Chapter 118 - wilderness survival 1
I woke up the next morning feeling more energized than ever.
The moment I got out of bed, I headed straight for the bathroom.
After taking a shower, I changed into my training clothes and made my bed before leaving my room.
The moment I stepped into the hallway...
I froze.
Luna was standing there.
And judging by the chilling smile on her face...
She had been waiting for me.
"Oh..."
"Good morning, Luna."
She smiled sweetly.
"Oh, look who finally decided to show up."
"Good morning."
I smiled awkwardly.
"It’s a beautiful morning, isn’t it?"
Her eye twitched.
She slowly walked toward me.
"Would you mind telling me what you did last night?"
"And then..."
She leaned closer.
"You told me to have good luck."
"So..."
"I came to see how lucky I was."
I swallowed.
"Ah..."
I needed an excuse.
Quickly.
Then an idea appeared in my mind.
I slapped one hand against the other.
"Oh!"
"Right!"
"I must have been working in my sleep-deprived state."
I looked at her expectantly.
Luna stared at my face.
For a moment, she almost lost her composure.
Then—
She grabbed my arm.
Pinch!
"Ouch!"
"Do you really think I’m a fool, Gray?"
I rubbed my arm.
"Hey!"
"You can’t blame me."
"You looked like you were going to fall asleep at any moment."
"So I woke you up."
"I did it with good intentions."
"I wanted you to go to your room and sleep peacefully."
I said it with the straightest face possible.
Luna stared at me.
Completely unimpressed.
"Gray..."
"Do you really think I’m an idiot?"
I muttered quietly.
"...Yes."
Her eyes widened.
"You...!"
Pinch!
"Ouch!"
"That hurts!"
Luna narrowed her eyes.
"Try saying that again."
I blinked innocently.
"What?"
"I don’t remember saying anything."
She stared at me for a few seconds.
Then she sighed.
"It’s probably best that you keep it that way."
"Hmph."
She turned around and walked away.
I followed her while rubbing my arm.
"You’re really evil."
She ignored me.
"You know that, right?"
Still nothing.
"Absolutely evil."
She continued walking.
Eventually, we reached the dining hall.
We took our usual seats, and the Empress looked at the two of us.
A small smile appeared on her face.
She clearly understood that something had happened.
But she didn’t ask.
Breakfast began.
We talked about everything.
Yesterday’s training.
Today’s wilderness test.
The possibility of encountering monsters.
And, of course...
How much fun we might have.
Eventually, breakfast came to an end.
The Empress called Luna over for a moment, so Luna went to her side.
I walked toward Mother.
She looked at me with a gentle smile.
"Be careful today, Gray."
"If anything happens..."
"Don’t hesitate to call for help."
I nodded.
"Don’t worry, Mom."
"I’ll be careful."
I gave her a bright smile before leaving.
Outside, I met Amy and Elena.
They were heading toward their own training area.
We talked for a short while before they left.
Then I continued toward the location where the instructor had told us to gather.
Luna eventually joined me.
When we arrived, Elara was already waiting.
We walked toward her.
"Good morning, Gray."
"Good morning, Luna."
We greeted her in return.
"Good morning."
"Good morning."
We had already told Elara that she didn’t need to use formal titles with us.
We preferred things that way.
Of course, that privilege was limited to people we personally accepted.
If someone casually called us by our names simply to disrespect us...
That would be a completely different matter.
A moment later, Chloe and Eithen arrived.
Our eyes met.
I gave them a small nod.
If they wanted to talk to me, I had no problem with it.
I simply wasn’t the kind of person who went around trying to make friends with everyone.
They moved to the side and began talking with each other.
I ignored them and continued talking with Luna and Elara while we waited.
Eventually, the instructor arrived.
He looked at all of us.
"Good."
"I like people who work efficiently."
"And I don’t like wasting time."
"So let’s go."
We followed him toward a waiting carriage.
Once everyone was inside, the instructor finally explained today’s training.
"We’re going into the forest."
"When we arrive, I’ll leave you there."
"You can decide what you want to do."
"Team up."
"Go alone."
"It’s your choice."
He paused.
"Your objective is simple."
"Survive until nightfall."
Everyone became slightly more serious.
The instructor continued.
"But..."
"If I find anyone hiding somewhere until the test ends..."
His expression became cold.
"I’ll consider that a failure."
He paused before adding,
"Actually..."
"I won’t interfere."
"You’re free to make your own choices."
"If you choose to work together, be my guest."
"But remember..."
His voice became much more serious.
"The Secret Realm won’t allow you to simply hide."
