...

Swoosh!

Shin and the others appeared in the middle of a forest after being swallowed by the blinding light of the teleportation formation earlier.

After their eyes adjusted with the light, the group quickly swept their gazes in their surroundings, studying the unfamiliar place that they were in. The trio of Shin, Arthur, and Leonard even went to three different directions to survey the area around them, making sure that there were no threats looming in the vicinity.

Meanwhile, Lorraine and Cloe quickly moved into a position, getting ready for a fight at any given time. The former took out a pair of pistols and quickly pointed them in the direction where Leonard and Arthur were heading to give them cover if something unexpected came up. On the other hand, Cloe was busily sweeping her gaze left and right, ready to jump in action at any given moment.

The other three were slightly lagging behind since they were not familiar with the others. But they were able to quickly respond in time after seeing their teammates busily surveying their surroundings.

Jillian quickly clasped her hands together, creating a barrier made of Mental Energy that would protect their group from harm. At the same time, Molton's eyes suddenly glowed with a flickering light which signified that he activated an ocular technique while sweeping his gaze around.

Meanwhile, Alice quickly spread a gentle wave of Mental Energy to extend her senses while taking a battle stance and standing on the opposite side that Cloe was guarding.

A few moments later, the group secured the surrounding area and quickly regrouped after making sure that there were no threats around.

"Tsk! Tsk! The academy sure is stingy, they are not giving us much information that we can use," complained Arthur while walking back to the team.

"They did not even tell us the time limit of this exam!" he added while ruffling his hair.

Hearing that, Shin immediately smirked at him. "That's exactly what they want us to do. To gather information on our own. They clearly want to see how we are going to respond after sending us to an unfamiliar place."

He then paused for a couple of moments before quickly adding to his words. "As for the time limit, I think they want to work in this test without the pressure of time while also observing our abilities for as long as they want."

"Maybe taking this exam without the pressure of time is good but that fact alone is also a pressure itself since we don't know when this test is going to end," said Jillian.

When Shin heard that, he couldn't help but nod his head since he was also aware of it. The fact that this test didn't have a time limit would put a lot of pressure on those teams that already accumulated enough points since they didn't know when they were going to get attacked by their rivals to steal their points from them.

This would clearly put a lot of pressure on those weaker teams who were not confident that they could fight against the stronger teams.

After that, Shin clapped his hands once to wake the others from their thoughts before saying. "Alright, let's forget about it for now since it is not our problem. So, how about we focus on what we are going to do next?"

Hearing that, the others immediately looked at him, waiting for him to give his orders. After all, he was currently the leader of this team.

Shin thought for a couple of moments before looking back at them while saying. "We don't know where we are right now and we obviously don't have much information about this place, so let's get as much information as we can for the time being."

"So, which direction are we heading to?" asked Jillian.

Shin quickly turned his head towards a certain direction where a huge mountain was located before replying. "Even if this test didn't have a time limit, I'm pretty sure that the academy wants us to head towards a certain place that will be our finish line."

"For example, that sole mountain over there that is standing alone in the middle of this huge forest," he added while pointing at the direction where the mountain stood.

After taking a good look on that mountain, Shin arranged the formation of their team before they proceed moving forward. "Since we don't have a tracer for now, let's have Arthur take that role for now. He will work with Molton to scout ahead."

"Me and others will assume a kite formation while moving. Leonard, you will be in the front as we advance forward. Cloe and Alice will closely follow after him with Jillian standing between them."

"Lorraine, you can stand behind them while I'll cover the rear. Is there any question?" he added while looking at the game.

Hearing that, Cloe quickly asked. "You are in command so why not stand in the middle too and let Lorraine take the rear?"

Understanding the scheme she hid behind her rational question, Shin finger flicked on her forehead while saying. "Nice try pulling it, unfortunately that is not the best formation that we can have right now."

"It is logical for us to put Lorraine at the very rear of our formation given her rage and good awareness of the surroundings. But she will get a lot of pressure focusing in two different directions."

