The sun today was scorching and the air dry but we were called over to the training grounds and not the classroom. I heard Lucy and Leo talking about it but my brain was preoccupied by everything I read last night.
The gods lost.
That was a heavy pill to swallow. This was different from chosen replacements dying due to silly reasons. The God of death in all his greatness was killed by something protecting these invaders
Because only a God can kill a God, there was no way they were killed by the Knoll. I asked Lin and he said I would have to find that out myself.
Why the hell would you tell me the Gods lost if you won't tell me who killed them?
Lin tried to compensate by assuring me they weren't overpowered, they were only defeated due to unique circumstances no one had foreseen.
The carriage rolled to a stop near the same training ground we used last time. I approached the stage but the golden chains and the Knoll were gone. Instead, there was a metal box, nearly 5 ft tall and 7 ft long. Golden sigils are inscribed around the cage and at the far end of the arena, Professor Brighton sat on a stool, waiting patiently for everyone to arrive while tapping his walking stick on the ground repeatedly.
We had to wait three extra minutes before the entire class gathered and the old professor rose to his feet with the support of his walking stick.
"Good morning, class; as usual, it's a pleasure to see you all healthy and— alive."
Professor Brighton approached the steel box and circled it twice before facing us and stomping the ground with his cane.
"As usual I have a month to prepare all for your first expedition. For what it's worth, I'm amongst the few who believe you need at least a year's training before you are sent out, but of course, the survival of humanity is more important than my opinion." He rolled his eyes.
Brighton turned to the steel box and tapped it twice.
"With only a month at hand, I have only one thing to teach you, and one piece of advice to give you that should help you survive the expedition." Brighton began.
He walked closer to us and stopped at the edge of the stage, peering directly at me.
"My advice on the expedition is simple. You will come across monsters more often. To be honest, it's rare to meet a knoll outside but when you do… run. You are not ready. You cannot fight them, don't even dream of it. No matter the situation, no matter who is dying, as long as your superiors are not present to coordinate with you, never entertain the thought of fighting a knoll." His voice was stern like a father giving advice to his sons before they set out for war.
"And the thing you will teach us is how to fight the monsters?" I said while looking at the box.
Unlike others, all they saw was a box with sigils, but I could sense negative emotions, and whatever was inside there wasn't very happy about captivity.
Brighton gave me a nod; "In there is a monster, a feral tier monster that has been starved, tortured, and suppressed by our spell for nearly five years now. Whatever you witness today, keep it in mind: what you will meet outside the walls will be at least thrice as strong."
I nodded as I watched Brighton step away from the steel box while mumbling something. His eyes revealed a golden hue, which made the sigils on the steel box fade, and it fell apart, revealing the monster within.
Its skin was dark with a humanoid figure with incredibly long limbs, except it was lying on its back. Its limbs were twisted in ways human limbs shouldn't be positioned—this allowed it to move on all fours.
Extraordinarily long fingers and tails with claws instead of nails. Its flesh around its waist was torn, revealing its bloody muscles and the area where its head was meant to be located was covered by beautiful flowing silk hair.
A massive golden nail impaled its chest, and attached to the nail were chains that bound the limbs of this beast, restricting its movements. For now, there were golden sigils on his body, creating a golden array beneath it that kept it frozen in place.
I raised my hand as a thought crossed my mind, but not regarding this monster but the general mission.
"This is a Nefarian Stalker—a monster renowned for its speed and agility. It possesses special glands that enable it to secrete acid from any part of its body." Brighton explained. "Mind you, while the Nefarian Stalker may not be known for its strength, it will rip your limbs off effortlessly. It's not a strength type but it is twenty times as strong as the average human."
Brighton paused, and of course, there was silence, and I could understand why. Feral tier monsters are the weakest monsters within the Knoll ranks, yet his thing was nearly 6 feet on all fours with extremely long limbs that were nearly 7 feet long.
This thing could hide up a tree and casually snatch people off the ground as they walk by.
"In today's class, we will learn how to survive against these monsters. What kinds of spells and fighting styles are effective and of course, the do's and don'ts of the battlefield." Brighton smiled sinisterly
"We are going to fight that thing?" Someone said and the class fell silent.
Reluctant glances were exchanged while Brighton returned to the stool at the edge of the arena where he sat down and returned his attention to the group.
"How many of you have combat experience?" He asked calmly and there was silence as only three hands were raised.
Mine, Leo Emberfall, and the weird kid with the blood magic anomaly—Klien.
