“Ugh, I’m bored,” Ludwig said, leaning back on the Dreadjaw’s broad neck. The creature’s rhythmic steps were almost soothing, but Ludwig’s restless nature couldn’t stand the monotony.
“What do you mean, bored? You’re literally relaxing on the back of a Dreadjaw,” Thomas replied, his tone incredulous.
“That’s one of the reasons too,” Ludwig said, waving a hand dismissively. “This guy is scary enough that no Velkryn dare come close. So there’s not much to do here but wait for this thing to end.”
“One should count their blessings. While you’re lounging around, the rest of the freshmen are practically fighting for their lives,” Thomas pointed out.
“Oh,” Ludwig said, a mischievous smile spreading across his face.
“I don’t like that smile,” Thomas said, his voice tinged with suspicion.
“You won’t be the only one,” Ludwig replied, his grin widening. “Dready, how about we go hunt some students?” he said, patting the Dreadjaw on the head.
“Dready? Really, Dready? You name an apex predator that ruled over all, Dready?” Thomas asked, his tone dripping with disbelief.
“He seems to like it,” Ludwig said, shrugging.
[Thanks to your passive [Beast Taming], some of your intentions have been portrayed to your tamed beast.]
The Dreadjaw immediately began moving forward, its massive legs pounding the ground as it picked up speed.
“Looks like it understood,” Ludwig said, his grin turning predatory.
“This is absurd. You’ll be hated by everyone,” Thomas warned.
“Not many like me anyway,” Ludwig replied, his tone casual. “Also, this is slightly more fun. Let’s go, Dready! Let’s get hunting!”
The Dreadjaw roared in response, its massive body surging forward as it charged through the forest.
***
“Should that be allowed?” Cymoria asked, her brow furrowed as she watched the screen.
“I don’t think so. That’s utterly ridiculous,” Vastion replied, his tone filled with disapproval.
“Why?” Van Dijk asked, his eyes fixed on the screen where Ludwig was riding the Dreadjaw, hunting down screaming freshmen.
Ludwig’s grin was almost ear-to-ear, matching the toothy snarl of the Dreadjaw.
“This was supposed to be a survival trial—to survive the Dreadjaw or defeat it as a group. With one of the students controlling it… isn’t it too unfair for the rest?” Vastion argued.
“Life has never been fair, Vastion. You should know that best,” Van Dijk replied, his voice calm but firm. “And I’m not saying this because he’s my disciple. We have students who are masters of charm and hallucination magic. They wouldn’t have been reprimanded if they had controlled the Dreadjaw using their magic. Ludwig used whatever tools he had to coerce and control the Dreadjaw. It’s all within the rules of the Black Tower Academy.”
“Master Van Dijk is right,” Olim chimed in. “Ludwig didn’t break any rules, and his control over the Dreadjaw is his own effort. Though it’s a bit cruel that he’s chasing his fellow students using the Dreadjaw, it’s still not against regulations.”
“At this rate,” Vastion said, watching as two more students were enveloped in protective bubbles and teleported away, “Ludwig will be the sole survivor in this challenge. That will make the following events much more complicated.”
“Then so be it,” Van Dijk said, his tone final. “It is only by the students’ efforts that they can survive this ordeal. If this were real life, they wouldn’t be complaining.”
The screen continued to show Ludwig’s vicious handling of his fellow students as he hunted them down one after another.
***
“How many is that?” Ludwig asked, his voice filled with glee.
“That’s the tenth…” Thomas replied, his tone resigned.
“Then there’s still a lot more… but I can’t find any. We’ve been running around for hours,” Ludwig said, his grin fading slightly.
“Yeah, of course, there wouldn’t be many. Some of them are already eliminated while the rest have realized that you’re using the Dreadjaw to hunt them. They can communicate with each other, after all,” Thomas pointed out.
“Oh, speaking of communication,” Ludwig said, finally remembering the call he had ignored earlier. He pulled out his communication crystal and called back.
“Ludwig? I thought you got eliminated,” Kaela’s voice came through, weak and strained.
“Are you good?” Ludwig asked, his tone shifting to concern.
“Yeah, barely. I hate the deserts,” she said, her voice tinged with exhaustion. “How’s your trial?”
Ludwig’s mount was chasing after another unfortunate student, who screamed as the Dreadjaw’s jaws snapped shut around them. A protective bubble appeared, and the student was teleported away, their curses echoing in the air.
“Oh, my trial? Doing pretty good. You, on the other hand, sound like you’re in hell,” Ludwig said, his grin returning.
“As close to it as possible. It’s hot, and unbearable, and sand is going everywhere…EVERY-WHERE! Still, I found an oasis, so I should be good for now,” Kaela replied.
“What about Sabrina?” Ludwig asked.
“She’s snoring. She apparently transformed into a bear and is snuggled up nicely there. I hate that woman—she always has it easy,” Kaela said, her tone filled with envy.
“Then that’s fine. Looks like our team is doing much better than the rest,” Ludwig said.
“What is that noise?” Kaela asked as the Dreadjaw let out another earth-shaking roar.
“Oh, just a small friend I made. Regardless, do you need anything? You called earlier,” Ludwig said.
“No, I just wanted to check up on you. Still, if you’re doing fine, then it’s good. Make sure you survive the longest and clear. I don’t know what your next challenge will be, but the fewer the survivors, the easier it usually is,” Kaela advised.
“Right, I’ll keep that in mind. See you later,” Ludwig said, ending the call.
“Quite interesting,” Ludwig said, his mind racing.
“What is it?” Thomas asked.
“Why did they ask us to make groups when we’re doing solo trials?” Ludwig wondered aloud.
“The goal is to prove one’s solo abilities before joining group battles. Once the solo trials are over, all of the remaining groups will be teleported to an arena where they’ll battle against each other. Groups that have more numbers will have better chances at winning, while groups that had their third-year or even second-year taken out early will suffer more,” Thomas explained.
“I see,” Ludwig said, understanding the reasoning behind the system. It was designed to weed out the weak and reveal those who could survive on their own without relying on others.
“That’s twelve,” Ludwig said as another student was “eaten” by the Dreadjaw.
Just as he was about to look for another target, the entire area began to morph. The trees and vegetation distorted, and even the Dreadjaw started to fade away. Ludwig fell to his feet as the forest disappeared, replaced by a large, circular stone room with a single light source illuminating the space.
In front of him stood about twenty students, all looking just as confused as he was. But something was terribly odd in this scene. It was incredibly unnatural.
Ludwig frowned as realization dawned on him.
“How come there are twenty and some students here?”
“How come there are twenty and some students here?”
Turning to his right, Ludwig froze. Standing next to him was an exact replica of himself, staring him right in the eyes.