Chapter 88: Mali Forst

All the students shook their heads in disbelief. However, once they saw the look in their instructor’s eyes, no one dared to think this was just an ordinary assessment.

"Now that you understand the previous rules, I’ll explain the final condition."

The instructor observed all the students before continuing.

"This forest is specially maintained by the academy. Unlike the forests you’ve visited before, this place is home to various creatures you may have never encountered."

All the students nodded, clearly understanding his warning.

The instructor finally let out another loud howl before speaking. "All right, I have nothing more to say. Today’s assessment officially begins now!"

In an instant, all the students who had transformed into wolves disappeared from before him.

With necklaces around their necks, they were transported to different locations throughout the forest.

Liliana was stunned when she realized she had arrived in an empty clearing. Not even grass grew on the ground beneath her paws.

She raised her head and carefully surveyed her surroundings. After making sure there was no danger nearby, she began moving through the forest cautiously.

She had never expected the academy to use teleportation magic just to conduct an assessment for one of their regular classes.

The academy was certainly not stingy when it came to spending its resources. However, seeing how seriously they had prepared this assessment, even going so far as to use expensive teleportation magic, Liliana could only draw one conclusion.

This assessment was important. Very important.

Liliana growled softly and continued walking. However, after only a few steps, she immediately lowered her body when she heard approaching footsteps. Without wasting any time, she hid beside a mound of earth nearby.

"Just my luck!"

An irritated curse came from behind the trees.

Valerie appeared in her milky-white wolf form, walking with an annoyed expression while continuing to complain.

"Is this really the academy everyone keeps talking about? The academy that’s so luxurious and wealthy, and holds thousands of secrets about the werewolf race? The place that keeps so many records about our kind?"

Valerie raised her head and stared at the sky with a sharp gaze.

"How can the academy arrange training like this? Isn’t it enough that they’ve controlled our lives all this time? Now they even want to turn us against one another?"

Liliana, who was hiding behind the mound of earth, unconsciously lowered herself even further.

A small smile appeared on Valerie’s lips. Her sharp fangs, one of the werewolf race’s proudest features, showed as she growled again, as if laughing at something only she understood.

"It’s a shame this place won’t last much longer. This bunch of filthy, weak, and disgusting creatures can’t even fight properly without relying on their groups. A race like this doesn’t deserve to survive."

Valerie stopped walking. She lifted one of her paws and stared at the fur covering it, while hateful words continued to spill from her mouth.

Liliana froze for several seconds as she heard everything.

From behind the mound of earth, she stared at Valerie in disbelief. Slowly, she backed away a few steps, still struggling to accept that the person who had just spoken those words was someone she had spent years fighting to keep as the only family she had left.

Crack!

Valerie’s eyes flashed. She immediately stepped back and turned toward the sound.

"Who’s there?" she shouted.

Valerie immediately ran toward the source of the noise. Her movements were incredibly fast and well-trained, something Liliana had never expected the girl to possess. This ability was completely different from Valerie’s usual appearance, which had always seemed weak, as if she had deliberately maintained that impression in front of others.

When she reached the spot, Valerie furrowed her brows. She shook her head, then continued walking around the area.

"Strange ... I’m sure something moved here. There’s no way I just imagined it," Valerie growled.

The sharp claws on her paws dug firmly into the ground. She continued circling the area, using her keen sense of smell to search for any lingering scent.

Fifteen minutes passed, but Valerie still hadn’t found anything. She snorted in annoyance before continuing through the forest.

Meanwhile, Liliana, who was hiding in a concealed hole beneath the thick grass, finally let out a sigh of relief once she was certain Valerie had left.

If she hadn’t accidentally found that hiding place, Valerie would surely have discovered her.

Liliana emerged from her hiding place and shook her body several times to remove the dirt still clinging to her fur.

As she continued her journey, her mind kept working. She tried to find the reason behind Valerie’s change in attitude while also making sense of the words she had just heard.

"Valerie..." Liliana murmured softly. "What exactly happened to you while you were living in Pack Beaumont? How could your personality have changed so much since we last parted?"

Rustle!

Liliana immediately turned to the side.

A wolf approached her at a leisurely pace, wearing a mocking expression.

Liliana quickly pushed her thoughts aside. She warily stared at the wolf before her, while her claws dug into the ground to steady her stance.

"Liliana ... Liliana Forst." The wolf grinned. "Ah, no. My mistake. Liliana Beaumont ... No, I’m wrong again. I mean, Liliana Draven."

It looked Liliana’s body up and down with contempt.

"Who would’ve thought the first person I’d meet here would be you? And who would’ve thought that the owner of the necklace around my neck would turn out to be you?"

Liliana didn’t say a word. She continued watching every movement the wolf made, trying to read her opponent’s intentions before taking action.

The wolf began circling her leisurely, as if enjoying the opportunity to face her.

"Liliana ... It seems the academy really wants to give me a chance to get revenge on you."

"Mali Forst. Didn’t I explain this to you long ago?" Liliana asked in a low voice. "Valerie and I never killed the Alpha leader."

Mali Forst looked at Liliana with a mocking smile. "Do you think I’m as stupid as the elders of my Forst family?"