Upon hearing her idea, Lilian pondered for a moment before saying, "That's a good idea."
The group only had twelve members, so they decided to split into two groups of six.
"Also, each group needs to choose a leader to guide them."
They could not have a group without a leader. Without one, everything would become chaotic. No one would listen to anyone, so it was necessary to have someone who could guide the members and make decisions.
Of course, the leader also needed to discuss ideas with the members, so they could trust him.
Her idea was indeed helpful. Without leaders, it would be difficult for them to handle anything, and disagreements would be unavoidable.
When everyone heard her words, they quickly turned their eyes toward Lilian.
Seeing their gaze, Lilian couldn't help but smile slightly. "You want me to be the leader?"
Since the start, Lilian was the one most suitable for leadership. Her reputation in the family was well-known, and she was considered a genius. Just now, she was also the one who brought everyone together.
It was completely acceptable for her to become the leader.
Everyone nodded. Without hesitation, Lilian said, "Since you chose me as the leader, I will not refuse. But like Lumain said, we need two groups, so we must choose another leader as well."
Hearing this, everyone shifted their gaze from her to Ryan. Ryan did not refuse and nodded in satisfaction.
"I will lead the other group. Since we have only twelve members, we need to split into six per group," Lilian said in a serious tone.
From the start, Marcus and James had stayed quiet, since they were the weakest among the members. The strong always had the right to speak first.
Marcus did not deny or oppose their choice of leadership. He already knew he could not become a leader because of his reputation and ability. But he had knowledge, and James did as well.
This felt similar to the Night Hideout. The first step was to choose leaders, but the difference was that the Night Hideout had more people than they did. Marcus thought this quietly and said nothing.
He simply exchanged glances with James, since neither of them knew what to say.
After they agreed to make Lilian and Ryan the group leaders, they divided the groups. One group would stay at the platform, and the other would go search for food.
After a chaotic discussion, they finally agreed that Ryan's group would search for food while Lilian's group stayed at the camp.
Lilian's team had two boys and four girls including herself, while Ryan's team had three boys and two girls including him.
Marcus was assigned to Ryan's team, since he was the one who knew what edible plants looked like.
James stayed with Lilian.
From the beginning, Ryan did not want Marcus on his team. He would have preferred to have James instead. In his point of view, Marcus was an idiot, weak and lazy, someone who did not know anything. Even though Marcus was the son of the lord, he was still trash compared to Ryan.
But Ryan could not object, since Marcus was the only one who knew the appearance of the edible plants in the forest.
Even though Marcus learned everything from novels, and the books contained only words without pictures, the descriptions were detailed enough for him to recognize the plants.
After preparing everything, the two groups bid eachother farewells before heading toward the forest.
Looking at the forest in front of them, they couldn't help but feel a chill crawl down their spines.
Hesitation took over instantly. No one stepped forward.
They stood there like statues, as if a terrifying grave lay before them.
They swallowed nervously, fear flashing across their faces.
No one dared to step in. Seeing this, Lilian couldn't help but worry. They were only going to search nearby, but she could not be sure whether even the nearby area was safe.
The thick vines and tall trees blocked their view, darkness swallowed the light, making it impossible to see what was inside. This made her even more worried.
James wanted to go with Marcus and help his friend if something happened, but every time, Lilian stopped him. If James went, no one in her group would know what to do next. James also knew a lot about the forest, second only to Marcus.
The person who feared it the most was Marcus. Even though he knew a lot about the forest, this was his first time actually being inside one. And the forest he was facing now was nothing like a normal forest filled with green leaves and small trees.
This forest was dark. The trees were withered, their leaves were gray, and every trunk was thick and ancient, as if the forest had existed for thousands of years.
No one took the first step. They began looking at each other, and without noticing it, hesitation grew in their hearts.
Seeing the situation getting worse, Ryan tried to think of a solution. Suddenly, an idea struck him.
He first turned his sharp gaze toward Marcus, but after a moment he moved his eyes away and shifted his attention to the boy standing beside Marcus.
