Chapter 40: Forest [3]

Rustle—

The bushes rustled and a figure I vaguely felt was familiar appeared.

'Who is he...?'

"You were looking for me?"

A dry voice came out from my lips as I grew wary. He couldn't be someone related to the one in the vision?

If that was the case...

My body grew tense and I started to channel the mana inside of my body.

"Didn't you say you wanted to see me? I am here."

"....?"

Wanted to see me?

I paused and thought about it. Then, as if recalling the events of yesterday, I realized.

"You're the leader of the noble faction?"

Right, judging from his age, and the fact that he felt familiar, this made sense. Especially since I distinctly remembered asking his minion to tell him to come to me.

"....How did you find me?"

Weren't we supposed to be stranded in the middle of a forest?

For him to find me...

I frowned and had a sudden thought. Just then, he appeared to want to say something as his mouth opened, but...

"...I want to—"

I cut him off immediately and lightly tossed something in his direction.

Thud.

It landed right beneath his feet, stopping him as he looked down.

I took the chance to explain.

"My emergency device doesn't work. I believe yours doesn't work as well. I think we're under attack."

"Under attack...?"

He looked back at me, his eyes wearier than before.

"...Are you trying to get my guard down or something."

"No."

Perhaps because time was running out and I couldn't waste time, my voice came out rather harsh as I squinted my eyes at him.

"That's a needless effort on someone like you. Check your device."

"...."

His face scrunched up, but under my serious gaze, he eventually relented and opened his backpack, taking out a similar device from his it.

He turned to look at me and seemed to want to say something, but after staring into my eyes, he thought otherwise and just pressed on the device.

Click—

"...."

As expected, his didn't work either.

"This..."

Finally, his expression changed as he realized the gravity of the situation. But I didn't have time to waste.

Therefore, I carefully approached him, only stopping a few meters away from him.

I looked down at him to meet his eyes.

"...."

I thought back on the situation and how he had managed to find me.

It was only a guess, but maybe...

"Help me find someone."

He could help me find Leon's location.

***

Rustle, Rustle, Rustle—

'Why am I even doing this...?'

Anders continued to run, pushing the vegetation away. Fiddling with the necklace on his neck, he looked behind him where a figure was casually following him.

Even now...

He seemed unfazed by the situation as he looked around with the same expression he always wore.

It was as if he didn't seem bothered by the entire situation. And yet, he was also the first one to notice.

'How did he know?'

Anders was curious. He turned his head slightly, when...

"How far?"

Julien's voice reached his ears.

Even the tone of his voice sounded annoying to his ears.

He was the last person he thought he'd work with, but...

'....I have no choice."

The circumstances left him with no choice but to work with him. He didn't trust him, but he trusted his abilities.

After all...

He had experienced them firsthand.

"We should be getting closer."

"Mhm."

Julien acknowledged with a soft hum, his attention once again on the surroundings. Anders pursed his lips and continued forward.

His [Innate] ability—[Predator's Plight]—granted him with the ability to enhance his senses. Be it his eyesight, smell, and hearing. It was thanks to his ability that he had been able to find Julien easily.

His original plan had been to face him head-on. He thought about sneaking up on him, but that simply went against his morals.

He was no coward, after all.

As they moved forward, Anders suddenly grew curious.

"....Can you tell me why you asked me to find Leon instead of the Professors? I'm sure they would be of more help than him."

Julien looked ahead and their gazes met.

Anders felt his body freeze under his gaze which seemed to look at him with a bit of contempt.

'This bastard...'

Anders clenched his fists at the sight.

Julien's voice reached his ears shortly after.

"If the culprit is capable of disabling the emergency device, what makes you think they won't interfere with the professors?"

"Ah..."

Julien's answer left him at a loss for words.

Indeed, when he put it like that...

"Slow down."

Julien's voice reached him again from behind.

This time, it felt a lot more intimidating.

".....I have an idea of where we are."

***

'If the culprit is capable of disabling the emergency device, what makes you think they won't interfere with the professors?'

Yeah, no.

That was total bullshit.

While there was some truth to it, I had no idea whether the professors had been 'distracted' or 'taken care of'. The only thing that I cared about was getting to Leon before it was too late.

That being said...

'....If I can't, I won't.'

The idea behind saving Leon stemmed from the fact that I needed him. He was the main character of the game and my shield.

What sort of consequences was his death going to bring to the game?

That, I wasn't sure and I had never really thought about it. However, on further thought, his death was sure to bring a lot of variables to my future.

As of right now...

Although we both didn't trust each other, the two of us were allies.

As an ally, it was my duty to help him out when needed. But that didn't mean I'd have to throw my life away to help him.

If the situation seemed impossible then...

