The cadets who got out of the car looked at Kaul with a mix of bewilderment, astonishment, disbelief, and questioning.

Despite receiving such stares, Kaul continued to speak casually.

“Well, this is just the beginning, but everyone get off and gather forward.”

The cadets, who watched for a while, got out of the car and gathered in front, still maintaining their alertness.

Abel looked around as he got off.

There was obviously a roar, but there were no traces left in the car or in the surroundings.

A few glanced at the car and in front of it to see if they were questioning it.

It was Kaul who explained the reason.

“Sound is just created. Everything is fine, no need to worry.”

Even after listening to the explanation, everyone’s questions were not easily resolved.

The reason I did that was because I hadn’t heard of it.

Then, Kaul opened his mouth again.

“It was just a light test.”

“A test?”

“okay. It’s a test of your ability to deal with emergencies.”

However, when the young doubts in the eyes of the cadets did not disappear easily, Kaul smiled and said as if he understood everything.

“You all seem to have a lot of questions. But I can’t answer all of those questions right now.”

Then, with a smile on his face, he continued.

“Because you guys are already in the middle of a war called practice.”

Then, Abel asked Kaul a question.

“You said you passed, but what happened to those who failed?”

“That is an important question. Simple. There is nothing for those who fail. Conversely, those who pass will be given that advantage.”

As if waiting, Kaul took out two pieces of paper from his pocket and handed them to Abel.

“And this is its advantage.”

The paper that Abel accepted was none other than a map.

“This is the last time I’ve been kind enough to tell you if I passed or failed.”

Kaul opened his mouth and pointed to the map in Abel’s hand.

“The map shows the destination you need to reach. Of course, since there are two destinations, you will have to divide the group and move.”

Abel did not bother to ask what was at the destination.

If I had asked, he wouldn’t have told me anyway, but it didn’t matter.

Abel already knew what was there.

‘Gigant.’

There was a Gigant at the place indicated by the destination.

So, no matter what, he had to reach the place the map pointed to.

It wasn’t just to get good grades in practice.

There will be uninvited guests in this practice.

The naked body can never overcome the danger.

While Abel continued to ponder and calculate this and that in his mind, Kaul explained a few more things and then said:

“Then, do your best.”

With those words, Kaul left, leaving only 10 students, including Abel.

By that time, Abel had finished his thoughts and spoke to the cadets, who clearly looked puzzled.

“Everyone concentrate.”

All eyes gathered in an instant.

Abel waved the two maps in his hand.

In fact, no one expressed dissatisfaction even though he took on the role of a leader.

It was because everyone was implicitly acknowledging Abel, seeing his cool-headed appearance and judgment right before.

“Two maps. Ten people.”

There were not only one or two worries, but there were also a mountain of things to pay attention to, but what I had to do right now was decided.

“Let’s divide into groups of five and move.”

It is to secure from the period.

* * *

The group split ended quickly.

First, each map with a different destination was divided after consultation, and then the group was divided according to the map.

The map was clearly pointing to a different target.

One piece seemed safe, but the destination was a little further away.

And the other chapter was more dangerous, but the destination was close.

“Everyone has gathered.”

Of course, Abel chose the closer one.

After Abel made his choice, Daniel and May were put in the same group without a second thought.

Then, Darin, who was somewhat familiar with Mei, joined the same group.

It was as expected up to that point, but the last member was a bit unexpected.

“I’m counting on you.”

It was Qalian, a cadet with red hair like Henna.

What was surprising was that Qalian often showed hostility towards Abel.

I’ve never openly quarreled with him, but I could tell just by looking in his eyes.

However, there was no reason to reject the fact that he would be in the same group, so Abel nodded.

“Then, now that the group has been decided, let’s make a plan right away.”

Abel put aside his thoughts about the garden for a while and unfolded the map so everyone could see it.

The maps were not as precise as modern ones, but at least they were recognizable.

“This is where we are now.”

Abel first pointed to the left corner of the map, then tapped the top right.

“This is our destination.”

“There is a forest in the middle.”

“okay. You can avoid the forest by going all the way to the right, but it will take a lot of time.”

“Crossing the forest is much shorter in a straight line, but it’s going to be as slow as you have to move while being vigilant, right?”

At Qalian’s point, Abel nodded.

“I guess so. But you have to consider that it was Instructor Kaul who handed you this map.”

Even without adding a detailed explanation, everyone immediately understood what it meant.

Darin opened his mouth in a timid tone.

“So, you mean there might be a trap?”

“that’s right. Taking a detour means prioritizing safety, but right now I’m not sure that that detour is safe.”

As it was, I had to choose between taking the risk and shortening the time, or going safely even if it took some time.

But now it was a little different.

Rather than simply looking at the given environment and map, we had to consider the intention of the academy.

Qalian narrowed his brows and said.

“But on the other hand, you might have hidden a bigger trap on the forest side, right? And even if you took the detour, it would be faster than Joe over there? Because our destination is much closer in the first place.”

“That too.”

Abel nodded meekly.

Qalian had been giving negative opinions all along, but there was nothing wrong with his attitude.

Whether or not there was emotion, it was necessary for one person to approach this cautiously.

“Hmm.”

Abel pretended to be worried and recalled the information he already knew in his head.

‘If you pass through the forest, you will surely arrive very quickly. Even with all the other classes combined, it will be among the fastest.’

Conversely, the detour side was more likely to arrive at the same time as the other groups even if it passed well.

