“Up ahead, there’s a Golden Heaven Fruit guarded by a Seven-Fanged Viper.
You must consume not just the flesh but also the seeds and peel for the full medicinal effect.
The Seven-Fanged Viper possesses an extremely potent venom, and even if its head is severed, it can still move.
So, even if it consumes a lot of mana, you must use Aura to dismember its head completely.”
“Understood, Nameless King!”
After defeating Pai and Yui, Iris, now wearing the mask I had instructed her to make, could move even faster in her search for fortuitous encounters.
With the pink sleep powder covering the area, there were no competitors left to challenge her.
At this rate, it was uncertain how the rankings would end up, but at the very least, she would be able to collect 100% of the fortuitous encounters.
Honestly, I had expected that we might miss one or two due to unforeseen circumstances, but the fact that the sleep powder concentrated on the areas with fortuitous encounters actually worked in our favor.
“It looks like an apple, but it tastes incredibly bitter.”
“Medicine that is good for the body is often bitter on the tongue.
Now, only one fortuitous encounter remains.
Give it your final push to ensure a perfect finish.”
“What do you think the other students are doing right now?”
“They’re probably engaged in fierce battles.
Judging by how quickly the sleep powder is spreading, someone must be actively fighting.”
Though I hadn’t seen it firsthand, my conclusion was that there was at least one high-ranking student going all out in a rampage.
Originally, this Battle Royale field trip could have been extended up to the seventh day if everyone opted for a passive survival strategy.
That’s why the instructors provided seven days’ worth of food at the start.
But for the amount of sleep powder being released to increase this much on just the second day, it could only mean that a significant number of students had already been eliminated.
If things continued like this, we might not only be able to collect all the fortuitous encounters but also aim for a Top 10 ranking.
However, I decided not to get greedy.
Excessive ambition often leads to downfall, and with the various spiritual herbs and fruits Iris had already consumed, resting and cultivating quietly would yield far greater benefits than pushing for more battles.
Just as I was marking the location of the final fortuitous encounter, something unexpected happened.
From the sky, a long-haired man approached, not in a transport helicopter, but riding a massive rhinoceros beetle.
“Y-You! W-What are you doing here?!
H-How are you able to move freely in my sleep powder?!”
“Ah, Professor Parkelas! You see, what happened was, we used the outer bark of the water reed’s stalk and—”
“There’s no need to explain in such a pathetic manner. Just bribe him with the Cordyceps you collected earlier.”
“Professor Parkelas, I may not have said it before, but I’ve always respected you.
This isn’t much, but please accept this as a token of my admiration.”
“E-Eh? You r-respect me? But why?
All I’ve done is stay in my lab and research insects… Wait, have we met before—”
“Oh? Is this Cordyceps?
Hold on, there’s a Fairy Moth larva inside!
How did this even get here…?”
After clearing his throat, he continued.
“Ahem! Well, since you didn’t smuggle in any external items and technically didn’t break any rules, I’ll let this slide for today.
But remember—avoiding combat and just surviving in the sleep powder doesn’t align with the purpose of this field trip.”
“Well then, I’ll be off.”
Professor Parkelas, an exceptional insect tamer and enthusiastic entomologist, seemed thrilled at the prospect of studying a new insect specimen and hurriedly took his leave.
It was a huge relief that Parkelas wasn’t the strict type of professor.
If he had seriously intended to stop us, he could have summoned moths that release paralytic powder absorbed not just through the respiratory system but also through the skin.
Even Iris wouldn’t have been able to endure that for long.
Thankfully, everything had worked out smoothly, so I urged Iris to head toward the location of the final fortuitous encounter.
* * *
“Abel, I can’t believe I have to fight with my back against yours.
Just thinking about it is giving me hives.
This is seriously annoying.”
“Whoa, whoa, Stella, that hurts.
You were the one who applied to be my partner in the first place.
If you talk like that, even someone as big-hearted as me might feel wounded, you know?”
“Do you think I actually wanted to be your partner?
I only ever wanted to partner with Iris!
But they claimed it wouldn’t be fair and stuck me with a garbage teammate instead.
With Iris’s skills, she would’ve made the Top 10 on her own for sure.
If she’s not here right now, it’s because that trash partner of hers is holding her back.
Kim Sunghoon, that bastard—I warned him not to drag Iris down, but he still did it anyway.
Once this field trip is over, I’m going to kill him.”
“Hahaha! I have to admit, I was surprised by that too.
The top-ranked student being forced to partner with the lowest-ranked one in the name of fairness?
But hey, isn’t that just part of Iris’s charm?”
“What? Iris’s charm?Abel, if you start hitting on Iris,I swear I’ll cut your damn dick off.Didn’t I already warn you?”