"Huuu"

I closed my eyes.

'....Let's see when I get there.'

The current plan was to interfere when most opportune. Given that at some point Leon managed to injure the enemy, an opening certainly existed.

I planned on exploiting it.

Opening my eyes again, I slowed down my pace.

"Stop."

Anders similarly stopped as he turned to look at me. I placed my finger on my lips before he could say anything and whispered.

"Keep your voice down from this moment forth."

"...?"

He seemed confused as he looked around him and squinted. But after an internal debate, he relented and nodded.

"....Fine."

'Now that I look at him, he seems quite reasonable...'

It took me no time to realize who he was. Back then, I had been so immersed in my emotions that I hadn't paid proper attention to how he looked. However, his face was now clear to me and the situation was rather funny.

Who'd have thought I'd end up working with the same person that I used to prove my worth in the middle of the lecture?

Scrunch... Scrunch...

I quietly led him forward. The surroundings were the same as I remembered. From the trees to the smell that lingered in the air.

If there was one good thing about the visions, it was that I could remember every single detail with perfect memory...

It was thanks to that that I was able to find the location rather quickly.

"This is it."

The exact same spot where Leon died.

It was where I was currently standing.

'They aren't here yet which means that I'm still early.'

I sighed in relief at the idea and looked around me. Only to see Anders looking at me in confusion. I could guess exactly what he was thinking from his expression.

"Use your abilities. See if there's anyone near us."

"Uh...? Why-"

"Do it."

He frowned but nonetheless listened. Was he afraid of me, or were the circumstances making him act this way?

In a way, I could see how he had become the leader of the nobles.

"....!"

His eyes quickly widened a few moments after he closed them and his gaze turned to look to the right where he pointed.

"Over there..."

I followed the direction of where he pointed as he continued, his voice trembling slightly.

"There are multiple people. A large conflict—uh, wait!"

Though he tried to stop me, I was already moving. The situation was still not bad. Since Leon could deal some damage to the opponent if I played my cards right...

"Uhm?"

My eyebrow twitched as I felt a sharp pain in my arm. It hurt so much that I had to stop for a brief moment. What sort of... I turned my wrist over to see what was going on when my eyes shot up.

"....!"

Ah—

The second leaf.

The one that I was unsure of what it did.

It was shining brightly.

***

Bang!

"Uekh...!"

Leon felt his back crash against a nearby tree as he felt himself lose his breath.

Thud.

He landed on the ground, only keeping himself from falling thanks to his sword which he used to support himself.

"Haaa... Haaa..."

With uneven breathing, he looked up. Even now, he struggled to understand. How...? How was it possible?

"The fuck is this? Aren't you supposed to be our Professor?"

Kiera's startled voice echoed from his left as she held her hand forward. A red magic circle floated at the tips of her fingers.

Swoosh!

Flames surged from all around her, enveloping her entire body as amidst the inferno, her eyes, reminiscent of rubies, gleamed brightly, piercing through the raging blaze surrounding her.

Thrusting her hand forward, the flames enveloping her body twisted and coiled like a serpent before surging forward where a figure stood.

Unfortunately...

!

The flames, which had been raging with a lot of intensity, were quickly put out with a single swipe of a cane.

Kiera's expression changed drastically at this, but before she could do anything...

Bang!

Her body was flung several meters back, crashing against the dirt as she skidded back several meters.

"Uhk..."

Her groaned reached Leon as he tightly held on the sword in his hand and stared ahead.

Indeed. They were severely outclassed. But how could they not be when their opponent was a Tier 3 opponent? Although the two of them were both Tier 2, their powers were still outstripped.

It took more than two Tier 2 individuals to get rid of someone of that caliber.

And to make matters worse, this was no regular opponent...

'Professor Bucklam.'

Even now, Leon didn't fully understand the situation. How could it be him? Was this a test, or was this real?

At first, he thought it was, but his 'instincts' told him otherwise.

That was when it became clear to him.

Professor Bucklam. For whatever reason... He was trying to kill them.

No, him.

Why?

Leon wasn't sure, but...

"Ukh."

He didn't have the time to care. Pressing his foot against the ground, he propelled his body forward.

Within moments, he arrived a few inches away from the Professor's body as he swung his blade.

It curved in the air and directly aimed at the Professor's exposed neck.

Everything was fluent. From the precision of his attack to its speed.

However...

Clank—!

His sword bounced back the moment it came down and a large translucent sphere formed around the professor's body. [Mana Sphere] an intermediate-ranked spell that provided a mage with great defense.

It covered his entire body and flickered the moment it came into contact with Leon's sword.

But that was it.

The force behind Leon's sword wasn't powerful enough to break it, leaving Leon exposed to a counterattack.

