"What now?"

John bit his thumb, cursing his terrible luck. He'd been talking so much, but now that it came to it, he wasn't sure what to do. In his defence, he hadn't been expecting to run into a team so early on.

The problem was that he had no idea who these kids were. Typically, if he were with Destiny, he'd be a little cautious. After all, the whole point was for Destiny to grow, and that meant adversity and challenge. It'd also be likely that the enemies would be someone of note rather than just the random nobodies John was currently facing.

This was both a blessing and a curse. On one hand, there was no guarantee that these enemies were strong.

On the other hand, though, it was possible. John was used to being confident because he could reasonably judge the level of an opponent's strength before the fight began and could thus manipulate the [Characters] around him to his advantage.

[Resets] with the goblins and various bandits. The souls had been a bit of a distraction with the haunted armour, but he'd been able to predict that some kind of boss was coming and could warn the others to conserve their stamina. Forcing Destiny's growth with the crab. Distracting the chimera until Destiny and Prota could take it down, which was well within their capabilities. So on and so forth.

That was only possible because he was following the [Protagonist], who had to face opponents of a certain calibre. But he wasn't with the hero anymore. And so now, he had no way of knowing who these students were.

He'd never bothered to interact with any of his fellow classmates, never bothered to learn their names or roles. They were, after all, [Extras]. If they mattered, they'd interact with Destiny in some way. Otherwise, they were just, well, nothing. At least, that was what John had thought.

Now, he was severely regretting that decision. If he'd bothered to observe the others a little more, he'd be able to make a better judgment as to whether they should fight or not.

"Well? What now?"

"I mean, it'd be best for them to deal with the beasts first, right?" John said, his brain running at maximum output. "From there, a few possibilities. They're bad at fighting, and they run away. We sneak in and grab the stuff. Or, they beat the boars, but they're weakened. We just go up and take the stuff anyway. Win-win, right?"

Ryan grimaced. "And if they're strong?"

John sighed. There were so many possibilities.

If the crate had things they needed, like food, then a fight would be worth it. If it had more water and tents, though, then they'd waste energy for nothing. Additionally, since it was still day one, it was likely that the enemy team would have a significant advantage in stamina. Since they weren't thinking of this exam the way John was, they'd likely use all of it on this one fight. Then, the amount of stamina they spent depended not on when the enemy would back off, but on whether or not they were strong.

"It's hard to say. Do you guys feel up to it?"

He looked back, and the kids were all determined. John felt a little sigh of relief escape him. If they were up for it, then he could just tell them to pull out if it came to it.

Ultimately, though, the average Scholaris student would be defeated by this cast of [Characters]. From what he'd heard, the twins were receiving tutoring from that bird Mystic, the same kind as Destiny, and combined with Prota's combat prowess, it should be more than fine.

"Alright. Let's watch."

The group of students stumbled right into the boars, which immediately squealed and charged them. There was a large amount of yelling, but they ultimately were able to get back to their feet.

"They seem to know what those are," John said quietly.

"Well, yeah. We learned about it in class. Did- did you not know about this?" Lilith said, concerned.

"I- um- don't worry about it."

One student quickly took charge, a boy with simple brown hair, yelling something as he stomped his feet, a wall of earth quickly rising up. A caster, it seemed. A girl followed up, vaulting over the wall as she charged in, stomping feet first onto one of the boars. She seemed to have amplified her weight somehow, because she came crashing down, immediately pinning the beast to the ground.

"Now!"

Another boy rushed forward with a sword, coating it with flames as he swung down. He didn't quite have the strength to cut all the way through, but it was enough to put the animal out of commission. Unfortunately, there were two other boars, but the students seemed prepared. The girl who'd launched herself forward quickly drew back while another girl in the back raised her hands, launching a torrent of wind that didn't quite damage the beasts. Still, it held them back, and that seemed to be the goal anyway.

"Change of plans," John said urgently. "We go now."

"What?" Ryan exclaimed, but John was already pushing forward.

"They're organized, but they don't have the firepower for this. Let's just take the box and go."

Everyone else wanted to protest, including Prota, but John was already there, using his sword to pry open the crate once more.

"Come on, let's grab the stuff and go!" he exclaimed, tossing out cans of food.

They'd gotten lucky. Food. Cans and cans of it, from what they could see. They quickly caught everything, getting ready to move out, when the sounds of fighting behind them stopped.

"Shit," John cursed as the rustling of leaves could be heard. "Let's go, now-"

It was too late. The other group burst into the clearing, looking at the team that had tried to sneak the contents of the crate out behind their backs. There was an awkward standoff between the two parties, one broken by a member of the opposing group.

"Uh. Hey," the boy with the sword said. "You're John, right? Allen."

