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As I held the metal fox mask in my hands...you could say I felt sad.

Although it looked a lot different from my normal mask, which was just a plain metal mask, the truth still was, it was a mask.

And I didn't want to wear such a thing again.

I didn't want to feel the cold and painful sensation of the mask against my scalded face.

...my face wasn't as deformed now but I still didn't want to conceal it.

Not anymore.

I had done so for years.

I tossed the mask back to Alex and said.

"I don't need it."

The effects of it wouldn't help me greatly anyway.

"You scared of foxes or something?"

He asked, but I laughed inwardly.

'I wish that was the reason.'

I truly do.

I wish that just a fear of a certain animal was the reason.

But unfortunately, it wasn't so.

"I just don't need it."

I said to him and then continued to walk back to our camp.

We had found a cliff with a cave at the bottom and had decided to camp there.

Alex and I had come this far only to do reconnaissance.

I refused to say anything back to Alex, who had put on the mask.

And during the trek back to camp.

I...had unconsciously started to touch my face...

Fucking hell.

'Fucking hell, you son of a bitch... it's a normal face... it's not burned as hell.

It's a normal face.'

I thought to myself To console myself.

Hah, what a futile fucking effort.

And yet, the son of a bitch that was me still did it.

To hide the pain, to drive back the memories that kept resurfacing.

To hold back the dreaded memory of why my face had become what it had become.

To keep them back.

I muttered the words 'it's a normal face'

to myself dozens, not hundreds of times during the trek back home.

I wanted to laugh at myself.

That I resorted to such a method.

But fuck, why did those words that I uttered to myself in my mind feel so...

...comforting.

***

"Well, this is a surprise."

Sabrina said as she looked at the group in front of her.

Her team had set up camp in a cave beneath a cliff.

They had set up their tents, which were quite easy to do because all they needed to do was press a button on a black box which was their tent.

She, along with Amy was currently huddled near fire lit by Alan before he left with Alex to do some reconnaissance.

Kyle had refused to set up a fire unless she asked him herself, so Alan had dug inside his bag and found supplies needed to light one.

He was serious about his role as the Team Leader.

Even she didn't know they had them.

Either Shield had hidden them or she just didn't look at the supply list carefully.

And she didn't believe the latter was the case, so she flipped her bag inside out to find any more hidden supplies she had failed to find when she did an initial check at the start of the test.

The fire in front of her was small, and provided little warmth, and just when she was about to resort to asking The arrogant Kyle to increase the size of yhe fire with his fire attribute.

Elijah's team had found them.

"Yeah, so, can we please also set camp here?"

Elijah asked in a sweet voice that combined with his face, did marvelous work normally.

Unfortunately, he was faced with Sabrina, who gave zero fucks about his appearance.

What she did care about was, if Shields team, which was monitoring them would deduct points if Two teams camped together and were considering the pros and cons of allowing Elijah to set his camp here as well.

What she already considered a con, was Elaine who was hugging her waist while she pleaded with her to allow them to set up camp here.

"Please, Sabrina, we're friends, right? Please allow us to set up camp here!"

Elaine pleaded with her while hugging her even more tightly as her body was shivering.

What was surprising was, she was sneakily trying to get closer to the fire while pleading with Sabrina to let them camp there.

They could honestly, set up camp without even asking her for permission, but because Elijah was a nice guy, he insisted that they ask for permission first.

'He's also a user of the fire element, so he can also create fire. His team on the other hand, except for Elaine are all...useless.'

Elijah and Elaine would make for good allies here, their teammates would not.

But she also couldn't just accept those two and drive the others away.

And the decision to allow them to be here was not under her jurisdiction.

It was under Alan, who was the team leader.

"I disagree with this, why should we let them stay here when we've already set up camp."

And when she was thinking to herself, Kyle Interjected and disagreed with letting them stay here.

"Oh come on man, Please?"

Elijah begged, to which Kyle disagreed yet again.

"No!"

"Please?"

"Didn't you hear me the first time?!"

Their exchange continued for a while, And Sabrina contacted their team leader through that mysterious spatial bond she received as a reward for completing the quest.

'There's a problem.'

[It's a norm-huh?]

'There is a problem.'

She said again, completely ignoring his response, she just thought he was talking with Alex and subconsciously said these words.

[What problem?]

He asked and she answered.

'Elijah and his team have requested to camp together with us.'

[Oh...just let them then.]

​ 'Ok.'

She said to him, while inwardly quite happy because if Elijah was here, he could use his fire element affinity to create a larger fire to keep themselves warm.

"You can set up camp here..."

"Really?! Thanks, Sabrina!"

"Thanks!"

"What!? Why?!"

Shouted Elaine, Elijah, and Kyle respectively interrupting her sentence.

"...but you must make the fire bigger."

Sabrina said and pointed towards the fire behind her.

"That's it?"

"Yes."

And after she answered Elijah's question, He immediately held his hand out and circulated his fire attribute mana.

His hand, enveloped in flame, touched the fire and it magically flared and provided even more warmth to the group.

Elijah's teammates immediately went over to the flame and sat as close as they could without burning themselves.

"Haha..."

Muttered Elijah as he saw how his team just acted all the while Kyle was gritting his teeth in the background.

Sabrina also sat close to the fire, albeit not as close as the others, and before everyone knew it, they had all engaged in small chatter.

During so, they had decided without Alan that the Girls would stay within the cave while the boys would sleep outside in their tents.

And then, As they were talking.

Alan and Alex came back.

With Alan in the front, and Alex behind him wearing a Fox mask.

****

A/N:WOOH! 100 CHAPTERS.

Thank you so much for actually sticking with me for this long even though there have been many mistakes.

And I do apologize for not uploading as much as I did back then, I started this novel during vacations, and since they ended I have been busy.

Anyways, Thanks so much for sticking with me for 100 whole chapters.

I'll try to improve my writing as I go along.

Oh and as a spoiler, Your gonna have to get some popcorn for the next few chapters.

I'm gonna make them a banger!