Surviving in my Own Unpublished Failed Novel

"Found you."

Rumia's thoughts instantly cut off as she saw the reason for the overlapping shadow.

A woman figure with long blonde hair that was tied up, and light green eyes was looking down at her from the top of the Rock Turtle shell while grinning.

It was the Princess of the Etheria, a woman that even some aristocratic families didn't dare to recklessly approach.

"Get on formation!!"

Rumia shouted at Rika, Dessa, Henriad, and Murktan which left them to instinctively form a confused expression.

~ Boom-!

Before the other four processed what was happening, a loud boom sounded in their ears, and smoke of dust formed with the impact where Rumia was leaning just now.

Rumia jumped and rolled a few meters as she barely manage to avoid the impact.

'I barely dodge it, was that an attack without any skills?'

Rumia thought and was rather amused with the opponent's firepower.

The other group members saw Rumia a few meters away from the sudden impact and instinctively knew that what happened was an assault.

They quickly gathered and instinctively formed the five-star formation while maintaining their proper role.

It was thanks to Rumia's skill, 'Insight of the Living Water' that improved her vision by two times that she managed to perceive the presence above the Rock Turtle shell.

"Any of you, cast a buf-"

Before she could even finish her words while looking at the dissipating smoke produced by the impact, she heard a sound of a stab from the rear of their five-star formation.

There, one of her group members had a sword protruding from his chest as blood gushed out from his mouth.

"Henriad!"

Rika shouted, but that was all there was to it because it was too late.

They didn't even manage to react in time as the sound of the Virtual System's Notification entered their ears.

[Your teammate, 'Henriad Frostine' have died]

Henriad's figure instantly dissipated, turning into pixels of programs thanks to Virtual Technology.

They saw the figure who stabbed Henriad vanished from 'her' spot.

Elizabeth von Etherion's location was unknown at the moment as though she turned into nothing.

'Where are her teammates?'

"Rika, do you have a crowd control skill?"

Rumia thought as she asked Rika while staying alert against Elizabeth's assault.

The five-star formation broke instantly due to Elizabeth's surprise attack.

The other group members aside from Rumia were all confused about some things like it's not even 30 minutes yet in this Virtual World but Elizabeth found them already, and their starting point distance between each other was more than 2 kilometers.

It was only Rumia who understood the situation.

"Yes, I have, but isn't it against the rules?"

Rika said, staying alert for possible attacks.

"Remember the Strict Rule, it just said that we cannot use skills 'directly' against our opponents."

Rumia spoke as she recalled the contents of the rules, especially the Strict Rule at the last part of the information provided by the holographic screen earlier.

Rika, who heard her instantly understood what Rumia meant, it was the same for Dessa and Murktan who were at their fighting and defensive stance respectively while anticipating an ambush.

...

At Elizabeth's side, a minute or two after they arrived at Jellyfish Island.

Elizabeth and her group members conjured their personal weapons and armor from their subconscious.

After some time of tidying themselves up, one of her group members asked what to do next.

Elizabeth beckoned them over, and with an ominous smile on her face...

[Activating Skill: Macro-Teleportation]

They vanished from their spot without even the time to react.

~ Hummm-

With the sound of a vacuum tearing into space that dissipates quickly, they arrived at an unknown part of Jellyfish Island; and without consideration for others regarding the side effects of Teleportation, Elizabeth used it again instantaneously like five or six times until they arrived at the top of the Rock Turtle's shell.

They encountered some hurdles in some places where they landed such as lairs of Jellyfish with various physical characteristics but after a few attempts, Elizabeth's group reached their right destination.

Looking at her group members who were slumped down, feeling dizziness due to mana vibration in their body because of Teleporting simultaneously, which drained their energy to even stand up, Elizabeth thought to herself...

'I should leave them be for now...'

She looked down from her spot and saw Rumia Flora looking up at the sky with an expression of admiration.

A grin appeared on her face as she said softly as if whispering into the air.

"Found you."

...

At Present, with Rumia's question earlier, Rika activated one of her crowd control skills that doesn't directly hit the designated opponent.

[Activating Skill: Ice Mist]

Upon the skill's activation, a mild mist that was made of snow surrounded the surroundings, then to reduce the cold effects on her teammates, she cast another skill which was a support type.

[Activating Skill: Ice Barrier]

Snow formed a circle that started circling each of their body.

During this process, Rumia had some guesses regarding the whereabouts of Elizabeth's teammates.

'It's not a normal kind of Teleportation, her teammates must have suffered some side effects.'

As she thought of that, she instinctively glanced at the top of the Rock Turtle's shell, then she asked Rika...

"Rika, what's the range of your skill?"

She was referring to Ice Mist, although she didn't know its detailed effects, based on how it looked, it would probably cause slowness and could freeze the opponent with low cold resistance if exposed for some time.

"Ah... actually, the Ice Mist follows my movement as long as it's active."

Rumia, Dessa, and Murktan looked dumbfounded by Rika's words.

...

Elizabeth was looking at the alert group of Rumia from a few meters away as she sat on one of the gigantic trees and saw the Ice Mist and the Ice Barrier skill.

'That's troublesome... with that skill, it is not a direct attack because it's up to me if I should walk into it.'

