Adam could not believe his eyes. His backpack had been right there! And his fight with the silverback had not taken more than a few minutes! How could he have known someone else was around?
’How did this never cross my mind?’ Adam sighed bitterly, feeling the sting of the theft. ’Survival isn’t just about fighting and avoiding danger.’
It was a hard lesson for someone who had been sheltered for many years. With this lesson, his mindset about the trial took a different turn. To survive was to do everything possible to stay alive and moving.
Gritting his teeth, Adam continued forward, shooting through the forest at incredible speeds. His goal now was to find something to sustain himself. The plan had been to eat his ration at night, then find something else the following day.
That plan was now completely scrapped.
It would have been nice if he could have stored his backpack in his system storage. Unfortunately for him, he could not do that without exposing a few of his secrets. There were simply too many eyes around.
Adam brushed against hanging branches and leaves as he sped forward, still feeling the sting after several minutes of running. This time, however, he ignored everything around him.
From gathered applicants moving together to fights breaking out amongst themselves and beasts. None of it got Adam to slow down. He ignored it all. And he did not have the heart to take from others despite how he currently felt.
Finally breaking past the dense trees, he came to stop at the edges of an expansive and uneven plain leading into a valley. The plain was littered with rocks protruding from the ground, and the sun was almost on the horizon, casting a warm orange glow across the vast landscape.
Deeper into the plain was a flowing stream. At the very least, he had found water. Near the stream were some applicants collecting water or washing themselves.
As beautiful as the plain looked, it wasn’t a good place to rest for the night. Further into the distance was a small mountain cliff that stretched across the landscape, separating the plain and another section of the wilderness.
"Excuse me?"
Before Adam could take a step forward, someone called out to him. He glanced to his left to see a pretty, pink-haired girl with a warm smile on her face. Adam did not immediately respond as he waited for the girl to state her reasons.
"I apologize if I’m overstepping, but I couldn’t help but notice you don’t have your backpack." The girl said, expecting Adam to reply. When he stayed silent and simply stared at her, she flashed a cheeky smile and added. "It seems you were a victim of backpack theft. That’s unfortunate."
"What do you want?" Adam coldly asked, his patience wearing thin.
"Hehe, sorry." The girl laughed nervously, feeling a bit disappointed that her welcoming attitude wasn’t welcomed. "I was only trying to help."
Saying that, she lowered her backpack and took out a water bottle, offering it to Adam. "Here."
Adam narrowed his eyes, confused. "Don’t you need it?"
"It’s okay. I found an abandoned backpack from someone already eliminated." She explained.
Adam looked at the girl and then her outstretched hand, a bit of his anger dissipating.
"Thanks." He replied and took the water bottle.
"You’re welcome." The girl beamed as Adam took the bottle. "By the way, my name is April Mercer."
"Adam Highstein."
Adam replied, staring at the black water bottle. As he expected, it was empty. Not that it bothered him. Maybe not everyone was as wicked as the ones who had resorted to stealing. Then again, that was what survival was all about. Expecting others to play by his rules was delusional to begin with.
"Sorry about my attitude before," Adam lowered the bottle and let out a tired sigh. "I was a bit angry."
"No harm done," April replied cheerfully and did a small hop around, stepping closer to Adam. She faced the plain and added. "Say... what if we moved together?"
Adam glanced at her from the corner of his eyes but did not immediately reply. He turned his gaze away when April turned to look up at him. Adam stood a little over six feet, making him taller than the pink-haired girl.
For several moments, Adam did not reply. He wasn’t sure if he should agree with the girl or continue moving alone. Alone, he could move a lot faster and do as he pleased. But with a partner, he would have to consider her thoughts as well.
If possible, he would like to fight a few more beasts to further polish his fighting skills, learn more about their biologies, and maybe some skills and techniques from applicants. Too bad he had no idea who stole his backpack.
"Don’t worry, I won’t hold you back if that’s what you’re thinking." April said when the silence stretched on too long. She knew Adam was considering the pros and cons of moving together.
Personally, she had no problem moving alone. But she wanted to make at least one friend during the trial. She was already fed up with everything being a challenge with the other elites.
Also, Adam was easy on the eyes.
"Fine." Adam agreed after some time. "But you’re gonna have to keep up."
"Hehe. Don’t worry about it. I’m a lot more capable than I look," she replied with a grin and a wink.
Adam’s expression did not change much. He threw a glance at her and then turned to face the plain once more. He passed the water bottle back to her.
"Hold on to it for me."
The pink-haired girl took the bottle and put it in her backpack. Seeing that she was done, Adam spoke, "I plan on making it to the top of that mountain cliff for the night. That won’t be too much, will it?"
"It’s doable." April replied with a shrug.
Adam glanced at her once more. He was not quite clear on why the girl wanted to partner with him. Had he done something that had caught her attention? There was no way she could have tailed him without him knowing. His senses might not be very sharp, but he had become very observant since his awakening.
Mostly.
’There’s no need to overthink this.’
The girl had agreed to follow his lead, so there shouldn’t be any problems... for now at least. Pushing his thoughts back, he descended into the plain and took off running. April wasn’t far behind, steadily keeping pace with him.
Adam looked over his shoulder but said nothing. He focused on the path before him as he kept running, expertly maneuvering around the massive rocks and uneven ground. They were quickly losing daylight, so there was no time to waste. Once he refilled his water bottle, they’d make their way to the cliff.
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