Swoosh!

Professor Bucklam took advantage of that moment as his cane came slashing down on Leon who just barely managed to avoid it by twisting his body in the air.

Thud.

Falling down, Leon pushed his body forward again and swung his sword.

Clank—!

But...

Clank—!

Regardless of...

Clank—!

What he did...

Clank—!

The shield surrounding the professor refused to budge.

"Haaa.... Haaa...."

Leon felt his breath grow heavy with each attempt. It wasn't just him.

Swoosh!

A fire directed itself toward the Professor, but even that was of no use as it simply scattered the moment it touched it.

"What kind of fucking shield is this?"

Leon could hear Kiera's curse from behind as she channeled another spell. Thinking about something, Leon bit his lips before bringing his body forward to slash at the shield.

Professor Bucklam prepared to receive Leon when his figure faded and disappeared.

Thud.

By the time Leon's touched the ground, he was standing behind Kiera who looked startled by the sight of him.

"Holy fuck! What are you doing?...That scared the shit out of me."

"Hold him back for me."

A white glow formed over Leon's sword. Its aura intensifying by the second.

"What?"

Kiera was startled at first, but realizing what Leon was trying to do, she bit her lips and nodded.

"Fuck... Whatever, do it."

The flames around her body intensified and the temperature around them rose to an alarming degree.

They were so intense that the surrounding grass and trees started to catch fire.

"Haaa... Haaa..."

Kiera's breath started to grow heavy, but gritting her teeth, she pushed her hand forward, and the fire around her split into several threads which all rushed toward the professor who frowned and slashed with his cane.

Unfortunately, as if they had a mind of their own, the threads diverged, encircling him before adhering to the ground and forming a cage

"N-now...!"

Kiera shouted as she looked behind her where a powerful glow appeared.

An intense mana wave wafted through the air as Leon's sword shone with a majestic light. He didn't hesitate to move the moment she spoke.

Thump!

The ground caved as his body zoomed toward the professor.

"Khuek...!"

An intense pain invaded every part of his body as he rushed forward. His muscles were tearing apart, and his mana was running dangerously low.

But...

He had no choice.

This was do or die.

Bang!

His foot pressed against the ground, stopping his body just as he neared the professor who appeared somewhat alarmed.

"Ukh!"

Pain once again invaded Leon's body as he felt the muscles of his core snap, but he still persisted.

Using everything he had, he swung diagonally in an upward motion.

Booom!

His blade clashed against the professor's shield as it flickered intensively. Unlike before, the flickering was even more pronounced, and just barely, Leon could see cracks form on its surface.

But...

That wasn't enough.

The shield was still standing.

"Kh...!!!"

He clenched his teeth with even more force as he pushed all the remaining mana in his body out and into the sword.

Cr-Crack...!

The cracks around the shield widened. But... It was still not enough.

'Not yet...!'

His lungs were on fire and every part of his body ached. Leon could hardly keep himself standing as he felt his knee buckle.

But...

"Kh...!"

He had to persist.

Not. Until. He. Reached. His. Goal.

"Akh...!"

His sword shone with even fiercer light. It blinded everything that was in sight. Power gushed out from it as the shield around the professor's body creaked under intense stress.

Rather quickly, the cracks started to widen and it was only a matter of time before the shield shattered.

"Kh!"

Leon kept pushing.

He used everything that he had to attack in that moment.

But the more he continued, the more he felt his heart drop...

'....It won't be enough.'

It started to become clear to me.

Even if the shield broke, the power behind the sword wouldn't be enough. If things went on like this then...

And then it happened.

Swoosh.

Purple hands sprouted from the ground beneath the professor. They came so abruptly that Professor Bucklam wasn't able to react on time and they latched onto his ankles.

That was all it took...

Crash—!

The shield shattered and Leon finally saw his sword slash down.

Pffttt!

Blood splattered in the air as he felt it make contact with the professor's body.

Clank. Clank.

Ah—

Leon dropped to his knees as the sword scattered on the ground. A strange hung in the air as Leon felt the muscles of his body give up on him.

"....Did I?"

But..

"....!"

When he looked up to see, much to Leon's horror, he could still see the Professor standing before him.

A large gaping wound appeared on his body, but his eyes still seemed alive. And they were.

He didn't even seem to care about what was going on around him. The Professor's eyes were fixed on him. As if he was the only thing on his mind.

His hand slowly raised and a magic circle formed.

It was aimed directly at the incapacitated Leon who could do nothing but watch.

No, this...

"...."

Just when Leon's eyes despaired, a hand reached out and grasped the Professor by the shoulder.

A pair of familiar hazel eyes met Leon's gaze as a dry voice echoed in the air.

".....You did not."