As I said those words, everyone looked at , completely speechless.
"This... Why didn't you say it earlier then?" Aurelius asked .
"I thought you already understood, didn't you hear what the old man said?" I replied. "Moreover, I feel we can't get out of the forest, not today at least. Or else he wouldn't have ntioned spending the night here and taking necessary things to survive in a forest."
Hearing my words, realization struck them down.
Were they really stupid, I wondered. They had to think, only think.
"Then, what do you think we should do?" Ren spoke up this ti. "Do you have any suggestions?"
Of course, I have, plenty of them actually. But...
"...No," I replied indifferently.
"Tch, trying to act cool without knowing anything. Loser." My ears twitched in annoyance at Eric's sarcastic remark.
"But I think your plan is doable." I continued. "But, you need to change one thing. You all divide into three groups, while I will form a group by myself and... you there, you are familiar with this kind of thing right?"
I called out a boy who looked rather thin and unassuming. He was standing behind everyone as well.
"M-?" The boy asked pointing at himself.
"Yes, you," I said gesturing for him to co closer.
The boy approached tentatively, his eyes wide with uncertainty as he glanced around.
"Do you really want on your team?" he asked hesitantly, his voice barely above a whisper.
"Stop talking and stand behind ," I said which caused him to do it in an instant.
"Ok, we have our own groups as well." Ren and Aurelius replied. Aurelia ended up joining Aurelius's team.
"Wait, what if we can't find the exit of the forest? What do we do then?" Aurelius suddenly raised a question.
"If that's the case, we should et up here before the sun sets," I suggested. "That way, we can regroup and share the results. And if we still haven't found the exit by then, we can at least prepare to spend the night here."
"Good, as expected of you," Aurelius remarked with a thumbs up.
Huh, why is he doing that? Is there sothing wrong with him?
Oh, wait, I rember, he respects those who are stronger and smarter than him.
But, doesn't that an he admits I am stronger than him? Though being smarter than him is a fact. After all, he grew up in his room due to his illness, unable to see and learn the world.
Wait, co to think of it, he is still sick. I completely forgot about that. Maybe because he wasn't showing any signs of it.
Although his master has probably given him a treasure to increase his lifespan and improve his health, it's still sothing to consider. aning, he has yet to truly cure it. After all, it was known as an incurable disease by the healers of our kingdom.
Well, for the plot's sake, he will stay sick until we graduate, right?
Unless he can reach Solar Tier which is impossible. Even if he is the main character.
"So, who will go in which direction?" Ren's question jolted out of my thoughts.
"I will go this way, you can decide by yourselves." Eric quickly chose to go left and started without even discussing it.
"Sigh..." Aurelius and Ren sighed at his attitude while I ignored it.
"We will take this direction then. Till evening then." I decided to leave as well.
"Follow ," I told the boy behind and took the opposite direction Eric went.
I could imagine Aurelius and Ren looking at my back with either admiration or irritation.
Anyway, now we were a little far from them, it was ti to get to know this boy.
"Hey, what's your na?" I asked in a casual tone, not using my cold voice. I am tired of pretending to be cold after all.
"Er... My n-na is A-Ardel." Ardel ekly replied.
"Ardel, a good na," I replied with a nod. "Nice to et you, Ardel. I'm Adrian, by the way."
"I-I know your na." Ardel's voice was a little louder but still low. "N-nice to et you too."
"Yeah, by the way, I'm not that familiar with large forests like this, though I have been in 3 of them before coming to the academy. What about you?"
"Woah, you were." As if he found a gem, Ardel's expression brightened at the ntion of the topic. Hehe, got him.
"I-I am very fond of wilderness, I spent my childhood in the Great Forest of Nionna. I used to follow my uncle who is a hunter and..."
Right, this was his problem.
Well, since I asked, I might as well at least have patience.
"...My ability is also good and exactly what I hoped to awaken..."
He continued on with his words.
He was an extra character like . Growing up in a tribe of hunters in the neighboring kingdom to Eldoria, he has the best survival skills among the first years. His ability is also sowhat related to it. That's also the reason why I picked him to be my group mber.
But, being shy and lack of confidence led him to be a loner. Until he t the MC, no the MC noticed him, his skills.
But, I am not really good at finding my way in large forests, that's why I decided to take him with . His ability was called Blessing of the Wilderness if I'm not mistaken. It's one Tier below the Solar Tier.
His ability allows him to easily find his way and survive in places where plants and animals exist. It's like he's got a direct line to nature, which is pretty handy when you're stuck in a forest like this.
As Ardel finished speaking, I nodded in understanding, impressed by his knowledge and abilities.
"That's quite impressive, Ardel," I remarked, offering him a genuine smile. "It sounds like you have a lot of experience in the wilderness."
Ardel blushed slightly at the complint, clearly pleased by the recognition.
"Th-thank you, Adrian," he stamred, his voice filled with gratitude.
"No need to thank . I'm just stating the truth," I replied casually, waving off his thanks. "But, I have a favor to ask of you."
"A favor?" Ardel's eyes widened in surprise, clearly curious about what I had in mind.
"Yeah, can you show your ability?" I asked, my curiosity piqued. "You ntioned that it's related to plants and animals, right? I'm curious to see it in action. Maybe it will be useful for today's challenge."
Of course, it will. But I have to make him gain confidence.
rdel hesitated for a mont, looking slightly nervous at the request. But after a mont's pause, he nodded in agreent.
"Um, sure, I can do that," he replied, mustering up his courage. "Just give a mont."
With that, Ardel closed his eyes and took a deep breath, focusing his energy. Slowly, a subtle change began to take place in the surrounding environnt.
I watched in amazent as the plants around us seed to respond to Ardel's presence, their leaves rustling softly as if acknowledging his command. It was as if he held so invisible connection to the natural world, allowing him to communicate with and manipulate the plants and animals around him.
In a matter of monts, Ardel opened his eyes, a faint smile playing on his lips.
"There, you see?" he said, gesturing to the surrounding foliage. "I can sense the presence of plants and animals within a certain radius, and even communicate with them to so extent. It's a useful skill for navigation and survival. But..."
"This is all I can do..."
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