"It’s filled with monsters that will hunt you."
"So this test will determine whether you’re actually suitable for the training program."
"If I determine that someone isn’t suitable..."
"I’ll inform the Empress and remove them from the program."
He looked at all of us.
"Don’t misunderstand me."
"When I say I won’t interfere, I mean I won’t punish you during the training."
"Removing someone from the program is an entirely different matter."
"We don’t need cowards."
Everyone nodded.
My eyes were already shining with excitement.
Beside me, Luna looked just as excited.
The instructor stared at the two of us.
For a moment, he seemed speechless.
Strange kids these days.
But after remembering exactly who we were...
He simply sighed.
The carriage continued traveling for nearly an hour.
Eventually, the instructor suddenly spoke.
"Good luck."
"See you."
Before anyone could respond—
He disappeared.
I immediately activated my Perception.
For the briefest instant, I detected something.
His movement was so fast that it almost looked like teleportation.
But it wasn’t.
Interesting.
He’s incredibly fast.
I looked around.
We were now somewhere deep inside a massive forest.
There was no road.
No carriage.
No visible civilization.
Nothing but trees stretching in every direction.
The instructor was already gone.
I looked toward Luna.
She was slowly turning in place, examining our surroundings.
Her eyes were shining with curiosity.
She looked less like someone who had just been abandoned in a dangerous wilderness...
And more like someone who had just been given permission to begin a massive adventure.
A small smile appeared on my face.
I couldn’t help feeling the same way.
As for me...
I wasn’t particularly worried.
With my Space Storage, I had enough supplies to survive here for a very long time.
Food.
Water.
Equipment.
Weapons.
Everything I needed was already with me.
The instructor obviously didn’t know just how well prepared I was.
I looked toward Luna again.
She met my gaze.
We both smiled.
The wilderness stretched endlessly before us.
And our training had finally begun.
I immediately unsheathed Eclipse and glanced toward Luna.
She had already drawn her own sword.
It was an elegant weapon with a beautiful ice-themed design, perfectly suited to her fighting style.
Then we both looked toward Elara.
"So, what’s your choice?"
"Luna and I are going to team up."
"Do you want to go alone?"
Elara looked at me in surprise before immediately shaking her head.
"Yes!"
"Yes, I want to join you!"
I nodded.
"Then it’s settled."
However, the moment I turned my attention toward the others, my eyes twitched.
Eithen was staring at Luna again.
Not casually.
Not like someone simply admiring another participant.
He was practically drooling over her.
A cold feeling immediately settled in my chest.
For a brief moment, I genuinely considered stabbing him.
I slowly turned my gaze toward Chloe.
"Do you want to join us with your friend?"
Chloe looked at me.
Then she looked at Eithen.
She immediately noticed the way he was staring at Luna.
She also noticed the brief, cold look I had directed toward him.
Her expression changed slightly.
"No."
"We’ll explore on our own."
I nodded.
"Alright."
I was about to turn away when Eithen suddenly tried to argue with Chloe.
"But—"
"I think we should go with them."
Chloe immediately shook her head.
"No."
"Why not?"
"Because I said no."
Eithen continued insisting.
Chloe finally grabbed his arm and pulled him away.
Despite his protests, he couldn’t resist her strength.
I watched them for a moment before turning my attention back to my group.
Luna suddenly stepped closer to me.
The excitement that had been shining in her eyes earlier had briefly disappeared.
She leaned toward me and whispered,
"It’s really creepy how that guy looks at me, Gray."
"Don’t let him join us."
"I might stab him."
A small smile appeared on my face.
"You had the same thought as me."
I whispered the words quietly.
Unfortunately, Chloe heard me.
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
She gave me a brief look before pulling Eithen farther away.
I ignored them.
There was no reason to waste any more time thinking about them.
I turned toward Luna and Elara.
"How about we head in this direction?"
I pointed toward a dense section of the forest.
Luna looked toward the trees.
Her eyes immediately lit up again.
"Sounds good."
Elara hesitated for a moment before nodding.
"Alright."
I smiled.
"Then let’s go."
——-
A/N :-
Echo_7642 thank you so much for the dragon and 8 golden tickets in like other novel I don’t put a system who give characters as the gift and golden ticket because my exams but after today my exam i have 4 days before the next one i try to write more Chapters in upload as many
Midnightfrozenmoon thank you as well your continuous support with gifts
Aryan_Kumar_10,thank you so much for the two Golden Tickets!
Winter_Metor,thank you so much for the Golden Ticket and thank for continuous support!
And I really appreciate the power stone and gift for all
I really appreciate the support!❤️❤️