The journey definitely didn’t get any easier. We kept running into more and more people, and some of them would try to attack us. Most stopped after failing to land a hit by the third or fourth attempt.

  That wasn’t the case for everyone. A very small few kept trying no matter how many times their attacks failed. Admirable willpower, but also incredibly stupid and pointless.

  Their sacrifices served as a warning for everyone else who was still hesitating about whether to attack us or not. Watching other idiots die is a very clear sign of danger.

  “I feel a little bad for those idiots…” Ogine sounds slightly sad and disappointed as she watches another pair get eliminated.

  “They were asking for it. If they hadn’t attacked us, they might’ve had a chance later.” Brendu simply shrugs in midair.

  “I know, they totally deserved it. It’s just sad to be that close to something and lose it because you didn’t choose your final steps wisely.” Ogine says those words while picking up another Honor Medal.

  We’ve managed to collect four more in these last two hours. Around that same time, we all received a message from the omnipresent voice. It felt like an announcement inside your head, and I can still replay it if I focus.

  “All required Honor Medals have been obtained! The time limit has begun! Proceed to the designated meeting point.” The message is clear and precise. There’s no other way to interpret it.

  From that moment on, people started acting more reckless and savage. They only have a few hours left to get their three medals, and the final two hours will likely turn into complete madness for anyone trying to reach the massive pillar of light ahead of us.

  From this distance, the radius of the circle looks small. Even something the size of a castle looks as tiny as a finger.

  “It’s time to go. Things are going to get heated soon.” My instincts tell me that much. People will start getting desperate and attacking without caring about the consequences.

  “Yeah… it sounds fun to get wrapped up in the chaos a bit, but we can’t. We have to be more responsible.” Brendu replies, her gaze judging me intensely.

  Does she really think that? It hasn’t crossed my mind at all to drop them off inside the safe zone with my reward and go back out to have some fun. Who would think something like that? Obviously not me.

  “Your face gives you away. You’re thinking about leaving the safe zone and going back out.” Brendu lets out a long sigh. “Let’s find Areci first and ask for her opinion.”

  I don’t respond. I simply increase our speed slightly to reach the safe zone as soon as possible. I agree with Brendu—before doing something that risky, I need to talk to the rest of the team.

  There are many advantages to going back out and eliminating anyone capable of attacking me. There would be less competition in future rounds. It would make it easier for our entire school to advance.

  Another point is defending one of my teammates from attackers or even another Limit Breaker. I can’t rule out the possibility of another school sending their own Limit Breaker out for a few hours to cause chaos.

  Anything is possible during these final hours. We have to consider everyone’s perspective without exception.

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  I hear Ogine complain about the sudden increase in speed, a few muffled shouts. Her eyes are tightly shut, though she’s slowly opening them again, and her gaze is drilling holes into my back.

  The enormous pillar of light grows larger and larger as we approach. I lower our altitude a bit so I can sense anyone within the range of my Personal World. I’ll try to find familiar faces as quickly as possible.

  We pass through the light without issue. There must be some kind of sensor that identifies whether you’re carrying at least three Honor Medals. The first person we see is familiar, though not someone I’ve spoken to or interacted with directly.

  The prince of this empire, Charles Kar. He’s standing beside two people, a man and a woman. I’m sure I saw them with him during the inauguration. They must be his school teammates.

  I hover in the air for a few seconds as we lock eyes. The tension rises slowly. Brendu and Ogine don’t say a word. The prince’s team is frozen as well.

  A small smile forms on his lips. The same happens on mine. I wink at the prince and receive a wink in return. Then I start moving again as if nothing happened.

  “That was anticlimactic.” Ogine complains after letting out a breath.

  “I know we can’t fight inside this safe zone, but my mind forgot that detail for a moment.” Brendu was ready to fight—I felt it in her Imra. The same goes for Ogine. She didn’t flinch for a second.

  “It’s nothing. Just a simple exchange of looks.” And that’s exactly what it was. I didn’t sense any malice from the prince, and I never transmitted any intent to fight. It was like a slightly unconventional greeting.

  We descend to the ground a few hundred meters away. My mana has been slowly draining this entire time. The search will be done the old-fashioned way—running around until we find them.

  We decide to head straight toward the castle at the center. Getting closer to the structure turns out to be the right call. From a distance, I recognize someone immediately—the big guy stands out anywhere.

  “Humyyyyr!” I shout as we run toward them.

  He’s not alone. The twins are lying on the grass beside him. Humyr notices us instantly when he hears his name and starts running toward us at full speed. The twins get up and follow him.

  I give Humyr a tight hug. Ogine and Brendu greet the twins, then we rotate until we’ve all greeted each other.

  “How have you been? When did you get here?” I ask, clear excitement in my voice.

  “Not too bad, not too good. I had a hard time at the start fighting some monsters. Then I teamed up with someone from another school to clear a challenge and got betrayed when we found the chest. It was a tough fight, but I managed to eliminate him.” Humyr gives us a brief summary of his experience.

  “How did it go for you?” Brendu asks the twins.

  “Complicated and difficult.” Brak answers.

  “Fun and dangerous.” Bruk replies. As communicative as ever. It’s always interesting when they talk. Areci will push them to speak more later—she somehow gets them to talk like normal people.

  “Now tell us about you three. How did you end up together?” Humyr asks. At some point, the big guy pulls food out of his dimensional bracelet. We all do the same and sit down to rest our legs a bit.

  “Before that—where are Areci and Shawu?” I ask the three of them.

  “Don’t forget our other two teammates. They’re part of the team too.” Brendu reminds me that there are ten of us. I’d honestly forgotten about them.

  “Areci was here with us. She thought it was strange that Shawu hadn’t arrived yet and decided to go look for her nearby. Inside the castle, there are boards listing all the participants’ names. She checked and confirmed Shawu was still active. We also found out our other two teammates have been eliminated.” Humyr explains quickly.

  “That’s unfortunate… they’re both strong. They must’ve had bad luck. We’ll have to ask them what happened once we get out.” Brendu replies.

  “Areci went to look for Shawu? Won’t she need help?” Ogine looks and sounds worried.

  “Yeah… at first, we all offered to go with her. She refused immediately. It’s too dangerous to go out right now—we could get ambushed and eliminated.” Humyr looks frustrated. I understand why. He probably wants to go after her more than anyone.

  “Don’t worry, big guy. I’ll bring them back safe and sound.” I place my hand on Humyr’s shoulder and give him a wide smile.

  “You’re just looking for an excuse to go outside.” Brendu replies. She already has her hand extended toward me. I hand her the compressed sphere immediately.

  “That’s not true. I need to help my teammates. I’m the only one who can fly, and I can survive any ambush.” I give the princess a small kiss on the forehead. “Relax while I’m gone. I promise I’ll do everything I can to bring them back safely.” I take three Honor Medals from Ogine just in case they need them. It’s time for a rescue mission.