiu Meng looked up, her mouth slightly agape.
“One’s constitution really can’t be compared to another’s…”
Alisia was also speechless.
‘A medic can do this?’
‘This is an eye-opener.’
After a while, Cadela jumped down from the tree, landing almost silently.
“It’s all forest,” she said. “There’s a lake to the southwest. It’s quite large.”
“A lake, huh…”
Alisia frowned.
“But I’m guessing, even if there’s a plain nearby, no one would be bold enough to set up camp out in the open there.”
Qiu Meng nodded.
“Where there’s a water source, there should be plenty of beasts.”
“And the lake’s location will definitely be a hotspot.”
Alisia looked towards the southwest.
“But completely avoiding the water source isn’t an option either. We can get close to the lake, but not camp directly on its shore.”
Qiu Meng thought for a moment.
“So, our strategy is… lie low and play it safe?”
Cadela suddenly spoke:
“We also need to clean up our footprints to prevent being tracked.”
Alisia was startled.
“Ah… right.”
Cadela frowned slightly.
“Since students are allowed to compete for resources, there are bound to be some with dirty hands. As long as you can find a scapegoat, assassination isn’t impossible.”
She said this in a very calm tone.
Qiu Meng muttered quietly:
“That’s true…”
Alisia’s expression also darkened.
“Now that we have a general direction, let’s move out. Try not to leave any obvious traces along the way.”
The three decided to head towards the lake.
Alisia took point, clearing the path. Qiu Meng was in the middle, observing the environment. Cadela stayed in the rear, erasing their tracks. They tried their best to step on tree roots, rocks, and thick layers of fallen leaves, avoiding leaving complete footprints in the mud.
At first, everything went relatively smoothly.
But after about half an hour of walking, the situation started to change.
A pale gray mist slowly spread through the forest. At first, it was just a thin layer, like gauze clinging to the ground. But before long, it became thick and dense, blurring even the tree trunks that were three or four meters away.
Qiu Meng stopped.
“Something’s not right.”
She extended a hand to feel the air.
“In a forest, humidity is high, and the temperature difference between morning and night is large. It’s not strange for water vapor to condense into fog when it hits the cold air.”
She paused.
“But it’s almost noon, right?”
Alisia had already drawn her greatsword.
“This fog doesn’t look natural.”
Cadela looked around, a glint of light flashing in her eyes.
“Go around it?”
“No.” Qiu Meng pondered for a moment. “We’re already lost. Blindly trying to go around might just get us more disoriented.”
She held out her hand.
“Alright, let’s hold hands and not get separated.”
Alisia glanced at her but didn’t object.
The three held hands and moved forward slowly through the fog.
Shadows of trees and mist melded together. Occasionally, what looked like a human silhouette would flash in the distance, but when they looked warily, it was just a gnarled tree trunk and hanging vines.
Fortunately, they didn’t encounter any demon beasts along the way.
After walking for a while longer, the ground beneath their feet gradually became wetter, and a faint, fishy smell of water reached them from the air.
Alisia breathed a sigh of relief.
“We’ve finally made it to the lake…”
Qiu Meng looked forward.
The fog was too heavy to see how large the lake was; she could only faintly hear the sound of wind stirring the water.
Cadela pointed to a spot not far away.
“There’s a ruin over there. Want to check it out?”
Qiu Meng gripped her sword hilt.
“Let’s go, but be wary of ambushes.”
Alisia nodded.
“Let’s approach the perimeter first and stay alert.”
The three lightened their footsteps and circled around a few moss-covered ancient trees. Finally, they saw the ruins of a camp hidden in the fog.
It was an old camp consisting of a few tattered tents and half-collapsed stone walls.
Some of the tents had already been swallowed by vegetation; thick vines had drilled through the fabric gaps, firmly sealing them shut.
The ground was littered with broken pottery shards and metal tools that had long since rusted into unrecognizable shapes.
Then, they saw several human skeletons.
Qiu Meng stopped in her tracks.
“These…”
Their clothes were already tattered and torn, the fabric colors eroded by time beyond recognition.
They were lying in different positions throughout the camp. Some were propped against the stone walls, others were curled up at the edges of tents. One skeleton, which was wearing rather ornate clothing, was lying beside the remains of a campfire.
Alisia’s expression changed slightly.
“Whoa…”
A cold sweat broke out on Qiu Meng’s forehead.
“They aren’t our seniors from the Academy, are they…”
After she said this, she felt a chill run down her own spine.
This training could actually kill people.
Alisia raised her hand, signaling the other two to stop.
“Stay alert and watch out for traps. This is no joke.”
She slowly entered the camp, first checking the surroundings for any old mechanisms, magic circles, or pitfalls. Meanwhile, Qiu Meng approached the skeleton in the ornate clothing and observed it carefully.
The skeleton was very complete, with no obvious fractures. The clothes also showed no signs of being extensively cut by weapons.
“Not killed by a slash or a blunt impact…”
Qiu Meng lowered her voice.
She searched around the remains and found a special magic book lying on the body.
The book cover was a dark crimson, with metal clasps on the corners. Its surface was stained with long-dried and blackened blood.
A number was engraved on the cover.
37.
Qiu Meng instinctively felt this thing was dangerous.
But she still opened it to take a look.
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