"We also need to consider that we are still a new team, we can't expect her to be able to coordinate with the entire team instantly. So, it was better for her to focus only in front of her so that she can quickly adjust with our rhythm," he added after a brief pause.

Cloe pouted her lips when she heard that while also rubbing her forehead. She felt being scolded even though Shin was only explaining their formation.

Seeing that, Shin patted her head before continuing. "On the other hand, it is better for me to be in the rear since I have 'Immediate Response' talent. I can still protect our formation while standing at the back and giving out orders."

"Moreover, I also have a new trick that is perfect for this situation," he said while executing the territorial skill that he learned from his special training.

With that, Shin spread some of his Mental Energy around them while also expanding his senses along with it.

Arthur and the others quickly sensed the invisible energy that came out from Shin's body, which gave them the impression that they were currently standing inside someone's territory.

"False Territory!"

"Spiritual Sense!"

Training under one of the strongest Martial-Artists around the world, both Arthur and Leonard quickly recognize what Shin was doing. In fact, the two of them also have the same skill.

It was the same for the trio of Mentalists in their group. And being a part of a Mentalist Family with a long history, it was natural for them to be aware of what kind of technique Shin was using; especially that the three of them were currently using similar techniques.

But immediately after the initial surprise, the group quickly realized that they were wrong. They could feel that Shin was currently using the same technique as them but also different at the same time.

It was more like-… a combination of two different techniques.

"Hey! What was that!" asked Arthur as he instantly appeared in front of Shin and tried to grab the latter's collar.

Unfortunately, Shin was able to read his move and instantly respond with it accordingly; he took a quick step backward before grabbing both of Arthur's wrists. "Hey, relax! It is not a big deal!"

Arthur slightly knitted his brow when he saw that Shin was able to predict his move. And because of that, he couldn't help but become curious about what this strange territorial skill could do.

Having that in mind, he quickly turned his wrist before pulling his arms backwards, freeing them from Shin's grip. He then lowered his stance a little and clenched his fist before throwing a powerful punch forward.

Shin couldn't help but curse out loud when he saw Arthur's actions. "F*ck! This guy wants to create trouble again!"

Regardless, he didn't have time to complain right now, so could only respond with the incoming attack and calmed Arthur down. And with that thought, he quickly took a step backward before waiting for incoming fist to arrive.

And before the fist could even hit him, Shin suddenly raised one of arm and used the back of his hand to redirect its trajectory before quickly turning his wrist and accurately catching Arthur's wrist.

Shin's movements were quite fast, not giving Arthur enough time to react. Moreover, he also felt a strange sensation on his wrist that Shin was holding; it travelled in his entire body before his strength suddenly left his body.

"Ah! This technique!"

Shin ignored Arthur's surprise and quickly spun around and threw the troublemaker on the ground.

Bang!

"Tsk! What do you think you are doing? We are currently in the middle of the exam! This is not the right time to mess around," said Shin as he restrained Arthur's movements.

"Alright, alright! I get it. I just want to try what your new technique can do. And what exactly is it?" said Arthur while raising both of his hands.

After that, Shin let Arthur go and helped him stand up while answering. "Just like what you are thinking, it is the 'False Territory' technique but also not at the same time."

"What do you mean by that?" asked Jillian curiously.

Hearing her, Shin turned his head towards her and didn't mind replying honestly. "Well, you can also say that it is a combination of 'False Territory' of a Martial-Artist and 'Spiritual Sense' of a Mentalist."

"It is actually not a not that special, more like a trick used by a Dual-Practitioner like me," he added while scratching his cheek. "Though, we do have different methods of doing and naming this trick. And I named mine as 'Zone'."

'Not special your *ss!' – thought the others when he heard his words while throwing skeptical looks at him.

Arthur was about to say something once again when they suddenly heard a loud explosion not too far from them.

BOOM!

Hearing that, they simultaneously turned their head towards that direction before looking back at Shin.

Understanding their thoughts, Shin thought for a moment before nodding his head. "Alright, let's put this discussion on hold and investigate what happened over there."

Hearing those words, the group quickly nodded their heads and immediately went back into their formation. Then they move ahead with Molton and Arthur in the lead.

...…