I followed the narrow dirt path that curved into the forest, keeping my pace steady while Lucy and Liza walked slightly behind me. The entrance itself wasn't complicated, just an archway of thick branches pulling together naturally, but the moment we crossed beneath it the atmosphere shifted. The distant sounds of the shoreline faded away almost instantly. Even the subtle breeze that had followed us from the docks vanished like it had hit an invisible barrier.

I didn't say anything at first. I just kept walking, letting my senses adjust to the quiet. The forest wasn't dense enough to feel suffocating, but it had its own weight to it—like the trees were standing and watching. The path forked almost immediately, splitting into three smaller trails, none labeled and none obviously safer than the others.

I stopped, turned slightly, and looked back at the two girls. Lucy was hugging her staff to her chest, her eyes bouncing between the three roads. Liza had already drawn her short sword and spun it lazily in her hand like she always did when she was trying to act casual, but the small twitch at the corner of her eye told me she was being more cautious than she let on.

"Which way?" Liza asked.

I looked back to the paths and lowered myself a little, brushing my fingers along the dirt. The soil was loose on all three sides, which meant teams had gone through each one. Footprints overlapped too heavily for me to determine direction, and the mana traces in the surrounding trees were too faint to be reliable. Whoever passed through didn't leave enough residue to track.

"We'll go straight," I said.

"Why straight?" Liza asked.

"No reason. It just keeps the navigation simple."

Lucy nodded instantly, accepting the explanation without thinking too deeply about it. Liza squinted at me but didn't bother arguing. She sheathed her sword and stepped forward beside me. The shadows between the trees shifted as we walked, but I kept moving at a comfortable pace.

The forest deepened gradually. The trees grew taller with thicker undersides, their roots twisting like braided ropes under the dirt. Every few minutes, Lucy hummed something under her breath. It wasn't a song. More like a nervous habit—just soft noise so she didn't have to listen to how quiet everything was.

Liza noticed and gave her a small nudge with her elbow.

"Relax. We just started," she said.

"I know," Lucy whispered. "I just don't like how the air feels. It's like we stepped into a room no one has opened in years."

She wasn't wrong. The more steps we took, the more the forest felt untouched. Even the faint animal sounds from earlier disappeared completely.

We continued deeper until the trees grew close enough that sunlight only squeezed through in narrow streaks. The path we followed gradually lost shape, turning from worn dirt into uneven patches of leaves and roots. Eventually I slowed to a stop.

"We're leaving the trail," I said.

"Already?" Liza groaned. "How did everyone else go so far then?"

"They probably chose one of the other two paths."

Lucy took a small step forward. "Should we go back?"

"No," I said. "This is fine."

I moved again, taking the lead and brushing aside a branch. It cracked lightly as I pushed through, but the forest still didn't respond with anything—no rustling leaves, no movement, nothing. It was unnatural silence. I didn't point it out because it wouldn't help either of them relax.

After another few minutes of slow walking, Liza exhaled sharply.

"This exam is weird," she said.

"It's only the start," Lucy said.

"No, I mean—this forest doesn't feel real. Like it's too staged."

"I noticed," I answered quietly.

"See?" Liza bumped Lucy lightly. "He noticed. I'm not imagining things."

I didn't disagree. The academy was capable of generating illusions or manipulating terrain through magic, but this forest didn't have the imprint of constructed mana. It felt natural. Too natural. And the silence told me the ecosystem wasn't behaving normally for a forest that large.

We continued walking until a low slope appeared ahead. The trees were clustered tightly together around it, but the path curved around the slope's edge like a spiral. I stayed in front and guided them upward. Dry leaves crunched under our boots, the first real sound the forest had allowed besides our voices.

When we reached the top of the slope, we saw a clearing just beyond it. Sunlight touched the center of it in a perfect circle, as if something deliberately carved the canopy above. But the moment I stepped forward, I felt the faint ripple of mana.

"A barrier?" Liza asked.

"Not a barrier," I said. "More like a trace."

I extended my hand. It wasn't strong, but there was a faint sensation of lingering spatial magic—like someone tore open a doorway here and left before the imprint faded.

Liza stepped beside me and crossed her arms. "Do you think someone else is tampering with the exam?"

"I don't know yet."

Lucy walked to the empty patch of grass and kneeled. She pressed her palm down gently. "It's warm," she said. "Like someone was sitting here recently."

Liza's eyes sharpened. "Another team?"

"No," I said. "A single person."

"How do you know?"

"The mana residue is too clean. A group would leave scattered resonance. But this feels controlled."

Lucy looked around slowly. "So someone was watching earlier?"

"Possibly."

Neither girl liked that answer. Liza's jaw tightened. Lucy pressed her lips together and stood quickly, brushing dirt off her knees.

"We should move," she said.

I agreed and turned away from the clearing. The forest darkened again as we moved deeper. The trees grew thicker, and the branches stretched lower like claws reaching for our heads. It wasn't threatening enough to cause panic, but the environment was shifting the more we progressed.

Eventually we reached a river. The water was narrow but flowed steadily, cutting through the forest floor like a thin silver line. I crouched and touched the water.

Cold. Normal. No traces of magic.

Liza stepped onto one of the rocks that poked above the waterline. "We're not crossing?"

"Not yet," I said. "We follow it first."

