Dahlia was almost worried for her teammates for half a second when the collapsed mushroom hollow exploded upwards. Two weeks’ worth of wall carvings, crafted furniture, and lazy memories—all destroyed just like that.

  Suffice it to say, both Emilia and Muyang looked downright pissed as they panted for breath, holding up their fists and giant beetle helms. They glared up at the other team that’d destroyed their cosy little home, and Dahlia, too… felt just a tad bit miffed.

  She hadn’t lived in it for long, but she had bled for it.

  [The Noble-Blood and the Plagueplain Doctor, as well as… the Pioneer chasing after them?]

  The three of them in Team Dahlia stared as the Noble-Blood and the Plagueplain Doctor continued clashing blades and claws across the small clearing, the aftershock of every swing and block cracking colossal mushroom trees behind their target. The regal swordswoman didn’t seem to notice she’d destroyed Dahlia’s shelter. The feral doctor noticed, eyes glinting venomous emerald as she locked eyes with Dahlia for a brief moment, but she didn’t care. A moment of hesitation meant the Noble-Blood would split her down in half with that giant obsidian-edged sawtooth blade, and it was all she could do dodging and deflecting with her claws to prevent that from happening.

  But there was also a third member in the other team, and Dahlia’s antennae tingled when something sharp whistled over her head, past Emilia and Muyang’s ears, and slammed into the soil before the Noble-Blood and the Plagueplain Doctor. A wave of earth exploded between the two clashing ladies, forcing them back for a brief second.

  Dahlia glanced up and saw the boy in the fur coat aiming his weapon down at the ladies.

  “S-Stop fighting already!” he shouted, and Dahlia could see his hands were trembling slightly even from a distance. “It’s just the three of us and the three of them left… I think! There’s still two Mutant-Classes running around, so if we injure ourselves fighting each other, none of us will pass–”

  But the Plagueplain Doctor wanted none of it. Without looking, she flicked her sleeve out and sent a fan of glowing syringes flying his way. Five of them. The boy fired two shots and shattered two of them mid-air, but the remaining three were still on the way—it was Emilia who whistled a sharp three-note rhythm in their direction that finished them off, soundwave punches shattering them right before they could stab into him. At the same time, Muyang put on his giant beetle head and leaped into the air, headbutting the ground the doctor was standing on as he came down. Earth rippled outwards like a blooming flower, forcing the doctor further back into the forest.

  For her part, Dahlia was just blinking and trying to make sense of it all.

  We’re picking sides now?

  When did we choose to protect the Pioneer and the Noble-Blood?

  [When the other side turned out to be a Plagueplain Doctor.]

  [If you ever see two humans fighting each other, and one of them turns out to be a Plagueplain Doctor, it’s ninety-nine percent accurate to say the Plagueplain Doctor probably started it—and they probably won’t end it with a quick, painless death for their opponent.]

  [If your principle is to protect all human lives, go jump in there and beat the hell out of the Plagueplain Doctor as well.]

  She didn’t do exactly as Kari suggested—her hands may already be wrapped around her hammer, but just because Kari told her to attack the most likely instigator didn’t mean they were the instigator. Still, she’d seen the Plagueplain Doctor trying to harm the one person yelling at them to stop fighting, and that much was the truth, so she jumped in front of the Noble-Blood as well and kept her hammer reared behind her.

  It wasn’t likely she’d be able to actually hit the Plagueplain Doctor, given how slow and clumsy she still was with her new weapon, but it wasn’t about her and her alone. Emilia, Muyang, and the Pioneer were all standing on the Noble-Blood’s side, and they had solidarity in numbers against the sole aggressor.

  The Plagueplain Doctor realised this.

  And for a second, Dahlia swore the pale, sickly lady looked a little sad—her shoulders slumped, her forward-leaning posture loosened, her emerald eyes dimmed—but then she balled her Swarmsteel claws into fists and clicked her tongue, exhaling toxic mist through the slits in her mosquito mask.

  “Buddy up with each other for all I care,” she rasped, taking slow, cautious steps back through her mist. “I’ll see you back in the city, princess.”

  That last part was directed at the Noble-Blood, and that was the last Dahlia saw of her. Her antennae stopped tingling, and by the time Emilia hummed out a sound wave to clear the mist, the Plagueplain Doctor was already gone. Vanished into thin air.

  Dahlia was inclined to believe she was just fast.

  In any case, now there were five of them standing around a broken clearing, and Team Dahlia was still hovering around the rubble that was their collapsed mushroom hollow. With the most immediate threat to their lives removed, Emilia and Muyang immediately turned on the Noble-Blood and the Pioneer, poised to attack. Dahlia whirled around with her hammer as well, if not only to remind herself whose side she was truly on, but the Noble-Blood wasn’t gripping onto her sawtooth as tightly anymore, and the Pioneer dropped from the far overhead branch with his weapon pointed to the sky.

