The first outdoor ss was training. The purpose was to get to know the transfer students. The name of it was ''dangerous hike''.


    "There aren''t any dangerous monsters on this mountain. But..."


    The chief instructor, Ravi Mishra, held up his index finger with a scary face.


    "There are terrifying hidden traps. They''re replicas of what fallen humans once used. You might end up being hospitalized, so make sure to stay on your toes."


    Next, Ravi divided 120 people into 10 groups of 12.


    The 10 groups then began to climb the mountain from different starting points.


    "Alright, everyone, let''s go!"


    Emma belonged to Group 3, which included Adrian.


    "Oh, Emma."


    "Hey."


    Emma and Adrian led two magicians and eight cadets to the foot of the mountain.


    Not long afterwards, afterwards began to appear on their arms. Not only did the wind get chilly but, their surroundings also got dark. For the record, it was currently 10:30 A.M.


    Just the environment was scary and spooky enough, but there were also all kinds of traps just like the instructor said.


    mes suddenly sprang up from the ground, tree branches coiled around them like tentacles, and even ghosts appeared to frighten them.


    "...God, my heart almost dropped."


    When a creepy female ghost appeared, the cadets all fell to the ground. Was Nova trying to give them nightmares to celebrate the start of school? Emma let out a deep sigh as she ced her hand on her heart.


    "Geez, this is too scary."


    Even Adrian was murmuring in a cold sweat.


    Adrian and his group stopped for a moment to take a breather, this was their first outdoor activities practical ss since the start of the second semester.


    And they have 2 new group members who know nothing about Nova City''s deadly forests, So they have to move with cautious.


    After few momentster they began to climb up again.


    Despite the eerie atmosphere and the asional scare, they pressed on, determined toplete the dangerous hike unscathed.


    As they approached a particrly dense thicket, Emma''s keen senses picked up on a faint clicking sound emanating from the underbrush.


    "Adrian, hold on a moment," Emma whispered, gesturing for him to stop. "I think there might be something ahead."


    Adrian nodded, his expression serious as he scanned their surroundings for any signs of danger. Together, they cautiously moved forward, each step deliberate and calcted.


    Suddenly, a trap sprung from the ground, causing sharp spikes to shoot up in their path. Reacting quickly, Emma and Adrian leaped to the side, narrowly avoiding the deadly spikes.


    "That was close," Adrian eximed, his heart racing from the adrenaline rush.


    "Yeah, we need to stay alert," Emma replied, her eyes darting around for any more traps. "Let''s keep moving."


    As they continued their ascent up the mountain, Emma and Adrian engaged in a conversation to keep their spirits up amidst the tension of the hike.


    "I have to admit, this is definitely not what I expected for our first outdoor ss," Emma said with a wry smile.


    Adrian chuckled in agreement. "Yeah, I thought we''d be doing some basic survival training or something. Not dodging traps and ghosts."


    "At least it''s giving us a taste of what''s toe in our mercenary training," Emma remarked, her toneced with determination.


    Adrian nodded, his gaze focused ahead. "True. It''s a good reminder to always expect the unexpected and be prepared for anything."


    Their conversation served as a distraction from the eerie surroundings, helping to ease their nerves as they pressed onward.


    Despite the challenges they faced, Emma and Adrian remained steadfast in their determination to conquer the dangerous hike and emerge stronger for it.


    Adrian and Emma continued hike while at the same time keeping an eye out for any danger that lurks around every corner here.


    At the same timeter the group decided to rest for not as Adrian noticed that 2 magicians were gasping for breath.


    Adrian couldn''t help but feel slightly confused, As far as he knew, Isabe was also a magician but he didn''t notice that she was struggling with something like this


    Only Adrian would think something like this, Most Mage or magicians have weak bodies.


    But Isabe was an oddball among them, Not only she was mage she could do physical activities better than most cadets.


    Anyway, Adrian and his group started to rest as they sat down on in ground devoid of any traps.


    At that moment, a bush on the right side suddenly rustled, and a familiar face popped out.


    It was Lucas Group 8.


    ***


    Besides Lucas, Group 8 had the 61st ranked Antony Delick and the 20th ranked Jay Voss. Group 3 met them coincidentally, and now they were taking a break together.


