Power of Runes

Grasswhisker is holed up in that damn tree for almost 2 days now...

Luthan thought, sitting inside a tree himself. The tree was massive, large enough to hide a small room within, and that space had become his lookout post. At first, he had assumed that keeping an eye on the beast all alone in the forest would be troublesome, something that would demand constant vigilance, yet the reality turned out to be the opposite.

It was surprisingly easy, for the creature was injured. Grasswhisker had been recovering in its shelter, and that injury bound it to one place, making Luthan's task far less demanding than he had anticipated.

Still, he remained cautious. Worried that the beast might attempt to sneak away while he was asleep or occupied with his daily routines, he had carefully placed traps around its lair. Those traps were not designed to capture it, but to create enough noise to alert him the moment anything stirred nearby.

But it's damn boring....

That was the only problem he had to face. Time seemed to drag endlessly, and boredom gnawed at him. To pass the hours, he had taken to carving small figures from wood using his knife. The act, rough and messy at first, had proven entertaining enough to ease his restlessness. And so, Luthan remained in his hidden dwelling inside the tree. From the outside, it appeared perfectly normal, blending with the forest, yet within was a cramped but livable room built with care and precision.

Though narrow and congested, it was the best he could manage while keeping it concealed. The little room even had a small window through which he could keep watch on Grasswhisker, and a discreet door that allowed him to leave immediately if the situation turned dangerous.

At that moment, he was chewing on some jerky. A wide yawn escaped him as he leaned lazily against the wall, his gaze drifting toward the tree where Grasswhisker rested. But suddenly, the silence shattered. A loud crash echoed through the forest, the sound of something heavy collapsing onto the ground.

Luthan's drowsiness vanished instantly. His body tensed, his senses sharpened, and his eyes darted toward Grasswhisker. To his surprise, the beast too appeared startled, its head snapping in the direction of the disturbance.

Wait... if it is still there, then who made that sound...? Could it be another beast...? Or...

His eyes widened as the realization struck. No ordinary creature would come this close. He had scattered a strong concoction of foul-smelling herbs and plants all around the area, a mixture that repelled weaker beasts effectively. That left only two possibilities: either a strong beast had appeared, one unaffected by the repellent, or...

Maybe it's the opponent team.....?

Just as that thought crossed his mind, the tree beneath him quivered violently. For a brief moment, he lost his footing, and then the entire trunk began to tilt. His heart dropped.

The tree is falling... shit!!!

He scrambled to his feet and lunged toward the narrow door, shoving it open and hurling himself outside.

But the moment he left cover, he knew it was a mistake. Suspended in midair, with nothing to shield him, he was exposed. His instinct screamed danger, and the warning proved right a heartbeat later when an arrow whistled past. Its wooden shaft tipped with steel brushed against his cheek, carving a shallow line of blood.

If not for his last-second reaction, if he hadn't tilted his head slightly, that strike would have hit true. He would have been eliminated instantly, his tracksuit's security mechanism activating to teleport him away from the exam grounds.

His landing was rough but manageable. The drop was painful, yet for an awakened individual like him, the height posed no real threat. He staggered slightly on impact, but pushed through the ache, forcing himself upright as though the pain did not exist.

Another arrow came at him almost immediately. This time, he reacted faster, drawing his sword and slashing it aside. His stance shifted into one of defense, his eyes sharp, his breathing steady, as he braced himself for the next move.

And then he saw her.

In front of him standing with bow in hand, was a girl. The sight of her made his heart skip and beat louder, as if trying to break free from his chest. She had long black hair that framed her delicate features, green eyes that gleamed with focus, and skin that carried a bright and healthy glow. Her face was undeniably cute, almost disarming, but the serious expression she wore added a sharpness that only pulled him in further.

For a brief moment, Luthan found himself entranced, so much so that he nearly forgot the ground he had just landed on.

She is quite fiery..... a cute face and a fierce expression... such a combination feels unfair.....

Luthan knew exactly what was happening with him, and even though he did not want to admit it, he knew that he had fallen in love at first sight…..

She is so damn cute, I just hope she is single….. if not…

Just then, from behind him, a blade covered in mana appeared silently, slicing through the air with murderous intent. Luthan barely managed to duck at the last second, retreating swiftly as the strike grazed past him. His heart skipped a beat as he realized he had been so utterly lost in the eyes of that beautiful archer that he had forgotten about the second presence.

