CHAPTER 173: FIRST CHALLENGE
Nicole adjusted her combat suit as she looked at her companions.
Alexey and Érica were checking their weapons while Jordan was testing his sword.
Leslie, on the other hand, was equipped with combat armor and was performing final checks on her scout drones.
In the end, Vanessa was checking available supplies.
The Survival Challenge was about being dropped off at a certain location where they would have a wounded teammate they had to save.
To save that person, they could take them to the rendezvous point where they could either retreat or create the cure on the spot.
The Paladin Academy managed to find the cure during the mission and, for that, they had to move very fast.
It might have sounded easy, but it was not.
The student who was going to be injured was random, just as the ailment would be.
The healing student would have to diagnose the disease, delay it and cure it using the means that were around them.
All while they were in a wild environment where they would surely be attacked by creatures.
“We’ll give you five minutes to prepare,” informed the attendant as he walked away.
They were now in a small room near the platform that had the magic circle that would teleport them to the starting site.
“When we get to the site, we will find with a primitive map of the area. It will tell us the surrounding threats and the locations where some ingredients are, along with the rendezvous point,” Jordan said, taking the lead and frowning slightly, he warned. “But don’t get carried away. The creatures are not the only dangers. There are snakes with potent venom to fist-sized toads that can weaken or kill us.”
The Amazon jungle was a pretty dangerous place and while this was a tournament and they would surely be monitored, the danger was real to the mission.
The dangers were not the creatures, monsters, or wild magical beasts, but nature itself.
One example was the frogs ‘Dendrobatidae’, also known as ‘arrowhead frogs’.
That small colorful frog was deadly to an ordinary person and while the poison would affect someone of B-Rank less, it didn’t mean they were unaffected.
Magical energy was a mysterious thing that could turn a deer into a magical creature and that extended to ordinary creatures as well.
While it might not have been intimidating in size, some small creatures were even more dangerous than large predators.
“Spiders, parasitic fish, or snakes. Among the supplies, we have some simple antidotes, but the scenario is to put us on edge so we can’t risk wasting resources.” Vanessa stated and as she met the group’s gaze, she warned. “Always keep your barriers active at all times, no matter where you are. That will reduce the dangers.”
They had collected information about the creatures that inhabited the Amazons before and after the Great Cataclysm, so they knew there were terrifying creatures.
Keeping the barrier active would generate some expense in their combat suit, but it would be vital to avoid trouble.
A fighter like Nicole would withstand a piranha bite with her skin reinforced with magical energy, but a mage without a barrier was a very different matter.
“With the resource limit, we all have to know how to use it wisely,” Leslie added with a sigh.
Her combat armor looked slightly thin, but it was full body armor which, once she put on the helmet, was completely sealed.
This armor reduced the danger of nature and the downside was that for this scenario, it limited ammunition.
The others were also limited in some sense.
They had a few healing potions and magic energy recovery, indicating that they were in a retreat.
That was the scenario of this challenge.
“Are you ready?” the manager asked.
Jordan looked at his classmates, and they all nodded.
The group was the most capable students among the B-Ranks and Jordan, as the veteran took the lead.
When he nodded, the manager activated the magic circle, giving a signal for them to move.
With Jordan as the leader, everyone entered the magic circle and, after a brief blur, they arrived at a new location.
Nicole immediately went into combat formation, and the others were the same.
Where they arrived was a lush green jungle, different from the magical forest in Africa.
The vegetation in this place was more lush, full of grasses with small and large trees intermingled, making those present feel that walking was going to be a challenge.
“Here is the map,” Jordan pointed out as he received Leslie’s signal that she had detected no enemies.
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Heading over to grab the map that was in a small camp, Jordan subtly shivered.
“Oh, shi...”
Before he could curse, Jordan fell to the ground and Nicole quickly caught him.
He was their injured partner!
Jordan could only stay on the ground as his eyelids twitched involuntarily.
However, the group did not panic but immediately surrounded him to protect him, leaving Vanessa to check on him.
Leslie immediately picked up the map and recorded it with her AI while transmitting it to her companions’ holographic clocks.
Their scout drones spread out in the vicinity and the tension increased, as howls appeared in the distance.
“What’s wrong with him?” Érica asked, taking command immediately.
They had planned all the scenarios if one of them was the injured one and for that reason; the roles were not designated beforehand.
The second leader was going to be Érica who would take control of the group and make the decisions.
Vanessa cast several basic diagnostic spells, then checked Jordan’s pulse and pupils.
“It’s a paralyzing poison, one of the most dangerous. The first thing the poison will do is paralyze his body, followed by his organs, and finally his heart. It’s in theory, though,” Vanessa said, and without waiting for an answer, she looked at the map and confirmed. “We need four alchemical ingredients that can be found in these four areas. All while using all the antidotes we have left.”
There were only four members for the fight and if they split up, they would leave Vanessa next to the wounded man alone.
The group’s expression changed for a moment, and Érica nodded.
“Do we have time to retreat to the rendezvous point?” Érica asked quickly.
“I can cast some spells to delay a bit and create a potion if two magical plants from two places find me, but if we talk theoretically, even if we get him to safety, he will have serious effects on his body that will be permanent,” Vanessa replied pointing to the two available locations.
