Chapter 58
Crunch.
Ruyn sat on a soft bed, stuffing his mouth full of crackers.
“…You can even see the sunrise here.”
It had already been a full day since he entered the Dark Forest.
As the warm sunlight broke through the once-dark sky, Ruyn muttered in a low tone.
[For combat rations, this tastes pretty good… wait, what? A whole day has already passed? Time really does fly.]
“Right?”
Nodding at the sword spirit’s words, Ruyn stretched and lay back on the bed.
“Man, a day really does feel long.”
Just like in his shadow days when he could quickly melt into darkness, Ruyn used Heavenly Seamless and Eye of Interpretation to dig up every secret hidden inside this Dark Forest.
He even carried out the “special missions” written in the manuals given by the instructors, quickly accumulating points and rewards.
And then—
Whiiiish.
With soft sunlight shining down, a breeze carrying the freshness of morning blew past.
Ruyn’s current base was an abandoned watchtower he had personally discovered at the outskirts of the Dark Forest.
At its entrance, the shattered remains of golems were scattered about.
And at its top sat a special reward—the Sentinel’s Rest, a resting place only those who destroyed the golems and claimed the tower could use.
Crunch.
“…Not bad at all.”
Ruyn mumbled again while chewing a cracker.
Of course, the combat rations themselves were rewards for uncovering a hidden instructor.
[Not just ‘not bad,’ this is actually really good. Combat rations have come a long way. Back in the day, I had to gnaw on dried jerky until my jaw hurt, but now—crackers with flavor like this…]
As usual, the sword spirit, too focused on eating, began muttering endlessly.
“No, that’s not what I meant… ah, forget it.”
Ruyn shook his head, turning his gaze to the bluish sky outside the window.
‘The mana density around here… it’s much higher.’
Normally, the Raingraim stronghold [Vanaphen], where the training center was located, already had higher mana density than other places.
But here in the Dark Forest, it was at least twice—no, three times higher.
‘If I cultivate my inner energy here, the results will be remarkable.’
Of course, it was still lacking compared to the Blade Arsenal, where almost all energies were concentrated.
But thanks to his title Hunter of the Forest, his training here would be at least twice as effective.
And besides—
‘I feel like… just a little more and something big is going to click.’
He wasn’t yet ready to break through the 1st Star, but he felt that sensing Hunyuan Qi and condensing it into his dantian was just around the corner.
And maybe—
‘Could it be the reason they gave us inner energy cultivation methods before entering the forest… was so we’d practice here, where the environment is optimal?’
Recalling Harken the stone giant’s intentions, Ruyn shook his head.
“Eh, whatever.”
Then—
[Hm? What are you doing all of a sudden?]
“…Cultivation.”
[W-what? Have you lost your mind? Did you forget this is a survival training ground?]
“No, I didn’t forget.”
[Then why are you suddenly risking your neck to train here?]
“Because it won’t take long. And also…”
Ruyn pulled out a red dagger tucked at his waist.
“…Mind putting up a barrier around me?”
Vrrrm.
The Scarlet Dagger hummed in response.
[W-what?!]
Ruyn chuckled.
“What, repaying me right away just because I fed you earlier?”
Vrrrm.
The dagger vibrated again as if to say “yes.”
Ruyn couldn’t help but laugh at the sight.
On his way here, he had killed several monsters while scouting through the forest—using none other than this Scarlet Dagger.
It wasn’t human blood, but it had drunk deep of monster blood, and now it gleamed even redder than before.
[Ruyn, are you insane?! You’re really going to entrust your life to that damned leech?! On what basis?!]
The sword spirit’s voice rose in protest, but Ruyn only shrugged.
“Because right now, it’s the most trustworthy option.”
[What utter nonsense—]
Vrrm.
[What?! You filthy leech, do you have a death wish?!]
Vrrrm.
The dagger and sword spirit seemed to bicker with each other, but Ruyn simply shook his head.
“It’ll be fine anyway.”
[What?]
He recalled Harken, who had declared this a “survival game.”
True, the Dark Forest was dangerous and its difficulty high.
But—
“They’re monitoring everything anyway. And yet they pretended this was a survival exercise. What a joke.”
Ruyn had already discovered the instructors stationed around the forest and the artifacts monitoring the trainees.
