Chapter 68 - Who's My Partner?!

A short break was declared at the end of the first round. 

Zeke had looked particularly smug at the embedded arrows on the target. Every single one of his arrows hit bullseye. One of the arrows had pierced through another just to claim the same spot. 

That just showed how good he was. 

Everyone could see how his head had expanded from all the praises and woos from his fan club in the spectators seats. Some of them even wondered how he could carry such an overweight head all the time. 

The number of the participants had been cut down to about three quarters of its original number. The next round was the hunting game. This time, the host guided them out from the stadium and had them line up in front of the locked training ground that was located right behind their school. 

Zeke squinted at the large sign nailed on the enormous tree trunk in the front. 

[THE ENCHANTED FOREST] 

Zeke's face was full of black lines. What enchanted forest?! There was nothing magical or mystical at all about the forest. It only gave off an eerie feeling like the creatures inside were all waiting for them to be their next meal. 

Despite the safety measures they built around the forest, one way in meant one way out. Once entering, there was no way to go out unless the guards opened the entrance for you. Besides, the forest was more than 30 km, so danger was inevitable. 

And their weapon was only a bow! Nothing else! 

In addition, in consideration to the level of the mentality of each participant, the school had set up boundary barriers within the forest to separate between carnivores and herbivores. 

The second round of the tournament was to test the participant's comprehensive abilities and their teamwork, requiring them to pass through the enchanted forest within 18 hours. It was like they were being thrusted into a hellhole. 

The more dangerous the creature they hunted, the higher the point. 

"18 hours?" Zeke quickly calculated in his mind. It was midday right now, around 2-3 p.m. If they started the second round now, they would likely be staying in the forest for the night. 

And to be honest, Zeke found this game much more thrilling than the test before. This hunting was new and only established for 4 years. Before, it was a racehorse. 

He couldn't count how many times he had fallen off the horse during training. As much as he loved animals, horses never seemed to like him and always tried to throw him off. 

Which made him wonder what his ancestors had ever done to offend the ancestors of horses. Zeke silently sighed in his heart as he heard the host announcing that they chose their partner for the second round. 

"Hey, I'm looking for--" 

Zeke choked on his saliva. Silver. 

The color that had him jumped at every second. His heart thumped in excitement and Zeke felt a lump had lodged inside his throat. Jian Yu stood directly in front of him with his arms on either side of his hɨps. 

Snowflakes danced in the air, swaying in a gentle rhythm around him. The scenery behind him was white and the Silverette Beta looked like he ruled over the snow. 

When one of the flakes landed on his nose, Zeke had the sudden urge to brush it off for him. 

The arm on his shoulder suddenly tightened and strangled Zeke. Mika dragged him away, out of Jian Yu's earshot and pulled him closer to say something. 

"Yo, you lucky bastard. The love of your life just volunteered to be your partner for the second round," Mika wiggled his eyebrows at Zeke as he whispered. "No need to thank me, no need to thank me, of course I will hand over my bestfriend--" 

Mika was cut off mid-sentence when Zeke took hold of his neck and choked him. The tables had turned. "Are you out of your mind?!" 

The strangled Mika struggled to speak. "Aren't you the one drinking your ȧss off and crying like a baby-- akh!!" 

"It's not like it matters so much if your partner is a Beta." Mika gently pointed out. 

"It's because he is a Beta that I need to be more careful so I can see little me and him running around in the future! I have to stop taking so many pills!" Zeke ġrȯȧnėd in frustration. 

"...But I already said yes?" Mika timidly voiced. 

Hearing this, Zeke winced inwardly. He slowly turned his head towards where Jian Yu was, only to see he now had his arms crossed over his ċhėst and looking at them with a tilted head. A raised eyebrow and a cute little smile on his lips. 

Somehow the cute smile didn't seem cute at all anymore! It was as if there was something hidden in it! 

Zeke suddenly felt like crying out. He was heavily worried. Staying with Jian Yu for a day in a dangerous forest sounded pleasant yet unpleasant at the same time. It would have been a different matter if that incident hadn't happened and when he wasn't in his pre-rut. 

As if sensing his worry, Jian Yu slowly stepped up to them and spoke calmly. "Don't worry, I definitely won't drag you down." 

"Of course, you won't. I will have to trouble you instead." Zeke straightened up, a stiff smile on his face as he kept on smacking Mika on the back harshly. 

It was all Mika's fault if he ever came back impotent, whether from the overuse of the pills or being chopped off by Jian Yu.