Chapter 267: Moving to E3 Alone
Morning eventually came.
After a quick breakfast and making the necessary preparations, it was finally time for the squad to go their separate ways.
Before leaving, however, Ruvian had already prepared a plan for them; he instructed the others to head toward Grid C3 under the pretense of refilling their water supply at the river located there.
In reality, his true objective was something else entirely.
A Bronze-Rank Dungeon Prototype was hidden within that region, one well within their capabilities to conquer even without him. On top of that, if Zian’s information was accurate, most of the Voidspawn inhabiting the surrounding area were Lesser-Rank rather than Wretched-Rank, making it an ideal hunting ground for too.
Ruvian stood at the mouth of the cave, facing east.
The forest had finally regained its calm after yesterday’s downpour. Water still clung to the leaves, occasionally dripping onto the ground, while the morning light slowly spread across the island.
He drew a slow breath before exhaling.
’Time to move now.’
Behind him, the rest of the squad had already gathered their belongings. Yet none of them moved to leave, their eyes fixed on his back with expressions that ranged from concern to reluctance.
The silence stretched awkwardly between them.
Then Arlok broke it first.
"Hey, don’t get eliminated on the first day," he said, folding his arms across his chest. "If you do, I’ll hit ya in the head when we get back."
Ruvian turned around and met his gaze.
"Right back at you then," he replied with a faint smirk. "Don’t get eliminated now that I’m not with you."
Both of them scoffed at the same time.
Yerin stepped forward next, her expression softening into something that resembled mild exasperation.
"We’re going to be lacking in some departments now. I won’t have my usual cooking assistant." She mused while glancing at the campfire they had just put out.
Ruvian reached into his bag and pulled out the [Stove Cube] artifact before handing it to her.
"It will be fine. I will give you this, so make good use of it."
Yerin hesitated, her fingers curling around the small artifact. "Are you really sure you don’t want to keep it? I was just joking, and you might be needing it more than us."
Ruvian shook his head.
"I can handle it. Don’t worry."
Horren shifted nervously on his feet, his gaze darting between the ground and Ruvian’s face. After a moment, he finally gathered enough courage to speak.
"I don’t really have much to say other than... good luck."
Horren scratched the back of his head.
"Being out there alone at night is... pretty terrifying." He immediately grimaced. "Ah, that’s not what I meant. I wasn’t trying to scare you."
He shook his head before offering a sheepish smile.
"I just think... you’re really brave, Ruvian."
Hearing those words, Ruvian recalled the scene from several days ago.
The image of Horren standing before the Grimwood Colossus flashed through his mind, his hands trembling as he drew back his bowstring, yet still releasing that powerful wind arrow despite his terror.
Horren had always been a coward. But when it mattered, he fought against his fear regardless. And that, Ruvian considered, was far more impressive than anything he himself had ever done.
"No, Horren," Ruvian said, his voice carrying a warmth that surprised even himself. "You’re braver than me."
Horren blinked, confusion flickering across his face.
He clearly had no idea why Ruvian had said that.
For a brief moment, silence settled between them.
Then, as if deciding it was time to move on, Shima reached into her bag and pulled out the folded parchment.
"Also, you really don’t want to take the map?" she asked.
Ruvian shook his head once more.
"Oh, that... no need I guess. I’ve already memorized it."
Everyone exchanged glances, their expressions shifting into something close to disbelief. But in the end, no one said anything.
’Haha maybe I shouldn’t have said that...’
Ruvian fake coughed.
"Anyway, if there’s nothing else... I’ll be going now."
With that, Ruvian turned around and headed toward the east. His footsteps crunched softly against the damp earth. Behind him, his teammates watched his back.
Then, they too slowly moved and headed toward the north, toward C3.
*****
About an hour had passed since Ruvian parted ways with the others.
He continued moving east, weaving through the open terrain at a steady pace without slowing down. His destination had been decided from the very beginning.
Sector E3.
The Vasta Waterfalls.
Every so often, he recalled the map he had already committed to memory, comparing the terrain around him as he walked. But if he followed the river, it should lead to that waterfall anyway, so it’s not much of a big deal if forgot the map.
Along the way, he also came across several Voidspawn.
A Lesser-Rank Fangmaw Ravager prowled through a clearing, sniffing the air as it searched for prey. Ruvian quietly observed it from the cover of the trees before slipping away the moment its back was turned.
There was no reason for him to fight it, even though he can easily defeat it.
Without the [Hunter] Card, defeating a Voidspawn would only grant its base point value. The additional bonus points awarded by the card would simply be wasted.
’Preferably, I don’t want to waste my energy on such things.’
It was an inefficient trade. He had no intention of spending mana, stamina, and valuable time for such a meager return.
With that thought in mind, Ruvian simply continued on his way, leaving the unsuspecting Voidspawn behind as though it had never existed in the first place.
The terrain gradually began to change as he pressed deeper east. The ground sloped gently upward, and the sound of flowing water became clearer with each passing minute.
Judging by the area around him, he was already approaching the border between Grid D4 and E3. If nothing went wrong, he would reach the Vasta Waterfalls before long.
To be honest, he can already see the waterfall from where he was.
Then, just as he stepped past a cluster of trees, something caught his eye.
His footsteps slowed.
From between the trees, he spotted several figures gathered along the riverbank ahead. They were still too far away to make out their faces, appearing only as five dark silhouettes against the morning light.
Ruvian immediately lowered his posture.
He quietly stepped behind a thick tree, then carefully peeked through the gaps between the bushes.
’There’s another squad here, huh?’
The distance between them was still fairly large.
From where he stood, he could only make out their movements.
One scholar had crouched beside the river, scooping water into a flask. Another sat on a large rock with a weapon resting across their lap, while the remaining three stayed nearby, quietly talking among themselves.
They looked as though they had stopped to refill their water supply before continuing their journey.
Ruvian’s gaze swept across the area around them.
The river they were resting beside flowed straight down from the Vasta Waterfalls, passing through Grid D4 before branching toward the lower regions of the island.
In other words...
The same route he intended to take.
’Tch...’
He rested his hand against the rough bark beside him.
Although fighting between scholars was still forbidden during the examination, that did not mean he wanted them to notice him.
If they happened to remember his direction...
Or worse, decided to follow out of curiosity...
It would only make reaching his destination more troublesome.
’Haaa... now how should I avoid them?’
Ruvian sighed.
Keeping his footsteps as light as possible, Ruvian slowly backed away from the bushes.
’I guess... I just have to wait until they’re gone.’
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[Chapter 267: Moving to E3 Alone]