After obtaining his first Shadow Slave, Nero decided it was time to take a break.
He had spent the past several hours hunting monsters, experimenting with his newly acquired Law of Wind, and familiarizing himself with the capabilities of his growing shadow army. Although he had made considerable progress, there was no need to rush.
After all, there were still two days left before the trial ended.
And with his current score, nobody could threaten his position at the top of the rankings.
At least, not through honest competition.
Nero found a relatively secluded clearing near a stream and settled beneath a large tree. The surrounding area was quiet, with only the occasional rustle of leaves and the distant cries of monsters breaking the silence.
Perfect.
He retrieved some ingredients from his storage and began preparing a barbecue.
Soon, the pleasant aroma of roasting meat spread through the clearing. Nero turned the skewers over the fire, occasionally seasoning them before placing another batch on the grill.
He even brought out a bottle of wine.
It was hardly the sort of activity one would expect from a cadet participating in a dangerous survival trial, but Nero had never been particularly concerned with other people’s expectations.
He had already secured more than enough points.
Why not enjoy himself?
He leaned back against the tree, holding a skewer in one hand and a glass in the other. His expression remained as indifferent as ever as he enjoyed his meal.
However, while he appeared completely relaxed, his senses had not stopped working.
Several hundred meters away, five figures were watching him from behind a cluster of rocks.
They had been following Nero for quite some time.
At first, they had maintained their distance, careful not to leave any obvious traces. Whenever Nero changed direction, they adjusted their route. Whenever he stopped to fight a monster, they waited for him to finish before continuing their pursuit.
They had expected him to spend the entire day hunting.
Instead, the bastard had decided to have a barbecue.
One of the cadets frowned as he watched Nero lift his wineglass.
"Is he seriously enjoying a meal right now?"
"Keep your voice down," another cadet whispered. "We don’t know how far his senses extend."
The first cadet immediately shut his mouth.
Their group consisted of five members from another class.
Two mages and three knights.
The mages had awakened the Laws of Water and Wind, respectively. Among the knights, two wielded the Law of Earth, while the last possessed the Law of Ice.
All three knights had achieved Black Knight-level strength.
They weren’t weak cadets.
More importantly, they had spent the past few days observing the strongest participants and identifying potential targets.
Nero had quickly attracted their attention.
His score was absurdly high, and his position at the top of the rankings made him an irresistible target. If they could eliminate him and seize his bracelet, they would gain access to his accumulated points.
Such an opportunity was too valuable to ignore.
Of course, attacking him while he was fresh would be foolish.
Their original plan had been simple.
Wait until nightfall.
Lure a large number of monsters toward him.
Allow the creatures to exhaust his stamina and mana.
Then strike while he was occupied.
Five against one should be enough to finish the job.
Especially if their target had already spent the day fighting monsters.
"How much longer?" the ice-wielding knight asked quietly.
"Until nightfall," the mage of Water answered. "The monsters are already moving. We just need to make sure they reach him at the right time."
"And if he escapes?"
The mage of Wind shook his head.
"He won’t. We’ll surround the area and cut off his retreat. The monsters will force him to fight, while we wait for the right moment."
The three knights exchanged glances.
It was a sound plan.
They had considered the possibility that Nero possessed some hidden abilities, but there was little reason to believe he could wield more than the two Laws publicly associated with him.
Lightning and Fire.
Powerful Laws, certainly.
However, no matter how talented he was, he couldn’t fight an endless horde of monsters and five Black-level cadets without eventually tiring.
That was what they believed.
And that was precisely why they were going to lose.
***
Night descended gradually.
The last traces of daylight disappeared behind the distant mountains, leaving the forest bathed in darkness.
Nero finished his final skewer and swallowed the last mouthful of wine.
He glanced at the bracelet on his wrist.
Then he looked toward the forest.
Several groups of monsters were approaching from different directions.
Their movements were chaotic, and their numbers were considerable. Some were attracted by the disturbance created by the cadets, while others had been deliberately driven toward the clearing.
The five hunters had finally made their move.
Nero placed his glass beside the empty plate.
He didn’t look surprised.
In fact, he looked almost disappointed.
He had noticed the five cadets following him hours ago. Their concealment techniques weren’t particularly sophisticated, and their movements became increasingly predictable the longer they persisted.
He could have dealt with them whenever he wanted.
Instead, he had allowed them to continue.
He was curious to see what they would do.
Now that their intentions had become clear, he had no reason to keep waiting.
Nero stood.
The flames beneath the barbecue flickered once before he extinguished them.
Then he walked away from the clearing.
He didn’t run.
He didn’t even draw his sword.
He simply walked into the darkness as the first monsters emerged between the trees.
A pack of armored wolves rushed toward him, their eyes gleaming in the darkness.
Nero raised one hand.
Golden lightning flashed between his fingers.
CRACK!
A web of electricity spread across the ground.
The leading wolves barely had time to react before the current raced through their bodies. The entire pack collapsed in rapid succession, their movements halted by the overwhelming discharge.
Nero continued walking.
Another group emerged from the left.
This time, flames erupted around his arm.
A casual sweep sent a wave of fire through the trees.
BOOM!
The burning wave swallowed the incoming monsters and illuminated the forest in brilliant orange light. Several creatures attempted to escape the flames, only to be intercepted by a second burst of fire.
Within moments, the path ahead was clear.
Nero didn’t bother looking at the fallen monsters.
His attention was directed toward the five cadets.
They were watching from a distance.
And, just as he had expected, none of them suspected anything unusual.
From their perspective, Nero was relying entirely on his Lightning and Fire Laws to deal with the approaching monsters.
They couldn’t see the subtle movements of the wind around him.
They couldn’t sense the invisible currents he had been using to monitor their positions.
And they certainly couldn’t understand why he had been able to move through the forest without leaving a single opening in his defenses.
The Law of Wind remained his secret.
For now, the world believed he had awakened only two Laws.
He intended to keep it that way.