She thought inwardly, although all she needed to do was to grab the Obelisk Token at Rumia's neck, she couldn't be careless because if she got caught by the Whip that Rumia's holding, she wouldn't be able to Teleport away.

This was also a gesture of respect to the other Princess because Elizabeth knew that she had considerable strength.

'Samantha...'

Her thoughts flew randomly for a few seconds as she muttered inwardly the name of the person who she considered as having 'her' own league.

Her thoughts cut off as she saw Rumia's group moving towards the top of the Rock Turtle shell.

Then she glanced at the top of the Rock Turtle shell where her group members were barely moving.

She didn't know whether to laugh or cry because of their present state.

...

At Obelisk of Virtual Technology Building.

Freya Moon, Amelie Rose Merveil, Amery Blight, and their other classmates, as well as Professor Murak, were watching the unfolding battle through the holographic screen.

Rumia's group currently have 20 points for eliminating 20 Wall Jellyfish while Elizabeth's group have 5 points for eliminating some different kind of Jellyfish that hindered their Teleportation at that moment.

These points were only necessary to the group with higher points accumulated if the Virtual War ended without losing the Obelisk Token or the loss of their leader.

Various murmurs resounded in one of the rooms where A-1 students were watching.

"She's crazy bro."

"Is she right in the head?"

"Princess..."

Some talked about Rumia and her group, but most of them referred to Elizabeth being dubbed as a 'Crazy Princess'.

Even Freya didn't manage to hide her shock when she saw the Instantaneous Teleportation that seemed draining enough to be used simultaneously.

Amery maintained her aloof and cold atmosphere as she watched thoroughly what was happening in front of them.

While Amelie seemed to think about something, not minding the fight projected in front of her, she took notes of some important details.

"It seems like you realize it by now."

Professor Murak said while standing at the back as their left and right were surrounded by Virtual Capsules.

The students heard his remarks, prompting them to glance at him for a few seconds without saying anything before their attention went back to the holographic screen where it shows Rumia and her group going up to the top of the Rock Turtle shell.

The A-1 students made some inferences based on what they watched so far such as using skills to 'indirectly' affect your opponents were valid.

They were not in A-1 class for nothing because each of them has talent, especially in observation.

...

It was just ten minutes had passed since Elizabeth's surprise attack that killed Henriad Frostine.

Due to the steepness of the Rock Turtle's shell, it was not easy to just jump around to reach its top.

'Her teammates must be suffering with Mana Vibration.'

Rumia thought as she jumped from one rock to another.

Mana Vibration was a state where the mana inside the body vibrates that caused dizziness.

It's a side effect of Teleportation that could only be overcome by getting used to it or raising one's rank.

As a Princess of the Nereia, she was educated in her younger years about necessary stuff, especially the negative effects or diseases caused by mana; thus, she thought of Elizabeth's group members to be at the top of the Rock Turtle's shell, barely recovering for now.

After a minute or two of jumping, they arrived at the top where Rumia and her group members saw the other four students belonging to Elizabeth's group while Elizabeth was standing at the rear, keenly sizing them up with a smile on her face.

"Attack!"

Rumia commanded Rika, Dessa, and Murktan as she lead the way.

The Rock Turtle's shell was 50 meters long, but its mid to top structure was normally curved, but right now, Rumia and her group members noticed that they were running straight which means that the top part of its shell was cut horizontally.

The other four students who were recovering as they barely kept their stance already saw Rumia and the other three running towards them with considerable speed as the Ice Mist was following them, changing the climate of a few meters of surroundings.

One was holding a shield; the other one was wielding a pair of daggers; one was holding a spear, and the other one was holding a staff.

'I'll see what they can do.'

Elizabeth thought as she stood at the rear.

...

[Activating Skill: Elemental Dispel]

A woman with long silvery hair and grayish eyes cast one of her skills as she stood near Elizabeth.

Suddenly, a beam of ice that has a white luster fired from her staff.

Its target was the Ice Mist which was following the other group.

'Ho... Becca... She's from Arka based on what I remember.'

Arka was one of the major countries located at the Southernmost of the Orion Continent and Bhaskara was located on its Northern Border. The Arka's inhabitants' common physical characteristics were having silvery, white, dirty white, or grayish hair, as well as grayish or silvery eyes.

Elizabeth thought as she watched the spectacle with an excited expression on her face.

The Ice Mist was resisting as if it were a sentient being, it was slowing down, getting left behind by Rika and the others.

~ Clang-!

The two tankers collided with their metallic shields while the one holding a pair of daggers on Elizabeth's side jumped up and does a frontal assault at Dessa, the Rod Spinner.

Her main weapon was a rod, it's like a spear but without a pointy tip.

"Arghhh!"

A spear suddenly struck Murktan's side and he started to bleed.

They were advantageous with numbers!

Rumia, who saw that lashes her three-meter-long whip at the spear, catching it then threw it away.

Then the long whip coiled around the neck of the student whose spear was caught, leaving him barehanded.

He grasped the whip tightening his neck as seconds passed by.

Then without hesitation, Rumia pulled the tightened whip, decapitating the neck of the man who was a spear user.