It was a boy, his body built with firm muscles, and what caught Luthan's attention most was that he shared the same hair and eye color as the archer. That made him second guess his earlier thoughts, his mind racing.

"Wait!!!"

Luthan raised both hands, making a time-out gesture as if he were in the middle of a game. "Before we fight, let me introduce myself. I am Luthan, and I am such a handsome, dashing, and multitalented young man that even Miss Elysia trusts me. Also, I am quite talented with my fingers."

He said this with a grin, rubbing the back of his head and trying to fix his hair in a way he thought looked charming. He especially emphasized the last part while sneaking a glance at the archer, which only made her expression twist into visible disgust.

"Ah, no no no, I am talking about crafting and carving. I am talented in that, haha haha." Cold sweat rolled down his back as he realized how his words had sounded.

What the fuck was I blabbering? I would have made such a big mistake just now…..

"Shut up!!! We are not here to listen to your nonsense. Sis, let's not waste time with this bastard. He is the weakest anyway, only good at other things like crafting and cooking etc.." The boy's voice carried sharp disdain as he looked at Luthan with open contempt.

"Wait, wait, wait. You both are really brother and sister? Damn, I was also thinking the same thing. No wonder there were so many similarities between you two….."

Luthan rubbed his chin with a thoughtful look, then suddenly clapped his hands as if he had stumbled upon a brilliant idea. "How about this? We don't fight at all. I assume that since you already know about me being the weakest, and about me being skilled in crafting, you must also be aware of the plan. You know… to create a false trail, distract you, and then ambush when you finally let your guard down."

He leaned back slightly, lowering his voice as if sharing a secret. "And also, I noticed something. There were far too many birds around here. It wasn't strange back at the shore, but this deep in the forest? That gave it away. You all are still too inexperienced. Next time, tell your beast master to use something else to keep watch. It was a shame that I only realized all of this after coming here."

He let out a small laugh and shook his head. "Well, after I saw how strangely those birds were behaving, always circling and keeping an eye on me, I already knew our plan was bound to fail. So I thought, why not simply relax and enjoy myself? At least I assumed that Miss Elysia would notice the same thing I did, though for her it would have been much more difficult to confirm."

Luthan spread his arms as if presenting undeniable truth. "Now tell me… am I right?"

No one answered, but their silence said everything. The stiff expressions on their faces, the slight widening of their eyes, all of it was more than enough to confirm his words.

"I will take that silence as a yes. Which also means you must already know that as long as Miss Elysia and the others are defeated, the battle is practically won. So why should we fight among ourselves? Why create a rift among us? For example, you there, buddy, what's your name?"

The boy frowned, but finally answered, "It's Aric."

"Perfect. So Aric, you would not want to see your magnificent, mesmerizing, utterly cute, Divine, Gorgeous and otherworldly beautiful sister to sweat against someone like me, right? So let's not fight. How about we just tal–"

Swoosh!!!

An arrow sliced through the air, forcing Luthan to react instantly. He cut the arrow in half, though he quickly noticed it had not been shot to harm him.

"You talk a lot."

Oh, a compliment. Nice…..

"Thanks for the compliment, oh so beautiful lady. If you would grace me with the humble opportunity to know your name, I would be honored." He gave a small, polite bow, his voice filled with exaggerated courtesy.

But the archer only stared at him, her expression strange and unreadable. At last, she turned her gaze toward her brother, who merely shrugged.

"Hey, your name is Luthan, right?" Aric asked, his brows furrowed with a strangely concerned look. Without waiting for an answer, he continued, "Are you okay? I mean, are you actually okay in the head?"

Luthan's eyes twitched, but since this was his potential future brother-in-law, he forced himself to remain calm.

"Yeah, why not? I am perfectly fine. Though… sadly, even though I don't want to do this, the truth is that I was given a task by Miss Elysia, who trusted me even though I am a stranger to her. And I am a man of my word. How can I simply turn away from the responsibility I took upon myself? It would be shameful."

He sighed dramatically, his voice carrying a weight of reluctant duty. "So as much as I don't wish to hurt either of you, I must still try to eliminate my opponents. But do not worry… I will not harm you seriously."

Luthan smiled widely, though inside his thoughts were far from light.

If that devil learns that Miss Elysia failed because of me, who knows what he will do….. He might even be watching me right now. I should just put on a convincing show….. and then get defeated…..

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