I created my own system

"Alicia must have done this" he thought so as he entered the space lock, immediately he located his friends inside the canopy tents, made from the leaves and branches of trees. This simple tent was converted into a make-shift medical ward for the injured students, there he saw the entire Lower class aiding the students of Combat class.

They continued helping those in need until a pair of ruby eyes landed on the boy.

"Apollo" she blurted out and quickly moved towards him. Her eyes checked him for signs of injury even when she knew it was close to impossible to happen.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, just a bit tired," he said though exhaustion was steadily setting in.

"Is it about the artifact?"

The boy nodded wanting to rest but with the current situation, it seems he won't be able to do it.

"You should rest" Her concern was evident in her voice but Apollo could tell that she was in no good position either.

"It seems you are as tired as I am," he said instead of paying heed to her words.

"I am but I will be fine"

The tables were suddenly turned, Apollo now is the one worrying and telling the other to rest, while Alicia is the one being told to but doesn't listen.

"I know your situation" Apollo started to say his eyes locked on Alicia's ruby eyes.

"You have a very strong power however your body can't handle it, so I can tell that somehow you are sealing it away. That is why expending too much of your strength strains your control. The more power you release the more your body failed to suppress it" his voice was very calm and Alicia remained listening to him.

"Once you can't control it anymore, you are afraid that it will burst out hurting others including yourself"

"I never knew you would figure out so much about me"

"It took some time but at least I was able to get a hang over your situation"

Alicia couldn't help but chuckle though her expression gradually returned to her usual cold demeanour.

"Since you told me something important I will do the same"

Apollo felt suddenly confused but still remained silent and listened to her.

"I know about the existence of the artifact inside this island"

Apollo was a bit surprised though he did think of it once when he saw how calm she was at the start of the evaluation.

"The artifact inside this island was supposed to stop any cheating from the other students. No spells, no equipment or other artifacts only the skills for survival will be used. This information was only known to the imperial house since the artifact was requested by the academy from them.

I never knew that the artifact that is supposed to protect and prevent cheating among the students will be used this way"

The said artifact was the reason behind the communication blockage and the reason why some equipment wasn't usable, unfortunately, Alicia only knew about its existence but not its location.

"So are you telling me that somehow our enemies got their hands on the artifact when the information about this was supposed to be only between the academy and the imperial house?"

"Yes"

An exasperated sigh escapes from Apollo, he is disappointed that even now both sides have spies that they still haven't removed.

[Creator I haven't detected anything like spies inside the Academy while the Emperor's side only has a couple of people who are under the direct command of his majesty. Those people are bound by oath they won't be able to act as spies]

"Right, we didn't really notice anything suspicious when we were at the academy. I thought it was just me failing to notice the conspiracy but since we didn't notice anything, it might not be spies who leaked the information"

"Then it only means" Apollo's train of thoughts leads to a certain individual.

"Nero" he mutters while Alicia only nods sharing the same thought.

The island's location was the same island being used every year so it wouldn't really be impossible to locate it, however, the existence of the artifact had a limited amount of people who knew it.

The imperial house and the Academy are the only ones to blame, though both sides had taken measures to minimize information leakage.

"It's him again" Apollo could only massage his head as he said those words.

There was a worry etched on Alicia's forehead as she knew that another danger would fall on Apollo's shoulder.

"You should heal from the previous battle fight. I will assist you later on in finding the artifact" she said wanting Apollo to take some time to rest.

"Alright" He nodded then he continued

"But first we should regroup with the professors, they were with the other students as well"

"Okay, I will inform everyone"

Alicia turned back, and for a moment he wondered why she didn't ask for the professors' condition or even the other classes. She never asked if they were okay or if everything went well. All she did was inquire about his situation and inform him about the existence of the artifact.

Other than that she didn't say anymore making Apollo think that she must have known what happened based on his expression. She must have figured it out since he didn't look dejected or sad.

"Yup, that must be it" he concluded while sitting on a makeshift chair.

Then after a few twists and turns they arrive at the camp where the professors and the rest of the students are located. There was a sight of relief and anguish but the reunion brought happiness to everyone.

Under the bonfire, tales were told and songs of determination were heard, Apollo and Alicia were resting along with the entire Lower class, sharing stories about how their day went while savoring the humble meal they ate.

After the stressful day, they all decided to rest to subside their fatigue.

The night was calm, no monsters came and strangely everyone who exhausted their mind and body received an ample amount of rest.

And so the night went away and the morning came. The crickets that were singing slowly replaced by bird melodies while everyone began to wake up.

The sun's light was warm washing their heavy minds and aching bodies. The students who woke up realised that they felt so light like nothing happened yesterday. Opposite to the student's reaction, the professors and security almost have a heart attack realizing none of them was able to stay up all night to watch.

As the people waking up grew in size, breakfast was then prepared by the professors who felt embarrassed by their negligence of keeping watch last night.

The aroma of the food attracted everyone's attention and soon enough they all gathered to fill their stomach. With all gathered in one place, a voice began to speak

"Students, I need you to listen closely," Adolfo said, addressing the group. "We're facing a serious threat, and we need to establish communication with the higher-ups. With something blocking our signals, we have to find a workaround."

The professor specifically excluded the information about the artifact, knowing it could cause panic among the children.

As the professors planned their next move Apollo turned his eyes towards the forest, and the darkness lurking beneath the trees. Strangely he felt an inexplicable pull towards it. Curious he decided to go towards it wanting to know the reason behind the feeling he was having.

"Apollo? Hey, where are you going?"

Alya noticed him moving suspiciously so she called him however it seemed her voice didn't reach him.

As Apollo made his way towards the tree line, the atmosphere shifted. The air felt charged with energy, and the shadows seemed to watch him, waiting. The rustle of leaves and the distant growls of the remaining beasts made his heart race. Whether it was excitement or nervousness he will never know.

"I am being watched" he realized watching the nimble shadow that kept following him.

Apollo kept his senses alert knowing the artifact was still influencing him. The further he ventured, the more he felt the oppressive energy of the artifact. It was as if the air thickened, making it difficult to breathe.

"You are really stupid"

Said a voice causing Apollo to almost jump. He didn't sense who it was so frantically looked back and saw a girl with black hair and ruby eyes.

"Alicia?"Nôv(el)B\\jnn

"I told you not to go alone"

"Right sorry"

Apollo felt a bit embarrassed however, suddenly, they spotted a movement, which shifted their attention towards it.

Seconds went by and there was silence between the two, neither spoke or even looked at each other. Their focus was directed at something, although they didn't know what it was.

There was a figure, clad in dark robes flitted between the trees. A chill ran down Apollo's spine, as a realization dawned on him. He had seen them before, the mysterious figures that had caught his eye during the battle. They were watching him, acting like a pack of predators.