Of course, both assumptions are based on when it passed ‘well’.

‘The problem is that traps are set on both sides.’

There was no safe way.

The academy has set traps in every route.

It means that there is no way to get to the destination comfortably in the first place.

However, not all traps were of the same level.

Abel turned his gaze back to the map.

The detour took longer, so the trap was less dangerous.

Conversely, the forest was dangerous.

A lot of it too. In fact, half of them were at the level of blocking them from going here.

With that in mind, the answer was fixed.

“It can’t be helped that opinions differ. Let it be a majority vote.”

Abel made up his mind and opened his mouth.

“I think I have to go through the woods.”

Very dangerous means, on the contrary, if you pass the danger, you can pass through it very quickly.

That was the point.

Because the faster you pass, the higher your score.

No matter how the practice goes later, the initial score was a very important point because it was reflected in the grade.

“What do other people think?”

Abel asked even though he already knew the result.

Proceeding by majority vote was, in effect, equivalent to doing as Abel wished.

“okay. Then I will go to the forest too.”

“me too.”

Because Daniel and May generally followed Abel’s judgment.

“Then me too… … .”

Darin noticed and followed the trend.

Qalian gave in to the general trend even with a dissatisfied expression on his face.

match!

As soon as the decision was made, Abel clapped his hands and drew attention.

“good. Then let’s move right away.”

A smile crept across his lips.

“I have a plan, listen to it.”

* * *

Five cadets were crossing the dark forest.

It’s already been more than 30 minutes since I entered the forest, but the forest was just quiet.

According to the map, if you move in a straight line, you can reach your destination in about an hour.

In other words, it was said that it was already halfway there.

But I couldn’t be more happy.

‘It’s almost time to see it.’

Because there is not much time left to face the prepared danger.

There was no one who didn’t know that, so everyone hurried their steps with a lot of tension.

When I moved about 10 more minutes like that.

Ssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss

Abel heard the shaking of the grass not far away.

As soon as he recognized the sound, he raised the sword in his hand.

Perhaps the others noticed the abnormality, and each picked up the weapon they received as a supply.

At the same time, everyone exchanged glances.

Sussuk!

Abel waited for the right moment, listening to the approaching sound.

When something unidentified like that came close to me.

“now!”

Abel shouted in a loud voice.

At the same time, Daniel, who was in the middle of the line, started to run forward as if he was being thrown out.

grasp!

Then, the person hiding in the grass and approaching appeared.

When Abel saw the man who appeared heading towards Daniel, he immediately blocked his way.

Kaaang-!

Swords collided with swords and sparks flew.

The one who emerged from the grass was a man in dark clothes.

The man swung his sword at Abel, who stood in his way.

Kang, Kang, Kang-!

Abel struggled to block the sword and looked at his opponent.

“Two next to me!”

Then, Darin shouted in a loud voice.

While the first one to pop out drew attention, two other people secretly approached and stabbed the side.

These were the traps set in the forest.

And Abel already knew that they were assistants from the academy.

“Stand in the middle!”

Abel called out loudly and gathered the four of them in the middle.

Of course, the assailants poured ferocious attacks so that they could not easily unite.

It didn’t feel like life was in a hurry like when dealing with a fragment of a giant, but it was by no means an easy opponent.

But Abel smiled.

‘The light fell on my foot.’

Their purpose is simple.

To keep the cadets off their feet for as long as possible.

So there was no reason for them to be impatient.

‘But now I have no choice but to be impatient.’

The reason was simple.

because you missed one.

Caan-!

Sword and sword collided once more.

The assailants swung their swords with the force to knock the cadets down.

However, the cadets, including Abel, did not take it easy.

There was a big gap between the teaching assistants and the cadets, but they couldn’t hurt the cadets much.

And the cadets were using that very point to persevere.

Better than the raiders expected.

Of course, the fact that the skills of those in Abel’s group were excellent on average also played a role.

Not to mention Mei, Qalian was also at the level of being able to count on one hand with his physical strength.

Thus, the engagement lasted longer than expected.

“Oops!”

But the end has come.

Darin, who seemed most at risk, missed the sword and collapsed.

With one missing, the assailants immediately picked up steam and put more pressure on the other three.

Wow!

“Keugh!”

Qalian was then slapped in the abdomen and fell to his knees.

Abel also felt his hands twitch gradually.

‘At this rate, it’s only a matter of seconds for everyone to be subdued.’

The moment I thought about it.

“Ugh!”

Qalian bounced back with a groan.

He was kicked in the abdomen while swinging his weapon while kneeling.

“Kyaaak!”

Following that, Darin collapsed to the floor with a scream.

A sharp knife was pointed at his neck.

In an instant, the two were subdued.

Now, only Mei and Abel are left.

On the other hand, all those wearing masks were fine, so the rest would be subdued in an instant.

“damn.”

A shadow fell on Abel’s face.

But then.

thud-!

A loud sound rang out from afar.

cooong! cooong! cooong!

The sounds followed at regular intervals and gradually got closer.

“Sheesh!”

The assailants who saw it clicked their tongues as if they were sorry and ran somewhere in an instant.

Not knowing what the situation was, everyone turned their heads blankly to the source of the sound.

Meanwhile, Abel sighed in relief and looked at the source of the sound.

In the distance, there was something sticking out of a tall tree.

It raised one arm high and waved it from side to side.

Daniel brought Gigant on time.

“You passed.”

In other words, Abel’s group secured Gigant.

maybe first.

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