Chapter 39: The first night

The first night of the wilderness examination settled over the Emerald Forest.

Darkness had completely swallowed the forest, leaving only the faint glow of their campfire to push back the surrounding shadows. Beyond the small circle of light, the trees stood like silent giants, their branches shifting whenever the night wind passed through them.

The nearby stream continued flowing beside the campsite, its steady sound blending with the occasional chirping of insects and distant calls of nocturnal beasts.

For Team 37, the campsite had been quiet.

Mira had already finished organizing their remaining supplies. She had carefully checked their food, medicine, water containers, and other necessities before placing everything where it could be reached quickly.

Elias sat near the fire with his bow resting beside him. He looked much more relaxed than he had earlier in the day, although his eyes still occasionally wandered toward the darkness between the trees.

Quinn had disappeared into the branches again.

The white spider familiar had found a comfortable position somewhere above the campsite, where it could keep watch over the surroundings. Every now and then, the faint sound of its movement could be heard among the leaves.

Darius sat across from Kael, running a cloth along the blade of his greatsword.

The weapon had taken quite a beating during their encounter with the Bloodfang Direwolves. There were several scratches across the blade, but thankfully nothing serious enough to affect its function.

Kael, meanwhile, had his attention on the map.

He had unfolded it across his lap and was studying the surrounding area beneath the firelight.

He was trying to figure which of the areas looked different to what he remembered from the game.

Darius eventually noticed Kael’s serious expression.

"By the way, Kael," he said.

Kael looked up from the map.

"What’s up?" Kael replied.

Darius hesitated for a moment before speaking.

"How do you know so much?"

Kael raised an eyebrow.

Darius scratched the back of his head.

"I thought young masters from noble families usually didn’t know much about surviving in the wilderness. But after today, I’m starting to feel a little embarrassed for thinking that."

Kael stared at him for a second before giving a faint smile.

"Let’s just say it depends on the person."

There was no need to explain further.

Darius nodded.

"Fair enough."

He returned his attention to his sword, but his expression remained thoughtful.

Although Darius had never personally known Kael before they became teammates, he had heard enough rumors about him.

Kael Grayford was supposedly the weakest student among the nobles who entered the Hero Department this year. His combat evaluation had been placed at the lowest level, and his Hero Core was considered barely useful for serious combat.

That reputation had followed him wherever he went. Yet what Darius had witnessed today did not completely match those rumors.

Kael had not fought like an overwhelming powerhouse. He had not revealed some ridiculous hidden ability either.

What stood out was his judgment. He knew how to react when the Bloodfang Direwolves attacked. He understood their behavior, recognized the danger of their formation, and even knew when it was better to let one of them escape rather than waste more energy pursuing it.

His knowledge about camping had surprised Darius just as much. Kael had known how to select their campsite, how to arrange their supplies, and how to make sure their fire did not become an unnecessary problem.

For someone supposedly inexperienced, he was doing surprisingly well.

Darius eventually spoke again.

"Kael."

"Hm?"

"Was your combat evaluation really that low?"

Kael paused.

The question was blunt enough that even Darius seemed to realize he might have crossed a line.

His expression immediately changed.

"Sorry. That was too direct."

Kael looked at him for a moment.

Then he shrugged.

"It’s fine."

Darius seemed relieved.

"I was just wondering. After seeing you fight today, I don’t really understand how you ended up with the lowest combat evaluation."

Kael glanced down at his hand.

There were several possible answers to that question, but none of them were particularly useful. His original evaluation had reflected the version of him that existed before he started seriously training.

That was no longer the case.

"I’m not exactly the same as I was during the evaluation."

Darius studied him.

He heard from Elias that Kael had been training more often. It was probably because of that. Darius thought.

"Then you should get re-evaluated," he said.

Kael gave him a slightly amused look.

"I’ll think about it later."

Darius nodded.

"Okay."

He didn’t press the matter. After that, they talked about their plan for tomorrow along with the rest of the team.

Eventually, the group decided to rest early. Darius looked at Kael.

"You should get some rest too."

Kael shook his head.

"I’ll take the first watch."

Darius frowned.

"Then I’ll stay with you," he said.

"There’s no need," Kael told him.

"But we’re supposed to keep watch in pairs," Darius reasoned.

Kael glanced toward him.

"You need the rest more than I do." Before Darous could say more, Kael added, "We are probably going to need you more than anyone else if something attacks the campsite."

Darius looked toward his greatsword.

Kael wasn’t wrong.

His role in the team was straightforward. If another powerful beast attacked, Darius was the person most capable of standing between it and the others.

Mira was their healer. Elias was their ranged fighter. Kael could support the team, but Darius was their main frontline fighter.

Keeping him exhausted throughout the night would be a terrible idea. Darius still looked reluctant.

