Even after three years had gone by, the memories remained painfully clear. Those cries, those screams, and the moonlight that shone through the night were carved into his memory. Helpless, he could only cry out. People came and watched, but all they could do was hug him as they saw his mother die after a year of pain. On that day, he held a grudge against someone he had always thought to be his family.

"HA!?"

As Theo opened his eyes, all he saw was bright sunlight. He could feel his nerves twitching as a burst of light struck him. He lifted his hand to shield his squinted eyes.

"What... where am I... ?"

He slowly roused his body. Being confused and dazed, he tried to grasp his surroundings. He looked in every direction, but all his eyes could catch were trees. He tried to tune out the world, but all that reached his ears was the gentle rustling of the breeze amidst the stillness. There seemed to be no one nearby. He peered around, squinting. A verdant forest, mossy soil, and the refreshing aroma of damp grass. It was almost like he had stepped into the woods himself.

He was, in fact, in the woods.

He stumbled to his feet. Felt like his head was about to split up. The memories flowed through him for about a minute before he could take a deep breath again. Leaning onto the tree trunk ahead, he attempted to stand up.

Once he felt his eyes could see normally again, he looked at the paper he had received. Some text appears above the forest map.

Northwest of the semicircular needle.

Theo picked up on the sentence right away. He grinned and voiced his thoughts.

"A riddle, is it?"

That sparked some profound thought within him. There are two possible interpretations of "Northwest": it could either refer to the intercardinal points or the positions of the clock hands. An additional option is to use a line drawn at a specific spot on the map as a waypoint. The semicircular needle itself could have various interpretations.

"Wait...."

He took a moment to collect his thoughts. A slight grin emerged, and he tucked the paper into his pocket.

"Wind direction or not, it would be best to start searching from the central region."

The problem with finding the center point was that, apart from the puzzle, there were no other clues. The map did not even include a legend for the North direction. All the participants had was a sheet of paper and a deadline to finish before nightfall; they were left in the woods alone.

"Then there was no choice but to find the river first."

He tried to recall his memories, but they were so hazy as if he had awoken from a long dream. As he forced himself to stand, he staggered to his feet as waves of vertigo crashed over him. It was all a dense forest, thick with spruce trees; there were no familiar landmarks or indications of human presence. With trembling legs, he attempted to walk. His eyes swept over his surroundings as he searched for an explanation. However, nothing appears. He got up and tried to walk again but suddenly stopped when he heard an odd rustling sound from his pocket.

As he took it out, he saw a folded piece of white, milky-colored paper folded to a thin business card size. When he unfolded that piece of paper, a lightbulb went off.

A burst of memories started rushing into his brain like a bullet train. Now, everything started to make sense to him. The fire, the talk with Louis, the plan for securing Lizzy, and finally, the invitation-only entrance exam held in Hordrigg. One of the instructors used an advanced etre technique, dragging all the participants to Leonia's private forest just before the exam began.

"Gah!!"

Theo recalls a woman named Sophia Greene telling them about a river in the forest. He decides that instead of sitting quietly and trying to find the answers, he should get up and move around the area. Given that no participants would die, any wild experience would suffice—unless they are up against the enemies specified in the rules.

Theo recalls a woman named Sophia Greene telling them about a river in the forest. He decided that instead of sitting quietly and trying to find the answers, he should get up and move around the area. Still, one could already imagine the opponent's looks since the testing site was a coniferous forest.

Theo approached every action with great caution. He had extensive experience in the scouts and possessed the valuable skill of locating rivers within forested areas. This knowledge proved crucial, as it was almost certain that a river could be found amidst the woods. If he happened to come across a preselected opponent, it would pose a problem. It would pose a greater challenge as there was no indication of the opponent's personality. Still, one could already imagine the opponent's appearance because the testing site was a coniferous forest.

