The next morning marked the second day of the field expedition. Many student groups had already set off, and Kairos's team was preparing as well.
Reins and Kairos were packing up their campsite, while Fiona, Melina, and Irene organized supplies a short distance away.
Kairos looked up at the sky and noticed the clouds were far denser than the day before. He turned to speak with Reins as they worked.
"Let's pack up quickly and head out. Judging by the sky, we'll be hit by heavy rain in a few hours."
"Yeah. If it rains, visibility will drop and the terrain will become rough. We should discuss today's plan with the rest of the group now."
Once the camp was packed, they regrouped to finalize their plan.
"Looking at the sky, it's clear the rain's coming. Let's use the dry time this morning to hunt as much as possible. Once the rain hits, we'll reassess. If it gets too bad, we'll stop hunting and focus on reaching Checkpoint Two."
Fiona presented the plan decisively.
With everything decided, Fiona's group headed out to begin hunting.
Most of the monsters they encountered were still Rank C, with occasional Rank B. Nothing too difficult for them.
"Feels like today's gonna be a breeze, huh?" Reins commented as they swiftly defeated another monster.
With Kairos leading the front, he could detect monster movements with uncanny precision and take them out before they became threats. The group barely had to lift a finger.
"It's almost too easy. Doesn't even feel like training…" Melina muttered.
"Yeah… I don't feel like I've done anything either," Irene agreed.
Fiona looked at Kairos and spoke up.
"Kairos, take a break. Let us handle things for a bit. Move to the back."
Kairos nodded and stepped back.
"I was thinking the same thing yesterday, actually. I thought no one was going to bring it up—that everyone should get equal training experience."
The group chuckled lightly, realizing they had all been thinking the same thing.
Even without Kairos at the front, Fiona's group continued making solid progress. But before long…
The rain began to fall.
At first, it was light. Then it steadily grew heavier. Visibility worsened. The ground became slick with mud.
Many groups nearby began merging into larger clusters for safety and paused their hunts.
Even Fiona's group started having trouble moving efficiently.
"Everyone, let's stop hunting. Let's regroup with the main path and larger groups. If the rain gets heavier, we might miss the cutoff for Checkpoint Two."
Everyone nodded in agreement. Fiona issued the command, and the group began returning toward the main trail.
But elsewhere…
Kaian's Group
They had silently broken off from the main crowd, unnoticed due to the thunderous rain masking their departure.
"Alright, follow me! We're going to hunt a Rank A monster!" Kaian declared with a confident grin.
His teammates followed without protest.
"Haha! This is perfect! Everyone else stopped hunting because of the rain. If we bag a Rank A, our scores will skyrocket above the rest!"
However, the downpour disoriented them more than expected. They strayed deeper into the forest than they had planned.
"Wait… are we in the danger zone already?" Kaian murmured, glancing around.
"These trees are huge… It's like we're in a deep forest now," one teammate said nervously.
"Are we really okay doing this? It's hard enough to fight in this weather."
"We're fine! I told you, we'll just take down a couple and leave!"
But then…
A massive, emerald-green serpent—Basilisk—emerged ahead.
"There it is! A Rank A Basilisk! If we can take it down—"
Before he could finish, two more monsters appeared.
One was an armored boar—Iron Boar—and the other, a blood-red mantis—Crimson Mantis.
"Three Rank A monsters?!" Kaian froze in shock.
Before they could even react, the monsters charged at them with deadly intent.
Meanwhile, with Fiona's group…
As they made their way toward the checkpoint, Kairos suddenly stopped walking, his expression serious.
"Kairos? What's wrong?" Fiona asked.
"I think I heard a scream… from deep in the forest. The restricted zone."
"Can you pinpoint it?"
"Not exactly… The rain's too loud. But I have a general direction."
Everyone looked uneasy.
"I'll go check it out. You guys keep heading to the checkpoint and inform the instructors."
Fiona quickly stepped forward.
"No."
"But someone might need help—"
"No."
"I can get there faster alone—"
"I said no!!!"
Her sudden shout startled everyone, even Kairos.
"No matter what, you're not going alone. I'm coming with you."
Kairos stared at her, confused. Her voice trembled—not with anger, but with something deeper. Fear, maybe.
He looked into her eyes, then exhaled quietly.
"Alright. Fiona, come with me. Everyone else, please inform the instructors."
The rest of the group nodded, sensing something heavy in the air between the two, and hurried off.
Only Fiona and Kairos remained.
"I won't let you go alone again… not ever."
Kairos couldn't quite grasp what she was afraid of. But whatever it was—it was real.
He nodded once more, this time with resolve.
"Fiona. Follow me."