"You’re going to guard alone?"

Kael pointed upward.

"Not alone."

Darius followed his gaze.

A pair of faint eyes could be seen between the branches.

Quinn’s head emerged from the leaves.

"Qiu."

Darius stared at the spider.

Then he sighed.

"Right."

Quinn had already proven itself during the day. It played an important role in everything. It was small, but Darius had learned not to underestimate it.

Darius stood up and stretched his shoulders.

"Fine. But wake me if anything happens."

"Of course."

Darius walked toward the sleeping area. Before lying down, he glanced back at Quinn.

"Honestly, I’m starting to think I should get a familiar of my own."

Kael looked at him.

"Don’t."

Darius frowned.

"Why?"

"They’re expensive. They eat a lot."

From somewhere above them came an indignant sound.

"Qiu!"

Kael looked upward.

"See?"

Darius laughed quietly.

"Good luck with that one."

He then settled down to rest.

Soon, the campsite became even quieter.

Mira was asleep. Elias had also stopped moving. Darius’s breathing gradually became steady. Kael remained beside the fire for a while, watching the flames. Quinn stayed above him, occasionally shifting between branches.

The forest itself seemed peaceful. But Kael knew better than to become careless. The Emerald Forest wasn’t dangerous because something attacked every few minutes. It was dangerous because nothing guaranteed that the next few hours would remain peaceful.

He looked at the others. They were relying on him to keep watch. Kael quietly stood and moved a short distance away from the campsite. He found a relatively flat area beneath a large tree and sat down. Then he crossed his legs and settled into a lotus position.

There was no reason to waste the night. If he was going to spend several hours awake, he might as well use the time productively. Meditation was one of the most important parts of his Body Refinement training.

It was also an effective method to strengthen his Hero Core through Spiritual Energy.

Back on Earth, Kael would have considered sitting silently in the middle of a forest at night an excellent way to get himself eaten by mosquitoes or some feral beasts.

There was actually no difference. Both worlds could be dangerous especially when you were alone at night in such a place.

Kael slowly adjusted his breathing.

The academy’s training grounds didn’t have much Spiritual Energy, but the Emerald Forest was much better.

The moment he entered the proper meditation state, he could sense the energy surrounding him.

It was everywhere. The forest seemed saturated with it. His breathing gradually became slower. He followed the rhythm of the Four-Two-Six Breathing Technique.

With every cycle, the tension in his body gradually disappeared. Kael stopped paying attention to the noises around him. He didn’t need to completely shut them out. He simply allowed them to exist in the background.

The stream continued flowing.

The insects continued chirping.

Leaves rustled occasionally above him.

Quinn moved through the branches.

All of it became part of the environment rather than something demanding his attention. Then he felt it.

Particles of light.

Kael couldn’t see any of it with his eyes, but his breathing technique allowed him to perceive the energy in a way that almost resembled sight. The longer he remained still, the clearer those sensations became.

It was like standing in the middle of a river he couldn’t see, feeling countless currents pass around him.

And now, those currents were slowly beginning to converge.

They moved toward him slowly at first. Then more began to gather. Like countless tiny sparks being pulled toward a single point. Kael didn’t try to force them.

That would only disrupt the process. Instead, he guided them with his breathing. As he inhaled, the Spiritual Energy entered his body. He carefully directed it toward his mana channels, or mana veins as they were called in the terminology of the Eclipse Hearts.

The energy flowed through them before gradually reaching his Hero Core. A faint sensation spread through his body. It wasn’t painful. It was closer to warmth spreading beneath his skin.

Kael maintained his breathing. The Spiritual Energy continued circulating. His Hero Core absorbed it little by little. This was the part that required patience.

There was no dramatic transformation. No instant increase in strength. And no sudden breakthrough simply because he had meditated for a few minutes.

It was more like adding a single drop of water to a bucket. One drop didn’t matter, but thousands of drops eventually did.

Kael had already known that rushing his training would only be useless. This kind of training needed time. His Hero Core needed time to absorb the energy. His mana channels needed time to become accustomed to the increased flow. So he simply continued. One breath at a time and one cycle at a time.

The Emerald Forest had an abundance of Spiritual Energy, making it an ideal place for this kind of training.

That was one of the few advantages Kael could take from the examination. He was technically supposed to be surviving for five days. If he could turn those five days into five days of training opportunities, there was no reason not to.

A faint smile appeared on his face. This wilderness examination was not as bad as he had expected.

Of course, he knew better than to say that out loud.

The moment someone said something like that, the universe usually found a way to make them regret it.

Kael continued meditating. Above him, Quinn remained on guard. Around them, the Emerald Forest continued its quiet existence.

For the moment, Team 37 was safe. But the other teams were not as peaceful as they were.