Death... and me

It was just a small realm breakthrough, so there wouldn't be problems even without the Spirit Stones. Of course, having them made it faster and less likely to fail nonetheless. After just 20 minutes or so, a wave of Spiritual Energy rushed out of Lenna's body.

Obviously, it caught everyone's attention. As Roan looked at her, he nodded with a satisfied expression.

"Good. It seems it went very smoothly."

He then looked at the rest.

"Alright, now that she finished, we are moving out. Make sure to stay close to each other and tell if you notice something suspicious. Depending on how much you progress you make in this last week, I might let you three fight a Stage Two demon beast to test your abilities."

Malaka and the other two sweated cold. Even Malaka doesn't think that she can contend against a Stage Two Demon Beast, let alone Julio and Lenna.

Roan, of course, noticed that, so he couldn't help but chuckle.

"Let's go!"

Their group quickly departed. But at the same time, their route was the same as the other groups. Those groups in the bracelet formation were obviously the strong ones with Foundation Establishment in their midst. Sure enough, Roan made sure to never bee too far away from the others.

Time continued to pass, and another three days went by. With Rean's group's new hunting area, their position in the rank began to soar at high speeds. By now, they were already in the third place, and it would take at most a few more hours before they surpassed the second.

Agis, the leader of the first positioned group, obviously noticed their approach. After all, it was possible to check the ranking positions in the bracelet as well. It was made on purpose so that the teams would put even more effort into their test. The Kids' parents told them to be positioned as high as possible. After all, It would catch the elders' attention and bring benefits in the long term while they are part of the Sect.

Ten days of teamwork would help even a disorganized group to work better together, let alone Agis's one that had two Foundation Establishment at the forefront. Agis continued to be as arrogant as ever, but the other kids simply began to ignore this attitude of his. To be more precise, they started to follow the words of the second Foundation Establishment kid, a guy called Loki Hatun. He has a Green Color aptitude, but thanks to his family, he had enough resources to push into the Foundation Establishment before the exam started.

It is not because someone came from a well off family that they would turn arrogant like Agis, and Loki was pretty much this type of kid. The reason he joined Agis's group was that he thought that it would be the fastest way to get the first place.

Agis noticed that as well. But since they were working better and killing more, he ignored it. For him, the important thing is to get first place. Not to mention that he was still the one registered as the leader of this group.

Unfortunately for him, he underestimated the level of the monitoring formation covering this private demon beast forest. As the only Red Color Aptitude, he was one of the most viewed kids. Soon, everyone began to notice that Agis was losing his leadership. His protector, for example, had a terrible expression on his face as time passed. However, he often sighed a lot too.

He knew why it was like this. Agis had been treated with a golden spoon ever since his talent was found out in the clan, and it turned him into this spoiled kid. Because he had the ancestor's protection, no one, not even his parents, dared to rebuke him. This is now the final result of such an education.

The Core Formation elders who were observing him couldn't help but shook their heads. Since he is a Red Color Aptitude kid, none of them would give him up. But they understood in these last ten days. Agis will need harsh training on the mental side once everything is over.

"I guess it can't be helped. Most of those highly talented kids with significant backgrounds turn out like this. Just look at the others Blue and Green talents with expensive clothes. Most of them act pretty much like Agis."

Another elder nodded before saying.

"Well, we are used to this kind of new members anyway. Soon, they will understand how useless their backgrounds are once they enter the Sect. Still, Agis isn't completely helpless. Even though he is losing his leadership in his group, he can swallow it for the sake of the first place. There is still hope for him. I'll be sure to give him the proper training later so that he will change that pride of him into something more constructive."

"Hmph! You talk as if he is already entering your faction. Look at the score, the way things are going, he will most likely join my side. The one who will give him the right mental training will be my group."

None of those core elders wanted to lose the only Red Talent, so they once again began to argue with each other.

Rean's group passed the second positioned one in the raking by the end of the 10th day. On the 11th, the difference between Agis and them reduced even more. Finally, Agis began to lose his patience again.