Lucy tilted her head. "Why follow it?"

"It'll lead us to something. Rivers always do."

We walked along the bank slowly. The soft sound of water was the first consistent noise since entering the forest, and both girls relaxed a little. Lucy walked close beside me, her hand brushing my sleeve several times like she was trying to reassure herself that I was there. Liza walked ahead occasionally, stepping on rocks and balancing on them like she was testing her footing.

After several minutes, Lucy leaned toward me. "Arios… do you think the exam will be more difficult than the dungeon arc?"

"Yes."

"That fast?"

"Different environment. Different rules. And the academy isn't using illusions this time."

Liza stepped off a rock and turned back. "Wait—then where did that mana trace come from?"

"I'm trying to figure that out."

The river eventually curved sharply and disappeared behind a thick wall of vegetation. The path ahead was more open, so I decided to leave the river temporarily. We moved forward, stepping over fallen logs and maneuvering around large roots that protruded like twisted branches frozen in time.

Half an hour passed before we reached another clearing. This one was smaller, but the sunlight caught scattered feathers on the ground—large feathers with a deep brown color and faint mana vibrations.

Lucy knelt again. "A beast?"

"Probably."

"But we haven't seen any beasts," Liza said. "Not even rabbits."

I studied the feathers. They were freshly shed—maybe within the last hour. The mana resonance wasn't aggressive, but it wasn't passive either.

"It's close," I said.

"What kind of beast has feathers this big?" Lucy asked quietly.

"Nothing dangerous," Liza said confidently. "Probably something like a forest fowl or—"

A deep rustling interrupted her.

We all drew our weapons immediately. Liza stepped slightly in front of Lucy, and I shifted my stance to angle myself toward the sound. The bushes trembled again, but the movement wasn't fast or hostile—just heavy.

The creature finally stepped out.

A large bird-like beast emerged, taller than Lucy. Its eyes were round, almost dull, and its wings were folded tightly against its sides. It looked more confused than aggressive. Its feathers puffed slightly when it saw us.

Lucy blinked. "It looks… harmless."

"It is," I said.

Liza lowered her sword slightly. "That's it?"

The creature tilted its head and let out a low cooing sound. It took a step toward us and then stopped, like it was debating whether we were worth investigating.

"It's probably guarding something," I said. "Or looking for food."

Lucy pointed to the ground. "More feathers there."

The creature waddled forward, picked up one of the feathers in its beak, stared at it for a moment, and then dropped it again like it changed its mind. It turned away and lumbered back into the trees without a sound.

Liza raised an eyebrow. "That was disappointing."

"It's a forest. Not every beast is meant to attack us," I said.

She sighed but didn't argue.

We continued again, moving deeper into the woods. The terrain sloped downward slightly, and soon the trees spaced out more evenly. The silence returned, heavier now but not as suffocating. It felt more like the forest was waiting for something rather than simply existing.

Lucy walked beside me again. "Arios… do you think that mana trace earlier will matter?"

"Yes."

"Should we worry?"

"No."

Liza laughed lightly. "Classic Arios answers."

We pushed through another veil of hanging vines, and the forest opened enough for us to see the sky again. The light felt warmer here. Birds finally chirped in the distance, breaking the heavy silence.

This area looked normal. Peaceful even.

But peaceful moments didn't last long in exams like this.

I felt faint mana residue again—higher up this time. I looked to the treetops and saw scratches along the bark, like something climbed quickly. The pattern didn't match any academy-controlled creature.

Someone else had been here. Recently.

But I didn't say anything. Not yet.

Lucy moved ahead and lifted a small flower gently between her fingers. "Pretty," she whispered.

Liza flicked her forehead lightly. "Focus."

Lucy puffed her cheeks. "I am focused. I just noticed it."

"You get distracted easily."

"And you get irritated easily," Lucy replied.

I kept walking, listening to them bicker without stepping in. Their voices filled the forest easily now. The tension that followed us earlier loosened little by little.

We passed two more clearings, a fallen tree that blocked the path for a moment, and a patch of mushrooms Lucy insisted on avoiding no matter how harmless they looked. The forest gradually became familiar in rhythm even if its quiet remained strange.

Eventually the shadows lengthened slightly as the sun dipped behind the tallest trees. We'd been moving for hours. Enough that I finally slowed my steps.

"We should stop here for now," I said. "Regroup. Rest. Then continue."

Liza stretched her arms upward. "Finally."

Lucy set down her small pack and sat on a low patch of grass. "My legs hurt."

"I told you to take shorter strides," Liza said.

"You said that ten minutes ago," Lucy pouted.

"And you didn't listen."

I walked toward a large tree and leaned against it, scanning the forest again. No movement. No sound. No presence close enough to threaten us.

But that faint trace of mana from before—it still lingered.

Someone or something had walked this forest recently in a way that didn't match the academy's controlled environment.

And it bothered me more the longer I thought about it.

Liza eventually sat down beside Lucy. "We should eat something before it gets darker."

Lucy dug through her pack. "I packed snacks…"

Liza brightened instantly. "Give me some."

"No. You complained earlier."

"That has nothing to do with snacks."

They kept talking, and I let my attention drift from them to the canopy above.

The forest was calm.

But the calm rarely meant safety.

If anything—it was preparation for whatever came next.

And I needed to be ready.

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