**Disclaimer: This chapter has violent/gruesome content .**

Multiple carriages were already gathered at the entrance to the North forest when the carriages Leah and Alice were in reached the destination. Alice immediately headed to the side of the crowd to leave the sea of people while Leah wondered seemingly aimlessly around the crowd. It took quite awhile before each of them found what they wanted. Alice jumped up onto a low tree branch to take a breather. Leah had the expression as if she finally found their rendezvous point with the other three. 

"Sorry for taking so long! There are just so many people." Leah apologised then peeked at Ethan only to see that he was paying attention to anything else besides her.

"Nothing to worry about. They still have not signaled the start of the exam." Violet reassured her with a small smile.

"But they would anytime now." Stephan said without hiding his irritation.

Leah lightly bit her lower lip. 

Just a few seconds after Stephan talked, a loud explosion sounded in the air and everyone jumped in shock then looked up and towards the source of the sound. There was a large earth tablet that rose from the ground near the entrance of the forest. Large words clearly engraved into it that even Alice who was at the opposite end could easily read the words. 

EXAM START. ENTER THE FOREST. 30:00

The crowd was split into three waves. The majority made up the first wave. They were people who wanted a head start so rushed in the moment their brains registered the message on the tablet. The second wave followed closely behind as they were people who hesitates or trails others to make use of their resources. The minority made up the final wave. These included Alice who waited for everyone to clear out before making a move. 

Alice secretively observed who else stayed behind. BaoBao immediately caught on to what Alice was doing so knew it was time to report his observation. 

I tracked all the people that Leah passed by earlier. You are right, the people whom she made bodily contact with grouped up as soon as they entered the forest. However, they were split into the different waves. There are 4 of them here.

Alice felt that BaoBao's tone sounded a little chirpy. BaoBao, what are you happy about?

...How are you so perceptive...? Sorry if it's not the right time to say this but since you asked, my confidence in my prediction just increased~ 

Why?

I know your guess is that Rosalyn is involved in this but she is the only one here besides Violet's group that Leah didn't touch~ BaoBao sounded extremely pleased with himself as if he has already won the game. 

The 4 that Leah had touched finally moved to enter the forest when the timer below the words wrote 01:00. It was now left with Violet's group, Alice, and Rosalyn. 

Alice lazed on the branch and finally moved when the timer dropped to 00:30. People who did not make it into the forest by the end of the timer would fail the exam by default. Not many people would try to hold anyone back by fighting though. It would pull themselves down and everyone had their guards up already. 

Just as Alice jumped down from the branch, Rosalyn happened to move at the same time. She headed Northwest, while Alice headed North like she told Leah. Seeing that Alice made her move, Violet's group deftly followed behind. 

Leah silently let out a sigh of relief. She knew that the other three was confident that Alice knew what she was doing but Leah could not bring herself to trust their judgement. Alice was completely erratic in Leah's mind. Leah could not tell if Alice intended to drop out for whatever strange reason. So she ended up being the only one silently fretting to the point of breaking out in cold sweat once the timer hit 01:00.

Alice's behaviour for the next 30 minutes further strengthened her impression of Alice. She would suddenly take unexpected turns and detours from time to time, giving Leah a mini heart attack each time she did not head North. 

She was only worried about Alice not heading North because she had told her accomplices to split into groups to lie in wait along the path to the North. If they did not see hide nor hair of Alice within a stipulated timing, they would join up with the others waiting deeper in the forest.

As her attention was completely focused on Alice, she missed the little smile that formed on Ethan's lips and the proud gaze he had while looking at Alice. He did not know how but he knew that she was avoiding traps, wild animals, and confrontations. The more time that passed by uneventfully, the more sure he was.

Another half an hour passed by in the same manner. Suddenly, Alice slowed down her steps as if she was getting tired.

The number has remained constant for the past 10 minutes?

Yes, no one new joined up anymore. They're constantly moving ahead of you to set up their ambush again and again. Most of them look increasingly unhappy though.

After all, they only have Leah's word for it. She's but a mere single ability user... They must be filled with doubts by now.

It's time?

Get ready to identify every single trap in the area.

Okay! Time to rumble! BaoBao said with gust.

... I'm counting on you. Alice decided to say.

BaoBao's head cooled down with Alice's unexpected expression of reliance. He understood the importance of his role and took it more seriously.

Leah bit her lips hard enough for her to taste a little blood. Just a little more! Keep moving! Who would have thought her stamina was so bad? Ugh! Alice had finally stopped detouring for the past few minutes so it put Leah further in tenterhooks.