Her quick response gave confidence to those listening and although the two spots she selected were on the other side of the rendezvous point.
In that sense, the first four spots were closer to the rendezvous point than the others.
The challenge did not give the opportunity for them to take the two paths and pressed them for the leader to make his decision, and Érica was undeterred.
“We’ll go for the four locations and the cure. Alexey covers Vanessa, Leslie you will be our eyes and Nicole will take Jordan,” Érica ordered, pulling out her wand immediately.
They would not retreat to the rendezvous point, just delaying the effect, and it wasn’t for the points, but for future consideration on their partner’s prospects.
This could be a challenge within a tournament, but the point was that they were analyzing ability and Érica wasn’t taking risks, but rather responded by analyzing group strength.
“Shit...”
Nicole carried Jordan on her back and couldn’t help but laugh as she heard the young man curse.
“If you complain, I’ll carry you like a princess,” Nicole warned, which caused Leslie’s lips to quiver.
Nicole was not one to joke, but the others could tell she was trying to reduce the tension in the group and, in turn, Jordan’s tension.
It was also a test to be the member who caused a disadvantage to his peers and was considered a burden, and that feeling for someone like Jordan was stronger.
After all, even though he was a B-Rank swordsman who could not move up, he trained his skill with his sword so as not to become a burden to his companions.
The group advanced quickly as they flew, with Nicole and Vanessa being in the center, while the others surrounded them.
Each had flying artifacts in their combat suit and that was part of their ensemble, and so was the stealth part.
While the stealth wasn’t enough to hide it completely, it would serve to help them dodge some unnecessary confrontations.
Two large spiders that were in a tree were avoided thanks to not noticing them and without giving them time to relax, the situation changed.
“Three enemies to the front. Source of magical energy rank-B. They are Chaos-affected jaguars.” Leslie warned quickly.
“I got this,” Érica replied, narrowing her eyes as she prepared her spells.
Pausing for a moment, the group noticed the three jaguars whose eyes were black from being affected by Chaos.
“GRr...”
Losing their minds, those monsters did not plan and unhesitatingly attacked Érica, who was the first person they saw.
Érica’s response was to wave her wand, launching a sphere of ice towards the mouth of the first jaguar.
That unreasoning and savage beast swallowed that sphere and it was at that moment that a startling vision unfolded.
“Grra...”
The sphere that entered the jaguar’s mouth turned into three spears that quickly shot out.
One penetrated the jaguar’s mouth, and the other two hit the jaguars next to him, knocking him both down.
“Let’s go,” Érica ordered without bothering too much.
Was it luck or a show of her skill?
They had seen her fight before, but this level of skill was certainly impressive.
The group kept moving as they dodged or finished off approaching creatures.
Giant spiders, thick snakes jumping out of trees, or jaguars finding them.
The number of creatures they faced was quite high and every one of them was wild creatures that were affected by Chaos or had mutated.
There were no intelligent magical beasts, and they were all wild, which was useful for them, as such monsters attacked without strategy or hunting plans.
After traveling for a few minutes, they arrived at the central point where the surroundings were slightly empty, leaving the preview possible.
Surprise attacks here would not work.
“We’ll stay here,” Érica ordered and as they left Jordan with Vanessa, she looked at her three companions and announced. “That’s four places and there are four of us, but if we leave Vanessa and Jordan alone, we will lose. I’ll take the defense position.”
The role of defending was the most difficult and complicated, as the person in question would have to protect himself and the healer and the injured person.
Her enemies were not going to sit around like before, and it was clear that they would start coming once she detected it.
However, that left four places for three people.
“There are two places that are close to each other. I can take it,” Nicole said with a serious expression.
“I can take them too,” Leslie added without lagging behind.
Each of them was confident in their abilities and the seriousness they let on made Alexey feel tense and heavy.
Like Vanessa, who was taking her diagnosis as if it were real, Nicole, Leslie, and Érica were taking their roles too seriously.
That realism caused Alexey to feel the pressure, and Érica noticed.
“We’ll leave the job to Nicole. For your part, Leslie, you will be in charge of heading to the third location. The material we are looking for is in the treetops and you may encounter some dangerous primates,” Érica ordered and looking at Alexey, who was tense, she stated. “I hope as a water mage you know how to dive.”
Alexey was surprised at those sudden words, but realizing that his target was at the bottom of a small lake, he smiled.
“Diving or swimming, I can do anything,” Alexey replied with a half-smile.
Nicole had to go to two locations to find two different magical plants, and Leslie had to take care of only one area, although that location was marked as primate territories.
While the map didn’t fully inform them of the type of enemies, they would encounter and only marked different magical plants throughout the area, the task wasn’t going to be easy.
They had faced angry lemurs in Africa, and those creatures were not nice.
Alexey was given the job of searching for a magical plant at the bottom of a lake which made it, as a water mage, an ideal destination for him.
“Time is vital. Remember not to delay and do it as quickly as possible. Be sure to keep your magical barriers active at all times or reinforce your body with magical energy. We can’t risk healing someone and having someone else injured,” Vanessa warned seriously.
“You heard her. You are dismissed,” Érica ordered in a serious tone.
Leslie left all her scout drones connected to Érica’s holographic watch, and the three students moved in three different directions.