Making his way down from the hill to the side of the river, Lyrian realized that there weren't just a few, but over 20 kids that were gathered there. The sun hung low in the sky, casting a warm golden glow over the scene.
As he walked closer, Lyrian saw that they all looked to be standing over the river, staring at it contently with most of them having somewhat serious expressions plastered on their faces.
Out of the 20 kids, most looked to be from different smaller factions looking at their clothes and demeanors, along with how they stood in accordance with each other. Their outfits ranged from simple tunics to ornate robes, and their postures revealed a mix of excitement and anticipation.
'Why would they gather here out of all places though?' Lyrian thought to himself, nearing the lake, 'Well, who cares. Right now, I just want to wash myself of--' Suddenly, Lyrian's thoughts were interrupted by a shout that came out of nowhere.
"Hey! Surely you aren't thinking of bathing in this river, are you?" A kid yelled out to him, seeing that he was messy and b-lining it straight towards the water. He wore a white robe with a light blue lining, had long, dark-blue hair in a messy man-bun, and a slightly taller stature than most 10-year-olds.
Lyrian paused, his curiosity piqued. "Yea, that's the plan. Why, should I not?" he questioned upon hearing the boy speak. Out of nowhere, another kid that was right next to the first kid who spoke yelled out, "Just let him go in there, aha!" He burst out into a laugh, "Maybe he will lure it out."
Multiple kids near him also began laughing as they heard this. 'Lure it out? What are they talking about?' Lyrian thought to himself, intrigued by the cryptic comments.
"Tell me, why shouldn't I bathe here?" he directly asked, genuinely interested in their response.
ραndαsΝοvεl ƈοm The boy with the man-bun stepped forward, his voice tinged with nonchalance. "You really don't know? It's the same reason why we are all gathered here. A rumor, you could call it. Someone leaked some so-called hidden information to the students saying that at this lake, a monster would appear holding a powerful item that a student gets to use even outside of the exam. That's why we are all here to try and get it for ourselves," The taller kid, who introduced himself as Silong of the prestigious Zole family, paused, a glint of ambition in his eyes.
"I see... thank you for informing me, Silong. My name is Lyrian," Lyrian replied, intrigued by the unexpected turn of events. He glanced back at Alten, hoping to gather any additional information.
Alten shrugged, uncertainty flickering across his face. "Never heard of it myself. It must have been leaked to the other 400," he said, his voice tinged with a mix of curiosity and doubt.
"Damn, I wanted to bathe, but it looks like there are bigger priorities now," Lyrian smirked, as a few kids called him out, sensing his nonchalant attitude.
"You just learned about it and want to get it now? Hah! No chance, brat! That item is mine!" a kid yelled out, his competitive spirit evident.
"Don't be so cocky. We have prepared for this for 10 entire days since the beginning of the exam. Today is the 10th day, the day it's said to finally show up. You can't just expect to waltz in here and redeem the item," another kid retorted, clearly
upset at Lyrian's seemingly arrogant behavior.
Lyrian chuckled, his confidence unshaken. "Well, I don't have to prepare for 10 days. All I need is to be stronger and faster than the rest of you," he stated nonchalantly, his words cutting through the crowd, momentarily silencing them before it suddenly erupted into a cacophony of yells and challenges.
"What did you say!?" a kid shouted.
"You wanna fight right here!?" another blurted.
'Who is this? Cedric's twin brother?' Lyrian thought to himself as he heard the second guy.
While waiting for the supposed beast to arrive, Lyrian ran down the riverbank and quickly found a small stream. He stripped off his dirt-stained clothes and stepped into the cool, refreshing water.
It wasn't as lavish as his imagination of bathing in the deep pond, but it made do since all he needed was to clean himself. After ridding the blood and smelly guts from his body and hair, he emerged from the stream, feeling rejuvenated.
To his surprise, he discovered that all of the kids were still waiting for something to happen, their eyes fixed on the lake with unwavering anticipation. Everything and everyone seemed to be in the same place as they were before, the air thick with excitement and nervous energy.
*Shing*
Suddenly, the lake began to slightly glow, emitting a bright light. Many gasps of awe resonated through the crowd of kids as they saw this. Now, there was no doubt amongst anyone that there was indeed something in the pond.
"Ah, that's right! I remember now, young master," the boy standing next to Silong, who had previously mocked Lyrian, suddenly said.
Silong turned to look at him, as some other kids also perked their ears to hear what he had to say, curiosity evident in their eyes.
"From what I heard, there were 3 possible lights that this lake could glow, signifying the level that the item held within would be," the boy explained, his voice filled with a mix of excitement and knowledge.
"Is that right... What are those?"
"The worst one would be brown, the medium one blue, and the best color to get would be red. A red lake would mean that the treasure inside would be of the highest level."
After the boy said this, the lake suddenly began to emit a mesmerizing reddish luminescence, causing the crowd to hold their breath in anticipation.
"Huh, would you look at that," Silong scoffed, seeing the color of the lake, his eyes glittering with ambition.
"What amazing luck!" the boy next to him exclaimed, unable to contain his excitement. "This means the item is going to be extremely powerful, don't you think, young master!?" he eagerly asked, turning towards Silong.
"Oh? So what are you waiting for? Go and check," Silong spoke, suddenly kicking the boy in the back, causing him to trip and fall into the lake.
"What the hell--!?" the boy exclaimed, his voice filled with surprise and confusion, his unexpected plunge met with a mix of gasps and laughter from the surrounding kids.
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