"You go first," Ryan commanded. As the leader, he had the right to give orders. The others had to listen, unless a command was beyond their ability or put their lives at extreme risk.
The boy was about to refuse, but after seeing Ryan's sharp gaze, he swallowed his words and nodded fearfully.
Marcus couldn't help but feel relieved.
Why did he look at me? Did he want me to lead them into the forest? Marcus wondered quietly.
He stayed silent and simply followed the group into the forest.
He didn't say a word the entire time. Just as he was about to step inside, he glanced back.
About five meters behind him stood James and Lilian, both watching him with worried expressions. Seeing this, he raised his hand and waved at James.
James waved back, but it only made him more worried about Marcus.
Watching Marcus's figure disappear into the forest, James sighed softly. Worry filled his heart, but he didn't say anything. All he could do was hope Marcus stayed safe. To him, Marcus was a real friend. Marcus was the one who introduced him to novels, and the one who taught him what it meant to be an honest person.
Before meeting Marcus, James had been a good student who was never late. He was a top student, comparable to Lilian. But no one knew that behind his achievements lay a lazy heart. He never wanted to study or be the top student. He wanted a carefree life. When lunch came, he wanted to eat. When he felt sleepy, he wanted to sleep. When he wanted to slack off, he wanted to slack off.
But he couldn't do any of that because of his parents' expectations.
After he met Marcus, he began to changed. He learned how to be himself. He no longer needed to wear a mask. He became honest with himself and with others. The mask he had worn for so long slowly faded.
In this world, everyone wears a mask, no matter who they are. The mask never leaves their face; it simply changes depending on the environment they find themselves in.
Eighty percent of Atraxia's students were outsiders. Like James, he had come from Loisuis, one of the cities in the Hamberg kingdom. No one knew why outsiders outnumbered the members of the main families.
Marcus slowly faded from James's view until he vanished inside the forest.
Lilian also worried about Ryan's group. Even though she told them this was only a test created by the family and that they wouldn't die in the forest, it was just a lie that she created to make them listen to her and calm down. The guilt weighed heavily on her. As the person everyone trusted the most, she wanted to disappear from sight because of the guilt tightening in her chest.
I can't think like that. Even though I am not sure whether this is really a test, the professors might come help us if it is not. After thinking this, she felt slightly calmer.
...
The boy in the lead had fear written on his face. Every step he took was filled with hesitation. The deeper he went, the more his fear grew, as though each step would bring him face to face with a terrifying monster.
The five members behind him walked quietly. Fear was clearly visible on their faces. They tried to suppress it, but no matter what, they couldn't erase it.
Marcus was the one who feared the most. His legs trembled slightly, and sweat formed on his forehead as he continued walking.
Around them, the thick and eerie forest filled their vision. Every step they took was met with tangled vines and twisted roots. Even though they hadn't gone far inside, they felt as if something in the forest was watching them.
When they were about to start searching for food, Marcus suddenly froze. He spoke quickly.
"I forgot to tell you earlier when we were still on the platform. We need to use something as a signal so the others can find us, and so we can find our way back without getting lost."
Hearing this, everyone froze. A cold feeling surged through their hearts. It was as if they wanted to strangle Marcus for saying this so late.
Ryan suddenly grabbed Marcus by the shirt and yelled furiously, "Why did you say this now? If we get lost, it is your fault."
His voice echoed loudly through the forest. Marcus stared at Ryan in fear, unable to say anything except to whisper an apology.
But Ryan didn't stop. He shook Marcus and threw him to the ground. Just as he raised his fist to punch him, a hand appeared and stopped him.
"Who is stopping me?" Ryan growled. He quickly turned his head and saw that the person who stopped him was another boy in their group.
The boy still showed traces of fear, but he tried to suppress it. "We are here to find food, not to fight. And we are still close to the platform. We can turn back now."
He was slightly handsome, with raven black hair and a broad forehead. He wore a white shirt with wide sleeves, short brown pants, and a pair of black classic shoes. His name was Pin.