I'm a Villain in My Own Game?

[Raul POV]

We arrived at the examination site last night. This morning, the participants had already gathered in front of the Monster Forest, which was surrounded by a red-colored barrier.

Before us, Instructor Torun appeared ready to explain the rules for the upcoming exam.

"You are about to undertake the third-stage examination," Instructor Torun announced loudly. "As you have often heard, this examination has always claimed the lives of participants! You will not be given any Limiters and will have to rely solely on your own abilities inside!"

Hearing this, the participants' expressions grew tense. Some of them even began breathing unevenly.

"The examination will last for only one day. There is a red crystal located in the center of the forest that you must retrieve," Instructor Torun explained. "You may only bring one weapon and one artifact into the forest."

In that case, I would bring my sword and the Masquerade Mask into the forest. I didn't want my identity to be exposed when I revealed my true abilities.

"If a participant dies from a monster's attack, we will not be held responsible for their death. It is up to each of you to decide whether you are willing to participate in this examination or not," Instructor Torun said with utmost seriousness. "If anyone wishes to withdraw, this is your last chance. Once the examination begins, we will not open the Barrier until the allotted time has ended."

The participants lowered their heads, contemplating the instructor's words. They seemed to be weighing the consequences and risks of this examination against the results they could achieve afterward.

The points awarded to participants who completed the third examination were greater than the combined points they had earned from completing the first and second examinations. These additional points would determine their future upon graduation.

Not long afterward, ten people stepped out of the line. Apparently, they had chosen to withdraw rather than risk being killed during the examination.

"Very well. You have made your own choices. There is no turning back now except to complete this examination," the instructor said firmly. "For those who have decided to proceed, take a number. It will determine the location where you will begin your examination."

The instructor then explained that there were eight starting points, each guarded by an instructor. They would open their respective barriers so the participants could enter the forest.

I received number five, which was located on the western side of the forest. There, I spotted a female mage in her mid-twenties. She was Master Erina—the female mage known by the title of the Red Witch.

"Hurry over here. I'll open the barrier so you can pass through," Master Erina ordered.

Once I arrived, Master Erina began chanting a spell. Not long afterward, the red barrier in front of me opened to a height of two meters, enough for a single person to pass through.

"Enter," Master Erina commanded. "There will be no turning back once you step into this forest, except when the examination period ends."

After seeing me pass through the barrier, Master Erina immediately sealed it shut again.

This time, there was truly no way back except to complete the examination.

I then hurried deeper into the forest.

According to my estimation, the assassins would attempt to enter this forest at night. They would wait until the participants were exhausted first so they could conduct their search more easily.

"I have to stop them from killing the participants, as well as Brian, who's somewhere in this forest."

I wasn't confident that the instructors would be able to stop the assassins from carrying out their plans.

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[Brian POV]

I had been fighting here for an hour, yet the monsters showed no signs of stopping.

Could this be why they called this place the Monster Forest?

—Rooaarr!

At the moment, I was fighting a pack of enormous blue wolves. Three of them were charging toward me at incredible speed.

"Light Executioner!"

I swung my sword, which was enveloped in golden light, and the three wolves were killed instantly by my attack.

Their blood splattered across the surrounding ground, but there were still countless monsters behind them charging toward me.

"I don't have time for this!"

I dashed toward the pack of wolves and activated the Accel spell, allowing me to maneuver more swiftly.

Slash! Slash! Slash!

I continued slaughtering the monsters that came at me without stopping.

They were relying solely on their overwhelming numbers to fight me. The levels of these monsters were nowhere near those I had faced during the second-stage examination.

"Moonlight Slash!"

With that attack, I finally managed to wipe out every monster in the area after fighting for nearly an hour.

Hah... My body is completely exhausted...

I wanted to rest for a while, but then I remembered the promise I had made to Ariel yesterday—to always protect her.

She had already entered the forest. How was she doing?

During this third examination, if she encountered a dangerous monster, her life would be at risk.

This examination was different from the previous ones. The participants could actually be killed this time.

"Ariel... I have to find her before retrieving the Crystal."

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[Viera POV]

My heart was pounding violently, and my breathing was heavy after several minutes of fighting that enormous bear.

At the moment, I was hiding in the branches of a tree, trying to escape the pursuit of this terrifying monster.

The monster was incredibly agile despite having a body that stood three meters tall. My arrows often missed whenever I fired at it.

—Grrrr...

The bear appeared to be sniffing the air, its footsteps gradually bringing it closer to where I was hiding.

Tch. Did it smell me and track me down?

What a troublesome monster.

—Grooaarrr!

It roared in my direction.

Had it already discovered my position?

I didn't have to wonder for long, because that bastard monster suddenly began charging toward me at full speed.

Steadying my breathing, I raised my bow and began aiming at the bear.

"Triple Shoot!"

I fired three Magic Arrows toward the monster.

However, it easily dodged all of them.

—Grooaarr!

The bear leaped toward me, exposing its sharp teeth as it lunged in my direction.

I hurriedly jumped away using the Axio spell to evade its attack. The branch where I had been standing collapsed after being struck by the bear's paw.

"Piercing Shoot!"

Once again, I fired an arrow enhanced with magic to increase its speed toward the monster.

Yet even then, it easily dodged it.

I still couldn't achieve enough speed and power to hit this bear.

—Groaarrr!

The bear began chasing me again.

What should I do to make my shots hit it?

After landing on the ground, I began running with all my strength to escape the bear's pursuit.

What would Captain Raul do if he were in the same situation as me?

He had always taught us to make use of our surroundings whenever we fought an enemy stronger than ourselves.

However, it was much easier said than done when I was actually on the battlefield, being chased by a monster like this.

Looking around, all I could see were trees stretching as far as my eyes could reach.

Think, Viera, think!

What should I do to make my arrows hit this monster?

Should I shoot it when it loses track of me?

But I had already tried that, attacking it from behind.

The bear could still sense my arrows flying toward it from a distance.

Should I shoot it while it's in the air?

But if I failed, the risk of it pouncing on me and killing me would become even greater.

I didn't want to play games with the God of Death this time.

—Groaarr!

I glanced over my shoulder.

The bear was getting closer.

If this continued, I would run out of stamina before the monster did.

I had to finish it quickly.

Not far ahead, I spotted a fairly large tree.

Seeing it, an interesting idea suddenly came to mind.

However, I still hadn't completely mastered the technique Captain Raul had taught me.

But I had no choice.

I had to try.

Activating the Acceleration spell, I increased my running speed, creating enough distance from the bear to carry out my plan.

After circling around the tree, I turned around.

The massive tree was now blocking my line of sight, preventing me from directly shooting the pursuing bear.

But that was the entire point of this technique.

Tilting the bow in my hands slightly, I fired two arrows toward the tree.

The trajectories of the two arrows then curved, allowing them to travel around the massive tree.

—Groooarrr!

Not long afterward, I heard the bear roar again.

—Crack!

The tree suddenly shook after being struck by something.

I then walked over to see what had happened to the monster.

There, I saw two arrows embedded in the bear's eyes, each one piercing through its skull and reaching its brain.

The massive monster had been killed instantly.

"My arrows finally hit it..."

Taking advantage of the bear's blind spot, I had fired my arrows using the Curve Shoot technique, enhanced with speed magic.

The bear had never expected two arrows to suddenly appear from behind the tree.

"I need to get out of here. I don't want to run into another troublesome monster like that one."

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