How can he accept being second with his superior talent? Because of that, he decided to change his plans and go even deeper into the Inner Region.

Loki, of course, noticed it not too long after.

"Hey, Agis, we will get too close to the Core Region!"

Still, Agis didn't mind.

"Haven't you seen the rank, idiot? That Death Team is almost passing us! There is no doubt that they are very deep into the forest as well. If we want to win, we need more Stage Two demon beasts! Stop complaining and follow me!"

Too bad, though. Rean's group wasn't so deep as he thought. In fact, there are quite a few groups that went further than them because they also wanted to go higher in the rank. The difference in Rean's group was pretty simple, the efficiency of Roan's commands combined with his Death Style.

Roan's Death Style was focused on killing as fast as possible while keeping oneself safe. It was far more advanced than any of the kids' weapons' styles. So their killing time was simply unbeatable! Not to mention that both Rean and Roan had the power of Advanced Stage Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators.

Another point is that Agis and the groups advancing further into the forest are making another mistake. There is indeed more Stage Two Demon Beasts over there, but they are also stronger than the ones closer to the outer region border. So their killing number would probably not change much at the same time that they would be in even greater danger.

Because Rean's Group killed their target too fast, they had a lot more time to look for more of these weak Stage Two demon beasts. It was as simple as that.

Roan, of course, didn't know about Agis's group or the others, nor would he care even if he knew. For him, as long as he takes the first position, that will be fine. He had to prove that Malaka's words weren't wrong. It was his pride as a big brother.

But it was at this moment that Rean and Roan received a message from Sister Orb. Or to be more specific, from the Soul Gem System.

---

A few hours later, the core elders noticed what kind of decision Agis made.

"That idiot is going too deep. Does he think he is a match for the Stage Three Demon Beasts?"

"It seems like we need to send someone to prevent the worst. We can't let a Red Color die just like that."

"Wouldn't it be against the Sect's rules? We shouldn't give any support to any of the kids passing through it. Otherwise, what about the kids who died already? More than 200 passed away already."

"So do we let him die just like that? How many years will we have to wait for another Red Color Aptitude? It might be just another two or three years, but it might also be decades!"

These elders continued to argue until finally, one of the Inner Sect elders intervened. In fact, the one who spoke was hulian, the organizer of the tests this time around.

"Hum...? Is it me, or is there another group following Agis's right behind?"

The elders quickly expanded the map around Agis's group, soon noticing that as well.

---

Back on Rean's group side, Rean and Roan were cursing without stop.

"Sister Orb, you can't do it with us! That's a suicide mission!"

Roan also complained.

"It is on purpose, right? We haven't talked with you for some time, so you are doing it to get back at us!"

[I wish you were right. At least, it would be interesting seeing your faces. However, it has nothing to do with me. The Soul Gem system opens its own Authority Raising Missions whenever it wants. You can only blame your luck. But don't worry, even if you die, I will simply be transferred to a new host. You already did good enough to help me reach this side of the universe.]

The twins felt like crying but had no tears.

Who the hell cares if you are going to be transferred or not? The important thing here is that we will be dead if it really happens!

"Sister Orb, can't you simply change the content of the quest like you did last time?"

[I can't. In fact, I couldn't back then, either. It's just that I had hidden the other missions available, leaving only the 'brotherly affection' mission for you to see. But this time, this is really the only mission available.]

"Fuck! So it was really on purpose at that time!"

[Are you sure you want to talk about it now? I think you should be more worried about how to pass this test.]

Rean and Roan smiled bitterly. She was right; they could only comply with the system.

*A few hours earlier.*

[Authory Mission has Started: Sect members are the same as brothers and sisters, people that you should treat dearly!

Mission Objective: Save the first positioned group from being killed by the Stage Three Demon Beast, Inferno Wolf.

Target: No more than 3 members of the group can die.

Reward: 100 Destiny Points.

Failure Penalty: 1000 Destiny Points. In case the hosts can't provide the points, hosts shall be wiped out, and a new host search will start.]