CHAPTER 258: PLANNING

Elysia’s team left as soon as the first sunlight touched them, moving swiftly toward the shore. Along the way, they hunted a small creature and had their breakfast; it was not until the afternoon that they finally saw the ocean in all its glory.

Covered in leaves and vines, with dirt-stained all over the academy’s black track suit, Elysia and the others stood still for a moment, looking at the waves as they washed along the shore, creating a tranquil sound that carried into the air.

Seabirds flew across the sky, their sharp cries breaking the rhythm of the waves. Standing in the shade of the vast forest behind them, all of them carried an expression of relief.

Traversing the forest had not been easy, and their journey had been anything but peaceful. They encountered many monsters, but their strength was not enough to truly trouble the group. What weighed them down more than the enemies was the environment itself, which constantly fought against them.

They were not well versed in fighting in a damp area crowded with trees that restricted their movements. Because of that, both Luthan and Elysia suffered minor injuries, though Alina healed them quickly without much trouble.

After that encounter, they decided that whenever a battle broke out, they would cut down the trees around them to make fighting easier. It helped, but at the same time, it left behind obvious traces of their passage.

If the opposing team noticed those signs, it could turn into a serious problem for Elysia. She was aware of this, which was why she left behind some misleading trails along their path, scattering them deliberately to confuse anyone who might try to follow.

The quiet moment was broken when the sound of someone dropping down heavily reached their ears.

"We finally made it to the shore... damn, that was one hell of a journey," Luthan muttered, the words escaping in a low breath, caught between a laugh and a groan as he leaned back, exhausted.

Elysia was not using her Mind Reader skill now, since it drained her mana whenever she kept it active, and listening to the constant stream of thoughts from others was not pleasant. People were often very different from what they showed on the surface.

Even though she knew this truth, knowing and experiencing were not the same. Knowledge was one thing, but experience brought it to life.

You could be aware of many things, yet still never truly understand them until you lived through them yourself.

"Rest for a while, then we will start moving," she instructed softly. After that, she stepped away from the group and sat on a stone a short distance away. Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out a small object.

It was a button, faintly glowing with green light. The academy had given one to each team leader, its purpose being to ensure that both groups could eventually find each other instead of wandering endlessly around the island.

The meaning of its glow was simple. If the button shone with a green light, it meant the opposing team’s tracker was within range. However, they were never told how wide that range truly was. The other team could be closer than expected, or they could still be far away.

If the teams moved in opposite directions, the glow would shift to red.

Looks like we have finally entered the range of the other tracker.....

Until now, the button had remained dark, which meant they had been moving in the correct direction but were simply too far for detection.

As she was thinking, she caught the sound of footsteps approaching. Quickly slipping the button back into her pocket, she turned her head toward the sound.

It was Corin.

"I suppose that means we are finally close to the other team?" he asked, his tone steady but curious, as his eyes lingered on Elysia, already noticing what she had been holding a moment before.

Elysia gave a small nod in response.

"So," Corin continued, a grin spreading slowly across his face, "do you already have a plan for what to do next? Because if not, I have a crazy idea... and it just might work."

Elysia raised her eyebrow and asked, "Oh!! Tell me, I will decide what to do after hearing it..." At the same time, she quietly activated her mind reader skill, letting his thoughts flow into her mind.

"It’s simple, we can use the tracker button as a mislead since it does not show the exact location. It could confuse the opponent if we just split into two teams."

"By doing that, we could bait the opponent into approaching the tracker carrier, and then we can ambush them."

Corin suggested the idea in a tone filled with confidence, as if he could already see the victory unfolding before his eyes. His thoughts mirrored his words, firmly revolving around the same idea.

"I have also thought about that," Elysia replied calmly. "But the enemy could do the same, and that would place everything back to square one."

Hearing her words, Corin went into deep thought, his brows knitting slightly as he considered the flaw.

[Right, that thing is also possible. Hmmm... How about...]

