Chương 87: The Third Day of Tests – Part 10/2

While Joker and Harley talked quietly sitting on the ground, the other girls were called one by one to their respective arenas. Astrid was the first to be called after Harley. She entered the arena with firm steps, but her face was serious. Inside, the situation was simple: there were two people chained up. One was a small child, crying. The other was an armed adult who swore he would free the child if Astrid released him first. Time was running out. Astrid didn't hesitate for long.

She broke the child's chains first, completely ignoring the adult. When the man tried to attack her from behind, she simply punched him hard enough to throw him against the wall. After that, she broke his chains as well. When she left the arena, her face was neutral, but her hands were still clenched tightly. Rina was called right after. Her situation was different. There were three people: an elderly woman, an adult woman, and a child. She could only save two. The elderly woman begged her to save the child.

The adult woman said she would be more useful alive. The child cried, asking for her mother. Rina was visibly shaken. Her fire tails trembled as she tried to decide. In the end, she saved the child and the elderly woman, leaving the adult woman behind. When she left the arena, her eyes were red and she walked with her head down. Marina took a little longer inside the arena. Her situation involved saving a group of people from a simulated collapse.

However, one of the people was clearly heavier and injured, which would slow everyone down. If she helped that person, she might not be able to save the others in time. Marina spent almost the entire time trying to find another solution. In the end, she used vapor to create a structure that helped the injured person move faster, managing to save everyone. When she left, she was sweaty and visibly tired, but relieved. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

Sylvara entered the arena with a calm expression, but left differently. Her situation showed a garden being destroyed by fire. She could only save one part of the plants. The longer she took choosing, the more things burned. In the end, she saved the flowers she had "planted" with her own hands during the test, letting the others burn. When she left, her hands trembled slightly and she looked like she was about to cry. Lirien was one of the last. Her arena was silent. She couldn't use her voice.

She had to make decisions only through gestures and expressions while watching situations unfold around her. A child was in danger, but if she tried to help, another person could get hurt. Lirien spent most of the time trying to find a way to communicate without speaking. When she left, her voice was even more hoarse than before, and she seemed mentally exhausted. Kuroe was the last of the girls to be called. Her situation was more chaotic.

There were several people in panic, and she needed to decide who to help first while the environment around her collapsed. If she used her chaos runes aggressively, she could save more people, but she could also accidentally hurt someone. Kuroe spent quite a long time inside the arena. When she finally left, her face was more serious than usual, and her hands still trembled slightly.

After everyone returned, the group gathered again in the same corner as always. Astrid was the first to sit down, letting out a heavy sigh. Rina sat beside her, still with slightly red eyes. Marina seemed more relieved than the others. Sylvara was quiet, looking at the ground. Lirien massaged her throat. Kuroe stayed a little apart, as usual. Joker observed all of them for a few seconds before speaking: — You took a while. Harley, who was sitting next to him, added: — Was it bad? None of them answered right away.

Astrid simply shrugged. Rina slowly wagged her tail. Sylvara kept looking at the ground. It was Marina who broke the silence first, her voice low: — It was… strange. It wasn't about fighting. It was about choosing. Lirien nodded. — And about not being able to do everything we wanted. Kuroe, who was a little farther away, spoke almost in a whisper: — I almost lost control of my runes inside the arena. I had to hold myself back the whole time. Joker looked at her for a second, then asked: — Did you manage it?

Kuroe nodded once. — I did. But it was hard. Harley remained silent, simply listening. After a while, she stood up and walked over to where Sylvara was sitting. She crouched in front of her and spoke quietly: — Are you okay? Sylvara took a moment to answer. When she spoke, her voice was low: — I had to choose which flowers to save… and let the others burn. I didn't like that. Harley stayed quiet for a few seconds, then reached out and lightly ruffled Sylvara's hair. — You did what you could.

Sylvara didn't reply, but she didn't pull away from the gesture. On the other side, Astrid looked at Joker and spoke, trying to sound casual: — And you? Did you do something stupid? Joker gave a sideways smile. — I broke everything and saved everyone. My way. Astrid let out a low grunt, but there was a small smile at the corner of her mouth. — Of course you did. Rina, who had been listening, wagged her tails and commented: — I wanted to see that. Joker looked at her and shrugged. — It was nothing special.

The group continued talking quietly while waiting for the next call. The sun was almost setting, and the cold wind from the forest blew harder. The third day still wasn't over. And everyone could feel that the final test would be the hardest of all. End of Part 10/2 (continues in Part 11)