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27th of March, the Year 1202
8:33
Laeon Federation, Horn Mountain Range

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Time passed uneventfully as the two made their way through the 1st exam, killing beasts, collecting cores and defeating any groups of examinees who got in their way. Since that event, Cordelia made sure to fully suppress her bloodlust, carefully regulating her emotions which could spike up at any moment. As a result, those who came across her were lucky to only be knocked unconscious from either her or Chloe.

      She complained a lot, but Cordelia helped to train Chloe’s physical endurance as they often walked and ran from pursuers too troublesome to deal with. This was because their mana had to be rationed as it was now a precious resource that couldn’t be wasted, especially for the two of them who were like blood in the water for sharks. Often running into encounters where they had the numerical disadvantage, Cordelia wisely fled, unable to fight battles left and right. Preservation of energy and stamina was vital in the wild. This rule definitely applied to Chloe since she had very low stamina in the first place. 

      It was now the 5th day. Two days had gone since their first rest in the mountains and this trend had continued up until now as there was no other feasible way to stay up there for long periods of time. Chloe’s stamina problem was emphasised by the low air pressure so their breaks were routine. However, she could tell how they became less and less frequent, showing how the little girl was adapting to her environment. It also spoke volumes on how determined she was; Chloe was obviously holding on until she couldn’t any longer. 

      Proud of the girl’s will to improve, Cordelia skinned another magical beast after it was knocked unconscious by Chloe and killed by her. For some reason, she found that younger girl avoided killing but Cordelia skipped around the issue for now and took up that responsibility. There was already blood on her hands so it didn’t matter to her. She ignored the fact that every time she was in a position to execute a killing blow on an examinee, she winced and hit them with a non-fatal attack instead.

       “It seems that we have to stop here.”

Cordelia was referring to the lack of a path in front of them, ending in a mildly steep drop. She had noticed how the mountains were getting increasingly steep and narrow so she had expected this result. It was fortuitous that the drop wasn’t that precipitous so she could just jump off and slow down their descent by skidding on the walls. 

      Doing so, she took necessary preparations by refastening her amour and backpack before heaving Chloe up into her arms. She decisively took a step off the ledge before her other left its grip on the precarious fringe of earth.

      There were a few flat pieces of rock on her way down which she used to her advantage to pause every minute or so of skidding, carefully securing her heels on the sides of the mountain each drop. It was going peacefully until a pair of Marble Eagles, Tier 6 Magical Beasts, soared towards them, obviously intent in plucking them up.

      Gritting her teeth, she moved one hand to her blade as she circulated her mana even faster. I won’t be able to use Flicker Sword Arts in this state. That just leaves it to Kumia Combat Arts or freestyle!

      Her toned leg muscles tensed before springing like a snake coiling and lunging at its prey, her sword emitting the distinct sound of unsheathing. The force behind her legs was so great that she left a vague indentation of her feet with spider-like cracks spreading out from it, dust clouds in her wake.

      First Step.

Stunned by her speed, the eagles weren’t able to react in time as she drew her sword in one motion, swinging it as she shot straight towards them. With a cry, one of them had their right wing injured as Cordelia slashed into it. She span rapidly through the air, blood splattered all over her face and managed to land on the opposite mountainside before sliding down again.

      However, before she could continue her attack, she noticed that her katana was chipped slightly on the edge. Even Kawara’s custom-made katana was unable to withstand that unharmed, hm? Grimacing, she stacked new Enhancement Spells on her legs and leapt once more towards the fumbling birds who were unable to turn in time.

      Second Step.

In a simple x-shape, Cordelia carved the injured eagle’s other wing, effectively disabling the beast as she stepped on its back for stabilisation before jumping again to its partner.

      Third Step.

Her eyes narrowed and strained as she lunged forward, cutting an unblockable triangle towards the now ready eagle. It opened its sharp beaks, trying to crunch down on Cordelia’s figure. As her strikes landed on the eagle’s beak, she realised how she had miscalculated.

      She had overestimated the durability of her katana which had shattered upon impact, leaving little more than deep scratches on its golden beak, ready to end hers and Chloe’s life. But Cordelia was not without precautions and backups. It was crude and difficult to make without the proper tools or materials but she had created seals. Explosive ones at that. Seeing how they weren’t properly made, they were extremely delicate and could explode at the slightest touch. 

      Lips pursing, she quickly whipped them out from her pocket and threw it forward, straight into the eagle’s wide mouth. Cordelia was not usually one for theatrics but this brush with death most likely softened her self-control for a single moment.

“Bang.”

Boom!

Aware of the person in her arms, she turned away right before the explosion occurred, taking the brunt of the impact as she blanketed Chloe with her body. The intense burning and pain on her back made her want to groan but she restrained herself, concentrating on their fast drop as she haphazardly applied Enhancement Magic to herself, protecting her from the eventual crash.

      Turning around again, she faced her back to the ground and hugged Chloe even harder who was screaming in fear, her tiny hands almost embedded into her arms as she was grasping so tightly.

Crash!

Knowing that her back was completely wrecked right now and in no state to fight, she struggled to stand up with Chloe in her arms, escaping before any examinee or beast could find them.

      Her legs protested, bones shaking and muscles ripping, but she refused to let up, the only thought in her head being Chloe’s safety. It was her fault if she ended up being hurt because Chloe wasn’t an examinee here. The girl entered because she did, so there was no way she would let her suffer.

      Cordelia’s judgement ended up being spot-on as her fight with the pair of Marble Eagles wasn’t discreet by any means. Examinees and beasts appeared at the sight of battle soon after, hoping to reap the rewards when both fighters were wounded. Similarly, the eagles had fled, licking their wounds and huffing in anger.

      Finding an extremely tall and thick tree, Cordelia hid up there as she nursed herself to little immediate effect. Her armour on the back was ripped, burned and shredded, exposing her portions of her pale skin which wasn’t in that much of a better situation. 

      Many of her supplies that she had stored in her handcrafted backpack was lost in the fight, including vital medical resources which could be used at this moment. Chloe had aided in dressing her wound with bandages but it was only a temporary measure; it might be infected but Cordelia had no place to attend to that properly. The tree wasn’t an amazing hiding spot so she couldn’t afford to dilly-dally.