John was taken aback. He hadn't considered that their opponents would just walk up and introduce themselves.

"Yeah. How do you know me?" John frowned.

"Well, I don't think there's a lot of people who don't know you… you know, after that incident back in the fall…"

John grimaced. Right, that'd attracted a lot more attention than he'd planned.

"This is Harriet," the boy said, pointing to the girl who'd raised the wall. "This is Amanda. And that's Leon."

"Um… That's Lilith. Ryan. Prota," John said, finishing the introductions. "So… is there a reason we're talking like this, and you're not just jumping us?"

"Well, I mean… do we really have to fight?"

There was an awkward silence, filled only by the sound of the leaves swaying in the wind.

"I mean, it's pretty tough that we have to survive for seven days," Harriet spoke up. "I don't really want to fight my classmates if I don't have to…"

John did his best not to show it, but a whole other variable was coming in. What if the teachers weren't actually looking for the students to clash? They'd brought it up as a possibility, but nothing they'd done had actually incentivized students to engage in brawls. And now that John thought about it, the students wouldn't be pleased with having to make it on their own. The nobles, especially, since they'd be used to pampered lifestyles, but even the commoners wouldn't exactly know how to make it for a full week.

What if the teachers were really just looking to see how the students would use their powers in an unfamiliar situation?

"So what do you want?" John said, trying to ignore the possibilities.

"Well, we noticed you guys have some food," Leon said nervously. "And, you know… do you mind sharing?"

John looked back at his team. They, too, didn't know what to do. They'd all been so focused on getting ready to fight that none of them had considered diplomacy as an option. John was still holding onto their tent, Prota was holding the canisters of water, and the twins had the cans of food. There was no hiding that they had some resources.

"Well… what if we say no?"

Amanda stepped forward, looking fierce. Well, that made sense. She'd launched herself directly onto a boar. She likely had the most courage out of their whole team.

"Then we fight you for it."

"Are you really sure that's the best choice?"

This hadn't come from John, but instead Ryan, who had stepped forward, leaving his share of the food behind with Lilith.

"You guys look tired, not to mention a little beat up. What if something else comes? What if another team comes and fights you for this? Isn't it better if you just leave?"

John was impressed. Ryan had immediately assessed the situation and was dealing with it intelligently. He had the brains to not mention that they'd seen the other team fight; doing so would let them know that they'd been watching, planning on jumping them if necessary. Definitely not a polite thing to do, especially to fellow classmates. Additionally, he'd proposed a scenario in which the other team would definitely have to drop out early, something they'd want to avoid doing.

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"Look, we can strike a deal. We'll give you half of our food, and we all leave. Ok?" Ryan offered.

Amanda's frown twisted into a face of uncertainty. "Well… do you mind giving us a moment?"

"Sure."

They scurried back, whispering in hushed tones. John looked at them, mildly amused, but also with a little bit of pity. Like Prota, he had to remind himself that he was dealing with kids. Not adults. Kids. No matter the [Setting], no matter the [Plot], even if the [Author] tried to make them far more mature than they should've been, they were ultimately children.

[Characters] untouched by whatever bullshit was going on would likely remain that way.

Speaking of maturity, though…

"Hey," John said quietly without moving. "Where'd you learn how to do that?"

"Do what?" Ryan similarly didn't turn to face John, barely moving his lips.

"Don't try to hide it. That's diplomacy right there. You're what, eleven? Twelve? Where'd you pick that up?"

"Aren't we the same age?" Ryan frowned. "I could ask you the same thing."

The girls stood back, a little worried. Prota never got herself involved in these things, and it seemed that Lilith didn't enjoy them. John could see their reactions out of the corner of his eye, but he still wanted to know, just for curiosity's sake.

"Maybe I'm not twelve. Maybe I'm forty. Regardless, that's an unusual skill you have," John whispered.

"...it's just something I picked up," Ryan muttered.

"Well, it's a good skill to have."

John wasn't going to be an insensitive bastard and push it too far. It was clear the boy didn't want to talk about it, and that was fine. It wasn't a major concern.

That was the lie he was telling himself. In any other scenario, he would've pushed it. This Ryan kid was getting tutoring from a Mystic, and if he was secretly some kind of traitor, John would need more information to be able to deduce that. He had no reason to believe there were any traitors so far, but that was something he needed information for. But this was Prota's friend. He couldn't do that to her. And, to be honest, he was sure it'd come up again later.

"Oh, they're coming back."

The other group pushed through the bushes, coming back into the clearing. Their faces were pretty grim.

"We need the food."

Those four words sent shivers down everyone's spines. A confrontation, one that was likely unavoidable.

