Chapter 21: Was it Planned
They were all trapped like helpless animals, but then something strange happened. The air felt like it was on fire, and a wave of heat washed over the scene. The source was a white-haired boy standing in the middle of the panicked group. I didn’t even need to ask; from the power surging off of him, I instinctively knew that he was Cassian.
An orange aura of pure heat radiated from him and enveloped the incoming landslide. From where I was standing, it felt like my suit was melting off, but for some reason, those who stood close to him seemed unaffected. The situation took a turn for the worse when a massive ball of heat formed in his hand.
[ENHANCEMENT]
+-----+
ENERGY RESISTANCE 0->40
+-----+
I used all the points I had earned from the Malgeckos to increase the energy resistance of my suit without a second thought. He wasn’t messing around; I could sense it. In an instant, a powerful blast erupted from his palm, melting everything in its path. The surrounding area was leveled as the earth itself turned into magma.
In a heartbeat, he transformed a section of the forest into a deserted wasteland. I watched Yuan and his cronies scramble away just before the blast, but I had other plans—my target hadn’t been eliminated yet. I used the moment he took to attack to get in close, making sure he didn’t see me. My real target stood right behind him, positioned in front of Luna and a few other girls as if he wanted to protect them.
He didn’t see me approaching until the last second.
"Hey—"
I covered his mouth before he could alert the others. This was him—the applicant with the Gourmet Genesis system, the sole person who kept most of the applicants on the island fed. He had to go. His presence was a nuisance to me. Using my newfound strength, I hoisted him off his feet by his throat and tossed him into the puddle of molten rock that Cassian had just created.
"HRAAAAEEEGHH!"
His agonizing wails drew their attention as his body was burned by the molten rock. This, along with the loud blaring of his watch, provided me with the perfect opportunity to escape unseen.
My eyes caught Luna before I left; she stared at me with a heartbroken expression on her face. It was the end of our so-called partnership.
"Conner!!"
I heard distant shouting as i left but paid them n.o mind
When I was far enough away, I stopped under a tree to rest. Immediately as I sat down, a notification came through on my watch.
[SUPPLY DROP TOMORROW AT 10 AM. 50 SUPPLY PACKETS WILL BE DROPPED. MORE INFORMATION WILL BE DISCLOSED AT A LATER NOTICE.]
Fifty? The number had halved since the last time. Now that the person supplying them with food was gone, they had no choice but to fight for supplies. Those who were too weak to acquire supplies would fill their hunger with the contaminated water from the river.
Natural selection would run its course. All I had to do was acquire as many skill points as possible. Since I was by myself, all I needed was one supply bag to last me until the next supply drop.
Tomorrow would mark our fourth day in purgatory, meaning we had three days left until it was all over. Slumped under the tree, my energy felt completely sapped. That intense fight had drained all the energy I had, and it wasn’t really a fight at all. I couldn’t help but chuckle at my own naivety.
If I had been a second late in enhancing my suit, it would have been the end for me—not the end of my exam, no, but the end of my life. My heart raced just thinking about it. That Cassian was truly a monster.
He showed me that I wasn’t the only one here willing to go to extremes to get what I wanted. Just the slightest whiff of a threat, and he leveled the entire area. I had used all the points I had to enhance my suit, and it still wasn’t enough. His thermal energy system was no joke.
My suit still bore scorch marks, and there were second-degree burns all over my body. I checked my watch, and the smiley face emoji indicating my health was now orange with a slight frown.
That couldn’t be a good sign.
Before I knew it, I passed out. I was then awakened by a strange sensation. I opened my eyes, but it was just a mass of blur. As my eyes adjusted a little, I saw what looked like a shadowy figure crouching in front of me.
I instinctively pulled out the Blade of Calamity, but I felt so weak I could barely swing it. Even though the blade itself was weightless, I couldn’t move my arm due to sheer fatigue. The figure had taken off my mask, and the chest area of my suit was open.
I could feel their hand on my chest and stomach, their fingers sweeping over my wounds with care. When my eyes finally adjusted, I saw the face of this mysterious person.
Purple eyes, white hair, and pale skin—it was Luna. She was applying some kind of ointment to my burn marks and wrapping them in bandages, all while wearing a pouty expression on her face. It was hard to take her seriously, even though she was clearly angry.
But the big question was, why was she helping me? Since she clearly wasn’t in the mood to speak, I decided to break the silence first.
"Why are you helping me?"
"..."
She paid me no mind and continued dressing my wounds.
"Is anyone else here?" I glanced around, but it seemed to be just the two of us.
"Was it planned?" she finally spoke, but instead of answering my question, she asked one of her own. "Were you planning the landslide all along, even when you told me to join Cassian’s faction, even when you said that you..."