Being a Villainess is No Joke

22. Too Close!!

"Okay, participants, " a voice came booming from above as if the God himself was speaking.

"Take your position beside the edge of the lake in front of your respective stone."

I took a step forward in front of the stone I was assigned to.

"When I blow the whistle you'll step on that stone, not now. After you step on it, a question will appear on the surface of the water body and also three stones with answers written on it. Only one answer would be correct. If you step on the correct, only then would the next question appear and so on. However, if you step on the wrong stone, it will sink and the participant will have to cross the lake by swimming. Rest assure you will not sink since the lake has been enchanted by me, your Archmage."

Oh, so he is the Archmage, though I can't see him.

"Okay now participants, let the competition begin." He paused as if taking a deep breath.

And the next second my eardrums burst by a high pitched sound.

After recovering from the initial shock, I took a step on the blank stone and soon a question surfaces itself with three other stones circling around it.

4+5 =

Oh. My. God.

I knew it would be easy, but this easy?

Wow.

I looked at the answers on each stone.

45.  9.   15.

I jumped on the stone which had 9 written on it and another question pooped up with three stones.

8 - 3 =

As I jumped on the stone which had 5 written on it, I noticed two boys swimming.

Wow! Already? I'm impressed.

I overestimated their intelligence.

I started solving the rest of the questions, jumping from stone to stone. Once I was halfway through the lake I turned around to look at people still struggling near the edge.

And that fueled a spark inside me to get to the edge first.

I looked at the next question.

Fast pass: Add 10 to the number you are standing on and then keep on adding it till you reach the end of the lake.

Oh, that's easy.

Right now I'm standing on 18 so I need to step on the stone with 28 written on it.

I quickly jumped on that stone.

28

38

48

58

68

As I jumped on 68 a person who, I just seemed to notice now, also jumped on the same stone.

At the same time.

And guess what.

There was only enough space for a single person to stand.

I was going to fall.

Nooo!! Not after I've come this far!!

My brain screamed at me and I did the only thing I could think of to keep myself from falling.

I wrapped my arms around the guy's neck (I knew he was a guy because he was just sooo freaking tall).

And I think the guy was thinking the same thing cause he wrapped his arms around my waist and we tightly hugged each other till we were stable.