Which meant Harken’s warning about “losing your life” was nothing but empty intimidation.
“….”
His gaze sank as he remembered his past life.
The real survival training he had endured as a Shadow in the Paterion family was nothing like this childish game.
Struggling desperately just to stay alive—those were his memories.
“Tch.”
Clicking his tongue, Ruyn spoke lightly:
“So, there’s nothing to worry about. Scarlet Dagger, I’m counting on you. Set up a barrier.”
Vrrrm.
With the dagger’s hum, Ruyn calmly closed his eyes.
[Ruyn, hey! You lunatic—!!]
He ignored the sword spirit’s screams.
Whoooosh—BOOM!
Bright flares shot into the dark forest sky.
Watching them, other trainees froze.
“Already eliminated after just two days?”
“And not just one, but three of them…?”
“Did they get swarmed by monsters?”
“Maybe they fell into some deadly trap.”
Shock, fear, and dread of the unknown spread among the trainees.
But not everyone reacted the same.
“…Three competitors gone. Out of twenty-one, that leaves eighteen.”
Yurik muttered coldly.
“Yurik! How can you say something like that?!” Ailetta cried out in disgust.
“What’s wrong? It’s the truth. This is a survival game. The one who lasts the longest gets the most points.”
“What, so since I’m also your competitor, you’re saying you might get rid of me too? How barbaric!”
Yurik shrugged while Ailetta glared at him, and Maylin stepped in to mediate, looking weary.
“Enough, you two. We didn’t team up just to argue.”
The three had run into each other the previous night.
Realizing survival was difficult alone, they decided to travel together.
But since the group was hastily formed, disputes never stopped—especially when deciding on a place to sleep.
“What about sleeping safely up in a tree? It’ll be cramped, but safer.”
“Monsters could climb trees. Digging underground is better.”
“The ground’s way too hard here, you know. We don’t have the time to dig tunnels.”
“You can’t just give up without trying.”
“Fine, then you dig mine for me!”
“Do your own work.”
And so, Ailetta and Yurik bickered endlessly.
“Enough, both of you. Ailetta’s right this time. We don’t have the time to dig. Let’s sleep in the trees and take turns keeping watch.”
Thanks to Maylin’s mediation, they reached an uneasy compromise.
Meanwhile—
“I told you not to follow me.”
Seron spoke coldly to a group trailing behind him.
The trainees around him looked guilty.
“B-but we’re classmates.”
“Yeah. No need to split up, right? We could help each other.”
They spoke cautiously, but Seron scoffed.
“Hah, selfish.”
Yet, he didn’t actually drive them away.
Soon, four or five trainees had naturally gathered around him, following his lead and awaiting his orders.
“I said, leave me alone!” Seron barked.
One of them finally shouted back:
“Why do you keep pushing us away? Let’s survive together. You’re Seron, after all.”
Though his voice trembled, he spoke boldly.
Seron’s eyes narrowed.
“…So?”
“You’re the only one capable of leading us! Seron, you were born to lead—not just now, but always. You’d let us all drop out here?!”
“…!”
For a moment, Seron’s expression shifted as though recalling something.
Then he nodded slowly.
“…I guess I have no choice.”
His tone grew colder.
“From now on, fortify our shelter and secure food first. Missions come after.”
A precise assessment and command.
“Yes!”
“Got it!”
The trainees’ faces lit with hope at Seron’s change.
Later that day—
“Seron! We caught a rabbit and some fruit!”
Two dirt-covered trainees presented their findings.
“Shale, Anton—good work. Now then, the rest of you…”
He praised them lightly, then issued his next orders with bright, sharp eyes.
Meanwhile—
“….”
Far away, Selena scowled at the flares signaling eliminated trainees.
Why?
Because the animal she had been hunting fled, startled by the sudden light.
“Tch.”
Unlike Seron and Maylin, Selena stayed completely alone.
Checking her pouch, her expression stiffened.
“What? Already out?!”
Her emergency rations were gone.
Growl…
Her stomach rumbled.
“….”
For the first time, Selena’s face betrayed unease and urgency.
Her only choices now were to secure food through missions—or hunt and forage.
But—
“…I’m not very good at hunting.”
Outside of wielding a sword, Selena was clumsy at almost everything else.
