The following day, news about Nathaniel getting kicked out started circulating among the Red Palace students. This made it so that many of them started searching for why this happened to one of the most promising students of this generation, as he not only started inside the Red Palace at inner rank 500 but was even able to reach the 370th in less than a month.
Obviously, this meant that the attention immediately shifted from Nathaniel to Erik. The young awakener wasn't new rumors about him: when he was in high school, people talked about him as a loser and a talentless waste of air; once he awakened, he clearly became a hot topic again, not only among Thorthon high school students but in the whole nation, since he was the only alive awakener there.
This meant that once he joined the Red Palace, words about it spread quickly throughout every student there. Of course, the higher-level students didn't care much, despite being slightly curious about him. They were disappointed once they learned he wasn't that strong, despite learning that he had started training and sparring just a month prior.
But now, he was basically a celebrity among the peasant-ranked students. First, because he was the fastest rank climber in the whole institution's history, and second, because he was the cause of Nathaniel McConel's expulsion.
The young son of the Mambas' leader was infamous among the peasant-ranked students not only because of what Erik did to him in the past few days but also because of the rumors about him being a psycho. The students that joined his team during the Red Palace's hunting event spoke a lot about him.
Learning that not only had Erik accomplished all he did in less than a month but that he was even the reason why someone as crazy as Nathaniel had been kicked out made his popularity soar among the students.
They admired him for his strength and bravery, and some even hoped to become friends with him one day. After all, the Red Palace was known to give opportunities to their students to make connections with future influential people.
However, some people were also afraid of him and avoided crossing his path, especially considering what happened to Nathaniel. News of how he chopped off his hands and how he managed to make him almost lose his sanity circulated too.
Even though he was the center of attention and rumors, Erik kept his mind on training and improving. He knew he still had a long way to go before he could compete with the higher-ranked students in the Red Palace, despite being much stronger than his peers at the same rank, and he didn't want anything to distract him from his goal.
In his spare time, he also kept spending time with his friends, getting to know them better and building a stronger bond with them. Clearly, his exploits pushed the others to train more and climb the ranks; in fact, all his friends started challenging people. They were all scheduled to fight after classes ended, as they wanted to match Erik's feat.
Overall, Erik's time in the Red Palace had been eventful so far, and he knew that there would be many more challenges and obstacles to overcome in the future. But he was determined to succeed and prove to everyone that he was worthy of his place in the institution—no, in the world.
The young man was currently training with Master Nieminen, practicing sword combat against her. Her movements were precise, smooth, and fluid, while his movements were still largely wild, sometimes uncoordinated, and clumsy most of the time.
It was apparent he was trying hard to land a hit on her, but she basically toyed with him to teach him better. Still, he never gave up, pushing forward relentlessly until finally, he managed to hit her on the shoulder once.
"Well done, Erik! It looks like you are finally getting the hang of it!" Master Nieminen happily said.
"Thanks, Master," the young man replied.
He then looked at his mentor, hoping she might have something else for him to teach, but he noticed that she seemed somewhat distracted, staring into space and mumbling to herself occasionally.
"Master?" Erik said.
She snapped back to reality and smiled at him. She placed her hand over his head and patted him gently. "You're doing great, boy."
Erik nodded, happy to hear those words, but then he asked. "Is something bothering you?"
"Yes, to be honest. I, along with most of the teachers at the Red Palace, will be required to join the military starting this evening. But to tell you the truth, Erik, I'm slightly worried."
"What could possibly worry you, master?" Erik asked. She was a strong warrior, a fine soldier, and he found it difficult for her to be worried about something fight-related.
"Don't tell anyone what I'm going to say, but bad rumors about the incoming monster invasion are going around. Some friends of mine in the army say this is the biggest horde to attack the nation since its founding. Apparently, the army had been able to kill some of the most powerful thaids, but some still remain, including several Yevyagìts."
Since Erik downloaded the information about the regional thaids, he knew what kind of monsters they were.
The pictures depicting the Yevyagìts showed towering monsters, standing at more than 10 meters tall and resembling giant apes that towered over most buildings and structures. Their massive size dwarfed most thaids, making them look like mere pups in comparison.
The creatures' bodies were covered in thick, shaggy fur, similar to a wolf's, which provided a layer of natural armor and protection against attacks. Most of the time, the fur was a dark shade of black that almost absorbed all light. This made them look scary in the dark.
The Yevyagìt's face was, however, their most striking feature. It resembled that of a serpent with elongated, slanted eyes, each as black as coal, providing an unnerving and piercing stare. The creatures' snake-like features extend to their pointed and angular noses.
Their mouths were filled with razor-sharp fangs that jutted out menacingly, and their jaws could even unhinge to reveal a mouth that seemed far too large for its face, allowing them to swallow large prey in one gulp. However, due to their massive size, the Yevyagìts were rather slow, but their strength was immense, and they could easily topple buildings and walls easily.
Though, the creatures' inextinguishable hunger, and driving force, was what really made them scary, as it caused them to attack anything that moved, even if it posed no threat to them. If one of those beasts managed to enter the city, the weaker people were bound to be devoured alive.
"Is the situation that bad?" Erik asked.
"Yes," the teacher replied. She then explained to the young man what was really happening outside the city.
***
The Blirdoth emitted a roar that reverberated through the whole west side of the mountain range surrounding New Alexandria. It could be heard for kilometers.
Trees could be seen withering to the naked eye; it was a frightening scene. The creature came out of the dense forest, spreading its poisonous and deadly miasma, making every living liquefying without hope of survival.
The creature stood on a clear hump of dirt placed on a small hill facing, from a distance, New Alexandria's massive barrier. The creature looked at the human race with contempt while enshrouded by a poison mist that gave it a sort of regal but deadly aura.
It started moving toward the eastern gate while keeping off its deadly gas. The only thing it could think of was to kill and eat.
Once the beastly horror arrived in a secluded place inside the forest, it started looking fiercely at the countless thaids standing in line, roaring, shrieking, and growling while waiting for orders. The Heniate was behind the beast and controlled all the others through it.
Not only was the view scary beyond measure, but the noise generated by the creatures also contributed to the chilling atmosphere.
The soldiers keeping an eye on the horde were looking at the myriad of beasts with a look of dread; most of the people went back to the city, and only a handful of soldiers were still out to check on them.
The Blirdoth started roaring again, and soon, countless beasts started marching. The thaids standing in line started striding forward in a fearsome march of death; their destination was the human settlement in front of them, where countless creatures were hiding in fear, ready to be eaten.
The beast was looking forward to eating their soft juices, especially the ones belonging to the young ones, which it had not tasted yet. Its mind trembled at the thought of all the mana that it was going to absorb from such a buffet.
One of the soldiers immediately took his communication device and said, "It's starting…"
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