Due to an overly popular demand, I have decided to switch the main character over to Laura Murlough. Hence, the title and storyline will be immediately switched over to her name.

See details at the bottom.

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Laura was gasping for breath as she ran the now-familiar route.

I wonder where Thera is right now? Is she still in here, or is she perhaps already out? Laura thought to herself as she tried to distract herself from her predicament.

Behind her, screeching and swinging through the treetops, a large group of Babuchins was chasing her. (It’s a cross between a capuchin monkey and a baboon)

Even though Laura was a third rank-Blue Class, even she couldn’t deal with that many Babuchins, but she couldn’t use her weapons, or else her grade would drop.

As things already were, she would fail if she didn’t get through before the time limit was up. Therefore, she could only run as fast as she could muster her muscles to go.

“I have all the rotten luck!” Laura complained. “WHY CAN’T YOU GO ATTACK SOMEBODY ELSE!!” She yelled back at the Babuchins.

The Babuchins, of course, didn’t answer. Most of them were only at sapphire-class, so their intelligence was too limited for human speech.

But, that didn’t mean that they couldn’t see an opportunity when it ran into them.

Babuchins were considered the troublemakers of the martial world. They ganged up against those weaker than them, and caused trouble for those stronger than them. Unless you completely beat them into submission, they would not stop pestering you.

That is why the phrases ‘If you see a Babuchin, makes sure he does not see you’ and ‘more fiendish than a group of Babuchins’ soon became a common one among the people.

The leader Babuchin was a bit larger than the others, and had a bright blue star marking on his forehead.

It looked over to its friends and chattered something in monkey language. The monkeys nodded and several of them broke away from the group chasing Laura.

After a few minutes, when Laura looked back, she only saw about five monkeys chasing her.

“Huh? Where did all the others go?” Laura exclaimed, surprised.

Then she had a bad feeling. She looked forward to where she was running, and immediately had to stop. She couldn’t go forward because as far as she could see in the forest, there was an entire army of Babuchins!

“It seems I shouldn’t have asked…” Laura barked out an empty laugh.

The Babuchin leader with his four subordinates closed in behind her, cutting off any chances of a retreat.

She couldn’t go forward. She couldn’t go backwards. But, still, she had to get out of the jungle, before the time limit!

Stopping here was not an option!

She looked to her left, but that side was cut off by a swiftly-moving river.

She looked to her right, and her eyes widened in shock as she stared at something off in the distance.

“AAAH! What is that thing?!!!” She yelled and pointed.

All of the Babuchins looked in the direction she was pointing. Laura took this chance and ran to her left, jumping into the river, and grabbing onto a passing log.

For all their superiority in numbers, they’re still just a bunch of monkeys after all~! She chuckled to herself. They can’t beat the acting powers of a noble!

The Babuchins looked back at where Laura had stood. There had been nothing where she had pointed. Then they realized that the girl had disappeared. THEY HAD BEEN TRICKED!!!

A Babuchin was usually the one making mischief! To be on the receiving end of someone else’s mischief, moreover a human who had been identified as their prey, was a huge blow to the pride of the entire Babuchin species!

Henceforth, Laura earned the title of ‘Enemy of all Babuchins’, or she would have, if this were a world that was like a game. Suffice to say, that all the Babuchins that were there now knew her as someone to attack with extreme prejudice!

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When Laura felt she had gotten far enough away from them, she grabbed an overhanging vine and made for the riverbank.

Dragging herself up, she quickly determined the direction she had to go, by finding the sun’s position in the sky.

She was soaking wet. Her boots had gotten water inside them, making them squelch every time she took a step. The beast repellant bombs would be inoperable until they had dried.

But, none of that mattered!

Laura just needed to get to the other side of the forest! That was all!

She was about to take her first step forward, when she heard a huge roar up ahead. There was also an answering roar, and the sound of a huge fight between beasts commenced to break the silence of the jungle.

Maybe it’s safer going around for just this once. Laura decided.

After a slight detour, Laura was once more running towards the edge of the jungle.

Laura grinned. Maybe this time she’d break her own record. That would be wonderful…

As she was lost in her daydreaming, she didn’t notice the creature creeping up her clothes until it was on her shoulder.

Noticing movement, she turned her head to look, and saw a very large black tarantula spider with green and red stripes on her shoulder.

Immediately, Laura shrieked, slapped it away, and jumped in the opposite direction, slamming into a tree.

The tree shuddered from the sudden impact, the vibrations reaching up into the tops of the trees, and shaking the small branches at the top.

Immediately a rain of bugs, spiders, and small reptiles began falling down, dropping all around her.

“YOU’VE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!!!” She yelled as she swatted them away, her back to the tree.

But then she realized her mistake. She should have run far away the moment it began, because now the jungle floor was covered with spiders, small reptiles, and bugs of all shapes and sizes.

She was surrounded!

Birds took to the air as Laura’s scream emerged.

