Chapter 358: To The Center

"Wrath Island is surrounded by a barrier," Tiathe said, revealing to Ned the island's current situation.

This was to make sure that the candidates got no place to move backward but only to advance forward.

Ned supposed that the barrier wasn't simple as it seemed:

Firstly: because of the size of the island that spans at least 800 kilometers in diameter.

Second: for it to be invisible in the eyes of the candidates, the Hunter's Guild might have used some kind of High tiered runes that hides the barrier in plain sight.

Third: and for all of these to happen, they must have used an impressive amount of Mana. And guess what? It might have come from an impressive amount of Mana stones.

And here Ned thought that the exam would be as simple as hit and run.

Ned grabbed the leather pouch beside him and took out his Storing orb.

One by one, Ned absorbed the Mana (impure), which put pain on his hands as the Mana lingered to it. Now, he got 700 points. Ned did not bother to wonder how Tiathe took a hold of the orbs. The amount of her Mana alone was enough for the other candidates to gawk.

Tiathe reviewed to Ned that he was a day away from the center of Wrath Island. If he wanted to make it, he must struggle to move southeast without stopping. Which he doubted if he could with his energy on 40% and Mana less than a hundred. Ned was frustrated at first as to why his mana regeneration has gotten slower. But upon a long debate with his system, Ned gave up and accept the fact that the barrier must have been the reason why the Mana is limited. It was, after all, an exam to determine who among the hundreds of candidates were the best.

Ned absorbed the last of the orb which gave him 750 points. The bluish mist kept on swirling inside the orb, a part of it was vacant like the no-color of rain or dust, it must have been his mana since he got the purest of the rest. This shows, why it was near invisible inside the orb.

But Ned was far from being finished on preparing.

Tiathe wasn't surprised anymore that Ned produced Mana stones out of Kamma's Ring and absorbed them. Ned was careful not to spill too much of his mana since Tiathe might found out how pure his mana was. Some of the Mana stones were shared with Tiathe and Ned doesn't felt any frugality about what he did. Tiathe, after all, saved him that a mere Mana stone wasn't enough to pay her.

After an hour, which put Ned to night-time, he and Tiathe have finished absorbing the Mana stones which left Ned with a mere perfect three zeros and one five.

Exactly 5, 000 left, Ned thought along with a long sigh. The sigh prompted Tiathe to circle Ned and wrapped him by the shoulder, touching her warm body to Ned, while Ned received all of it without much of a thought.

"Thank you, human Ned," she said, breath making a warm path on his left cheek. Both their faces were rubbing with each other. "You will be the first human I liked."

Ned opened his mouth but was left frozen after ICE's prompts resounded in his mind.

[Making a new folder for Tiathe the wood elf.]

[Propagatinon 100%.]

[Waiting a hundred and twenty years for the seed to produce a half breed.]

Stop it, Ned thought but put on a weird smile.

"I'd rather have that smile," Tiathe said, sniffing all the air around Ned's neck.

She then unlocked her arms around Ned and proceed to lie on the ground. Vines crept under her that was made into a bed along with the holes overhead them closing leisurely.

"What are you doing?" Ned had to ask. He expected Tiathe to come along with him. But it seemed unlikely now.

"I'll only slow you down," she said and slowly closed her eyes. "I'm sure you'll come back for me. And so, I'll be waiting for you here."

Ned nodded. Tiathe will not only slow him down but would also provoke unwanted enemies since she was currently being hunted by the Hunter's Guild Association because she aided a candidate.

"Oh," she said, huffily. As though in a bad mood that Ned will leave her and she can't do anything about it. "If you need more items in your ring, you better use them here, Ned. Cause once outside, they will be able to notice it and you'll be disqualified of the exam."

Ned shook his head, telling the latter that he got all that he wanted. But instead of leaving Tiathe, Ned flicked his wrist, producing another pile of Mana stones next to the empty ones. There were 500 of them, which left him 4, 500.

Ned checked his status before leaving. Currently, he has got 1, 809 Mana out of 6, 000. Energy slowly regaining at 60%. The Krisalix hung on his waist, on the other side was the leather pouch.

Ned looked on the ground where the empty orbs were lying on one another.

The owners of the orbs are off the exam, Ned thought and hoped that Tiathe didn't kill them.

"Once I'm out," Ned began as he squatted next to the resting elf. "They'll know you will be here, since, probably they were watching this side of forest with the Record stones."

"Don't worry," Tiathe replied. "They won't, once you're out of the tree I'll move to a new location. I'll leave my Mana for you to trace. Oh, and also. Who told you we're inside the forest?"

After Ned bid goodbye (for now) to Tiathe, he was amazed to learn that they were actually in the middle of the lake. Ned wants to go back and ask how Tiathe leaves on and off the tree, but the hole behind him crept too close and Ned was left with a dried surface of the tree.

Under the soft translucent of the moon, Ned realized the tree they were in was actually a fig tree so massive its body was covered in dried and long roots.

The trunk of the tree, where Ned was standing, moved, and slowly it went underwater while it was also creeping to the shore.

Ned got no choice but to swim.

His destination was north-east, nearly 20 kilometers away from the center. And if he wanted to make it to the center in a day, he better start moving—now.

And moved he did. Ned swam. Gritting his teeth on the process which let the bubbles seeped through his mouth.

After a couple of minutes that he was swimming, Ned arrived at the shore. Ned looked behind only to see the top of the fig tree was already going underwater.

"I'll be back," Ned whispered, after arriving at the shore, thinking of the slave: the wood elf, and his first—

On the surface of the lake, where the reflection of the moon was wiggling on the waves, Ned caught a light behind him reflecting.

Ned dropped down, avoiding a blade that came cutting his neck. He then remained squatting then spun with his right foot while pulling the Krisalix off its scabbard. Once he did a complete turn, he raised the sword and thwarted the same blade that tried to cut him once again.

It was a Hunter, square build and wide shoulders. A close representation of warrior types added with his upper body being naked which only a strap was visible on his chest, Ned was now sure he was a warrior.

His eyes lit up in surprise after Ned was able to evade his swing of the sword.

"Give me your orb," he grumbled.

"If only you'd ask, I might be willing to," Ned snapped and swept the warrior on the ground with his feet. Throwing him on another surprise after he saw Ned kicked him in an awkward position.

But his instinct helped him got up immediately after he fell.

The warrior doesn't have any pouches left, no Storing orbs were visible on his waist. Obviously, the fitted leather he was wearing doesn't have a pocket. Which left Ned to summarize that the warrior had already lost his Storing orb.

He must have gone insane after he lost his orb. Now, he attacked for his orb.

Ned leaped to close the distance between them.

Although lost in thoughts, the warrior's body moves swiftly like it got a mind of its own. He jumped backward the moment Ned landed next to him. His distance was close enough to reach Ned with his long sword, but far enough for Ned to do any superficial damage.

Ned flung himself backward, widening the gap between them. The fastest spell he could conjure was Wind Lance, and so he did. Hitting the warrior by the leg, slightly scraping and crippling him.

"No need to fight any further," Ned said after he landed over the warrior's chest, and locked him between his feet. "Leave now. You can ask the men in blue uniform to fetch you and leave the island."

Ned didn't let the warrior speak any further as he leaped off of him and conjured Zephyr chains which granted him access above the trees. His destination was the center, and he got a day to arrive there.

Ned jumped off the tree and latched the chains to another tree, swinging him one after the other. "Aunt Mae would be proud," Ned said, trying to pun himself, he let the wind and the chains guided him on the tree. "To the center, it is then."