Chapter 11

Episode 11: We Are One — Eight Hours In

Kinzo Shua spotted the Instructor perched in the treetop. My stolen map was right. If Mago just stalls them long enough, I can still take first—even with this leg. He'd handed off his gear to Mago and slipped away. If I don't finish first, I'll never be able to face him again. He stared down at his own leg. But I can't... feels like it's about to burst. Just five minutes. Five minutes to rest. A rustle in the underbrush made him look up.

A pitch-black wolf stared back at him, eyes glowing.

"What the..."

The wolf crept forward, never breaking eye contact—like it already knew he was wounded.

More wolves emerged from the shadows. One by one, they surrounded him.

Five of them. He drew his wooden sword. I could take one, but the second I move, the rest will tear me apart. This isn't about the test anymore—this is about survival. He bit down hard on his lower lip. Think.

His eyes locked on the wolves.

Think.

He froze, mind racing.

After two seconds, the answer came.

He acted.

Kinzo ignited the blade of his wooden sword.

The wolves flinched back from the burning brand, unwilling to close the distance. But the flame was already eating into the wood. The makeshift torch wouldn't last long.

I can't let this be another obstacle. He stared into the fire, hardening his resolve. I have to deal with this myself. His blue eyes blazed brighter.

---

I walked over to where Louise lay on the ground.

"Mago, you realize what you're doing to your own classmates, right?"

Louise's voice was accusatory.

"I do. But you threw weapons at me, so we're even. Oh, while we're at it—mind if I borrow these? Just in case."

I scooped up the spears that had fallen to the ground.

Four in total.

I tucked them between my uniform and underlayer.

I probably looked like a one-man hunter tribe.

Then I pulled out the matchbox from the pack I'd been carrying.

I struck a match and said, "Listen carefully."

I unbuttoned the front of my uniform.

Maps spilled out.

Twenty-seven in total.

I had taken down twenty-seven teams by myself.

More than half of the entire group.

I used a spear to draw a line in the dirt at my feet.

"Cross that line, and I burn everything."

The fallen recruits groaned in protest.

"Do you really have to go that far, Mago?" Louise asked.

"Yes. I do."

I need to make a name for myself in the Special Forces and climb through the ranks fast. This is just the first step. Scratching into tenth place and getting assigned to the Special Forces is one thing—arriving as Top Student is another. The starting treatment is completely different.

When I think about what comes next, it's obvious I have to be at the top.

And like I said from the beginning, I have no intention of going easy.

Even if I had to play the villain, so be it.

"What the hell are you all doing?! You're going to let one guy scare you? Get up—NOW!"

At Amon's shout, my fallen classmates started stirring.

In response, I made a show of holding my match over the pile of maps scattered on the ground. The maps that Groups A and B had fought tooth and nail for—now seconds away from turning to ash.

"Like I keep telling you, I'm not your real enemy."

I pointed at the other trainees still locked in combat nearby.

"I've got twenty-seven out of fifty maps. If I burn all of these, the value of each remaining map just goes up."

I tilted my head and added, "What are you waiting for? Go."

The ones glaring at me spat out curses and turned back. Even Amon's yelling couldn't change that. A few had already given up entirely.

"Amon, Bell, and Louise—all taken down at once."

"Can anyone here... I mean, is there anyone here who can beat Mago?"

"He was hiding his real strength all along..."

Whispers rippled through the group.

I slowly lifted my head.

A full moon, half-hidden behind clouds, stared down at me.

By now, I figured it was about time for my promise with Kinzo. Maybe even a little past it.

"How about we just let Mago take first place and all rest here..."

"Yeah. Kinzo's probably already gone ahead. I didn't notice at first, but if he's still not here..."

"So we've already lost first place... Then what the hell have we been doing this whole time?"

Their will was crumbling. A few had already started setting up camp at the checkpoint. Movement and voices were fading into silence.

"The moment you give up, you're playing right into his hands!"

Louise's sharp voice shattered the stillness.

"Everyone get up, you idiots!"

That snapped them back to reality.

Amon was the first to push himself up, using the tip of his wooden sword as a crutch.

"Right. Numbers don't lie."

He glanced at Bell, still unconscious, and added, "Might not be our full strength without her awake, though."

But Louise's voice had done its job. The 66th Class Trainees stood up as one, grabbing their wooden swords.

Every single tip pointed at me.

Their eyes had changed completely.

Even if it meant every map burned to nothing.

Even if it meant all of them got eliminated here.

I was determined to drag them down with me.

The trainees crept closer.

"Man, I really do feel like the villain now."

I stepped backward.

"Rush him all at once!"

At Louise's signal, they charged.

I gripped my wooden sword tight.

Then I said, "I'm out."

And spun around and ran.

"Wha—what?!"

"I've stalled long enough."

The maps I'd spread on the ground—I hadn't gathered them just for intimidation.

From being the common enemy...

"You guys can come down later."

I'd collected them to set everyone against each other again.

And sure enough, Group A and Group B clashed once more, fighting over the maps I'd taken from them.

Their shouts filled my ears.

---

I have to deal with this myself. Kinzo's eyes burned with resolve.

He scanned his surroundings with Clairvoyance Magic. Trees. Trees... Everything in his vision appeared split in half—cross-sections glowing pale blue. Unlike Mago, who only saw contrast, Kinzo's sight was drenched in vivid, almost painful color. A tree I can climb. He kept scanning, searching for the right one. There.

