-Kaller, there's an enemy squad about 200 meters away - said young Luis as he perched on a tree branch.

-Let's hope they leave, let's avoid unnecessary fights - Kaller quickly responded, looking at the tablet with the map of the area. They were about a day away from the designated area.

In the last 2 days, they had advanced a few kilometers without any setbacks, only fighting against a two-headed anaconda that reached 10 meters, its strength comparable to a phase 2 warrior. But it was easily subdued by Bruno together with Luis, who volunteered to take care of it.

-Let's sit down and rest then - the blue-haired girl, who was constantly sweating, sat on a branch, leaning her back against the trunk.

Lina looked at her squadmates and just nodded in approval as she took out a water bottle to drink.

-Tomorrow we'll be reaching the designated site, General Riskgood isn't the only concern, the other squads could attack us - alerted by his etheric ability that could sense surrounding emotions. Kaller had a pretty clear picture of how they were viewed by the other students.

Minutes passed in a blink, and the rival squad had moved off in another direction. Luis, with his etheric vision ability, managed to monitor the situation every moment; explorers were a key piece in every military operation.

-The etheric signatures moved northwest, we can continue-

-Good, let's move on - Kaller said with his usual indifference.

The star squad moved at a steady pace while navigating obstacles, Luis was at the front while Lina watched the rear. Hours passed quickly, and darkness descended over the jungle, reducing visibility to just a few meters.

-Let's camp here - Kaller opened his backpack and took out a basic kit consisting of a sleeping bag, a tent, and a cookstove.

-We'll make a Dakota fire, Bruno, dig a hole about 30 centimeters deep, Tania, go with Luis for water to the nearby river, Lina, prepare the food for cooking - everyone nodded and moved in unison. Kaller had experience camping due to the training he underwent under Lina's grandfather's tutelage.

A Dakota fire was ideal in situations where stealth was necessary; the smoke was minimal, and the flames were not visible from a distance.

Slash.

A metallic sound slicing through the wind came from the river.

-AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH- Tania fell on her backside and screamed in pain from the cut she received on her right thigh.

Luis had disappeared without warning from one moment to the next. Tania, realizing the situation, looked around with a confused expression. In that moment of hesitation, a stealthy attack came out of the darkness.

-Shut up, screaming bitch - a girl with cold eyes and a sinister aura approached step by step.

The girl, wearing a hood to cover half of her face, smoothly rotated her hips, propelling her right leg.

PAM.

A dry sound echoed in the surroundings, and Tania fell unconscious to the ground.

Tania! - Bruno shouted upon hearing the commotion and ran towards the river.

Wait, Bruno! - Lina stood up and tried to catch up with Bruno.

Guys! - before being able to finish the sentence, a flash illuminated the area, blinding those present.

PAM PAM.

A lance and a long sword embedded themselves in both of Bruno's arms.

The Rodriguez brothers duo attacked from both sides of Bruno, who had his eyes closed due to the glare.

-AGGG- enduring the pain, Bruno activated his combat reinforcement and strengthened both arms to prevent the weapons from burying deeper.

BOOOOOOOM.

An explosion occurred behind Bruno where Lina had been previously.

-Coff coff coff- Lina coughed up blood as a wind barrier covered her, managing to protect herself from the explosion, but not entirely.

On the treetop, the fire mage Camila conjured another succession of fire explosions.

Goddess of truth! Guardian of veracity! Your humble servant asks for your blessing! Illuminate with your majesty this area far from your grace! - Javiera, with her hands clasped in prayer, began to glow, and as if the sun had risen, a diameter of about 50 meters was illuminated, reaching the riverbed where Tania lay unconscious.

Kaller had his eyes closed, but he didn't need to see to orient himself; his ability allowed him to navigate easily, and he pounced on Javiera who was a few meters away.

Swooosh.

A sudden arrow was flying, aiming for his right thigh. Kaller abruptly stopped and lifted his right foot, hitting the arrowhead.

Whoa! You're a great parry King! The rumors weren't exaggerated! - an innocent-looking boy with bright eyes of excitement pointed his bow at Kaller, his dark, curly hair falling over his forehead.

Slowly opening his eyes and getting used to the light that appeared in the area, Kaller saw a curly-haired boy holding a bow, with two serious-looking boys standing beside him.

"Bastards..." Kaller thought as he saw the scene before him; two squads had joined forces and ambushed him.

Let the show begin! - the curly-haired boy shouted with joy as he leaped onto another tree.

Swoosh Swoosh Swoosh.

