Ruins Zone C – Midterm Survival Exam
Three things greeted us the moment we stepped through the teleport gate.
Fog. Rotting trees. And screaming.
Well, more like a high-pitched shriek from the northern ridge, followed by a heavy thud and the sound of bones snapping.
Melo made a squeaking noise and pressed closer to Seria, who rolled her eyes but didn't shove him off. I took a long breath, pulling my coat tighter around me.
Arkan Drehl stood at the edge of our group, sword slung over one shoulder, half his face shadowed under his hood. His expression hadn't changed since we arrived: unreadable.
"Welcome to Zone C," I muttered, stepping forward into the waist-high mist. "Where we either pass or die trying."
Arkan finally spoke. "What's the mission parameters?"
Seria answered before I could.
"Three objectives. One: survive for three days. Two: activate the central ruin's beacon to signal successful navigation. Three: avoid death. Optional bonus if we retrieve any lost relics."
"And monsters?" Arkan asked.
Melo swallowed. "Um. The guide said low-level corrupted beasts and some ambient spirits."
Right.
They forgot the part where half of those 'ambient spirits' can explode like mana grenades when you look at them funny.
---
[System Notification: Midterm Practical Begins]
Team 11 – Score: 0 Points
Day 1 Begins Now.
---
4 Hours Later – Camp Setup, Forest Basin
We set up camp near a collapsed shrine, half-buried in moss and stone. It was the kind of place normal players ignored during early quests. I didn't.
Because I remembered something about this place.
Something buried here.
"Keep the perimeter runes stable," I told Melo, who nodded and began carving sigils into the damp earth with his wand.
Seria worked silently, building the warding circle with Arkan on the opposite side of camp. Neither of them talked much. The tension between them felt… natural. Like two sharp blades deciding not to cross.
I, meanwhile, wandered to the half-fallen statue at the center of the shrine. It looked like a broken priestess, her face eaten by moss.
Exactly what I wanted.
I knelt and placed my hand against the base, whispering the incantation from memory.
"Verno kratis. Memoria suun."
The moss burned away in an instant, revealing a small groove in the stone. Something clicked inside the base.
And the hidden piece pulsed beneath it.
---
[Hidden Piece Acquired: Severed Sigil of Truth]
> A fragment of an ancient seal once used to bind celestial spirits. Grants the user enhanced perception of lies, illusions, and false memories.
In the original game, this sigil is found during Chapter 25 when the protagonist investigates a false priestess and triggers a betrayal arc.
Bonus: Stacks with Memory Root's Echo capacity to enhance mental resistance and copy high-tier mental magic.
Skill Gained: Sigil Insight – Detect truth or illusion within 10 meters. Passive mental defense +1.
—
Another piece, early.
That made six.
And still no one suspected a thing.
Well, almost no one.
---
Later That Night – Campfire, Midnight Watch Rotation
I sat on a rock near the fire, cloak wrapped tight, eyes scanning the fog beyond.
Arkan took the opposite side, unsheathing his massive blade and checking the edge with a whetstone. Sparks danced in the dark.
"You fight?" he asked suddenly.
I blinked. "Occasionally."
"You're too calm."
"Says the one who hasn't blinked since we got here."
He grunted. "You're hiding something. So's Seria. But yours feels different."
"Oh?"
"It's not fear. Not nerves. It's weight. You've killed before."
I met his eyes.
Cold. Quiet. Like mine.
"Maybe I've died before."
That made him pause.
Then he smiled—just barely.
"I like you."
I chuckled. "What a terrifying compliment."
He stood up, slinging the sword over his back. "Let's make one thing clear, Lorne. I don't babysit. If you fall behind, I won't carry you."
"Don't worry. I'll be ahead of you."
We didn't say anything after that.
But something shifted.
Respect, maybe.
Or recognition.
---
Day 2 – East Ridge Patrol
Melo screamed first.
A bear-sized beast of bone and stone leapt from the cliffside, eyes glowing purple, black tar dripping from its ribcage like molten shadow.
"Spirit-infested golem!" Seria shouted, flames already dancing along her palms.
I pulled Melo behind a tree and cast a barrier—one I'd memorized from his spell back in the academy, but stronger now.
Seria launched a whip of flame that wrapped around the golem's neck, pulling it sideways—but the beast didn't fall. It turned toward her, jaws opening with a screeching sonic pulse.
I moved.
Faster than expected.
Not my speed.
The witch's root pulsed.
I activated Memory Echo, combining the flame whip with Arkan's shield bash technique I'd observed the day before.
I summoned a mock-shield and threw the flaming tether forward like a hookshot.
The golem's chest exploded from the redirected force—burning cracks splintered down its ribcage.
And then Arkan charged in, taking the hit full-force as the beast collapsed, bringing his blade down like thunder.
The golem's body cracked in two.
Melo looked like he was going to faint.
"Riven…" Seria said softly, looking at me.
I didn't let her finish.
"Keep moving. There's more coming."
And there were.
---
[System Notification: Team 11 – Score Updated: 120 Points]
Bonus: Rare Threat Neutralized.
Ranking: Top 3 Teams.
---
That Night – Post-Battle Rest
Seria cornered me near the water basin.
"You cast a mixed-attribute technique. No one can do that this early."
"Clearly someone can."
"Stop joking!"
I sighed, meeting her glare.
"Look. I'm not like you. I don't have noble blood. No special bloodline. No royal cheat."
"Then what?"
"Hard work."
She scoffed. "Liar."
"You'll believe me eventually."
She stared at me for a long time before walking away.
And I let her.