As the blonde woman's fingertips graze the forest floor, a flurry of branches hurtles towards me. With agile grace, I evade the onslaught, executing precise jumps and maneuvers amidst the chaos. Anticipating the potential threat, I seize the ginger-haired man's discarded spear, swiftly wielding it to deliver a decisive blow to the woman's head with the blunt end, rendering her unconscious.

With the immediate danger neutralized, I turn my attention to the remaining adversaries. Employing the same calculated precision, I similarly incapacitate the other two men, ensuring they pose no further threat.

With them safely incapacitated, I rummaged through their pockets and searched for any possible usage equipment as well as the six tags they had found.

The woman they had chased stared blankly at me in awe. "Who are you?"

"No one of importance," I say as I walk towards her and break the ice holding her hostage.

I proceeded to give her one of the tags I had gotten. She looks at me in confusion and asks, "Are you sure?"

"Consider the other tag as payment for saving you just now. I'm not sure they would have let you walk away unscathed despite giving them the tags." I say.

Her eyes light up, and she engulfs me in a hug. Just as soon as she did, she let go quickly. "Sorry, thank you very much!"

"No problem; did you enter this contest to see the Duke?" I asked curiously.

Her face turned red as I mentioned it: "You heard that? It is the truth. I only wanted to see him. To be more specific, I wanted to pass the first round to spend a night in the castle and possibly meet him. Like some romance novel situation of some sort."

"The Duke, huh? Yeah, he does attract a lot of attention," the same familiar voice says behind me. Instinctively, I roll my eyes.

Terran.

I turn my head, and sure enough, he is standing there smiling with the same pearly white teeth as always.

"Would you mind not following me? Do you not have more pressing matters like finding those tags?" I say, snarky.

"Sorry, darling, I already have my 20 tags and thought I would kill some time when I heard a commotion here. I did not know it was your doing," he says confidently.

Already 20 tags? It has only been about 40 minutes.

"As long as you do not get in my way, then fine."

The girl looks at Terran with a slight blush on her face. "Who are you?" she asks timidly.

"The name is Terran Ranger. I am pleased to make your acquaintance miss."

I groan inwardly and start walking away from the pair of people. There's no use staying here; I would just be wasting more time. Terran decides to join me after saying his farewells to the woman.

"Running away so quickly?" he asks.

"Unlike you and your superhuman abilities, I do not have 20 tags. I'd rather not get caught up in your romantic hindrances and focus."

"My, you take this contest very seriously, it seems. Do you also wish to see the Duke?" he muses.

"And this is just an evening stroll for you? No, I would rather die than face that man."

"You could say that."

"Just do not get in my way."

"What do you take me for?"

Terran following me might be a slight problem, but keeping him next to me might make me look less suspicious to the Arcana. This might work.

Terran and I embarked on an adventurous quest through the forest to search for more tags. Our journey led us through thick foliage, over rocky terrain, and even high up into the treetops. We were determined to uncover every last tag, no matter how well hidden. As we explored deeper into the forest, we discovered some tags cleverly concealed behind rocks, while others were perched atop the tallest trees, requiring us to climb and stretch to reach them. To our delight, we even managed to capture some tags from less skilled participants. Despite the challenges we faced, we accomplished all of this within a mere two hours.

"That makes a total of 20 tags—perfect," I say excitedly.

I can make my way back now and qualify for the second round.

"Mind if we stop by the river for a moment?" Terran asks.

"Should we not get going?"

"It is only for a minute; I need some water. You got the tags; there is no rush," he argues.

Pain in the ass.

After a short while, we arrive at the river. Terran refills his waterskin and drinks from the crystal-clear water. I do the same. Suddenly, I feel a push on my back and fall face-first into the cold river. I panic as I swim to the surface, gasping for air. I hear Terran laughing loudly from the riverbed. I quickly get out of the water and run towards Terran, ready to punch him. But he catches my fist just in time and looks shocked.

It was only after I had pulled away from Terran that I realized my hood was off my face and my horns were fully exposed. I quickly covered my face again, but the same shocked expression remained on Terran's face, and he didn't move or speak a word.

Suddenly, we hear a rustling in the bushes, and a group of five menacing men emerge from the foliage.

"Well, a little birdy told us that you guys are the ones holding about 40 tags on you. Mind handing them over?" one of the men says.

Behind him, I can spot the same woman that had been chased three hours ago. She must have been caught again and forced to give this group intel.

I reply, still shivering from my cold clothes. "I have no idea what you are talking about."

"Do not make this difficult. I do not care to use force if needed," the man says.

Terran recomposes with the same confident smile and takes a defensive stance. " That is something we might have in common, sir."

Out of nowhere, a bow and arrow materialized in Terran's hands, as if conjured by some magic force. The bow is crafted from the finest wood, with a complex and intricate design that speaks to its value and power. At the apex of the bow, a gleaming green core catches the eye, adorned with spiral-like veins that seem to pulse with energy. It is a weapon that commands respect and admiration and is sure to strike fear into the heart of any foe.

"Do not fret about me, Alison. You just try and get out of here," Terran says.

Acting swiftly and without hesitation, I hurl a smoke ball toward the forest floor, shrouding the entire group in its thick veil. Amidst the chaos, the cacophony of battle echoes from within the swirling mist, providing cover for my escape as I melt into the shadows cast by the surrounding trees.

Two of the men start chasing after me. They must have split from the group and focused on me.

Tsk!