"Seriously? You can't just find another crate or something?" John protested.

"We don't know if we'll come across more food or not. To be honest, you guys already have water and tents, and we're not stupid enough to push for that. Surely you guys can just let it go, right?" Allen tried.

It was Ryan, not John, who responded to the question.

"Well, I suppose we can give you some water. But don't we all need food? In the end, this is something worth fighting over, right?"

Lilith kept looking back and forth, unsure of what to do in this situation. On the one hand, her kind nature led her to want to simply hand over the food and avoid a confrontation. On the other hand, she was starting to feel hungry, and she didn't want to just give up the food they'd gotten.

John just sighed.

"Look. There's no point in going back and forth like this. Either you want to fight, or you don't. I'm not gonna make the first move, and if you don't do anything, I'm gonna just start walking away. Got it?"

An ultimatum. There was no more messing around, just a decision to be made, and based on how the other students looked, they'd already made their decision.

"Fine. A fight it is, then."

John nodded, backing up as he held his sword out in front of him. Even if he was dead weight, the enemy didn't need to know that. Slowly, he made his way back to Prota's side.

"Hey," he whispered. "You know not to do anything weird, right?"

Prota nodded. She wasn't really interested in that. She was feeling confident in her abilities, even without Soul Steal. No, the more important thing was right in front of her.

"No fighting."

"I-"

"No fighting."

John grimaced. Had Destiny told her about his suspicions regarding the usage of mana and the safety devices? He hadn't planned on fighting all that much, but he didn't want to just sit and stay on the backlines. Then again, it was possible that the only role for him to play was a passive one.

Ryan and Lilith were in the front, already channelling their spells. Their teamwork had been excellent, even in the entrance exam, but it seemed Leora had focused on that aspect of their power because their magic was even more in sync. Combined with shorter chants and magic of higher efficiency, they were a force to be reckoned with.

The other kids weren't bad, either. Harriet put up a wall immediately, taking the combined spell of fire and water, but it crumbled upon the first hit. It didn't matter. Amanda was already charging forward, launching herself high up in the air.

"Dodge!" John yelled.

Ryan used a gust of wind to push everyone out of the way, possibly saving them from being eliminated right there and then. There was a huge spray of dirt as the girl crashed down like a meteor, making a massive hole in the ground.

That was her mistake. Amanda had talent, and she was using it wisely, but her knowledge was limited to theory rather than practice. Digging herself so deep meant it would take longer for her to get out, and that was easy to capitalize upon. Prota immediately launched herself into the fray, her mouth moving as four fireballs began to circle around her, all of them launching into the hole Amanda was in.

"Damn it!"

It seemed she wasn't out yet, though. Her mana reinforcement was probably pretty good.

Still, despite the fact that Prota's team was down one person, they had teamwork and practical experience on their side. While the other team was definitely competent, they weren't good at combining their efforts with no prior plan. It seemed their little routing of Amanda charging in was all they had. Now that everything was messed up, they were fighting as individuals, trying to put what they'd learned in class into practice.

"Leon! Watch out!" Allen yelled, but Prota's icicles were already making their way toward his head.

Thankfully, Allen's flaming sword got in the way just in time, but that was valuable tempo lost. Ryan and Lilith were already taking advantage of their disarray, churning up a giant storm of wind and ice, something they wouldn't be able to easily block or dodge.

"Allen!" Harriet yelled, trying to form a barrier, but it was hard with Prota constantly firing at her.

It wasn't doing too much, especially with Amanda there to take some hits, but it was like the buzzing of a fly in your ear while you were trying to do a difficult task. Awfully annoying to the point that one more buzz, and your concentration would snap.

"A little help here?"

"Right!"

To their credit, they weren't just some random group of students that'd been thrown together. It seemed they knew each other well enough to communicate to some degree.

It just wasn't enough.

Compared to Prota's developed combat sense along with the teamwork of the twins, it was simply a one-sided fight. Not quite a massacre. If John had participated, it might've been one. Even without mana, he was still a decent fighter. Regardless, he wasn't fighting, and that meant Prota would have to try a little harder.

Still, they were stronger in almost every aspect. Firepower. Speed. Tactics.

It seemed the other team was realizing this, because they ran off, not wanting to be removed from the island on the very first day.

"Phew," Lilith sighed, dusting off her sundress. "Thank goodness they left."

"What, were they strong?" John said, getting up from his spot.

"...you could at least pretend you're trying, you know," Ryan pointed out.

"Why? What's the point?"

The words implied sarcasm, but John's tone was so genuine that Ryan couldn't help but close his mouth. Prota, on the other hand, gave John a dirty look. He was playing the same games he'd played with Destiny when they'd known him as Fate, and the twins were arguably a lot more naive than he was.

