December 19th, 9:00 PM.

In Elaris Island, the sun lasts for much longer than usual. This explains why the sun was only setting now.

"Cassien, set up the pin over there and infuse it into the ground with more pressure!"

He nodded, then walked over.

"Setting up the camp now wasn’t bad, it feels more relaxing after the day we just had."

Olivia walked over to him, arms crossed. "Good boy," she smirked.

"Anything for my representative," Cassien replied. "Anything for you."

She tapped the back of his neck. "FUNNY."

"I try my hardest," he smiled.

Alex walked over to Cassien. "You done smashing the pin in place? Those lazy girls and boys over there are bothered we haven’t finished. Better to just leave them out of the tent for the night because of their underwhelming thanks and absolute zero emotional support."

Cassien laughed. "If only that was an option, I really would. But we need everyone to cooperate to win."

Alex sighed. "I see." He whispered, "Let me know if you need any help." He flexed his biceps. "These bad boys work for anything."

Cassien focused closely on his pin. "Got it, thanks once again, Alex."

He stood up and walked away. "Anytime!"

After everything that happened today, including the [Grave Maw], the theft, the chase, the mysterious encounter, and the exhausting trip toward the Obsidian Peaks, everyone was more than ready to sit down and do absolutely nothing.

Unfortunately, tents didn’t build themselves.

"Stop standing around!" Olivia’s voice echoed throughout the campsite.

Immediately, several students pretended to start working again.

"Nice try."

One boy slowly lowered the stick he had been pretending to inspect. "Hehe, I’ll start for real now."

Olivia sighed. "I hope."

The students collectively groaned. Ren was currently attempting to build a tent, but somehow the tent itself appeared to be winning.

"Why is this so difficult?!"

"Because it’s upside down."

Ren looked at Audrey, then back at the tent, then back at Audrey.

"..."

"..."

"It can do that?"

Audrey stared. "How did you survive sixteen years?"

Alex walked by carrying three sleeping bags on one shoulder. "I’d leave him outside."

"Agreed."

"HEY!"

Laughter spread throughout the camp, and for the first time all day, things genuinely felt normal. There weren’t any monsters, no ambushes, and no life-threatening situations either.

It was just students trying to survive the wilderness while Cassien quietly observed from up close.

The camp sat beside a lake near the base of the Obsidian Peaks. Siv finally got the fireplace to start up with some of his smooth hands.

The water reflected the orange sunset, the mountains towered over everything, and the surrounding forest swayed peacefully.

It was truly a beautiful location, but a dangerous one. Cassien’s smile faded slightly.

’Class-1A.’

They still hadn’t encountered them, which was strange, very strange. A class that powerful and dominant shouldn’t be invisible, yet somehow they had avoided every conflict today.

Either they were incredibly lucky or incredibly smart. For all they knew, Class-1A could be on the complete opposite side of the map, closer to Echo Canyon and the North Point.

Neither option made Cassien comfortable.

"Thinking?"

Olivia sat down on a long log beside him.

"A dangerous habit." Cassien smiled. "I’m used to it."

"You do it often. Zoning out suddenly, almost like you’re trying to interpret everything around you. Being cautious 24/7 can lead to your downfall..." She paused. "Or at least, that’s what my grandma used to tell me."

For a moment, neither spoke.

Both of them simply watched the sunset until Olivia broke the silence and nudged him.

"What happened earlier?"

Cassien glanced toward her. "When?"

"When you chased after that basket."

’Ah... that.’ Cassien thought, then responded casually. "It was stolen."

"I know."

"I chased the thief and failed. Sorry about that, I wish I got to him, but I guess Class-1D gets to survive a little longer."

Olivia narrowed her eyes. "You’re avoiding the question. I don’t believe that. No way you were outdone in a race by someone from Class-1D. Impossible."

"My reserves were drastically depleted, and they got away. Plus, I got triple-teamed. It was quite an annoying experience."

She stared, and Cassien stared back.

"..."

"..."

"Fine." Olivia stood up. "Keep your secrets."

"I will," Cassien replied. "I’m quite the annoying person, aren’t I?"

"For sure."

She kicked his leg, not too hard, then proceeded to walk away.

Cassien watched her leave. The smile remained, but once she was gone, it disappeared.

His gaze shifted toward the darkening forest, toward the east. Toward where the [Nameless Extra] had vanished.

’To discover an ending. One this story deserves.’

The words replayed inside his head again and again, nonstop.

"What are you planning...?"

The wind didn’t answer, and soon darkness settled across the island.

The campfire crackled; students gathered around it. Food was distributed, stories were exchanged, and several exaggerated the [Grave Maw] battle.

Alex somehow claimed he had wrestled the monster. Nobody actually believed him.

Except for Ren.

"Really?"

"No."

"Oh."

By 10:30 PM, most students had settled down. Some entered tents, and others volunteered for watch duty.

Olivia organized shifts surprisingly efficiently, as Audrey took first watch. Alex took second, and Cassien volunteered for third. Not because he wanted to help, but because he wasn’t planning on sleeping much anyway.

The stars slowly emerged above Elaris Island. The first day of the exam was finally ending, meaning there were only five more days left.

Until everything unveiled itself.

And somewhere on the island, Class-1A was moving, Class-1D was recovering, Class-1B was sheltering, and the [Nameless Extra] was plotting.

Hidden beneath everything else was the traitor still among them.

Cassien still hadn’t figured out which one of them was possibly working against them, no matter how hard he observed each and every one of their movements.

The problem was simple: whoever this traitor was, they were really intelligent.

A normal person usually panics after almost getting caught. A smart person would become more careful.

Though the question still surfaced in his mind.

A branch crackled inside the fire as sparks drifted into the night sky.

Cassien leaned back against a log and silently watched everyone laugh and enjoy themselves.

’Is the traitor a transmigrator, or a character not controlled by someone else’s conscience? Well, we’ll wait and see.’