---
"Alright, alright, we don't have much time, so let's hurry."
Elisa announced to the students. She explained the method to enter the forest and told them to cooperate with each other, warning that if they argued, they would die and fail the test.
In short, her speech was excellent, and most of the students agreed to go with her.
Of course, Steven was among the students who agreed. The students who agreed began preparing.
Steven carried his sword, and Max quietly followed behind him. Just before entering the forest, Steven heard a voice calling him:
"Hey, Steven! How are you? Did you agree to go too?"
Annoyed, Steven stepped forward quickly to avoid the voice. But it was too late—Nathan appeared before him with a smile on his face.
Nathan said, enjoying himself,
"What? Avoiding me? Oh come on, I haven't even done anything to you yet."
Steven grew irritated.
*He hasn't done anything yet? He's definitely planning something.*
He decided firmly to treat Nathan as if he were air and ignore his presence.
Kai shouted,
"Hey! Listen up! Close your eyes and follow the sound of our steps. We won't be responsible if you lose your way!"
Elisa lightly slapped Kai on the head, then addressed the students,
"He means, watch your path. If you get lost, we won't know where you went, so be careful."
Kai frowned and muttered,
"What's the difference between your warning and mine? It's the same thing."
Eira approached and said,
"Of course there's a difference."
Kai asked, confused,
"What difference?"
Eira ignored him, stepped toward Elisa, and smiled.
"Elisa, which path should we take?"
Elisa pointed in a certain direction.
"This path. We move straight ahead and don't deviate from our course."
From here, Elisa could see the tower, so she knew the exact path to take. Everyone closed their eyes and began walking forward, with Kai and Elisa at the front.
The large number of students frightened the weak, lone monsters, causing them to flee.
Kai and Elisa had to move quickly to reach the tower, as only half an hour remained until the third wave. They increased their speed, and the rest of the group followed.
Steven had reached the front of the group, near the main characters. Mark and Nathan, of course, followed him.
---
When Kai and Elisa neared the tower, Elisa said,
"The tower is close. We need to locate it precisely and find the entrance."
The group nodded and began searching for the exact location. Only seven minutes remained before the third wave. The entire group was tense.
One person shouted,
"Here! I found it!"
Eira, Agnes, Kai, Elisa, David, Steven, Nathan, Max, the twins, and the other students rushed to the voice. They felt around the tower and found the entrance, entering together.
Only five minutes remained before the wave began. Once inside, they opened their eyes and were surprised by the tower's size. Over the past days, most of them had explored the tower but found nothing and couldn't enter it. The interior was vast, unlike how it appeared from the outside.
Elisa alerted everyone,
"There's not much time left! Spread out and search for the tower core!"
Everyone quickly spread out and began searching. With only two minutes left, no one had found the core.
Steven thought,
*If I don't help, they won't find it. When the wave begins, even Kai and Elisa won't survive. The monsters will come out from here, and they won't even have a chance to catch their breath. I have to do something.*
Steven moved toward the stairs in the center and climbed the first and second steps. Just as he was about to step onto the third, his foot slipped.
He nearly fell but grabbed a small statue on the stairs. The statue moved slightly, revealing a connected staircase in the center leading downward.
Kai and Elisa, witnessing this, ran toward the stairs and began descending quickly.
At the bottom, it was dark. Kai lit a small flame, illuminating the area. In the center lay a black jewel.
Kai nodded to Elisa, and the two began attacking the jewel.
After a few strikes, only two seconds remained before the wave began. Finally, the jewel shattered.
A notification appeared:
[Congratulations on completing the Tower Mission!]
[A portal will appear where the tower core was. Entering this portal counts as passing the academy test, with an additional 20 points awarded.]
The students cheered and began exiting the portal one by one. Naturally, Elisa and Kai were the first, followed by David, the twins, Eira, Agnes, and then the rest of the students, including Steven, Nathan, and Max.
Only a few students who hadn't joined survived, thanks to the strong monsters attacking them after the core's destruction.
---
Steven exited the virtual reality system. Only a day and a half had passed in real life. He took a deep breath.
*Finally… the air is refreshing.*
His relief didn't last. Nathan approached him, smiling.
"You really don't seem like someone who would stumble on slippery stairs."
Steven froze and replied coldly,
"That's none of your business."
Nathan laughed.
"So I guessed right! You didn't respond to me before, but now you do. This is fun."
Steven mentally cursed himself.
*Damn it, I wasn't careful enough. Nathan is annoying… and the most annoying. Has my life been going smoothly just for this nuisance to appear?*
He sighed inwardly, but his expression remained icy. He ignored Nathan once again.
---