After their success at their final lesson, the cadets were left inactive for the next three days. This caused confusion to arise, as Samael wasn't the type to idle around unnecessarily.

Thinking deeper and combining their knowledge of their mentor, they arrived at the conclusion that something was going to happen soon.

They were not wrong.

On the third day, at the break of dawn, Samael finally revealed himself, with news at hand.

"Gather around everybody!" Yuin roared.

The cadets, confused, made their way up front, where Samael stood. At this point, their training has already taken a month and a half. As far as they know, they're already running on thin ice.

Samael swiftly counted the cadets; upon confirmation that everyone was there, he began his announcement.

"Cadets, I have trained you all to the best of my abilities within these few weeks," Samael said.

The cadets cheered in response, but soon their voices died down upon hearing Samael's next words.

"As such, I have organized your final test," Samael resumed.

Deafening silence devoured the field, along with the paling faces of the trainees standing before him.

"F-Final exam, sir?" Ashley asked.

"Yes, final exam," Samael clarified, further worsening the tension in the atmosphere.

Yuin came forward with his brows furrowed. "May we ask the details, sir?" he asked.

"The final test will begin tomorrow. It will be team-based. The objective is as follows: I set up an obstacle course in different environments, and at the end of it lies a flag. You shall get this flag and keep it safe for the next five minutes," Samael said.

The squad exhaled in unison as their murmurs filled the air.

"That's not so bad."

"It could be worse."

"Thank goodness it's not that harsh."

Samael swept his gaze over the cadets before speaking once more.

"Be aware that the obstacle course is filled with traps, and we shall conduct this test deeper in the forest, meaning you may encounter imgrave wolves," Samael pointed out.

The cadets fell silent once more, shock apparent in their eyes.

However, before they could even react, Samael resumed his talk.

"Not only that, but the moment you obtain the mission objective, I will actively hunt you and retrieve it from you," he resumed.

The entire squad erupted into chaos upon hearing Samael's words.

"WHAT?! HE'S GOING AFTER US?!"

"Wait, wait, wait, that can't be true, right...?"

"Guess I'm not graduating."

Samael's gaze narrowed, a cold chill emanating from his body swiftly silencing the crowd.

"Don't worry. I will not use my element nor my weapon. I will also refrain from using 100% of my physical prowess," Samael assured.

The trainees all felt relief brush over their shoulders. After all, Samael already placed so much handicap on himself, so it shouldn't be too much trouble, right? At least that's what they believed until they saw Yuin's grim expression.

Yuin remained vigilant and anxious. In the last few weeks they've been with Samael, he has learned the power of observation. Using that same ability, he understood how much strength lay behind Samael's pupils.

He knew they could never win, even if they jumped him. Whether it be a battle of elements or physical capabilities, Samael would simply crush them.

He was also a scout. A bona fide one. He was the person who taught them all what to do. How are they supposed to run from him?

"Are we allowed to use our elements?" Yuin asked.

Samael gave a short nod.

"Can we attack you?" Yuin asked again.

Once more, Samael gave a nod.

"That's all I have to ask," Yuin said before backing away.

Samael's gaze traveled over the group for the last time before he concluded the meeting.

"If there are no more queries, you all have one day to prepare. Tomorrow, at the break of dawn, we'll begin," Samael said before his figure turned to a blur.

That day, the future scouts raced in haste as they gathered all their gear. Some decided to hone their abilities in preparation, while others decided to recall all their previous lessons.

Their final test was soon, and their hearts were enveloped in flames of desire to succeed, but they could not help but feel anxious as the seconds withered away.

It would've been okay if they were to face imgrave wolves, but Samael? That was asking for too much.

The cadets were uncertain, but they also wished to know if their training had yielded fruit.

There was no time to think. They must prepare everything down to the last minute detail.

When nightfall came, Yuin called for another meeting just between all of them.

"Why did you call us here, Yuin?" Ramon asked, his forehead creased.

Yuin shifted in his seat before replying. "I called for this meeting not to hinder your preparations."

"Go on then," Ashley urged, her gaze frantic.

Yuin gave a nod of appreciation. "As you all know, our test is to be conducted tomorrow, but as scouts, details matter," he said.

The cadets gave a nod before settling down.

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"Don't let what Sir Samael said bother you. He said it was a group mission, therefore it's our effort," Yuin said.

"That opens up so many possibilities for us. So I'm here to propose a battle plan," Yuin resumed.