  A show of raised hands from both new arrivals made Dahlia a little less uneasy, though she still couldn’t quite shake the fear from standing next to the Noble-Blood’s powerful swings.

  “... Truce?” the Pioneer said, throwing his hood back to reveal a face just as young as his voice. “I don’t know about Wisnu and Blaire, but I’m not here to fight humans, either. How about we team up to deal with the Mutant-Class beetles? I’m sure you’ve fought them before as well, right?”

  Then, in one swift motion, he slipped his weapon into his oversized satchel and essentially disarmed himself.

  “I’m Otto Glasbrenner, a Pioneer from the Rampaging Hinterland Front,” he said, keeping his hands raised as he frowned at the Noble-Blood standing next to him, kicking the dirt subtly. “Thanks for protecting me from Blaire back there. My rifle only shoots three bullets before I have to reload, so I would’ve been messed up if you hadn’t saved me. Anyways, the lady next to me is–”

  “I am Wisnu Balam Hunahpu, eldest daughter of Earthen Hunahpu and the leader of Team Qantuta,” the Noble-Blood said, giving all four of them suspicious looks as she backed away slowly, blade still held loosely in her hands. “Thank you, too, for your assistance against my teammate. That was Blaire, a Plagueplain Doctor from the Plagueplain Front, and she has been woefully uncooperative since the beginning of the exam.”

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  Emilia snorted. “I can tell. This marks the second time you’ve interrupted us with your squabbling.”

  “You destroyed our base,” Muyang said, a sour frown curling his brows.

  “And our food and insect part reserves,” Dahlia muttered, feeling a twinge of anger in her chest.

  “I… am truly sorry,” Wisnu said, and to everyone’s surprise, she stabbed her sword into the ground and bowed—deeply—like nobody had ever bowed to Dahlia before. “It was not my intention to drag another team into our quarrel. How much was lost with the collapse of your base? I can reimburse you once we complete the exam and get out of this forest. I will not run away from my dues.”

  Dahlia blinked. So did Emilia and Otto. The only one who seemed impressed by Wisnu being so forthcoming was Muyang, and Dahlia could see why—the two had the same ‘air’ of nobility around them—but before Emilia could make a snark reply asking for more reimbursement than their little mushroom hollow was actually worth, Dahlia’s antennae finally tingled again.

  She didn’t need to warn anyone. They all had their own mutations, and they all felt the sinking pit in their stomachs as they whirled around, staring deep into the shadows of the forest.

  Mutant-Class killing pressures. Two of them.

  Picking up Emilia and Dahlia and kicking his giant beetle head over a fallen log, Muyang threw all of them behind cover and quickly held them still. A bead of sweat dribbled down Dahlia’s brow. She was worried for a second Wisnu and Otto—Wisnu especially—would stand their ground and try to fight the beetle twins, but apparently they knew better, because they also flung themselves over the fallen log and took cover next to them, jaws clenching.

  Just like that, the five of them sat with their backs against the log as two pairs of heavy footsteps stepped into the clearing behind them.

  [.. Don’t move,] Kari warned. [Don’t make a sound.]

  She knew that much. All of them did, but it was easier to bite their tongue and tense every muscle in their body than to control the pounding of their hearts. Dahlia had no idea how perceptive the beetle twins were, but if they were detected here and now—while she and Emilia and Muyang were still reeling from the aftereffects of indigestion sickness—there was no telling whether or not they’d actually stand a chance against the Mutant-Classes.

  At the very least, Dahlia had spun herself a little sick just swinging her hammer into the Giant-Class beetle. She was in no condition to contribute to any fight.

  But they’re not leaving, she thought, biting her lips as she tried not to peek over the log, instead relying on her antennae only to construct an ‘image’ of the clearing behind her. The beetle twins were still lurking around, no doubt having heard or smelled something brought about by Blaire’s toxins. Is there a way to get them to go away?

  [Are you sure the five of you can’t beat them here?]

  Are you sure we can do that without someone getting seriously injured?

  [Well, no.]

  Then we can’t fight. This isn’t the time or the place.

  Thankfully, it seemed as though Otto agreed, because he reached into his satchel and plucked out a tiny metal moth, winding the key on the abdomen before tossing it over the log.

  The metal moth fluttered for two seconds before it was violently crushed out of the air by a leaping beetle.

  [But he’s got more. He’s a Swarmsteel Maker too, huh?] Kari mused, pointing at Otto as the boy motioned for the rest of them to take as many windup moths as they could out of his satchel. Emilia, Wisnu, and Muyang didn’t hesitate. They each grabbed a handful of metal moths, winded the key, then tossed the little constructs in every conceivable direction.

  One wouldn’t distract the beetle twins for long, but two, four, six, eight from all around them made it difficult to pinpoint where they were tossed from. They let out synchronised screeches for a short second—making Dahlia wince—before she heard them scatter in different directions, chasing after the flock of metal moths.

  They waited ten seconds.

