“This is so hot.”“Why is it this hot?”“My skin is going to burn.”“Someone help me…”“I think I’m going to throw up again.”Complaints echoed across the deck from the moment the ship left the harbor.Most of the students were struggling to adapt to life at sea.Some leaned over the railings, emptying the contents of their stomachs as the endless rocking of the ship mixed with the salty ocean air.Others sat against the walls with pale faces, barely able to stay upright.The blazing sun only made everything worse.Compared to the inland climate they were used to, the heat near the sea felt completely different. The combination of humidity, sunlight, and sea breeze left many of them exhausted before the event had even begun.For most of these students, this was the farthest they had ever traveled from home.Whether they came from noble families or common households, almost everyone suffered the same miserable experience.Fortunately, Meave had expected this.Rhys had mentioned what tr

“I found a coconut!” one student called out, raising it proudly toward his partner. “We should at least have something to drink.”“Great.” His partner nodded while dragging over an armful of branches. “I collected enough sticks for a fire. Now we just need some logs so we can throw together a temporary shelter. As long as we have a roof over our heads tonight, we’ll be fine.”…Elsewhere on the island, Thalveris and Cade were making their own preparations.“Where should we settle?” Thalveris asked while scanning the surrounding forest. “We need somewhere that’s easy to defend and suitable for building a shelter.”Cade thought for a moment before answering.“Somewhere close to fresh water would be ideal. As for building the shelter, I’ll leave that to my dwarf. He can handle construction much faster than either of us. If we’re going to stay here for two weeks, getting proper rest is important. The more comfortable we are, the better we’ll perform.”“I agree.”Thalveris nodded.“My fami

“Is he out of his mind?”Thalveris ground his teeth as he stared at the towering wall of fire consuming the western side of the island.He had expected Rhys to do something unexpected.He had not expected him to burn nearly half the battlefield before the event had even properly begun.Even Cade frowned at the sight.He disliked Rhys’ methods.Still, he couldn’t deny that the situation also created an opportunity.Half the island might have been reduced to ashes…But the other half remained untouched.After witnessing the destruction, every other student would inevitably direct their anger toward the one responsible.Instead of dividing the class…Rhys had unintentionally united them.Everyone would reach the same conclusion.Before competing for first place…Before hunting Abyssals…Rhys had to be eliminated.Naturally, Thalveris recognized the opportunity immediately.If he could gather everyone together and defeat Rhys and Meave quickly enough, there was still a realistic chance of

The seeds of doubt Rhys had planted spread much faster than anyone expected.Trust inside the students’ ranks quickly began to crumble.No matter how hard Thalveris tried to rally everyone together, many students could no longer bring themselves to believe him completely.In the end, the class split into three separate factions.The first group chose to follow Thalveris. Some genuinely believed he was innocent, while others simply wanted to stay close to the strongest contender, hoping it would increase their own chances of victory.The second group trusted no one except their own partners.Rather than becoming involved in politics or alliances, they decided to survive on their own and avoid everyone else.The third group proved to be the biggest headache.Instead of siding with either faction, they formed their own coalition.Their goal was simple.Defeat Rhys and Meave.Then eliminate Thalveris and Cade.To them, both pairs represented the greatest obstacles to first place.Whether

“This is…”Rhys’s face drained of color as he instinctively stepped back. His breathing caught in his throat. Beside him, Meave remained standing, but the look on her face said everything. She was trying to stay composed, yet the horror before her had shaken her to the core.Gealion clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white, his jaw locked with barely restrained anger. Nidhogg bared his teeth, a low growl escaping him, while Anubis stood completely still. His face held no fear, only cold, simmering fury.Risa and Sasha instinctively released their Mana. Neither of them had intended to, but the scene before them was so horrifying that their control slipped for a moment, causing their energy to ripple violently through the cave.Yin Zhen drew in a sharp breath.“This is even worse than the Demonic Cult…”Hidden behind the mountain was not a natural cave.It was a facility.They were currently standing on an elevated platform overlooking the entire place. A staircase d