"How about if we leave the tracker on some small animal? That could solve the problem. This way, we could set up an ambush not only for the tracker carrier but also for the opponent who tries to ambush us."

Elysia shook her head lightly and said, "No, that plan is based solely on the chance that the opponent will eventually find our team. What if we stop searching and they never come across us? If that happens, both teams will fail the exam..."

[...Damn, why is she such an overthinker? She should just think positively for once...]

That thought made Elysia’s eyes twitch. Overthinker? Me? I am simply considering the probabilities... then again, that really does sound like overthinking...

"But we have to do something, don’t we? The possibilities you are speaking of are still only possibilities. We can prepare a backup plan in case something unexpected happens," Corin argued, his voice carrying a hint of stubbornness.

Elysia paused for a moment before smiling faintly. "Well, why not? I was already planning to bait the opposing team, so we can simply add your idea to mine and make an even better plan."

[Oh!! So she does have a plan... nice!!]

"But let’s discuss it with everyone else," Elysia said as she stood up, her tone turning more decisive, and walked toward the others.

Corin followed right after, though his expression clearly betrayed the feeling of disappointment, like someone who had just been robbed of their favorite dish.

[Sigh... it was a perfect chance to spend some time alone...]

Elysia caught that stray thought but quietly deactivated her skill. It was not as if she could comment on it, since those were only his inner feelings, and she had no right to interfere.

When they rejoined the others, Elysia explained their combined idea in detail, and together the group discussed the strategies they could use. They worked out different movements and fallback options, preparing several plans to cover possible scenarios.

Once everything was agreed upon, the team began following their chosen strategy with renewed focus.

The first problem they faced was....to find a suitable animal to tie the tracker onto.

In fact, they already knew the perfect candidate for that role, as their gazes turned toward the forest they had just come from. The answer was waiting there.

"Corin and Veyric, you two will find....the Grasswhisker and tie the tracker to it, while Alina and I will create more misleading traces of our presence. As for Luthan, you will set traps throughout this entire region."

Grasswhisker was one beast that they encountered while moving, though they were not able to kill it, as it ran away. They are good at movement and running away.

"Is that clear..?"

Elysia asked, her voice calm yet carrying a weight that pressed on the group. Luthan hesitated, then raised his hand.

"Miss Elysia, what if the fight we are supposed to have does not happen in this area? Won’t my efforts to make tra—I mean, won’t all our efforts be wasted?"

Elysia slowly nodded, as though she had already expected that concern, and replied, "That is why we will wait. We will test their patience. They know as well as we do that they will be expelled if they fail to find the opposing team and engage in battle."

Her tone grew firmer as she continued, "That pressure will weigh on them, and eventually they will attack. It does not matter whether it happens on the last day or just one hour before the exam ends... what matters is that we will be the ones choosing the ground and the moment."

"Do you understand...?"

Everyone froze at her cold reasoning. Their faces paled, and silence stretched between them until Veyric finally spoke, his voice trembling slightly.

"But...what if they never attack us? By tying the tracker to an animal, we are making them believe we are anywhere else. What if they cannot find us at all? Won’t we be expelled as well?"

"For that," Elysia replied evenly, "once our preparations here are complete, one of you will follow the Grasswhisker from a distance. If the enemy encounters the animal first, then all the better, because we can ambush them there."

Her gaze swept across each of them, sharp yet calm. "The only thing we must decide is how that person will send us the signal."

Silence settled once more, broken only by the cries of seabirds circling above them. Their shrill calls echoed across the sky, making the stillness of the group feel even heavier.

Luthan finally spoke, his voice shaking slightly as though he already knew the answer, "And who will....be that person..?"

Elysia’s lips curved into a wide smile, and instead of replying, she asked, "What do you think....?"

[Fuck!!! Why always me? Why is my luck the worst.....]

And just like that, the team scattered to carry out their tasks. Luthan worked with a scowl on his face and curses in his mind, though his hands moved with reluctant precision as he set about his job.

***