As one of the men reaches for a bow and arrow, he fires shards of ice in my direction. I quickly dodged the ice and climbed up a tree to get away. I continue running and jumping from one tree branch to another to keep moving. Meanwhile, the other man summons a spiritual jaguar that begins to climb up the trees and chase after me.

I took out a cursed trap incantation from my pocket and placed the paper on one of the tree branches as I ran past it. The jaguar chasing me passed by the trap, and the paper exploded, causing branches of the tree to launch and fall to the forest floor. This resulted in the summon being destroyed, and the men were blocked from chasing me further. Without wasting any time, I continued to run straight toward the starting point, which was the castle.

I see the Duke Prince waiting in the center of the courtyard. Six participants have made it to round two, and they can be seen chatting with each other. I walk hesitantly towards the Duke Prince, trying to avoid eye contact. My hands and legs are shaking with fear.

"The tags?" he coldly asks.

I can feel his intense gaze fixed on me. With a shaky hand, I rummage through my pouch containing the 20 tags and hand them over to the Duke.

He uses a red-hot flame to melt the twenty tags into a perfectly shaped sphere. I can feel the intensity and heat from the flames, making the man truly terrifying.

He hands me the sphere, and as soon as I take it, his other hand grabs my wrist. Fear strikes my body, and I look up at his blazing eyes. I muster every fiber of strength I have to keep standing and hold a poker face.

"Congratulations on making it to the second round. There are spare clothes within the castle. It is best you change before catching a cold when the second round starts tomorrow," he coldly states while letting go of my wrist.

After the unsettling conversation, I frantically searched for a quiet spot in the courtyard to collect myself. My head nods in agreement, but my body feels detached from my mind. My heart races with an intensity that makes me feel like it might burst through my chest at any moment. My legs are shaky, barely supporting my weight as I try to steady my breathing. Fear grips me with an unyielding force, making it difficult to even draw in a breath.

That man is terrifying!

I was terrified that he might have already figured out my true intentions. However, I couldn't help but recall that Terran had seen me before, yet he didn't show any signs of fear. Suddenly, Terran appeared from around the corner, looking relaxed and laid-back. Accompanying him was the girl I had rescued from the group earlier. It was evident that Terran had handled the earlier ambush with ease.

After obtaining their tags, the girl and Terran both hand them over to the Duke. The girl is embarrassed, and her face turns bright red as she hands over her tags. The Duke accepts her tags, and she timidly thanks him before walking away. In contrast, Terran is not intimidated by the Duke's presence. He confidently hands over his tags and thanks the Duke before walking away.

Terran spots me in my secluded spot, smiles, and proceeds to walk towards me.

Go away, man!

"Look who made it!" he gleefully says.

"Your river detour almost cost you the contest," I say.

Terran jokingly makes a face to pretend that he is hurt. "Excuse me, you were more at risk of losing than me. I even managed to save our little friend over there. Her fantasies may now continue of meeting the Duke Prince."

I let out a little laugh. "Fair play."

The last participant makes their way to the Duke and thus formally concludes the first round of the contest.

The sun starts to slowly set behind the mountains, and the king welcomes us into his castle.

As I walk through the castle's grand interior, my eyes are immediately drawn to the stunning details that surround me. The floors are made of smooth, polished marble that gleams in the light. The walls are a mix of sturdy stone and rich wooden panels, expertly crafted into intricate patterns that catch the eye. I pause to admire the many marble statues that are scattered throughout the space, each one a complex and artistic masterpiece in its own right.

The tall windows let in a flood of natural light, illuminating the grandeur of the space and highlighting the delicate designs etched into the walls. The roof of the castle is a sight to behold, with its intricate spirals and arches that seem to stretch on forever. And there, in the center of it all, sits the throne—a truly majestic sight to behold.

The throne is fit for a king, with its regal design and hints of golden accents that catch the light and shimmer in the glow of the room. The main color of the throne is a deep, rich red, which complements the rest of the castle's decor perfectly. Every detail was carefully considered and crafted with the utmost care and attention to detail.

The guards proceed to show us our rooms, where we will be resting for the night.

"Be quick; there will be a celebratory feast for the participants," the guard says before leaving me in my room.

I lay on the comfortable bed and took this moment to breathe. A spare set of clothes can be seen on the foot end of the bed. It is eerily similar to mine, with the same hood and everything.

It seems the King does not mind his guests dressing as they please.

I quickly change into my new clothing and head towards the dining hall.

Each person has a specified seat. Mine is placed at the far left end of the table, and next to me is Terran's seat. How convenient.

After all the participants have taken their seats, the King and Duke Prince make their entrance and take their respective seats at the head of the dining table. This means that the Duke Prince is seated right next to me. The girl who was rescued by both me and Terran is seated in front of me on the opposite side of the dining table.

At least you get your wish of being seated next to the Duke.

A lump of dread coats my throat. I would rather sit anywhere else.

The King speaks, "Ladies and gentlemen, I extend my heartfelt congratulations to each of you for your triumph in surpassing the initial round. I bid you to partake in this grand feast before you, that you may replenish your vigor and fortify yourselves for the challenges that await on the morrow."

Everyone starts eating, and Terran pokes me in the side. I glare at him and ask him to leave me alone.

The sun has completely set, and everyone has retired to their chambers. As I lie in bed, I gaze at the ceiling, feeling completely exhausted and weighed down. I close my eyes and drift off to sleep, dreading the upcoming round tomorrow.