Chapter 491: Lark
The black towering creature, nearly the size of a tree, let out a furious roar.
"ROOOAAAARRR!!"
Around it, a dome-like structure made of blue lightning crackled into existence.
Currently, Aisha was fighting the monster alone. She was using one of her abilities.
Lightning Field.
Blue electricity surged throughout the dome. Countless arcs of lightning danced wildly inside it, striking everything trapped within.
The monster thrashed violently.
"GRROWWW!!"
"SCCREEEECHHH!!"
Its painful screams echoed through the forest as its body was continuously scorched by the lightning. After struggling for several moments, the creature finally collapsed.
Thud!
Its lifeless body hit the ground.
Aisha dispersed her spell and rested her greatsword on her shoulder.
A grin appeared on Amon’s face as he crossed his arms over his chest.
"Haha! That was very easy for you, Aisha."
"Hmph!"
Although she deliberately avoided looking at him, a faint look of satisfaction appeared on her face.
"I know that."
Amon chuckled.
"Now let’s move on."
The group continued deeper into the forest. After walking for a while, Marcus suddenly spoke with a confident expression.
"Next is my turn."
Amon immediately nodded.
"We know that, Young Master."
Marcus snorted.
At the same time, the group spotted another set of monsters. This time, there were six of them.
They resembled dark-skinned humanoids.
It was tall, it was Skinny and ugly-looking. Their sharp claws and twisted faces made them appear more monstrous than human.
Amon immediately assessed the situation. "Alright!"
His expression became serious. "Group battle. Take your positions, everyone."
Technically, the group had never officially chosen a leader. However, Amon had already decided in his own mind that he was the captain.
Whether the others agreed or not was another matter entirely.
Marcus stepped forward and pointed his spear. "I’ll take two."
His red spear immediately became engulfed in blazing flames.
"Okay." Only Amon replied before moving toward the side.
Seraphina and Aisha also rushed forward.
All six monsters were only Rank Two. They weren’t much of a threat to the group.
Marcus attacked first. With a powerful horizontal swing of his spear, a massive wave of fire surged forward. The flames moved like a burning tidal wave toward two of the creatures.
The monsters saw the attack coming and attempted to dodge.
Unfortunately for them, they were already surrounded. The students had completely encircled them.
From one side, Seraphina appeared like a flash of golden light. One of the creatures swung its claw toward her.
Slash!
Its entire arm was severed in a single clean cut. Before it could even react.
Slash!
Its head followed.
Thud!
The body collapsed. At the same moment, two arrows shot through the air.
Eliana had finally decided to participate. The arrows were made entirely of pure mana and glowed with a beautiful blue light.
Thuck!
Thuck!
One pierced a monster’s forehead. The second struck directly through its chest.
Meanwhile, Aisha swung her greatsword. The monster before her was sliced cleanly in half at the waist.
Two separate halves fell to the ground. From another direction, Amon raised his sword.
Shadow coated the blade. With one powerful vertical slash, he split a monster’s skull apart.
The remaining creatures were quickly overwhelmed. Within less than a minute. All six monsters were dead.
Silence returned to the forest.
Amon glanced around before nodding. "That was good work."
Marcus casually cleaned his spear before replying. "I think only Rank Four monsters can give us a challenge now."
Amon grinned. "You are getting much stronger, Marcus."
Marcus smirked confidently. "Of course I know."
Amon immediately added, "But not close to me."
Marcus’s eye twitched. "You bastard!!"
Amon laughed. "Well, let’s move on."
---
Meanwhile, deeper within the same forest. A pair of hurried footsteps echoed through the trees.
A young man with dark maroon hair was running desperately. Two black horns protruded from his head. He wore dark brown pants and a gray shirt.
Sweat covered his forehead. His breathing was ragged. A sword remained tightly gripped in his hand as he sprinted through the forest.
Behind him, two demons were chasing him. At the moment, they were still long distance away.
The young man had managed to sneak away from them earlier. However, his pursuers were extremely fast.
They were steadily catching up. Coincidentally, he was running in the same direction as Amon’s group.
---
After some time.
Thud!
Another monster fell.
Amon glanced at the pager in his hand. "Hah... what’s the time?"
Marcus checked his own pager. "It’s two o’clock. Why?"
Amon shrugged. "There’s still a few hours left."
"Yes." Aisha suddenly spoke while looking in a particular direction.
Amon noticed immediately. "What happened, Aisha?"
Her wolf ears twitched. "I think someone is coming this way."
Everyone became alert. Her red eyes remained focused on the forest. "Someone is running toward us."
Marcus frowned. "It must be a monster."
Aisha shook her head. "No."