Thick tree trunks dotted the dense forest, which had most likely been groomed for decades. The earth was so sloppy and soggy that Theo's feet got soaked several times. The contours were also uneven. Theo trudged up a steep incline for a while and then descended the slope. He went up and downhill twice, which was exactly what he wanted. The ground's uneven formations suggested the presence of flowing water below.

Theo kept seeking out descents, particularly on wet ground. The leaves scattered on the ground released a distinct, refreshing fragrance. The sun blazed overhead, fiery rays upon the frigid forest air. Perhaps Theo was too engrossed in his thoughts to feel a mosquito bite, but he didn't see any.

"Aha!"

After descending a steep gully, Theo finally saw a bright light. With each stride, the gap between trees shrank. He slipped but stayed upright. Upon confirming his assumption, he leaned back and rested on his knees.

"Finally... found it!"

He stood before a swiftly flowing river with crystal clear water. Theo stepped closer to the riverbank, breathing heavily. The dirt had a rosy hue. It was slippery and sloppy, so Theo had to take extra caution. He inched his way towards the water, carefully lowering his knees.

The water's mirror-like surface reflected his piercing blue eyes. As he took another look, he saw small pebbles and dirt that had settled into the riverbed. The river looked deep, though it was barely two meters wide. Crabs, snails, and everyone else who lived in the river appeared unconcerned with the young man's shadow and went about their daily lives as normal.

Theo held out his hand cautiously. As the icy cold pricked at the back of his hand, he sipped water. The water was so clean that Theo forgot it was raw water. Though he knew that even perfectly clear water could harbor bacteria that might be dangerous to ingest, he still wanted to drink it. In the end, he splashed water on his face, letting it trickle down from his forehead to his chin.

Theo closed his eyes and let himself be swept away by the cool river water. His mind appeared to be brimming with thoughts. Repeatedly, he submerged his head by collecting more water and pouring it onto his head. And then, like a wet dog, he got to his feet and shook his head.

"So pure!" Theo said with astonishment. His attention shifted back to the calm expanse of the water. He could see his entire body reflected on the water's surface. Had he not been in such a rush, he could have taken a moment to relax and indulge in a short nap, savoring the fresh forest air. But he knew it was a bad moment. He paused for a moment, then resumed his walk along the river.

The refreshing water had kept his head cool. The atmosphere was incredibly peaceful, and his thoughts began to flow again. He was carefree and walked lightly, not worrying too much about the exam, but he omitted an important detail.

Amidst the dense jungle, a thrilling challenge awaited all the eager participants.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

A piercing scream from a young man caused birds to scatter in all directions. Theo's eyes darted toward the jungle, surprise and caution visible on his face. A moment later, a thunderous roar from a bear made his heart skip a beat.

Theo had completely forgotten where he was, lost in the dense wilderness. Their enemies would, of course, be untamed beasts.

His breath quickened once again. He was overwhelmed with fear and unsure of how to act. He could escape, leaving behind whoever was under attack and focusing solely on his goal. On the other hand, he could go there acting heroically, offering support to all those in need.

Ninth rule: the result of each participant's action will affect the overall score.

Ninth rule: the result of each participant's action will affect the overall score.

For some reason, those words just popped into Theo's head. Everything he did in the wild during the exam had a purpose. All the work would be evaluated. In other words, if the judges thought it was appropriate, some things would surely be beneficial.

"Aah, damn it!"

Theo dashed back into the forest. He could recall where the voice had come from. Like a hunting dog, he relied on his instincts. His fists were ready; he was ready. He had known all along that he was ready. He was an arcane, and nothing could stop him from becoming one.

He moved swiftly through the thick foliage and tall grass, stepping carefully on the rocky ground covered in soft moss. Even though his breath was becoming short and his knees were hot, he did not stop running.

He dashed into the woods. Theo lowered his speed as the ground began to plow. He had no idea where he was going, but when his eyes caught a giant figure with black fur all over its body, he could sense his instinct screaming hard as if telling him to get out of there quickly.

Although he was on the right track, his estimation of his opponent was significantly incorrect. That bear was the largest he had ever seen.