I Became A Side Character Fated To Suffer-Chapter 44:Time To Aim For Glory

The deeper regions of the forest had become quieter compared to the chaotic swamp behind them.

Tall trees stretched upward like ancient pillars, their twisted branches forming a dark canopy that filtered the sunlight into thin golden blades. The ground beneath was uneven and littered with roots, fallen branches, and patches of moss that glowed faintly with traces of chaos energy.

Two figures moved swiftly through that forest.

Eleanor and Elderic.

For the past hour, they had moved together as a temporary alliance, carefully making their way toward the distant mountain whose peak pierced through the mist like a silent judge watching the trial of the cadets.

Neither of them fully trusted the other.But both of them understood one thing.

Survival came first.

At least for now.

Their cooperation had begun when a pack of chaos beasts ambushed them near a narrow clearing.

The creatures were grotesque things that looked like wolves twisted by madness. Their bodies were elongated and skeletal, with patches of fur missing in places where pulsating flesh bulged outward. Their jaws stretched unnaturally wide, revealing multiple rows of crooked teeth that scraped against each other whenever they growled.

Worst of all were their eyes.

Each beast had three of them.

One where it should normally be.

Two more embedded along the sides of their necks, constantly blinking and twitching as if searching for prey from every angle.

The moment the beasts lunged from the bushes, Elderic reacted first.

His blade flashed like silver lightning.

One clean arc.

A wolf’s head separated from its body and rolled across the dirt.

Eleanor didn’t fall behind.

She raised her hand and a burst of blazing fire spiraled outward like a coiling serpent. The flames wrapped around another beast and erupted violently, scorching its twisted body before it collapsed into a heap of burning flesh.

The remaining creatures attacked wildly.

Claws slashed at them and some opened their fangs wide.

But Elderic moved like a dancer inside the storm, his great sword weaving through the beasts with precise and deadly movements. Meanwhile Eleanor’s flames roared through the clearing, each blast turning the surrounding air hot and shimmering.

Within moments the clearing was silent again.

Burnt corpses.

Severed limbs.

Blackened earth.

Elderic wiped the blood from his greatsword and glanced toward Elderic.

"Well," he said casually, "you’re not completely useless."

Eleanor snorted.

"Don’t flatter yourself."

After that they continued moving together without talking a lot.

Just advancing toward the mountain while occasionally dealing with smaller monsters along the way.

Until...

They reached a narrow rocky path that curved around a cluster of large boulders.Up above was a mountain they needed to climb and snatch the flag to be the winner.

Elderic was about to step forward when he suddenly feel it.

A strange sizzling sensation crawled along the back of his neck.His instincts screamed.

Without hesitation he twisted his body and jumped sideways.

A blazing stream of fire exploded past him and smashed into a nearby rock.

BOOOOM!

The stone shattered.

Fragments scattered across the ground.

Elderic spun around instantly, his eyes blazing with fury.

"What was that?!" he shouted.

"You’re asking me?!" Eleanor roared back while already moving. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

Her body twisted mid-step and a small dagger flashed into her hand.

The blade shot forward like a streak of silver.

SCHHK.

The dagger sliced through the fabric of Elderic’s sleeve, cutting a thin line across his arm as he barely managed to dodge backward.

"Kekkee."

Elderic let out a low laugh.

His eyes narrowed.

"You waited for this, right?"

Eleanor’s lips curved slightly.

"You too?"

For a brief moment they stared at each other.

The temporary alliance shattered like glass.

Then both of them moved at the same time.

Eleanor raised his hand and flames burst outward in a roaring arc that illuminated the forest in violent orange light.

Elderic dashed forward through the blazing heat and slammed his great sword to cut through the waves of flames.

Soon the battle between allies had begun.

A group of black crows suddenly burst into the air from the forest canopy.

.......

Their wings flapped wildly as they screeched and circled above the trees, shadows flickering across the branches below.

Then—

TWANG.

An arrow shot through the air.

One crow dropped instantly.

TWANG.

Another arrow.

Another crow spiraled down, feathers scattering.

High above, hidden among the thick branches of an old tree, Reed slowly lowered his bow.

"Insane..."

He muttered under his breath while watching the chaos unfolding throughout the forest.

"This place is insane."

Originally he had planned something far more careful.

Far more controlled.

"I thought I would execute my plan," he whispered while adjusting his grip on the branch, "but these idiots..."

His eyes shifted toward the distance.

Far away, through the broken trees and clouds of mud, he could see a cluster of infected cadets swarming around a single figure.

Noel.

Even from here Reed could hear the distant explosions and screams.

"The amount of aggro this guy attracts is insane."

Just then...

BOOOOM!

Another explosion echoed from a different direction.

Reed turned his head.

Through a gap between the trees he could see flames erupting and blades flashing.

Eleanor and Elderic were fighting each other.

Reed stared.

Then slowly exhaled.

"...Unbelievable."

He raised a hand and nearly facepalmed.

But halfway through the motion he froze.

"...Wait."

His eyes slowly widened.He looked again toward Noel’s direction.

Then toward the battlefield where Eleanor and Elderic were clashing.

Then at the empty forest paths between them.

The realization hit him like lightning.

Everyone was busy.Noel was dragging an entire army of infected cadets behind him.

Eleanor and Elderic were busy trying to kill each other.

No one was watching the mountain path.

A slow grin spread across Reed’s face.

"Damn... yes..."

"This is my chance."

His fingers tightened around the bow.

"Hell yeah..."

"This is my chance to win."

His eyes burned with determination.

"And I need to win."

With that thought he extended his hand summoning his laptop.Cracking his finger to loosen them he started to type.

"Time to go for glory."