"Well, it's not that. I think we could've beaten them if we had to," Lilith said awkwardly. "It's just, you know… I don't want them to fail or anything because of us."

"U, well… I don't think they would've failed," John said as they made their way back to their starting spot. "They fought pretty well. But they definitely would've gotten worse marks, I think."

Truth be told, he was a little worried. What if the exam wasn't about combat? What if it really was just about surviving? Yes, technically, the Casters and Fighters were trained to be combatants, but if John thought about this in the context of a fantasy world, his earlier theory was entirely possible. Perhaps the students were meant to survive, after all.

The more he thought about it, the more it made sense. The average person didn't have his survival skills. He'd been through apocalypses, worlds where civilization was an afterthought and game-like scenarios where he'd be fending for himself, all for the amusement of gods. These were all arguably worse than whatever he was going through right now.

Even commoners wouldn't have his skills. Even if they were beggars, street smarts weren't the same as surviving in the wild. If that were the case, then the royals, who were used to being served, would have an even harder time fending for themselves.

Still, he needed to keep his strategy of conserving stamina. The whole grades thing had been an excuse. Destiny wasn't with him, but he needed to make sure that he'd be prepared for anything that happened. The dance had been an [Event] of sorts, but not related to the [Plot]. No, that had been something specially planned for him.

The lack of any activity at all was making him nervous. Forget Lupin, he should've been worried about the school.

"John? Hello?" Lilith said, waving her hand in front of his face. "Come on, let's go! What are you spacing out for?"

He shook his head, vision swimming back into focus. He'd gotten lost in his own thoughts again.

"Ah, right. Yeah, let's go set up camp."

~~~

No more time was spent going on a wild goose chase for crates. The sun was beginning to set, and it was time to get out of the jungle. Wild animals had the advantage at night, and it was likely that nobody would be in there at that time.

The tent went up surprisingly easily. It took them a bit, but eventually, a button was found and pressed. Everyone stepped back, and a small but well-constructed shelter popped up. There were four sections, ensuring everyone had privacy, as well as built-in sleeping bags and inflatable pillows. Rough, but better than sleeping on the ground or a bed of leaves.

They hadn't found any kind of campfire, but dead trees and branches were somewhat available, so John went to go hack some down. Prota hadn't wanted him to go out alone, but he needed to be useful somehow. Even he felt a little guilty at being nothing but deadweight.

Soon, as per John's instructions, they dug out a pit with the help of some wind magic and surrounded it with various rocks, making a makeshift fire pit. They threw the wood in there, and with a few fireballs, they had a roaring flame. The cans of food contained stew, so they were placed on the edge of the pit, and the group waited for them to cook.

"Huh," John said as he picked up his can. "These things come with spoons and everything."

"It's nice, though, isn't it?" Lilith smiled, taking a sip.

Prota was already digging in, ignoring everything else that was going on. Now that the sun was down, the temperature was quite comfortable. The soft sand underneath was warm, the sky overhead blanketed with stars, unaffected by the usual lights of civilization.

"I didn't realize there were so many of them," Lilith muttered, looking up. "They're beautiful."

"Yeah, yeah," John muttered, digging in. "They sure are."

Ryan was similarly quiet, but he, too, was enjoying the stew. It was pretty good for something canned. It almost tasted fresh. Perhaps there was some kind of preservation magic at work.

There was no more talking as the group sat, exhausted. Half of them weren't used to full-day treks through an unknown environment, especially without regular meals or hydration. Even though their bodies were fine, new experiences were still mentally draining. They soon went off to bed, even though it wasn't really that late, leaving the other set of siblings to sit out in the open.

"You're fine, right?"

Prota nodded, shuffling closer to John. She leaned her head on his shoulder, eyes closing as she took in the smells and sounds. The crashing of waves, the light breeze dancing through the trees, the occasional call of a bird or the rustling of bushes as an animal passed through… it was nice in its own way. The smell of warm sand and salt water filled her nose as she took in deep breaths, slowly falling asleep.

"Are you ready? I know you're getting cozy, but… you know, we're probably going to have to deal with something here," he said quietly.

"Nn… students?"

"No." John shook his head. "Something else. You know what I mean, right?"

Prota nodded sleepily.

"Just… be ready, ok?"

She didn't respond. John looked to his side and noticed her soft, regular breathing patterns. She was fast asleep, which was odd, considering she hadn't been that tired. With a sigh, he picked her up and tucked her in, then went back out and looked out into the ocean. He really wanted to reach into his pocket dimension and pull some kind of other drink out, something with a more potent effect, but that would destroy everything he'd been through so far.

"What is it? What's coming next?"

He wished he knew.

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