[Grid Location: B6]

Ruvian stared at the map, his eyes settling on the western side of the island.

’This area... as I thought, my luck is truly the worst.’

He inwardly sighed.

The B6 sector was dominated by vast grasslands stretching toward the western coastline. Aside from a few scattered boulders and low rocky hills, the terrain remained mostly open, allowing travelers to move through it with little resistance.

To the south, the plains gradually rose into a rugged chain of hills that marked the beginning of the desert region, while the cliffs along the western shore overlooked the endless sea.

It’ll be one of the easiest places to travel through.

However, what concerned Ruvian was that it was in the western region, and very close to the shore at that.

Yerin studied the map for a few more seconds.

"Actually, it certainly isn’t a bad place to start," she said. "The terrain is open enough for us to move around quickly, and there aren’t many natural obstacles that could slow us down."

Then, she slightly squinted her eyes.

"But we’re very far from the main water sources. Most of the rivers originate near the center before branching outward. If we stay around B6, we’ll have very limited access to fresh water."

She let out a quiet sigh.

"Unfortunately... that creates another problem."

Ruvian looked at her.

"Most squads will probably come to the same conclusion. It’ll also attract the largest number of scholars."

Yerin nodded before reaching into her storage artifact.

"Though, I did prepare for that."

A faint flash of light appeared in her hand. Five identical flasks rested neatly on her palm. Each one was about the size of an ordinary water bottle, crafted from polished silver metal.

A small sapphire was embedded in the cap, glowing faintly with mana.

"These are called Aqua Vessels."

She casually tossed one to each of them.

Ruvian caught his without difficulty and examined it. The flask was surprisingly light despite its metallic body.

"Each of these can store up to 20 liters of fresh water through spatial enchantments," Yerin explained. "If we’re careful with our consumption, that should be enough for one person to last around 4 days."

She closed her storage artifact before looking back at the map.

"After that, we’ll have no choice but to refill them. Which means that sooner or later, we’ll have to head toward one of the island’s rivers or lakes — just like what Ruvian already said before."

Ruvian glanced at the flask for a moment before storing it inside his dimensional ring.

Honestly, he already had one.

He had prepared a similar artifact long before coming here. Though, the only difference was that it carried a completely different enchantment, and instead of a flask, it was a waterskin.

[Evervow Waterskin]

Yerin’s flask could store up to twenty liters of water, while his [Evervow Waterskin] could only hold 5 liters. However, it had one incredible feature. It could slowly refill itself with water. Even so, it would still take around 4 hours to fill completely from empty.

At first, Ruvian had thought about getting one for each of his teammates as well.

Unfortunately, Silvena had already made it clear that night in the library that the artifact was extremely difficult to find. She had only managed to obtain 3 of them. One was for herself, another she had given to Irene, and the last one had ended up in his hands.

There was also another reason why Ruvian had no intention of giving everyone a similar backup.

He was hoping to convince his squad to move somewhere. And he already did so during the discussion previously.

*****

[Julian’s POV]

Julian’s crimson eyes remained transfixed by their starting location on the map.

[Grid Location: I6]

Truthfully, it wasn’t just a decent starting point. It was a rather favorable one, with two rivers lying practically at their doorstep. So, obtaining a reliable water source would be much easier for them.

After a deep and calm breath, Julian finally spoke again.

"Elias. Dorian. Both of you will pick the {Executioner} Card, just like I will. Once the restriction on eliminating scholars is lifted, we will switch our strategy to hunting down other squads. Eliminating players granted us more points. We won’t let that opportunity go to waste."

His crimson eyes shifted toward the remaining two, with a disdainful look.

"As for you both, lowly class.... One of you will take the {Hunter} Card while the other chooses {Conqueror}, understand?"

The two of them nodded.

No one voiced any objections. The distribution was clear, and every role had already been decided by Julian.

Then, he slowly leaned back against his chair, crossing one leg over the other as his fingers came together beneath his chin.

The relaxed posture somehow made him appear even more imposing.

"We’ll spend the first 6 days gathering as many points as possible,"

Julian continued.

"We’ll search for dungeons, clear them, and hunt every Voidspawn we come across. After that, we’ll spend the 6th day resting and recovering our mana and stamina. By the time the 7th day arrives, we’ll be at our peak."

His teammates nodded in agreement.

For a brief moment, silence settled over the room.

Then Julian’s expression gradually darkened.

His crimson eyes narrowed as a cold glint surfaced within them.

"Also, there’s one final thing."

His voice had become noticeably colder.

"If any of you happen to spot that dark-haired scholar from Class E... Ruben, Ruvy, Rupert, or whatever his damn name is..." His lips curled into a faint, contemptuous smile. "Inform me immediately."

His fingers slowly tightened together.

"Eliminating him from this test is my main goal."

"I’ll make sure he learns the consequences of his foolishness."

"Y... yes," the four of them replied almost in unison.

*****

[Corwin’s POV]

[Grid Location: H2]

After receiving the drop point, the discussion was in full swing as strategies unfolded between them — Corwin, who had been silently skimming the parchment, suddenly stiffened.

His grip on the aged paper tightened, eyes focusing as fresh ink bled across the surface, forming new words before his very eyes.

===============

{Further Notice About The Island}

Never. Ever. Wandering at night.

Vazrun Island at night is dangerous and unknowable. A place where the dark consumes the light. Even the creatures born of the void and abyss refuse to roam beneath that moonless sky. And should one of you stray beyond, out into the night... know that will have a difficult time tracking you down.

Not that the instructor couldn’t. But simply because we worried that we would not arrive in time. It’s too dark even for the expert. Because not all of us can use [Night Vision] spells.

So please, heed to this warning.

===============

The warning came as a threat, an immutable truth. As Corwin read the rest aloud, the words seemed to press against him.

Even his group fell silent instinctively.

Silvena, their leader, scanned the written text, her composed expression betraying nothing, but her mind was already racing.

She had heard the rumours before, passed down by academy seniors.

The unspoken rule of this island was that....

Don’t disturb the dark, and don’t try to find its source. It had never harmed the scholars directly, but the sheer fact that even the most savage Voidspawn cowered from it spoke volumes.

Corwin fidgeted, fingers drumming anxiously against the parchment.

"Haha, I don’t like this," he muttered under his breath.

Neither did Silvena.

Silvena kept her face calm. "We stick to what we know... as long as we don’t wander after nightfall, we should be safe."

Though, Silvena only hoped the Island played by its own rules.

’But that damned oracle... just what was he planning when he said he’d turn the night into his ally?’

She inwardly sighed before shaking her head.

──────── ✦ ────────

[Chapter 219: The Unspoken Rule]