I am Just an Average Tamer-Chapter 153: ch 140 updated

As soon as the voice faded, the air shifted.

The birds stopped chirping.

Wind held its breath.

And then—

BOOM!

A flare of light exploded overhead.

A ripple passed through the sky like shattering glass, and the invisible barrier that had caged them in until now silently collapsed.

The trial had begun.

Kai didn’t wait.

He darted forward, boots silent on the moss-covered ground, shadows clinging to him like an old friend.

Around him, others were already moving—some stumbling in hesitation, others sprinting blindly in one direction or another, fueled by panic or overconfidence. A few had already drawn weapons, snarling at whoever happened to be closest.

Idiots.

This wasn’t a trial of brawn alone.

The headmaster’s words rang in his head like a warning bell:

"Strong. Sharp. Cunning."

Kai veered off the main path. The trees swallowed him instantly.

He moved like a shadow—calm, efficient, slipping through undergrowth and leaping over roots like he belonged in this place. His right hand rested lightly on the hilt of one of his curved daggers, while his left hovered near the small pouch tied to his belt—traps, smoke bombs, and a few special tools he’d prepared in advance.

He wasn’t here to fight. Not yet.

He was here to hunt.

---

A short distance behind, the sounds of chaos erupted.

Steel clashing. A scream. The whoosh of magic igniting.

And then—silence. Followed by a blinding light.

Someone had been removed already.

Kai didn’t look back.

Instead, he crouched low by a fallen log, his eyes scanning the terrain. The forest here was thick—tall trees, vines hanging low, and strange flowers blooming in unnatural shades of violet and crimson. Every now and then, the ground would pulse faintly, like a heartbeat.

Illusions are already active, he thought grimly.

The glowing orb embedded in his forearm pulsed gently, reacting to the environment. It would warn him of fatal threats—but not lesser ones.

Which meant traps were still very much in play.

He took a breath, inhaling the earthy scent of moss and wood, then exhaled slowly.

Focus. He wasn’t alone. Not even close.

He wasn’t the only predator here.

---

In the distance, he spotted movement—two figures, both heading in the same direction, arguing.

"He went that way!"

"No, I’m telling you—look at the terrain. The token’s gotta be near that ridge!"

Loud. Reckless. Easy targets.

But also—bait.

Kai remained perfectly still.

Then, just behind the arguing pair, a third figure crept into view—silent, masked, blade already drawn.

There it is, Kai thought.

The masked figure lunged.

Kai turned and melted back into the trees without a sound. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

He wasn’t here to play with amateurs.

---

Roughly twenty minutes passed.

Kai had already marked several possible trap zones—areas where the terrain shifted subtly, where the air shimmered faintly with hidden runes, or where the silence felt too perfect. His assassin training was serving him well, allowing him to avoid confrontation entirely.

But that wasn’t enough.

He needed a token.

And that’s when he saw it.

A faint blue shimmer—hovering just above the branches of a tall, dead tree surrounded by thorns.

A Spirit Token.

Kai narrowed his eyes.

It pulsed gently, suspended mid-air like a wisp, held in place by a soft halo of runic energy.

Too exposed. Definitely a trap.

He circled the tree slowly, checking his surroundings. No obvious threats.

He plucked a pebble from the ground and tossed it toward the base of the tree.

For a heartbeat—nothing.

Then—snap. hiss.

Several thorny vines reared up from the undergrowth, lashing out at the pebble’s location, then retreating back underground.

Venomous. Fast. Limited reach.

Kai assessed the patterns. Three vines. Timed trigger. Five-second delay between each burst.

He smirked.

Doable.

He leapt forward.

Step—step—roll—dash.

Thorns lashed out, missing him by inches.

With a burst of momentum, Kai ran straight up the bark of the dead tree, pushed off with both feet, and snatched the token mid-air.

It flared with blue light the moment his hand closed around it, and the vines screeched below, enraged but too slow.

He landed with a grunt, rolled to cushion the fall, and slipped behind a rock just as more vines thrashed around wildly.

In his palm, the token pulsed with power—warm and weightless. Almost alive.

One down.

But there were others watching now.

He could feel it—the faint shift in the wind, the near-silent crack of a twig under pressure. A presence.

Of course, he thought, eyes narrowing.

