Chương 45: Redcap

Ch 45 - Redcap With Reika's group investigating the abandoned survey camp, Evan's team headed into the surrounding forest to scout the area. Keeping an eye out for both danger and any possible System notification, Evan followed behind Andrei and Carmen as they carefully made their way through the trees. They searched for any signs of monster activity, but the forest remained eerily quiet, leaving them with nothing to report.

After completing their sweep, they returned to the meeting point, where the others arrived shortly afterward.

"Report," Reika said.

"Nothing on our end," Andrei replied. Reika nodded.

"The building was empty as well. It had been heavily damaged, but there were traces of Redcap activity from the previous Beast Wave." She looked over the group.

"Let's set up camp and eat first. After that, we'll take turns on watch. Two people per shift before switching with the next pair."

"So who's taking the first watch?" Emma asked. Reika pursed her lips briefly before answering.

"Me and Hiroto." Evan eyed her skeptically. Huh. She really was playing it up for the cameras, wasn't she? That wasn't the kind of behavior he usually expected from her. Had her parents told her to act this way? Seeing Hiroto's happy expression, though, Evan couldn't deny that it might be for the best. This event could become the first step toward repairing their strained relationship. Once they settled on the plan, the group began setting up their tents.

It became obvious that most of them weren't very experienced with camping. Several students struggled with the basic setup, fumbling with the poles and ropes as they worked through the process. Evan found their lack of familiarity surprising. Civilian courses usually required students to learn things like this, but perhaps Awakeners were different. Their families likely focused more on combat training and abilities rather than ordinary survival skills. Even so, none of them were completely helpless.

After some effort, they managed to set up all their tents.

"Okay, next step is preparing dinner," Reika said.

"Don't we have food with us? Can't we just eat that?" Andrei asked.

"No. Those supplies are for emergencies," Reika explained.

"Besides, this is a survival test. We're supposed to make use of the environment." She looked around the group.

"Let's divide the work. Who will hunt, and who will cook?"

"I'll cook." Evan raised his hand. The others stared at him, but he refused to back down. There was no way he would let these rich brats handle the food. Judging by how poorly they handled a tent, he had no confidence they had ever touched a stove in their lives. Reika simply nodded.

"Alright. Whitfield will handle cooking. Ruiz and Whitmore, you two will help him gather what he needs." Emma's face soured at the order, while Carmen happily skipped over to Evan.

"So what do we do, Chef Whitfield?" she asked. Rolling his eyes, Evan pointed toward the forest.

"We need dry grass, twigs, thin branches, and larger pieces of wood for the fire."

"Aye aye, captain." The three of them headed into the forest to collect the materials for the fire. Once they had enough wood and kindling, Evan got to work. The academy had at least allowed them to bring a lighter, along with basic cooking tools such as pots and knives. This wasn't some ridiculous survival challenge where they had to suffer through making fire from nothing. The others soon returned with supplies of their own.

Reika and Hiroto carried a deer they had hunted, while Andrei brought back mushrooms and various edible plants from the forest. With six people to feed, Evan decided a stew would be the simplest and most practical choice. He assigned everyone a task, having some students cut and clean the meat while others prepared the vegetables. Once the ingredients were ready, Evan chopped everything into bite-sized pieces, browned the meat over the fire to deepen its flavor, and added it all to a large pot of water.

His selection of seasonings was limited, so he kept the stew simple with only salt, pepper, and garlic.

"I'm hungry," Andrei complained.

"It's still cooking. If you're that hungry, go find some wild fruits," Evan said, stirring the stew. Andrei muttered something under his breath, but he still got up and left. From the corner of Evan's eye, he noticed the cameraman was still recording the entire process. Apparently, even cooking dinner had become part of the entertainment. While the stew simmered, Reika, who still seemed full of energy, began patrolling the campsite.

Evan suspected she was secretly hoping to encounter a monster so she could vent her frustration by frying it with her lightning abilities. Her hopes went unanswered, though, as the evening remained quiet and none of the traps set around the camp were triggered. Once dinner was ready, Evan was mildly surprised when no one complained about his cooking. The entire pot was emptied within minutes, leaving nothing behind.

Maybe the long trek through the wilderness had worked up their appetites, or perhaps teenagers really could eat an absurd amount of food. As darkness settled over the forest, everyone began preparing to sleep. The only exceptions were Reika and Hiroto, who would take the first night watch shift. Evan gave Reika a mental round of applause. Whether this was her own idea or something her parents ordered her to do, she was at least trying to fix her public image.

Unfortunately, her usual attitude and the camera following her every move made it hard to believe one night of pretending to be a caring sister would magically repair things between her and Hiroto. Yawning, Evan crawled into his sleeping bag and drifted off. That night, he was greeted by nothing but darkness. Maybe it was the exhaustion from walking all day, but he was grateful either way. He rarely had pleasant dreams, and experiencing the other Evan's memories was never something he looked forward to.

