Maybe, if he finished those two off, the Archer family would realize the Booth men were completely competent in carrying out their duties.

The three companions already had blood on their hands from earlier. After they’d tortured the two student climbers who were holding onto Cyrus and Sybil’s candles, they’d hunted down a lone student whose candle had gone out on the beach. The boy they hunted had a rare trait called tracker. At E-rank, he could see traces of leaked mana invisible to the normal eye. He pointed them in the direction of the summit. That’s where the outer-rim kid and the fake-vein had gone. After they’d gotten what they wanted, they killed the kid.

He used his bear claw trait to shred his body, make it look like one of the island’s monsters did it to him.

Reginald kept moving up the hill.

Stars twinkled in the sky above as did a large luminescent moon hanging above this oceanic island world.

The island was silent if you didn’t listen closely, Reginald thought.

But if you closed your eyes you could hear the wisp of elements being conjured, knives thrown, and life or death negotiations being drawn out.

The island was full of danger and yet as him and his companions traversed to the summit, it got quieter and quieter.

Most of the other students hadn’t come here. But the outer-rim kid and the fake-vein girl were different. As much as Cyrus didn’t care to admit it, they were more switched on than the majority of the class.

As he reached the top, he raised his arm to stop Ash and Resin from going forward.

“What’s going on?” Ash hissed. “Why can’t we torture more students?”

“Resin like hitting things,” said Resin.

Reginald didn’t question why Resin referred to himself in the third person, but the meathead was going to get them all killed if continued walking around like a one-track homicidal automaton.

“Look,” said Reginald, pointing to the ground below.

“What you pointing at?” said Ash.

“Resin don’t see nothing,” said Resin.

Reginald groaned inwardly.

“There’s a thin steel wire here,” said Reginald. “Someone set up a trap. It’s probably a security alarm. From what I can see, this is the only trap so just take a wide step over it. That should do.”

The three companions slowly walked over the trap and entered the smaller jungle on the summit of the island.

62

Max watched the three shadowy figures walk over his trap.

The stars above made it so he could discern the three people. It was Cyrus’ entourage. It was the insufferable boy’s three goons.

He kept his breathing as steady and quiet as possible as he watched on from the bushes.

They must have come up here looking for us, Max figured. Cyrus must have sent them after us to blow out our candles.