Extra's Descent-Chapter 356: Timeless [4]

There were twists and turns during Amelia's ascension. But she skillfully managed to get through each and every one of them, using her wits and overall capabilities.

There floors such as the third and fifth that nearly broke her mental, especially so when it directly attacked her psyche.

But still, Amelia never faltered.

Her will—

"Haaa…."

Her head was a mess.

She needed a break.

The exam was too much. Not physically, but mentally.

What kind of exam….

"Haaa…."

She wanted to rest, to get away from people at the moment.

The examination was albeit in the middle ground of medium and hard, but it was attuned to each cadet's overall rankings.

It was too hard for her.

That was when she remembered.

'How is Brandon doing!?'

'He's an S–ranker, just how difficult is his exam!?'

She wasn't worried about his skillful approach, she was worried about the mental toll it would take him.

Brandon was mentally weak. Amelia was well aware of that. It was even still prevalent today, where she would often see glimpses of his vulnerability.

But Brandon was going through it all on his own.

Amelia had no room to involve herself when Brandon was keeping quiet about it.

All she could do was support him as best as she could.

The next instant, as she gathered her thoughts together, the words appeared in front of her.

[Examination Cleared!]

"Finally…."

Her mind was at ease.

She was tired.

All she could think about now as of this moment was how her bed would feel against her skin.

"Ah…!"

She felt elated.

Her bed.

It would feel.

"...."

So.

Thump!

Good.

Amelia plopped down face–flat on the ground.

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WHIII—

Shortly after, a blinding light engulfed her entire being.

***

The moment Amelia was ejected from the simulation, curious gazes fell on her.

"Amelia!"

A deep voice rang out from somewhere. Amelia helped her body up, only to find Bellion rushing towards her with concern in his expression.

"Ah."

Bellion grabbed her shoulders, startling her as her brows raised.

"You…."

Bellion started patting her body. Then, went on to grab her shoulders once again, wide eyed.

What in the world.

"It really is a simulation. Thank god…."

Bellion exhaled in relief.

"Uh, yes?"

What in the world is going on? And why was everyone staring at her with interest.

But as Amelia looked around, there seemed to be no cadets around.

Then did that mean….

"Am I the first one to pass?"

She posed the question.

"You are. But that's now what's important right now."

"Huh—"

"Thankfully, we've confirmed through you that the tower is a simulation."

It was then.

Bellion's eyes narrowed, his tone grew serious, and his face darkened as he spoke seriously.

"Listen to me, Amelia."

Amelia felt the tension, sending chills all over. Seeing Bellion's grim expression, her back straightened unknowingly.

"...."

"Trust no one."

***

An hour or so passed, and there was only one hour left before the examination was done.

Several cadets emerged one after another. Instructors quickly listed off each cadet that escaped the simulation.

A wave of relief washed over Bellion upon realizing the fact that the examinations had really taken place in the simulation, and not inside the real tower.

But furthermore, a sense of unease crept up on him as this confirmed another fact.

Because there was a firewall put up, restricting them from forcefully ejecting a cadet outside the simulation, it meant that the exam had really been tampered with.

There was a traitor.

And there was only one suspect.

Clank—!

For that reason, Bellion burst the door open, entering the interrogation room.

Looking in front, Alan Ross seemed to have been jolted awake, lifting his head up from the table, and wiping the line of saliva trickling down his lower lip.

"Fucking bastard."

"Huaa?"

In a daze, Alan Ross stared back at him in confusion.

"Tell me the truth!"

Bellion exclaimed as his brows tightened further, furrowing.

His blood pressure was rising, and rage was boiling within him.

"What's your aim!? Because of you, Yi Jihyeon and the rest of Blood Crescent Moon entered the tower!"

All because Alan Ross let slip that there might be a chance the cadets were actually in the real tower.

It totally threw everyone for a loop.

They had expended a lot of time and resources because of that.

They were totally in circles, and to think that by the end of it, they were inside the simulation this whole time.

It might've been harsh, and Bellion might've jumped to conclusions too quickly, but there were no other suspects.

Alan Ross and his guild were the only ones who had full access over the simulation.

There might've been a traitor, but each member of Iron Fist guild was currently being interrogated.

They would get their results soon, whether Alan Ross and his entire guild intentionally tampered with the exam, or whether there was a traitor within his own guild.

But Bellion had to be cautious. Milis had most probably slipped high up the ladder of Holy Britannia.

He had posed the question to Alan Ross several times, but the man would deny every allegation.

Frustrated, Bellion slammed the door shut and left the room afterwards.

From what he knew, the Dimensional Tower blocked all signals.

There was no way to contact Yi Jihyeon, or her Vice–Leader.

And ideally, Bellion didn't want to expend more resources to enter the tower and recall them back.

Sooner or later, they would end up realizing they were wasting their time, and decide to leave the tower.

Yi Jihyeon had no right to complain, when everything was the product of her initial proposal.

Most of the cadets had already passed the exam. It was a cinch. Some may have had traumatic experiences, but that was part of the exam in the first place.

All for the sole purpose of hardening their resolve.

It was a needed trait for any aspiring Imperial Army soldier, or ranker.

Cadets started to exit the facility one after another, chattering amongst themselves. Most of their topics were the horrifying psychological aspects of the exam.

However, there were some who stayed, staring directly into the monitor. Surprise and confusion etched on their faces as they stared intently.

"Ah."

Bellion had just remembered. His mind had been jumbled up with all sorts of thoughts that he had nearly forgotten.

Brandon Locke and Raven Blackheart weren't around.

This was especially noticeable since Brandon Locke wasn't there to pester him around just yet.

There was one hour left on the timer.

"...."

Bellion tried switching the screen to check if there were still other cadets taking the examination.

But it seemed like Brandon and Raven were the last examinees, still taking the exam.

Bellion's brows furrowed.

"...."

….They were going to fail.