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Laura emerged from the bushes, feeling emotionally drained. Luckily, a large branch had also fallen on the ground, giving her a bridge across the sea of frightful creatures.

Even though she had mostly gotten used to them, nobody in their right minds would enjoy creepy crawlies suddenly attacking like that.

It must have been another planned attack! This time, it was from the creepy kingdom!

Really, though: she was in a jungle. Literally, almost every inch of space was teeming with life. It was a good place for many small animals, bugs, reptiles, and other things to live in and multiply out of sight.

Any other tree would have produced the same rain of terrifying creatures in that section of the jungle.

But do you know another inhabitant of that section of the jungle? Wild boar. Wild boars look exactly like what you would find on earth, except they’re about the size of a large cow, and have a devastatingly powerful charging attack.

Laura jumped over a huge fallen tree, and came face to face with an entire group of wild boar.

Both sides were frozen for three seconds.

Then, Laura moved first. Waving a brief greeting, she jumped over the group of boar and took off into the jungle.

The group then stirred into action, chasing down the sudden invader.

“Why is this always happening to me!” Laura yelled as she ran from the stampede of tusked pigs.

She then made for a huge canyon that cut through the jungle nearby.

She ran until she was as close to the edge as she dared to be. Finally, she jumped, grabbing onto a low hanging branch, she swung up into the trees as the group of wild boar thundered past underfoot.

When the leader saw the edge ahead of them, he quickly tried to turn, but there was not enough space. They were going too fast.

Thus, the entire herd of wild boar fell over the edge of the canyon, and into the river way down below.

Laura swung down to the ground and looked at the sun.

“Oh no! It’s almost time! I’ve got to hurry!”

Then she froze as she heard a sound behind her. She turned to look.

Behind her was the very same group of Babuchins that she had left behind earlier! Laura waved at them blankly, before instantly taking off as fast as she could towards the jungle’s edge.

“NO WAY! WHY ARE YOU GUYS HERE!!” She yelled as she ran from them.

The Babuchins behind her were chasing her seriously, all of them had red eyes, a symbol that they were in a frenzied rage.

“And you’ve gotten even faster, I see. Why can’t you just give me a break!” she cried. Dodging a claw attack, she didn’t see that ahead of her was a muddy downward slope.

Thus, there was no warning when she slid out of sight of the Babuchins, and sped up as she slipped down the steep incline, getting progressively more and more caked with mud.

When Laura finally managed to stand up, she resembled a golem, more than a twelve year old girl. She brushed as much of the mud off as possible and continued on her way.

After walking for about fifteen minutes, Laura finally saw the exit and sped out of the jungle, sliding to a stop.

“I’m out!” She announced with relief.

The sunshine was bright as she looked around around her.

Master Thales and Thera were sitting on a nearby log, staring at Laura.

Dripping wet, and covered in mud, she was almost unrecognizable.

“Laura? Is that you?” Thera finally asked.

“Of course it’s me! Why do you ask?” Laura replied.

Master Thales looked at his watch.

“You had one minute before you failed. Next time, I’d appreciate it if you were a bit faster getting here. We’ve been waiting for over an hour now.”

Laura almost fell over. Almost an hour?! Give me back my hard work! She wanted to yell, but then she sighed.

After all, it is just like Thera to do an impossible thing. I should’ve expected as much from her, since she’s now in red class. I should just gracefully accept defeat.

“Now, since we are finished with the light warmup, let’s move on to the second test area.”

Master Thales said.

Laura’s face grew white.

“The s-second test area? Why not just kill me now!”

Master Thales paused.“Oh, that’s right. Thera, Laura, you should probably know that there are ten tests total before I accept you two as my students. As an added incentive, if one of you wins, then you’ll both pass. But, the one who wins will be considered the higher ranked student, and the other one will have to do whatever the winner says.”

Thera wasn’t really interested in the incentive, but Laura’s eyes began to sparkle.

If she won, then she would solidify her position as the upper-classmen, and Thera would have to listen to her.

“I’m definitely going to win!” She exclaimed, all fired up.

“Before that, you might want to wash off that mud.” Thera replied, trying to hold in a laugh.

“Geh! That’s right!” Laura hurried off to find a stream, the laughter of Thera and Master Thales coming from behind her.

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About the change in MCs, I am relieved to inform you that I was just kidding. [th_104_.gif]

Rant:

But, seriously, guys, you need to calm down. Barley will not take over as the MC anymore than Laura will.

He is not a second MC. He is not even close to an MC. In fact, we won’t be seeing him for quite a long time after this, so just chill, okay!

I don’t really want to, but your overly-insulting attitude towards Barley has opened my inner Elizabeth Bennet: If you don’t chill, then I threaten you with really changing the storyline and REALLY turning this into a romance, even though I don’t want to! :gyaha:

In other words, if you don’t like my story, then just leave! Don’t come here to insult all of my hard work! *end of mini rant*