    "...Illusion barrier?"


    Group 8 had an easy time in the beginning with only a few wild animals appearing on their hike, but they had unknowingly entered an illusion barrier.


    "Yeah, I think we must have been lost in there for an hour or so. But suddenly, that guy told us to move with a frustrated face."


    Antony Delick pointed at a man sitting by a tree. Emm nced over to that direction. There, Lucas was looking at his smartwatch.


    "At first, we were like, who is this kid? But then he went ahead and found the exit instantly."


    Emma nodded silently.


    "Oh right, did you decide on your team for the uing team challenge?"


    Antony Delick asked, changing the topic.


    Just like he said, there was a team challengeing up. Although nothing about it was announced, team challenge was a joint training exercise that was a tradition in Nova.


    "No."


    Emma shook her head.


    Teams for the team challenge had to be fair. As such, top-ranking cadets like Emma, Adrian, Isabe, Lucas and Aric couldn''t team up.


    In short no one in top 5 can team up.


    Most teams wereposed of ''one one-digit rank, one two-digit rank, two three-digit ranks, and one low-rank magician''; or ''two two-digit ranks, two three-digit ranks, and one upper-rank magician''. Of course, specific rankings were taken into ount as well.


    "I''m thinking about asking Lucas."


    At that moment, Jay Voss who was sitting quietly suddenly interjected. Caught off guard, Emma''s body shook a little.


    Adrianughed and chimed in.


    "Lucas? He''s a good choice, But you''re"


    "What do you mean?"


    Smiling and ncing towards the Jay, Adrian said,


    "You might had chance when he was not in top 10 but now he is in top 5, You can''t recruit him"


    "Wait! You mean to say that new 3rd ranker in top 20 is this Lucas!" Jay eximed as he pointed towards the Lucas who was still busy with his AI bracelet.


    "Yeah, He is. Who else do you think new 3rd ranker is?"


    "Well, I thought he was different guy with same name."


    "You really are an Idiot..."


    Emma couldn''t help but say as she ir at Jay for his idiocy. Jay flinched little as he heard Emma''s words.


    She was still feeling little sour that Lucas take her postion as 3rd but she won''t mistake him for someone else.


    He was strong, very strong.


    Maybe only Adrian and Aric could face him on equal stance.


    Well what can you expect? He was disciple of Yato, the strongest Hero in world.


    Lucas was bound to be strong as well under his guidance.


    Adrian then opened his mouth to say something as he noticed that atmosphere around them was getting little cold.


    "Hey, let''s not get too serious here," Adrian interjected, trying to lighten the mood.


    "Exactly, we''re all here to have fun, right?" Adrian continued, shing a friendly grin at Jay. "No need to stress over teampositions just yet."


    Emma nodded in agreement, her expression softening. "Yeah, let''s focus on getting through this hike first. We''ll worry about the team challengeter."


    Jay let out a nervous chuckle, scratching the back of his head sheepishly. "Sorry about that, guys. Got a bit ahead of myself there."


    Lucas, who had been engrossed in his AI bracelet, finally looked up and joined the conversation. "What''s up, guys?"


    Emma''s gaze lingered on Lucas for a moment, her thoughts drifting to the uing team challenge. Despite her initial reluctance to team up with someone from a different rank, Lucas seemed like a solid choice.


    "Hey, Lucas," Emma said, offering him a smile. "We were just talking about the team challengeing up. Have you thought about who you want to team up with?"


    Lucas raised an eyebrow, considering her question. "Not really. I''ve been focused on trainingtely, so I haven''t given it much thought."


    Adrian chuckled, nudging Lucas yfully. "Well, when you do decide, just know that Team 3 would be lucky to have you."


    Lucas returned the gesture with a smirk. "I''ll keep that in mind."


    With the tension eased and the conversation flowing smoothly, the group settled into a more rxed atmosphere as they enjoyed their break.


    As they prepared to resume their hike, Emma couldn''t shake the feeling that Lucas would be a valuable asset in the challenges toe. With his strength and expertise, Team 3 would have a fighting chance against whatever obstacles awaited them in the team challenge.