"Monsters!" The shout jolted Evan awake. He shot upright in his sleeping bag, instantly shaking off the last traces of sleep before scrambling out of his tent alongside the others. Their attention turned to Reika, who stood rigidly at the edge of the camp.

"A group of Redcaps is approaching from the southwest," Reika said.

"You all remember the plan, right?" Everyone nodded before splitting into their assigned groups. Reika, Andrei, and Emma would attack from the front, while Evan, Carmen, and Hiroto circled around to cut off their escape from behind. Activating his stealth skill, Evan moved ahead of the others. Using a burst of mana to strengthen his legs, he leaped onto a tree branch and peered through the forest. A pack of Redcaps marched between the trees, their blood-soaked crimson caps making them impossible to mistake.

Barely over four feet tall, they resembled a grotesque cross between elves and dwarves, with tangled gray hair and glowing crimson eyes. Jagged fangs protruded from their twisted grins, while long, bony fingers ending in hooked talons gripped crude spears and rusted axes.

"We're in position," Evan whispered into the communicator as the others settled into their hiding spots.

"Copy," Reika replied. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. A heartbeat later, a bolt of lightning tore through the darkness. The blast struck the middle of the Redcap pack, incinerating several on impact while hurling others through the air. Their shrill screeches echoed through the forest as the survivors charged toward Reika's group. Andrei raised both hands and unleashed a volley of stone spikes.

Some Redcaps dodged while others raised their weapons to block. They cackled at the seemingly harmless attack, but their laughter quickly died as petrification spread from the points of impact, creeping across their weapons before crawling up their arms. Emma rushed forward and brought her battle axe down on the nearest Redcap. Another lunged with its spear, but instead of blocking with her axe, she simply raised her forearm. Clang! The spear snapped in half as though it had struck solid rock.

Emma grinned before burying her axe into the creature's skull.

"Kreeee!" Several Redcaps in the rear turned and fled. Carmen extended a hand, and a glowing orb shot from her palm before exploding in a brilliant flash. The monsters cried out, clawing at their eyes as the sudden burst of light left them temporarily blinded.

"Now!" Evan and Hiroto rushed in from behind. Their blades swept through the confused monsters, cutting down several before the remaining Redcaps realized they had been surrounded. Enraged by the deaths of their comrades, the survivors let out furious shrieks and charged.

"Fall back!" Bzzzt! Lightning crackled across the battlefield. Reika vanished in a streak of blue, cutting through the horde faster than the eye could follow. Each burst of electricity marked another Redcap collapsing to the ground until the forest fell silent once more.

"Good work," Brooks said, jotting something into his notebook while the cameraman continued recording the students.

"Is that all of them?" Carmen asked.

"Can we go back to sleep now?" Reika shook her head.

"We still need to deal with the bodies."

"Ugh," Emma groaned.

"Why couldn't we have someone with a fire or earth ability on our team?" Despite the complaints, everyone got to work. They gathered the Redcap corpses into a single pile. Since ordinary flames weren't enough to burn monster remains, Reika used a fire crystal to ignite the heap in a roaring blaze until nothing remained but ash. By the time they returned to camp, everyone was exhausted. Most of the group collapsed into their sleeping bags, leaving Evan and Carmen to take the next watch shift.

She lasted all of two minutes before letting out a yawn and falling asleep against a nearby tree, apparently forgetting she was supposed to be keeping watch as well. Evan shook his head at her careless attitude. After months of Reid's relentless training, forcing himself to stay awake despite his body's protests had become second nature. The rest of the night passed without incident. When the sun finally rose, Evan rubbed his bleary eyes and prepared breakfast.

The meal was simple: strips of roasted venison seasoned with a little salt, pepper, and garlic. Once everyone had eaten, they packed only the supplies they needed for the day. Their camp would remain near the abandoned survey station, but today's objective was to scout farther south and determine whether any more Redcap packs were roaming the area. With breakfast over and everyone ready to move out, the group lingered a little longer to wait for their guests.

Before long, the rumble of engines echoed through the clearing as two armored SUVs emerged from the northern trail and came to a stop. The members of Stellaris stepped out alongside a small camera crew, followed by Darius and a soldier.

"You guys are up bright and early! Glad to see it!" Darius greeted them with a grin. Brooks blinked in surprise.

"I thought only Stellaris would be joining us today, Mr. Grant."

"Ahahaha! Let's just say the higher-ups wanted me to keep a closer eye on your group." Darius clapped Brooks on the back. Evan tilted his head. Considering the group included the children of the White Wolf Guild and the Ruiz family heir, it wasn't exactly surprising. He just hoped Chairman Choi hadn't been involved in arranging this as well.

"Hey, guys. Nice to see you again," Yeon-ah greeted with her usual flawless smile.

"How were things yesterday?" Ines asked.

"Did you run into any monsters?"

"We did!" Andrei answered before anyone else could speak.