"Good. I will use the three of you to teach the rest the basics of combat." Brighton signaled for us to come up the stage so I did
At least, Klein and I approached the stage immediately, while Leo hesitated. It looked more like he regretted raising his hand and followed us up the arena reluctantly.
While I was fearless I wasn't stupid. I didn't go stand in the middle of the ring, face to face with the Nefarian Stalker, instead, we moved to Brighton's side of the arena and stood there.
Standing on the same stage with this monster was different from viewing the pictures. It had a murky stench and a low growl constantly rumbled in its throat.
The professor nodded in satisfaction before he continued speaking; "So tell me, when fighting a monster superior in terms of strength and speed, how do you handle it?"
There was silence for a while as we glanced at the beast silently. If the beast can overpower and outrun you, how the hell are you supposed to win?
"Coordination and teamwork," Leo answered and Brighton clapped his hand with a nod.
"Excellent answer my prince." Brighton smiled and rose to his feet.
He stood directly behind us with his hands on Klien- and Leo's shoulders as they were both at the edges.
"In nature, the weak relies on numbers and not strength. While it's a tough pill to swallow, it is necessary for survival." Brighton said loudly. "Don't you forget that we are not on top of the food chain? We are not the predators here and that is why teamwork is vital for success."
Brighton let go of their shoulders and returned to the stool. He was just seated a few meters behind us.
"The Nefarian Walker is weak, feeble, starved, and suppressed. Its resistance to magic is not half as good as the Knolls so you have a fighting chance. Kill it and you three will be exempted from classes for the rest of the month." Brighton said and my eyes glowed with a blinding emerald hue while gasps could be heard amongst other students.
I wasn't hyped about the class exemption. What the heck I wouldn't hesitate to come back to class tomorrow after murdering this thing. I was more interested in the soul of this monster.
But there was no angel of death standing beside it.
Does that mean we will fail?
{The laws of this world only work on beings of this world. These beings are not of this world so their souls are not a part of our cycle. Because of this, you cannot determine when they are expected to die.} Lin explained and my eyes tightened.
'I can still feast on their souls?' I asked.
I don't care where their souls came from. As long as they would serve as nourishment to my cultivation I didn't care.
{Of course.} Lin chuckled and I grinned
Everything about these monsters was different.
"Okay," I responded to Brighton and took two steps forward.
I paid little attention to the gasps and whispers and watched as the magic array beneath the Stalker began to shrink slowly. As it shrank, the murky stench got stronger and when the array was gone, the entire area had a damp feeling.
Its low growls increased in tempo slightly, but it did not move. I was fo focused on the monster as the one standing in front, that I paid little attention to those around me.
Unbuckling my grimoire, I flung it to my side, and it hung in mid-air—its pages flipping open rapidly as it stopped on a blank page.
For this battle, I knew speed was needed, but I had no movement-type spell. However, I have seen a spell used by William to dominate the skies.
{That is an earth realm technique, you don't have the mana reverses to sustain such a spell for long.} Lin warned against replicating the spell but that was never my intention.
To move around fast, Williams's sky wheel unleashes bursts of fire, which means an extra consumption of magic for the sake of light. What I needed was something that would increase my mobility on the ground in mid-air. I had a picture painted in mind, and I didn't hesitate to unleash it in the presence of many.
Buzz!
A mild wind blew from all directions as a light blue light shrouded my grimoire, and letters etched themselves on it.
"O winds that dance, swift and free,
Forge the path and carry me!
Rings of Zephyr, light as air,
Lift my steps with speed to spare!"
Wind magic: Zephyr Rings!
A light blue array appeared beneath my feet, and a compressed sphere of air formed underneath the array lifting me off the ground slightly. The rings formed around the sphere acted as frictionless platforms, allowing smooth and rapid movement while also promoting stability.
Grrrrrrrrrrrrr!
As if reacting to my magic, the Nefarian Stalker growled viciously, and for the first time, it took a step forward, leaving behind a sound of clanking chains.
"Come!" I sneered before I sprang forward in one fierce burst forward.
Bang!
I saw the sand beneath its feet erupt as the monster charged at me, but it would take more than this to scare me. I was calm as we approached each other rapidly, closing the gaps between us in mere seconds.
We were still two meters apart when I noticed its claw swinging at me, but I was mentally prepared for this. I stomped the ground with the zephyr rings and sprang into the air with a wind burst, reaching heights that made others gasp while chanting.
"From ember's breath to blazing wrath, I shape the spear of burning death.
Flames coil, heat bends—pierce through all, until nothing stands.
Ignite—Infernal Lance!"
Fire Magic: Infernal Lance!