He backed away, never breaking eye contact with the wolves, and kept threatening them with his burning sword.

When he finally reached the tree he'd chosen, he spun around in one motion. Low branch—there! He threw himself into the jump with everything he had, grabbed the branch like a gymnast gripping a bar, and used the momentum to swing himself up. He landed on a thicker branch, gasping.

Below, the wolves snarled up at him.

I need to go higher. Still higher. He didn't stop. He bit down on the handle of his wooden sword and climbed with his hands, pulling himself upward.

Only when he reached the very top did he allow himself to breathe.

He extinguished the flame on his sword and relied on the moonlight from then on. He watched the wolves scrambling at the base of the trunk, trying to climb.

"Not completely unable, I see."

They were slowly figuring out how to ascend.

"But at least it buys me time."

He stared down at his half-burned sword. I won't even get a moment's rest, let alone sleep. He massaged his overworked leg, the one he'd pushed too hard climbing.

The wolves didn't give up. They drooled like they'd been starved for days, never taking their eyes off him.

And then something came flying toward him.

A long, thin object slammed into one of the wolves' heads. An arrow? No... He squinted. A spear. His head naturally turned to trace the trajectory.

"Mago?"

"Sorry to disappoint."

It wasn't Mago.

It was a man with gray hair.

"Who are you?"

"You don't even know my name? I've been right next to you the whole time!"

"Next to me?"

"Yeah, from the very start! You were so distracted by Louise that you didn't even notice, did you?"

"Louise?"

"I'm in the same group as Louise! I made this spear and the launching device!"

The man showed off by firing another spear from his wrist-mounted contraption. It struck another wolf, and the rest of the pack tucked their tails and fled.

"I split off from Louise from the beginning."

"Why would you do that? I finally got paired with her. Guess the strong ones really do get stronger..."

"Louise ordered me to! I had no choice!"

Then he launched into his own story like a heroic tale.

"We already took down a Group B squad when we reached the checkpoint. They were lucky enough to have a map. Louise told me to go on ahead."

He puffed out his chest and declared, "I'm the one who's going to bring first place to Louise!"

His eyes locked onto Kinzo. He pulled his spear arm back.

"W-wait. I'm at the top of this tree. If that thing hits me, I'll fall to my death...!"

"Throw me the map. Then I'll hold my fire."

The map? I don't have one. I didn't get a map—I memorized it. If that bastard finds out... The conclusion hit him instantly. Disqualification.

"Now!"

The man shouted.

If he finds out here, it's over. I have to stall somehow, pretend I have the map.

"I've already stalled plenty of time."

A familiar voice.

White Hair stepped out of the shadows.

Mago struck the man's neck with the edge of his hand.

"Ghk..."

The man collapsed instantly.

"Kinzo. What are you doing up there?"

"Mago!"

---

The gray-haired classmate. I slung him over my shoulder. Kinzo carefully climbed down, watching his footing, then pointed at the man on my shoulder.

"He's in the same group as Louise. His name is..."

"Oscar. Oscar Sitta. He must have gone down before I used the lake."

"Huh? You even remember his name? I had no idea."

"I don't forget any of my classmates."

Especially the ones who die later.

I shifted Oscar from my shoulder to my arm. Lying on the ground where he'd fallen was a J-shaped device.

"By the way, this guy said he made the spears and the launcher himself. His craftsmanship is incredible... The only thing they gave us for tools was an emergency dagger."

"Yeah, though the instructors probably don't know that. There's never been a training exercise that tests handiwork skills."

But then Kinzo suddenly grabbed my shoulder, urgency flashing across his face.

"More importantly, Mago—did you bring a map?"

He whispered it like a secret.

"Map?"

"Yeah, a map. One of us has to be carrying a Group A map. Otherwise, we're disqualified...!"

"Disqualified? Oh, right. You memorized yours."

"So I'm asking—did you bring one or not?"

"If I didn't, I'd have to go back, wouldn't I?"

"Mago, don't tell me..."

The look of shock on his face was priceless.

"I have it. How else would I have gotten here?"

Kinzo finally let out a long breath.

"How's your leg?"

"It hurts. A lot."

"Then let's rest here."

"You're taking it easy? I thought you'd tell me to push through with sheer willpower."

"I might have. But there are wolves in the forest."

"And you're saying we should rest?"

"Anyone following us will light fires to scare off the wolves. They'll set up camp and keep the flames going."

I sat down on the ground and continued.

"If they want to survive, they'll have to band together. All those classmates who've been fighting tooth and nail—they'll unite. That's what the instructors wanted all along. To see us come together when faced with certain death."

"What...?"

"Remember the punishment drill before the start?"

We'd done push-ups while chanting a slogan.

We are one.

"Why else would they give us daggers we'd never use? Why would the instructors position themselves along the route? Without a map, you'd have to take a huge detour and never make it in time."

"Mago, what are you getting at?"

"The instructors knew wolves would show up here. The Head Instructor mentioned emergency daggers before the test and said 'in case of emergency.' They knew all along."

"So... if what you're saying is true—"

"Yeah. You came down first. And I stalled at the checkpoint."

A smile crept onto Kinzo's face.

"And now I've joined you."

He collapsed to the ground as well.

"We've already won."

"I guess we have."