A rain of arrows fell upon Kaller; the boy had activated "rapid fire."

Kaller ran behind a tree to shield himself from the arrow rain, but one of the boys took his two-handed hammer and ran like a locomotive towards the tree.

"Charge," Kaller said to himself as he watched the figure running towards his position.

The star squad was in a precarious situation: Bruno fought against the Rodriguez brothers, composed of a lancer and a swordsman, Lina was being

besieged by Javiera the priestess and Camila the mage, Tania had been taken out of commission by Emilia the assassin.

On the other hand, Luis was missing, but Kaller was sure that the 2 missing members of the squad that had appeared were involved.

Lina! - Kaller shouted.

I CAN'T, YOU'LL HAVE TO WAIT FOR AN OPPORTUNITY! - the blonde-haired girl looked worn out and bruised as she faced 3 opponents. Emilia had joined the fight and clashed head-on with her; due to the divine blessing, her stealth ability was useless, so she decided to take the frontline.

"We're going to lose at this rate," Kaller glanced out of the corner of his eye at Bruno, seeing him exchanging multiple blows with the duo of brothers, but the wounds were accumulating all over his body. He wouldn't hold on for much longer.

BOOOOOM.

A fire explosion erupted from the river, sending rocks and branches flying everywhere. The squads looked towards the source of the sound, and a silhouette was illuminated by the divine blessing.

Did you throw a party and forget to invite me? - a young man with green hair and delicate features looked at the situation with a mocking smile.

Mathias! - the curly-haired boy shouted angrily, his malicious smile disappearing as he observed what the Flamegood noble was holding.

-Ha... you look pale, I brought you a gift-

A young man with singed hair and torn uniform was thrown forward.

Tomas! - the boy with the giant hammer turned red with rage and turned towards Mathias, ignoring Kaller.

Tomas was a shadow mage; due to his unique specialization, he hadn't been able to demonstrate his full potential throughout the exam, so he had lagged behind with the other members of his squad. However, the final exam arrived, and the opportunity he had been waiting for presented itself: a jungle at night was the perfect place to showcase his abilities. However, he needed a target, that's when the mortal squad approached them and offered to join forces to defeat one of the favorites.

That's how they allied and meticulously planned an ambush. Emilia could hide her etheric signature due to her stealth ability, so she was tasked with locating the star squad. Then Tomas' squad surveyed the explorer and approached to calculate his detection range. With this information in hand, along with his companion's strange ability to create barriers, they decided to wait for the night and start the operation.

But they hadn't considered that an intruder would get involved, much less that it would be Mathias Flamegood himself, who with a powerful and swift attack defeated the barrier student, leaving Tomás in a 2 vs 1 situation, who was then incinerated by Mathias, eager to fight.

Luis! - Bruno saw the figure of the small boy who was behind Mathias; he was covered in dust, his uniform in tatters, bruises and cuts visible all over his body.

The barrier student hid his presence and trapped Luis in a barrier that isolated him from the outside. Within this world, Tomás appeared, and a fierce battle began between him and Luis, who was at a disadvantage until the barrier was destroyed by Mathias.

A silence fell over the area, and all involved parties froze in their positions. Kaller stared intently at each member of his group and nodded slightly.

Bruno charged against the Rodriguez brothers, and Luis leaped onto a tree, preparing a multiple piercing shot to cover him.

Kaller joined the fight against the trio of girls to support the beleaguered Lina, who coughed up blood from time to time.

Mathias observed the giant hammer-wielding boy charging at full speed, his face flushed with rage at what he had done to his leader; the curly-haired boy shared the same feeling and aimed his bow at Mathias, the last member of the squad, who stood behind his teammates with a serious expression and looked at Mathias with fury.

Bring it on whenever you want! - an aura of fire enveloped Mathias, who looked joyfully at the trio of angry students.

Damn you! - the giant hammer-wielding boy began to run like a locomotive, knocking down the trees in his path.

"Fuckings idiots," Javiera thought to herself, observing how the situation of the other squad had spiraled out of control; they were no longer useful to her to complete her revenge.

The Goddess of Truth, who had been silent for a few days, responded to her prayers again. However, in one of her contacts, she was ordered to defeat the student Kaller; her tone sounded somewhat agitated, she had never felt such a state from the goddess before, something had definitely happened, but as an inferior being, she dared not inquire into her affairs.

Her orders were absolute, so she began to devise a plan to defeat and eliminate Kaller from the exam; she couldn't disappoint her again. She risked losing her servant status and being thrown away, many humans had been abandoned in the past, and madness was the only end for most.