He tucked the token away inside a sealed compartment on his belt, then slipped a smoke bomb into his hand.

"Show yourself," he whispered.

Silence.

Then—

A throwing dagger sliced through the air toward him.

Kai twisted, dodging just in time as it embedded itself in the tree behind him. A second figure burst from the underbrush, face half-covered by a cloth mask, eyes sharp and burning with desperation.

"You’ve got one already," the boy hissed, short sword drawn. "Hand it over."

Kai stared at him.

Then gave a small, cold smile.

"...No."

---

The two clashed—steel ringing, boots skidding over roots and leaves.

Kai ducked, his smaller frame working in his favor as he danced under the blade, slashing with his dagger.

The boy was strong, but sloppy. Every movement was wide, predictable. Rage clouded his judgment.

Kai caught his wrist, twisted it, drove a knee into the other boy’s stomach, then slammed him into the tree with a thud.

The opponent’s sigil flared red.

A second later—flash of white light.

The boy was gone.

Eliminated.

Kai exhaled slowly, adjusting his coat.

He didn’t look at the spot where the boy had vanished.

He just walked forward, deeper into the forest.

There were still nine more tokens out there.

And more predators in the dark.

The forest had changed.

The air was thicker now—humid, heavy with the scent of blooming Nightshade Lilies and the bitter tang of moss. Fog curled along the ground in long, ghostly tendrils, muffling sound and limiting vision. Even the birdsong had ceased, replaced by a low, persistent hum—like the forest itself was watching.

Kai moved slowly now.

Not because of fear.

Because of instinct.

This wasn’t natural fog.

This was crafted.

A subtle illusion laced into the terrain—likely a field-type enchantment set to disorient participants who entered a certain radius. Not powerful enough to displace reality, but enough to alter perception.

He tapped the obsidian orb in his forearm. It pulsed weakly.

Still operational. But straining.

Whoever built this illusion did it well.

He crouched near a tree, carefully touching its bark. Solid. Real. But—

He tossed another pebble five feet to his left.

It sank through the ground like it had dropped into water—then disappeared.

An illusionary pit.

He smiled.

Clever. But not clever enough.

He reached into his pouch and pulled out a small vial—one filled with powdered Starshade petals. He uncorked it and flung the contents into the air.

Wherever the powder touched the illusion, it sizzled faintly, glowing blue and outlining hidden gaps—illusory vines, pits, fake rocks, even a flickering copy of himself standing a few feet away, frozen in time.

It’s trying to confuse me with false reflections. Classic.

Kai advanced slowly through the fog, bypassing traps and false terrain, mapping the zone with each movement.

And then—he felt it.

A tingle at the base of his neck.

He was no longer alone.

He didn’t stop moving. Didn’t turn around. But his senses screamed with alert.

A presence—light, skilled, and intentional. Not charging, not stumbling. Stalking.

Someone had picked up his trail.

He deliberately stepped into a false clearing, the illusion giving the appearance of wide, safe space.

He planted a faint line of thread behind him as he moved—a tripwire too thin for the eye, laced with a delay rune.

Ten steps later, a soft thump.

Then—click.

A snarl and the faint sound of impact as someone triggered the line and was slammed by a contained burst of air. Non-lethal—but enough to knock them down.

Kai whirled, eyes narrowing.

The fog parted for a moment, revealing a girl—slender build, messy silver hair, a burn scar down her cheek. She looked about sixteen, maybe younger, but her eyes were sharp as razors. She was already back on her feet, short blades in both hands.

"Tch. You’re fast," she muttered, spitting a leaf from her mouth. "Didn’t think you’d catch me."

Kai tilted his head. "You’ve been following me since the vines, haven’t you?"

She shrugged. "I wanted to see if you’d lead me to another token. You’re efficient. Smart. Better than the idiots up front."

Kai didn’t reply.

The two of them stood silently in the fog-filled clearing, tension crackling like a drawn wire. Neither moved. Neither blinked.

Then the girl lowered one blade, but didn’t sheathe it.

"I’m not here to take your token, alright? I already have one."

She pulled it out—a red-glowing token. The color different from his.

A different enchantment? Or rank?

Kai frowned. "So why follow me?"

She hesitated. "You’re not ordinary. I can tell. And... I’m not great in groups.