The cadets leaned closer, curiosity brimming behind their pupils.

"Battle plan? Care to elaborate?" A woman named Elaija asked.

Yuin gave a nod. "As this test is a squad effort, it means that if some of us fall, it won't affect our chances too much as long as the bearer of the flag survives," Yuin pointed out.

The cadets gazes narrowed as Yuin crept closer.

"So the plan is this..."

***

In the middle of the night, a dark silhouette slowly and silently passed through the sleeping cadets, spewing a colorless gas in the air before he vanished into the darkness.

That night, the anxious trainees slept like babies.

When dawn came to be, Yuin was the first to wake up. He sat straight and yawned, thinking what a nice sleep he had. However, his brows soon furrowed as he scratched his eyes twice.

"What the..." Yuin muttered, confusion brimming in his pupils.

Without wasting another second, Yuin rose to his feet. Swiftly rushing to his comrades and waking them one by one.

"Wake up!" Yuin whispered aggressively at Ramon.

The latter groggily raised his head, his eyes still half closed as he asked. "H-huh? What's wrong with you?"

"Get up! We're not in our camp anymore!" Yuin said before taking off for another cadet and roughly shaking them.

Ramon, confused and sleepy, sat up as he gazed around, only to bolt up.

"What in the he—" Ramon's mouth was hastily covered by Ashley, who had just woken up.

Ramon shifted his gaze to Ashley, who had her finger over her lips, beckoning the man to stay silent.

"Can't you see? We're not in our camp! This is unfamiliar territory, so shut your cake hole!" Ashley whispered before retracting her hand.

Ramon gave a disheveled nod before rushing to wake the others.

It didn't take long before all the cadets were up and about. All of them had the same reaction of surprise, confusion, and anxiety.

"Just what the hell is going on?" A cadet asked Yuin.

Yuin wagged his head. "That's our question as well," he responded.

Tension rose in the air as the cadets gazed around them.

The environment they resided in was completely different from the place they slept in.

Most of the trees here were decayed, and what was left were the dried-up barks of what were once plants.

The dirt was brittle and coarse. There were no plants or grass in sight. There was also a slight fog wafting in the air, bringing about a faint stench of blood.

Yuin closed his eyes as he retraced the events of yesterday.

"Perhaps we're already in the trial?" He subconsciously asked himself, snatching the attention of the distressed cadets.

"That... that makes sense!" Ashley chimed in.

"Sir Samael did say that our test starts at day break! Right now is day break!" Ashley reiterated.

Yuin slowly swept his gaze around him. "So that means..."

Ramon swallowed hard as he continued Yuin's words.

"We're already in enemy territory."

A grim atmosphere befell the crowd, with tension rising in the air as the seconds ticked away.

Each and every cadet felt infected as they involuntarily grouped up, their eyes darting back and forth.

Sensing the unrest, Yuin shook his head vigorously, regaining some clarity as he took deep breaths.

"Everybody stay calm and listen to me," Yuin called out.

The cadets shifted their attention to the man, their weapons drawn and ready.

"Remember our plan yesterday. We might be on enemy grounds, but this is exactly what we've been preparing for. Remember your training!" Yuin said.

The cadets clenched their jaws as they shook their heads, composing themselves. As scouts, they had to remain level-headed.

Now, what did their mentor always tell them?

"Observation is one of your greatest weapons."

Yuin glanced around. "Let's take the high ground and get a grip on our environment," he suggested.

The cadets gave a brief nod before dashing off to the towering barks and using the very first tactic Samael taught them.

Use the trees.

Within seconds, each and every trainee reached the top, allowing them to peek over the fog. Unfortunately, not much was gathered.

After a few minutes, the squad had regrouped. Ramon started to give his findings first.

"Unfortunately, the fog is blocking anything at least 100 meters from us. However, I did spot some visible tracks not far from us," he said.

"Tracks? Man or...?" A man named Xion asked.

"Imgrave wolves," Ramon grimly revealed.

Murmurs echoed in the squad but were quickly shut down by Yuin.

"Keep calm and think. How old were the tracks based on your observations?" he asked.

"Probably a day old," Ramon said.

"So they already passed us and didn't notice us," Yuin said.

"We just arrived recently," Ashley resumed.

"Then this is, in fact, the exam," Xion said.

"We'll continue with our plan," Yuin said before storming forward. Soon, the other cadets followed suit.