“Oh my god! O noble Constellation, why must I endure such trials?!”
On a hill far from where Iris’s group was located, the once 300 students had now dwindled down to just ten remaining contenders, locked in fierce competition.
The duo of Abel Celerime (Rank 2) and Stella Darkbane (Rank 3) were undeniably the strongest pair.
But ironically, because they were the most powerful, they had become the primary target of the other eight students, leaving them trapped in a desperate standoff.
The opposing students were no pushovers either—all of them were high-ranking and had already formed contracts with their respective Constellations.
The fact that Abel and Stella had managed to hold their ground without their bracelets being completely shattered was proof of their exceptional skills.
However, small, accumulated attacks were starting to add up.
The protective mana stones embedded in their bracelets were slowly losing their luster, and their chances of victory were gradually declining.
“Now’s not the time for us to be fighting like this!At this rate, our bracelets will break before we even get a chance to do anything!”
“Stella, can’t you do something to immobilize them, even if it’s just for a moment?”
“I can, but what exactly are you planning?”
“It’s 2 versus 8, yeah, but those eight aren’t actually a unified team.They’re potential rivals too.If we break through one side, we can create an opening.”
“Just trust me.”
“Damn it. If this fails, I’m not letting you off the hook.If Iris were here, it’d be a different story, but losing first place just because she’s not? No way in hell!”
Hundred Shadow Trap.
Stella plunged a dagger into her own shadow and uttered the spell’s name.
Her shadow expanded, rapidly spreading across the green meadow like black ink spilling across a canvas.
From within the darkened field, countless black hands emerged, grabbing and restraining the eight students.
“Now!”
Seizing the opportunity, Abel drew a magic circle on the ground and summoned a salamander-sized fire spirit—except this one was as massive as a saltwater crocodile.
Leaping onto the flaming beast, he charged straight at the immobilized students.
Despite being pinned down, the eight students hastily tried to deploy their defensive measures.
But Abel grabbed them by the collars, one by one, and hurled them into the areas covered in sleeping powder.
Caught completely off guard, the students hadn’t even thought to hold their breath.
The moment they inhaled the powder, they collapsed, unconscious, in just a single second.
“Wow, Abel. Not bad.For once, you actually used your head.”
“Hey, don’t underestimate me!I am ranked second in the academy’s junior division, you know.This much is only natural.”
“Anyway, now that the encirclement is broken, we don’t need to force a head-on fight anymore.”
“We just keep up a war of attrition.With my summoned creatures, we’ll have the upper hand in the long run.”
“There are only four of us left. What do you mean, a battle of attrition?I’ll take care of those two, and you handle the other two.Whoever finishes first wins.”
Before Abel could even respond, Stella shot forward, overwhelming her two opponents with dazzling twin-dagger techniques.
Having no choice but to follow her lead, Abel charged in atop his salamander, swinging his halberd with ease and securing victory.
This only proved that even among the top-ranking students, there was a significant gap in skill.
In reality, Stella and Abel were special cases—they had already formed Constellation contracts before even enrolling in Pantheon Academy, thanks to their families’ support.
It was only natural that other students couldn’t keep up.
With every student except for one remaining party either having their bracelets shattered or being rendered combat-incapable, a transport helicopter suddenly appeared in the sky, as if it had been waiting.
Once again, Maxim, the Chief Instructor, landed lightly on the ground without a parachute.
Clapping his hands, he spoke.
“Stella Darkbane. Abel Celerime.Congratulations on being the last ones standing.”
“Your approach to this battle was quite impressive—charging at every opponent like they were lifelong enemies, making sure to completely eliminate them.
Of course, that reckless strategy eventually led to you being surrounded, but you managed to win through sheer skill.
That alone is worthy of praise.”
“Honestly, I’d love to hand you two the first-place certificate right here and now…
but we’ve encountered a slight complication.”
“A complication?”
“Yes. The team consisting of Iris Lunai and Kim Sunghoon is still alive.And not just alive—they’re perfectly fine, standing in the outer zones covered in sleeping powder.”
“Normally, anyone who breathes that in would be automatically disqualified.
But since they’re both still conscious, the ruling isn’t so simple.”
“Iris… is still in the game?”
“Then if we get disqualified now, that means Iris takes first place?”
“Wait! Stella, I know exactly what you’re thinking—but if you have even a shred of conscience, you’ll stop ri—”
CRACK!
Before Maxim could finish his sentence, Stella plunged her dagger straight into her own bracelet, shattering it without a moment’s hesitation.
Abel stood frozen, watching in complete disbelief.
Even Maxim, the seasoned instructor, was at a loss for words over such a ridiculous and unexpected action.
As everyone around her stared in stunned silence, only Stella smiled, looking utterly content and satisfied.