Chapter 428 [Event] [Semester-Exam At Vanadias] [16] Unlucky Start

Chapter 428 [Event] [Semester-Exam At Vanadias] [16] Unlucky Start

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"Huh?"

I blinked slowly, my eyelids heavy and sluggish, as a sudden burst of light pierced through my groggy state. The brightness was unbearable, forcing me to shut my eyes tightly once more.

I groaned and shifted my weight, pressing my palms into the cool, damp earth beneath me. The feeling of soft, dewy grass tangled with my fingers grounded me, and I pushed myself upright.

"Where the hell am I?"

My voice echoed in the stillness, rough and dry as I glanced around. As my vision slowly adjusted to the dazzling morning light, I began to take in the scene around me. Towering trees surrounded me in every direction, their thick trunks and sprawling branches creating a sea of green that seemed to stretch endlessly. "This..."

I paused, taking a deep breath, trying to make sense of the unfamiliar landscape. I rubbed my temples, struggling to recall how I ended up here. If I wasn't dreaming—and the sharp prickle of grass against my skin told me I wasn't—then this had to be the location of the Exam. But how did I get here? The events of yesterday felt like a blur, fragmented memories that eluded me the more I tried to grasp them.

The only explanation that made sense was that they must have slipped something into our meals. A sedative, maybe. Something strong enough to knock us out and drag us here while we were none the wiser. I scanned the area again, turning in slow circles as my eyes darted through the gaps between the trees. I couldn't see anyone else—no sign of the other examinees. The forest was vast, its sheer size made clear by the way it swallowed me in its shadow. They must have scattered us throughout the area, leaving us to find our way alone.

I glanced down at my arm, where the screen embedded into my arm blinked ominously. The vibrant red glow was unmistakable.

"Red Team, then," I muttered under my breath.

The exam was supposed to last two days. There would be no time to waste. But just as I resolved to move, a thought crashed into my mind alarmingly .

"Wait!"

I clutched my head. Just before I had been thrown into this nightmare, my mind had been preoccupied with something far more pressing—Bryelle. I had been so focused on finding a way to save her, on preventing the fate I knew awaited her. She was supposed to die soon, before the war broke out.

"How am I supposed to help her from here?" I whispered.

The timing couldn't have been worse. If her death was truly imminent, it could happen at any moment. Every second spent here was one lost in my race to save her. Was I really expected to just sit here and participate in this exam while her life hung in the balance? What was I supposed to do? Should I abandon the exam and try to find a way out? Should I risk everything to reach her, even if it meant failing the test? "Achieve the highest possible results in this exam, and stay out of trouble. If you can manage that, I'll do everything in my power to ensure you're granted access to the Holy Tree."

James Raven's words rang in my mind. It had been weeks—no, months—of me pestering him relentlessly during our training sessions. Every time, I had pestered him to speak to the other Heads, to grant me access to the Holy Tree of Eden. After so many weeks of persistence, he had finally agreed. And now, my chance was here. I needed to get bodies for Annabelle and Samara. That much had always been clear, a constant pressure gnawing at me from the back of my mind. But now, after what I experienced during that 'trance' state, the urgency only rose up. The vivid memory of what could have happened to them—what would have happened if Celeste hadn't intervened—made my skin crawl. I couldn't let myself think too deeply about it. The mere thought sent a chill down my spine. If Celeste hadn't saved me, I shudder to imagine what fate would've befallen them.

The Banshee contract still bound them to me, and that connection was like a double-edged sword. It was dangerous, a ticking time bomb, leaving them vulnerable because of Samael's Wrath and that third Goddess. They were too exposed. The original plan was simple: rank high in the exam, use the rewards to craft bodies for them, and do it all before the war began. But now... everything was shifting.

[In one day, you will be back on your feet!]

"One day?!" I snapped with disbelief. "What kind of poison is this?!"

I wanted to scream. Was this some kind of cruel joke? I must have drawn the worst luck in this entire forsaken forest. Of all the things that could happen to me, I had to get bitten by the worst possible snake.

"Do I get bitten by the most venomous creature imaginable, or what?" I muttered through clenched teeth, swiping the sweat from my brow. "I don't have time for that..." Another message blinked onto the screen:

[You can find a better remedy from a stronger sample of the venom.]

I blinked. "A better sample? And just how exactly am I supposed to get that?" [The Red Viper King.]

Of course. Of course it had to be something like that.

"Great..." I muttered under my breath. The goal of the exam was to beat other students, outwit them, outfight them—but now I was being sent on a wild goose chase after a damn monster.

"Will I be back in a good state if I create the remedy from that Viper King?" [Yes. Within an hour.]

That was it. The spark I needed. A flicker of relief washed over me, even though my body still felt like it was burning from the inside out.

"Good," I whispered, the plan already forming in my mind. "I'll hunt down that Viper King, get the damn flower, make the antidote, and abandon the exam."

Bryelle's situation was more urgent. If I could just get the remedy quickly enough, then I could still make it out of here and warn Queen Tanya Teraquin. At the very least, I could get Bryelle to safety before this situation spirals completely out of control.

"Where's the flower located?" I asked, steadying my breath.

[The Red Flower of Dawn can be found in the Third and Sixth Zones of the Forest. The forest is divided into ten Zones, from the safest to the most dangerous.]

"And where am I now?" I asked, already anticipating the worst.

The screen flickered again, displaying a rough map of the forest. My location blinked on the screen.

8th Zone.

"Fuck.