CHAPTER 84: CHAPTER 84: TRIAL 1(2)

Axelius stayed at the very back of the second group, letting everyone rush ahead. Cyruz, who walked near the front, glanced back at him with a sharp look, full of silent hate. But Axelius just yawned, pretending not to care.

Once most of the others disappeared deeper into the forest, Axelius stepped in calmly. The forest felt different now. The air was heavier. Even the light barely touched the ground. The paths twisted strangely like they were alive. He paused and narrowed his eyes.

"...It’s happening again," he muttered, glancing around with more focus.

Owen, on his shoulder, looked side to side too. "Yeah. This isn’t the same as earlier. It’s reacting... getting more dangerous after each group."

Axelius didn’t answer, but his steps became sharper, more alert. He stayed quiet, watching the ground carefully. The first trap was almost too easy to see—a thin wire hidden in leaves. He stepped over it easily. As he walked further, he noticed the forest itself looked larger, deeper than it should be.

"It’s shifting," Owen said. "The forest is changing its shape again. Two hours won’t be enough if you keep walking."

Axelius rolled his eyes. "So I’ll run."

He started jogging lightly, still keeping his eyes sharp. Then he paused behind a tree, watching as three younger kids got caught in a net trap. It snapped them up into the air. One of them cried out in panic.

Before Axelius could help or say anything, a loud scream echoed to his left. He turned his head just in time to see a boy running full speed, chased by a bee-like beast with glowing eyes and long wings.

"Better run, Axel," Owen said.

"Tch."

Axelius took off. He ran fast, but not blindly. While running, he grabbed a rock, threw it ahead of him—click!—a trap burst out of the ground, sharp spikes, swinging logs, something sharp and deadly. He shifted to the side, avoiding it easily.

"That’s how you do it," he muttered.

This became his rhythm—throw, check, dodge, move.

But then, Owen opened his mouth to say something, and Axelius suddenly slowed down. He felt it—something was off. He ducked behind a large tree, listening, waiting. Silence.

Owen whispered, "I was gonna say... I think someone’s trying to—"

Before he finished, Axelius jumped. He climbed the tree quickly and squatted on a thick branch, hiding behind the leaves. His black hair blended into the shadows.

Down below, three older boys moved through the trees, looking annoyed.

"Where did he go?"

"I saw him walk this way!"

"He’s alone. Easy catch."

Axelius smirked.

"Caught you," he whispered to himself, eyes sharp now.

Owen grinned too, eyes glowing faintly. "Now what, boss?"

Axelius didn’t reply, just crouched lower, watching them like a cat waiting for the perfect moment.

Meanwhile, outside the forest, in a quiet corner away from the crowd, two figures stood under a large black umbrella, their clothes neat and faces half-hidden by shadows. One of them, a boy only a few years older than Axelius, crossed his arms and glanced toward the forest with a cold smile.

"He should be getting ambushed by now," the boy said, his voice calm but full of arrogance. "I told those three idiots to make it look like an accident. No one will notice if he quits the trial early."

"Those three if they succeeds, They passed automatically."

Beside him, an older servant gave a short bow. "As you planned, young master. But... if he somehow escapes?"

The boy sneered. "Then he’s more trouble than he looks, those three are just a bonus he’s still a stain on our name. A black-haired Dravenhart... what a joke."

Back in the forest, Axelius was already ahead of them.

Instead of staying on the ground, he moved up—jumping from branch to branch. His body was light from years of running and half-effort training, and his balance was steady. He made no sound, no leaves even rustled under his steps. While the three boys searched the ground below like fools, Axelius reached a spot ahead of them and quickly started building a trap.

He found a low branch and tied several thin vines together, pulling them tight. He set one side between two trees and scattered leaves to cover it. On the side path, he placed a loose piece of bark and small stones, perfectly arranged to trip a person’s foot and make them fall forward.

Just behind it, he buried a few round forest fruits—soft on the outside, but when stepped on, they made the ground slippery like oil.

After finishing it fast but neat, Axelius stood up and took a deep breath. Then, with a playful grin, he shouted loudly, "Hey! Looking for me?!"

The forest echoed, and the three boys froze.

"There!" one of them shouted, eyes wide.

"What the?! How?!"

"Don’t let him get away!"

They all ran forward, stomping through the path—exactly where Axelius wanted them. As expected, the first one tripped on the bark and vines, falling face-first into the mud. The second slipped right after on the fruit trap, crashing into the first. The last one jumped to avoid it but hit a branch trap above, getting smacked in the face and rolling down with a groan.

Axelius, standing on a higher branch, laughed loudly.

"Catch me if you can!" he shouted as he turned and dashed away through the trees again.

Owen bounced on his shoulder, laughing too. "Guess not all Dravenharts are smart, huh?"

Axelius snorted, his eyes shining with amusement. "Seriously, I’m embarrassed we share a name. Maybe I should dye my hair green and change my last name to something cooler."

"You’d still look like a troublemaker."

"And proud of it," Axelius said, laughing again as he ran ahead, light as a shadow, not looking back.

Axelius finally dropped down from the trees, landing smoothly on the soft moss-covered ground. He wiped his forehead with the back of his hand and looked ahead—just a few more meters and he would reach the stone pillar that marked the end of the trial. He let out a breath and began jogging toward it, smirking to himself.

"This is too easy," he muttered. "Maybe they overhyped this trial."

Just as he picked up speed to return, two shadows dropped from the trees in front of him—one to his left, one to his right.

He skidded to a stop, barely avoiding a sweeping kick aimed at his legs and a punch swinging toward his shoulder. His body moved with smooth reflexes, twisting and ducking low between the two attacks. He spun around, planting his feet and grinning at the attackers.

"Oops," Axelius said with an overly innocent voice. "Sorry, I slipped."