The dirt rat charged with its head as hard as a rock aiming at them.

They simultaneously leaped out avoiding its attack, but the dirt rat seemed had read their movements as it stopped it's momentum and turned to the side charging at Ali.

"Oh no!" Ali caught off guard. She froze to where she stood.

Yan and the others have grim expressions seeing the situation.

Sada, Yan, and Laz called their earthly energy and dashed towards Ali to save her.

Alas! They were too late. The dirt rat leaped to Ali.

Bang!

The high grass dance to the rhythm of the disturbed winds.

Cite and Atu almost forgot the thing they are doing as they looked at the distance where the booming sounds came from.

The others froze. Their hearts and minds felt mix emotions.

But before they could cry or shout in horror, Ali's silhouette appears 100 meters away from the beast. Her eyes closed.

Cite and Atu heaved a sigh of relief and continued their job.

Yan and Laz approached her.

Yan parted his lips saying, "Well done."

Hearing his voice, Ali opened her eyes. She looked at Yan and then at Laz. She asked, "What happened?"

Yan and Laz surprisingly looked at Ali.

Not understanding their looks, Ali said, "Thank you for saving me."

These made the two twisted their faces.

Yan was going to answer her when they heard an explosion.

Sada, Sul, and Dawag faced the beast, but they were keeping their distance to avoid a direct fight.

They knew that the body of D beast is hard as a rock.

"Let's talk later." Yan sounded. "Go to Cite and Atu."

Though Ali was disappointed being disregarded in the most critical time, she heed Yan's instruction. 'Come on Ali, you will just drag them down.' She consoled herself.

Yan, Laz, Dawag, Sul, and Sada fought side by side just to buy time. They were keeping their distance for they knew that they couldn't win head-on.

The dirt rat suddenly stopped charging at them and seemingly felt something that caught its attention.

It turned around and its fierce eyes were locked at humans concealing their presence through the high grass.

They were Atu, Cite and Ali.

It charged crazily towards them.

The ball they were solidifying almost ready. Yan, as a beast tamer, had realized the situation.

"Throw the ball towards the beast! Hurry!" His voice was loud and clear.

Atu was dumbfounded. The ball was not finished yet.

Yan didn't give him a chance to refute as he continued, "It's okay if it is not finished. JUST THROW IT AWAY!"

Though the ball wasn't done to solidify yet, just the reaction of the beast was enough to say that their goal was achieved.

Cite stopped her energy and nodded to Atu as her signal to do what Yan has instructed.

Atu stood up and rolled the ball on the ground.

The beast halted in front of it.

It smelled the ball and licked it before munching it.

Finishing it, its fierce eyes that was replaced with innocent one looked intimately at Atu.

It dashed towards him.

Atu wasn't a beast tamer, so he didn't notice its indifferent attitude. He ran as fast as he could. Cite and Ali on his side were stunned. They couldn't move an inch.

The beast just passed by their sight!

Laz, Sada, Sul, and Dawag weren't far from the two too either.

Yan breaks out into laughter seeing Atu being chased by the beast. Tears were threatening to fall as he held his stomach tight. His laughter reverberated to the high grass.

Though Atu did his best to distance himself from the beast, the speed of the beast was faster than him after all.

The beast catches up, but instead of the showing its fangs, it lowered its head and rubbed it to the side of Atu seemingly wanted to be pat on its head.

"This..." Atu was lost of words.

Yan stopped laughing and explained, "That beast must have like the food you have made for it. It might think it's more delicious than us, so instead of waging war, it let itself to be tamed in order to taste that ball again. Such an intelligent beast."

He looked at Atu with a wide smile. "Congratulations! You have just tamed a D beast."

"_" All of his group members

"Come on guys, it's a good thing right. At least now, we don't need to worry about it." Yan knew how absurd it was.

An Apothecary managed to tame a beast?

Taming a beast was a hardrous job. The dirt rat seemed to be easy to tame but if not because of the right food Atu has managed to made, Yan was sure that the beast will not let itself be tame.

"Okay! Let's move on." Laz woke up from his dazed.

The group continued their journey ahead. This time, they didn't encounter any danger for the D beast was on their side.

"Ali, how did you escape earlier?" Dawag was curious. As a physician, such a technique is a life saving one. He also wanted to learn it.

Ali looked at him with puzzlement. She then looked at Yan and Laz only to see their expectation for her to answer too. "I... I also don't know. When the beast was a meter away from me, I just closed my eyes. When I opened it, I see Laz and Yan already."

The members of group seven looked at each other as if expecting to hear more explanation.

Laz tilted his head in puzzlement. "Didn't you feel anything like something lift you up?"

Yan fell his gazed to Laz understanding his words. If Ali didn't feel it, it means 'transportation'.

Ali shook her head.

Laz and Yan were stunned.

'As I thought!' Both of them thought.

Ali was puzzled to his question. She asked, "Why did you ask?"

Laz slowly walked ahead as he explained, "This is my analysis. I thought that you are saved by the elders, but when I asked you the second question, you shook your head. It just means that someone used the transportation technique. We all know that the elders don't possess one. So, it means, it was the student of the Butuan kingdom who is watching over us."

They all know that someone is watching the competition from the dark, but to be watched by the students of the Kingdom personally we're their pleasure.

His group brightens up the mood and motivations heighten.

"That is cool. Now, I am too sure to pass this test and study there." Cite made up her mind.

"Of course! We will pass this test." The others also agreed.

"By the way guys, who do you think he is? Kalipsi, Uno or Tala?" Dawag asked curiously.

"Who cares. I bet they all strong." Atu commented.

"Maybe you're right." Cite agreed.

The other also nodded their heads.

The group seven arrived at the middle of the high grass. A five meters tree stood high. It doesn't have any fruits or flowers. It was pure yellow leaves covering its head as its brown hard trunk have visible scratches.

Hanging to one of its stems was a flag they were looking for!

"It's here!" Ali pointed out the triangular red cloth-made flag with its half meter stick.

Before Sada could extend his arms to get it, Ali warned, "Wait up Sada. The next clue might be connected with it. Let's observe first before moving it."

Sada pulled back his thoughts and gesture Ali to go ahead and examine it.

Yan, Laz, and Cite helped her out. The four of them circled the tree.

Atu was taking care of his new friend. Sada, Sul, and Dawag guard the place.

Cite noticed a thin string that sometimes glimmers under the illumination of the sun.

"Look over here. I think I found something."

Yan, Laz, and Ali immediately approached her place. Cite pointed out the string that was hardly seen tangled on one of its stems.

Laz pulled it out carefully in order not to break it. He reached the end of it that was tied on the flag and the other end buried in the ground.

Sada, Dawag, Sul, and Atu also wanted to spectate came closer.

Yan found a stem and dug it. Fortunately, it wasn't that deep. Just half meter deep.

Inside, they found a red envelope with a red card written these words, 'Heart of calmness.'

They passed the envelope to each other in order for everyone to see it.

"What do you think of it?" Yan asked when all of them has finished examining the card.

Their mouths shut as their minds think.

After a minute, each one of them looked at each other before they simultaneously said, "The lake!"