  Twenty seconds.

  Thirty seconds.

  And it wasn’t until a whole minute passed, after the beetle twins were well and truly gone, that they all let out simultaneous breaths of relief.

  “They’ve gotten stronger since the last time we saw them,” Emilia muttered, groaning with her face in her hands. “If they were both D-Rank Mutant-Classes before… they’re both C-Rank now. Probably because they’ve eaten so many bugs and humans the past two weeks.”

  Dahlia felt an urge to say ‘I told you so’, but there wasn’t any point in being mean. The fact was, the three of them had also gotten significantly stronger—whether they’d gotten stronger more than the beetle twins had in the past two weeks was simply yet to be determined.

  But they couldn’t have fought the twins the way they were right now. Not here. Not while they had two new ‘teammates’, who had that light in their eyes that said they knew exactly how outmatched they’d be if they tried going at the beetle twins alone.

  So they looked at each other pointedly, stared for a few more seconds, and then all of them nodded at once.

  “... I am Muyang, fourth son of the Firegourd Wu Clan in the Hellfire Caldera Front, and I like to dance with my giant beetle helm. I like to believe I am somewhat capable as a physical vanguard,” Muyang said, offering both his hands to the people sitting by his sides.

  “I’m Emilia, Cicada Musician of the Mori Masif Front. I'd rather not have to explain since it's pretty complicated, but basically, I can produce different physical sound wave effects using my voice. Think of me as... a supportive bard of sorts,” Emilia said, taking Muyang’s left hand.

  “Once again, I am Wisnu Balam Hunahpu, eldest daughter of Earthen Hunahpu in the Attini Empire Front,” Wisnu said, taking Muyang’s left hand as well with a firm nod. “I have ant mutations that significantly boost my physical attributes and swordsmanship ability. Feel free to work me like a vanguard as well.”

  “And I’m Otto Glassbrenner, Pioneer of the Rampaging Hinterland Front,” Otto said, reaching past Dahlia to shake Muyang’s right hand. “I have an insignificant Beetle Class, but that’s because I’m primarily a long-range sniper and a Swarmsteel Maker. If you have any equipment that needs upgrading and fixing, I’m your guy. If you need someone to shoot down an annoying bird early in the morning, I’m also your guy.”

  Dahlia introduced herself as well, though she was the only one who couldn’t say she was from any particular Swarmsteel Front. She’d been told the Sharaji Desert was smack dab near the centre of the continent, so everyone blanked when she mentioned she was from an Undertown. Nevertheless, she mentioned neither her class nor her Swarmblood Art—neither did Wisnu and Otto introduce theirs—so once the introductions were all done, Wisnu was the first to thump a fist over her chest.

  “Only two teams can pass this first stage, but there are currently three teams still remaining: Otto in Team Gentiana, me and Blaire in Team Qantuta, and Dahlia, Emilia, and Muyang in Team Dahlia. The four of you should pass and leave me behind,” she said plainly. “Blaire is a fiend of a Plagueplain Doctor. No doubt she has harmed and killed many participants in this exam, and I am ashamed to say I failed to stop her despite being teammates. I will take responsibility for the deaths and make sure she does not pass this exam. A murderer getting all her crimes pardoned by becoming a Hasharana would be utterly detestable.”

  The rest of them blinked again. It was just one surprise after another with the Noble-Blood.

  “But if Blaire fails, you also fail,” Otto said, frowning. “I don’t know what a Noble-Blood is doing trying to be a Hasharana, but you must have your own reasons, right? Are you going to give up this year?”

  “Yes.”

  “But–”

  “What a noble lady!” Emilia chirped, clapping her hands and grinning from ear-to-ear. “I was worried we’d have to fight at least one of you to make sure we get to kill a Mutant-Class, but if Wisnu’s willing to sacrifice herself so Blaire also fails, we can’t let her down now, can we? The four of us will kill the twin beetles, pass the exam, and the two of them in Team Qantuta can duke it out themselves! Everyone wins!”

  ‘Everyone wins’ wasn’t how Dahlia would put it, but Wisnu had a steely look in her eyes that said she was prepared to fail if it meant she could bring Blaire down with her, and… at the very least, Muyang looked completely lovestruck at the noble lady’s willing sacrifice. They’d probably be fast friends given how polite their speeches were.

  “... Well, if you’re fine with failing, then I guess it’s alright,” Otto mumbled, rubbing his hair as he tried to wrap his head around Wisnu’s decision. “But we still have one week left to kill the beetles. There’s no way Blaire can kill them solo, so she doesn’t factor into this. How are we gonna hunt them down?”

  The link to the Discord server is with nearly five hundred members, where you can get notifications for chapter updates, check out my writing progress, and read daily facts about this insect-based world. My is here with up to eight advanced chapters for this story and Storm Strider and Thousand Tongue Mage, so it's twenty-four advanced chapters in total.

  See you next Friday!