"A bunch of Redcaps attacked us in the middle of the night, but we wiped them all out." He launched into an enthusiastic retelling of the battle, conveniently exaggerating his own contributions with every passing sentence. Evan had to give him credit for his confidence. Most people would have been embarrassed to brag so shamelessly, but with cameras following their every move, that kind of over-the-top performance was exactly what the audience wanted.

The members of Stellaris listened with wide-eyed fascination, gasping and nodding at all the appropriate moments as though every word were true.

"I think that's enough storytelling," Reika finally cut in.

"Shouldn't we get moving?"

"What the girl said." Darius chuckled as he patted her shoulder, ignoring the way she scrunched up her nose.

"You students take the lead. We'll follow behind." Brooks glanced around.

"What about the vehicles?"

"We'll leave them at the survey station. You already cleared the area of monsters, right? It should be safe enough." Once the vehicles were secured, the group resumed their journey, with the students taking the vanguard while the instructors and camera crew followed several paces behind. Evan, meanwhile, felt like an animal on display with cameras trailing him wherever he went.

The members of Stellaris easily struck up conversations with the other students, laughing and chatting as they walked, while Evan deliberately kept quiet. The less he said, the less footage the production crew would have to use of him. After nearly two kilometers, the dense forest gave way to a rocky hillside riddled with cave entrances. Redcaps were known to make their nests in cave systems like these during previous Beast Waves, making the area the most likely place to find another group.

Upon arriving, Reika divided everyone into two teams once again. This time, she joined Evan and Hiroto, while Carmen, Emma, and Andrei formed the other side. The production crew split up as well, with Olivia and Ines following Carmen's side while Yeon-ah accompanied Evan's. Darius volunteered to supervise Evan's team during the exercise, while Brooks remained with the others. Turning on their flashlights, Evan and the others cautiously entered one of the caves.

The cavern was far larger than he had expected, with the ceiling stretching high overhead and branching tunnels disappearing into the darkness. As they ventured deeper, Evan frowned. He had never liked enclosed spaces, and the thought of a monster suddenly lunging out from one of the countless side passages did little to improve his mood. Reika confidently took the lead, guiding them through the winding tunnels while everyone else kept a careful watch on their surroundings.

Their footsteps echoed through the cave as they continued deeper, the endless network of passages making it difficult to tell how far they had already traveled. Reika raised a hand, bringing the group to an immediate halt. Evan and Hiroto slipped up beside her, and from behind the cover of several large rocks they spotted a group of Redcaps busily mining exposed mana stone veins, their crude pickaxes echoing through the cavern with sharp metallic clinks.

"There are mana stone deposits in here?" Evan whispered.

"There are, but the veins are too small to make mining worthwhile," Reika replied after a quick glance.

"I count around twenty," Hiroto added.

"I'll take fifteen. You two handle the rest," she said. Wow. What a fair division, Evan thought. Reika summoned crackling lightning around her body and charged straight into the Redcaps. The monsters shrieked in alarm as bolts of lightning tore through their ranks, dropping several before the survivors could even react. The remaining Redcaps scattered in every direction, only to be intercepted by Evan and Hiroto, whose swords cut through the cramped cave as they cut down the fleeing monsters one after another.

One desperate Redcap hurled its pickaxe at Hiroto, but he opened a portal in front of himself. The weapon disappeared into the shimmering opening before bursting out of another behind its owner and burying itself deep in the creature's back. With the last Redcap collapsing to the ground, Darius, Yeon-ah, and the camera crew stepped out from behind the rocks.

"Great work, everyone! Superb!" Darius said, giving them an enthusiastic thumbs-up.

"Thank you, sir," Reika replied.

"You Awakeners are amazing." Yeon-ah clapped excitedly before turning toward Hiroto.

"That portal trick was really clever!" Hiroto scratched the back of his head as a faint blush crept across his face at the unexpected praise, drawing an amused smirk from Evan. With the fighting over, it was time for the less glamorous part of the job. The cave was a known Redcap gathering site, and since they planned to set new traps before leaving, they first had to clear away every corpse.

As Evan reached for one of the bodies, he froze when he spotted Yeon-ah kneeling beside another, already helping with the cleanup as though dragging bloodied monster corpses around were perfectly normal. Catching his bewildered expression, she smiled.

"I can't just stand around looking pretty, can I?" Watching one of Nova Terra's most famous idols casually lift a gore-covered Redcap made Evan wonder whether she was simply that dedicated to her work or completely fearless. The thought vanished when something suddenly came hurtling through the air toward them. It was a squat mushroom no larger than a clenched fist.

Crimson veins pulsed beneath its translucent orange cap, while a trail of glittering golden spores drifted behind it, swirling lazily through the air before the mushroom landed squarely atop the pile of freshly mined mana stones a few steps away. A Blastcap. Every muscle in Evan's body tensed. He lunged toward Yeon-ah, wrapped an arm around her waist, and threw both of them away from the crystal pile just as the spores ignited. KABOOOM!