However, Alice gradually slowed down her pace even more. This drew frowns from Violet, Stephan, and Ethan. They knew her stamina very well from sparring together. After she made a few much smaller detours, she finally sat against a tree to take break.

Ethan tensed up as he immediately figured out the meaning behind her actions. Violet and Stephan sensed the change in Ethan since they have had their guards up this whole time, so they finally understood Alice's intention as well. 

Only Leah clenched her teeth hard enough that it could break anytime. They were only a few feet away from the ambush point! She recognised the trap on the other side of the tree that Alice was leaning on. It was a trap camouflaged as part of the tree bark but would spring out as barbs once triggered. So she knew that the group fortunately has not moved on to a further point.

However, she saw that only Alice has entered the circle of ambush. Alice could likely be seen by them but the other three were not within range yet.

It doesn't matter! I'll just initiate the fight and we'll win by numbers! Leah decided. 

...If only you loved me back, you would not have to suffer the same fate as Violet. Leah said her final goodbye to Ethan in her mind. She took a subtle glance at him to find him looking straight back at her with the coldest gaze she has ever known. Her heart gripped with an unknown fear. She was the one ambushing them, what was there to fear?

She understood why within the next split second when she felt intense pain at her neck and witnessed her surroundings tilting to one side weirdly. Tears welled up in her eyes but did not have enough time to leave her eyes before the light in her eyes got snuffed out. 

Stephan and Ethan coldly watched as Leah's detached head and body drop from the tree they were in along with three one-third completed icicles behind each of them. The icicles were slowly disintegrating into frost before disappearing. Only Violet's watery eyes held sadness and hurt in them. What did I do wrong? How did she end up this way?

Just before everything touched the ground, the three of them turned back towards the soon-to-be battlefield and unleashed their full strength in unison. 

Everyone was already on standby and ready to attack the moment Violet or either one of her knights came into view. However, their sudden loss of sight threw them off. When they saw numerous  bright and glowing spinning crescents appearing randomly in the darkness, they knew they were being attacked. 

Those who would have gotten hit by the spinning crescents either blocked with their attacks or tried to dodge it. The ones who did not react fast enough got hit. Those who dodged but had no luck or memory of their surroundings, ran into a branch or some other obstacle which gave them injuries. Some of those who thought they were safe felt pain as if they got sliced. Sounds of trees toppling, things being cut, and screams and shouts could be heard. 

Everything happened in mere moments. Raging fires and numerous lightning strikes immediately followed the darkness and light attacks. However, counter-attacks were launched at the same time. One of the enemies turned out to have a light ability since Stephan's darkness was dispelled. All kinds of attacks came flying towards the trio's general position. Flower petals, vines, earth, water, lightning, ice, and more. Ethan had expected this and was already in the midst of using his wind to change their location. 

The sand and dust settled after awhile. The whole area looked battered, especially the spot where the trio had been at. A charred, barren, and messy spot is what was left of it. Everyone could easily make out a head separated from its body but it was mangled beyond recognition. Nobody could be sure whose body it was. 

A dead silence fell. It was like the calm before the storm. Nobody dared to make a move and was on full alert. All except one.

No one noticed nor was paying any attention to Alice who is now furthest north and standing behind the entire group. When Stephan had trapped everyone in darkness, she burst out of the darkness as the light and water attacks entered the sphere of darkness then ran swiftly around the perimeter to go behind the group. 

While everyone was tensed up and waiting for movement from a distance away where the trio were likely at, Alice steadily and calmly blended in with the group. BaoBao directed her to every trap that was still intact after the trio's flurry of attacks which she subtly shifted or recalibrated. Since she was coming from behind them, no one bothered to pay any attention to her or her actions.

BaoBao was currently filled with exhilaration, an emotion with an intensity he never felt before. Although he was not directly involved in the combat, he might as well have been a part of it. He had managed to carry out his duty successfully. Once the darkness was dispelled, BaoBao appeared in his tiniest form possible and did a thorough search of the area for every single trap. All the movement he caused due to his interaction with the environment was camouflaged by the chaos created by the simultaneous attacks flying everywhere in that moment. No one saw nor noticed him. Alice had thought of this plan to maximise his usefulness without breaking the rule that he could not affect nor interact with the world's characters. It was thanks to Alice that he got to experience something this stimulating.

There was only about less than half of the original number of traps left intact so it did not take her very long to complete what she intended to do. She steadily retreated to the back of the group, prepared to watch the ensuing show and offer her assistance if Violet needed it. She still had her mission to complete after all.

However, just as she leaned against a tree, she got encased in a water bubble. Almost instantly after that happened, various attacks were launched simultaneously.