She wasn’t convinced. "It doesn’t sound like one. Whatever it is, we should stay ready."
Amon tightened his grip on his sword.
Then he turned toward Eliana.
"Eliana."
She immediately looked at him.
"Go climb a tree."
"Got it."
"And choose a position where you won’t be easily noticed."
Eliana nodded. As an elf, climbing trees was second nature to her. Within seconds, she was already perched on a tall branch overlooking the area.
Seraphina raised her sword.
Aisha and Marcus did the same.
The group silently waited. The forest grew quiet. Only the gentle breeze rustled through the leaves overhead.
Stomp.
Stomp.
Stomp.
Everyone heard it.
The sound of boots striking the ground. It definitely wasn’t a monster. A person was approaching.
It could have been another student. However, everyone was supposed to be hunting in groups.
The chances were extremely low. Soon, a humanoid figure emerged from the dense forest.
"It’s not a monster."
Amon muttered. As the figure got closer, they could finally see him clearly. A young demon around their age.
Dark maroon hair. Two black horns. The moment his eyes landed on the group, they lit up with hope.
"Hey! Help me!"
He immediately ran faster toward them.
However, after getting a clearer look at the group, he suddenly stopped. His eyes widened.
"Y-You!"
He pointed at them. "Humans and a beastwoman?"
His expression became shocked. "Why are you in this forest?"
The group blinked.
The demon continued. "Do you have permission to visit our kingdom? You should have pass that let you in."
Everyone exchanged looks.
Then they looked back at him.
Amon frowned. "I thought you were asking for help."
His expression became disapproving. "But instead, you started conducting an investigation."
The demon’s face immediately turned horrified. "Wait!"
He waved his hands frantically. "Yes! I need your help!"
He cursed under his breath. "Fuck! I don’t care why you’re here. Just help me!"
The group nodded.
Seraphina stepped forward slightly. Her calm eyes examined him. "What happened?"
She already understood from his appearance that he was in trouble.
The young demon nodded quickly. "My name is Lark." He pointed behind himself. "Two demons are currently chasing me."
Marcus frowned. "Why? Why are they following you?"
Aisha narrowed her eyes. "There must be a reason. What did you do?"
Lark immediately shook his head. "I haven’t done anything!"
His expression became frustrated. "They’re chasing me because they want something from me."
Amon raised an eyebrow. "And what is that thing? What do they want from you?"
Lark clenched his fists. "I don’t know." His voice was filled with frustration. "I honestly don’t know. They keep saying..."
His expression became troubled. "’You have the Primordial Shard. Give it to us.’"
He shook his head repeatedly. "But I don’t have anything like that. I’ve never even heard of such a thing."
Lark looked restless. "We need to move."
His eyes darted around nervously. "I managed to lose them earlier. But they found my trail again. And now they’re heading here at full speed."
Amon frowned. "What kind of thieves are they?" His expression became confused. "People usually come at night to steal things."
Lark immediately nodded. "They did come at night."
He sighed heavily. "I escaped from them and left my village. I’ve been running and hiding since last night. The only place where I might be safe is the capital city."
Hearing that, Amon nodded.
"Okay." His expression became serious. "This might be dangerous."
He reached into his pocket. "I’ll inform the professors. They’ll be able to help us."
Amon pulled out his pager.
Just as he was about to activate it. Something shot toward him at incredible speed. His instincts screamed. He heard a whistling sound, the kind of sound that comes when some thing shot in air while tearing air.
Without hesitation he ducked.
SWISH!!
Slash!!
Two compressed wind blades flew over his head. The attacks continued forward and sliced directly through a massive tree. The tree split cleanly in half.
Thud!
Amon gulped. "Damn!"
Everyone immediately tensed. Weapons were raised. Mana surged from their bodies.
From the same direction Lark had arrived, two figures emerged from behind the trees.
Both wore dark cloaks. Their gazes landed on the group. One of them possessed tanned skin and white hair. A cold smile appeared on his face.
"Not so fast, human."
His eyes settled on Amon. "You won’t be calling anyone while we’re here."
The second cloaked figure with long dirt blonde hair glanced toward Lark. "Niza, It really seems that Lark doesn’t know what the shard actually is."
Lark immediately raised his sword. His expression became angry. "Yes! How many times do I have to say it? I don’t have anything like that!"
The demon named Niza laughed.
"Haha!"
His smile widened.
"Then let’s verify it ourselves."
His eyes became cold.
"Your body, your storage rings. Your pockets and if necessary..."
A cruel smile spread across his face. "We’ll even bisect your body." His gaze locked onto Lark. "That thing is definitely with you."
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