The trainees remained vigilant, carefully hiding in the shadows as they made their way forward.

Eventually, they came across the mark Ramon mentioned.

In the coarse dirt were a myriad of Imgrave footprints heading up front.

The cadets exchanged looks before advancing ahead, their hands hovering near their weapons.

However, a muffled scream soon halted them in their tracks.

"ARGHHH!!!" A cadet roared, his hands blocking his lips as he bit down on his flesh.

Ashley swiftly went beside the trainee. Her name was Ionia; she was a mud elementalist.

"What's wrong?—" Ashley's words were cut short as she saw Ionia's foot stuck in between dull wooden spikes.

While the trap wouldn't cause serious harm, it was enough to peel the skin off her foot and cause as much pain, perhaps in the hopes that it would attract imgrave wolves.

"This is going to hurt, but stay still!" She warned as she delicately forced the trap open.

Ionia bit her arm hard as muffled screams escaped her lips.

Yuin approached the two and examined the trap. "Everybody remain vigilant of your surroundings! This is probably not the last we'll see of them," he said.

After getting Ionia out, they wiped the blood off of her to avoid attracting attention before pushing onward.

As the group traversed deeper, more traps were unveiled.

"Duck!" A cadet warned as he dragged another trainee down the dirt, narrowly avoiding a rope hurling their way. The contraption kept flying before wrapping itself around a tree bark with reckoning force. Had it hit a cadet, it would've knocked him down and trapped him.

Some traps were far more dangerous than the rest. Some included poisonous darts capable of inflicting nausea, while others could paralyze you for hours.

Not only that, but Yuin had also warned the squad that they were gaining on the wolves and it wouldn't be long until they encountered some.

And that they did.

The group was halted in their tracks when they spotted the wolves they've been tailing for some time now.

The imgrav wolves gathered in a circle; it seems as though they were taking a short rest after a long hike.

This was their opportunity.

Yuin signaled to Ramon, and the latter gave a nod before he beckoned for the others to go into position.

After some time, the cadets were in place, surrounding the threat with their weapons in hand.

With Ramon's go signal, Yuin clasped his hand together with a small hole in the middle as he blew ever so silently in it.

The imgrave wolves gathering around came to a halt before their ears perked up.

Noticing he got the wolves attention, Yuin shot a large blow to his palm.

"Silent whistle."

The imgrave wolves recoiled back while some dropped to the ground, dragging their heads through the coarse dirt.

Those that still stood shook their heads violently, as though something had crawled up their necks.

Silent whistle was an ability that allowed Yuin to make a noise only hearable to dogs, wolves, and other animals.

By increasing the frequency, it was equivalent to blasting deafening sounds. It may not incapacitate the enemy, but it was enough to buy them time.

"NOW!" Yuin roared as he lunged forward.

The other cadets dashed forward, using their momentum to drag the wolves down.

Ramon swiftly went into action as he dug his axe straight down an imgrave wolf, bisecting the beast in two.

Yuin, on the other hand, unsheated his dagger, digging them through the beasts with ease.

On the side, Ashley and the other battled with ferocity, using their numbers to play with the wolves.

Ashley fluidly rolled to the side, narrowly dodging the claws of the imgrave wolf before striking it square on its leg, incapacitating it.

Before the wolf's eye, another silhouette dashed from its other side, delivering a decisive blow to its head and splitting it down the middle.

Yuin swept his eyes over the battle field, watching his comrades take out the wolves. It was only a matter of time until they prevailed.

Yuin lowered his weapon a little as he walked towards Ashley when a dark silhouette lunged at him from the corner of his eyes.

Yuin's gaze widened as he raised his weapon. A loud bang echoed as the maw of the beast locked on the blades, inches from Yuin's face, as they both fell to the ground.

Yuin's groans reverberated as he strained to keep his arms from falling. However, the abomination did not allow the man, as it continuously applied pressure.

Yuin closed his eyes as he roared when a warm trickle of liquid rained down his face. Upon opening his eyes, he saw the wolf pinning him down with a dagger dug through its forehead.

Soon, the corpse of the imgrave wolf fell down with a thud.

"Are you okay?" Ramon asked as he extended his hand.

Yuin gave a nod, his face pale as he took heavy breaths.

Accepting Ramon's help, Yuin rose to his feet, dusting himself before sheating his blade back.

"We have no time to waste. Let's commence our plan," Yuin said as he shot a gaze over the horizon.

Will their plan work? It's time to find out.