Like a floodgate that had been opened, the students of Class A rushed towards the open gate of the dormitory, racing to see who could get out first. However, their large number and the small size of the dormitory gate caused them to collide with each other.
Pushing and shoving ensued, with weaker students being thrown back by the stronger ones. It didn't matter whether they were nobles, merchants, or dirt poor commoners, everyone was trying to get out of the gate faster than the other students.
Artur, who had initially wanted to join the rush, changed his mind. He knew he would only be swept away by the stronger students. Looking around, he saw that other Class A15 students were also not rushing out.
They seemed to be waiting for something and stood idly watching the commotion in front of them. Artur's gaze turned to Robert, the only person who could be the reason why the Class A15 students were so relaxed.
"Robert, why aren't we moving now?" asked Artur.
"We have to wait for the right time. If we join the crowd and compete with them now, we will only waste our energy. Besides, if we rush out now, we will be separated when we get out of the gate later," answered Robert.
"Separated?" Artur found the keyword that made his brow furrow.
It seemed that Robert really wanted to go with the Class A15 students. He wanted to make sure that all the students in that class could get to school safely.
But this was a very risky move because even though they might be able to arrive together, they would also be late together. And Artur didn't want to be late on his first day. He was not so free to sacrifice his future just for the unity of Class A15.
"Artur, if you think about it again, being a little late is also useful. Other students can become targets for the wild animals in the mana field and we can pass through without being disturbed," added Dony, explaining Robert's point.
Artur nodded because what Dony said was true. He looked towards the other class groups around them. Milton, Yin, and their followers also hadn't moved, as if they shared the same thoughts as Robert.
Artur couldn't see where Kira and Awni were; their class was located on a floor far below Artur and Robert's, so it was possible they were either in a crowd or in another location outside of his line of sight. However, Artur wasn't worried because he knew Kira and Awni could read the situation better than he could.
A few minutes later, the crowd in front of them began to thin out. Robert looked at all the students in class A15 and said, "It's time."
Quickly, all the students in class A15 moved in unison. They started by walking fast before breaking into a run. Artur positioned himself in the middle of the pack, realizing that he was probably the weakest among the students.
Therefore, the best contribution he could make at the moment was not to be a burden to the other students in class A15.
In front of the dormitory gate, there were still some students from class A who couldn't get out. Their leather armor was soaked with sweat and bruised on their faces from collisions with stronger students. They were the ones who couldn't compete and had to be carried along to the back of the line.
Milton and his gang arrived at the gate before class A15. Without any expression, they pushed the students in front of them and forced a path to the gate.
The students who were already exhausted at the beginning were unable to compete with Milton and his gang. Some of them fainted, and some fell to the ground, unable to get up again.
Artur worried that Robert would decide to stop and help these unfortunate students, but it seemed that he wasn't the kind of person who would do that. He kept running and passed the unfortunate students with a stoic face.
Perhaps Robert felt that showing pity was the worst thing he could express to those who lost. Artur agreed with that from the bottom of his heart. He saw one commoner among the unfortunate students, and Artur could only be thankful for his lucky fate to have met Robert on his first day at the Military Academy.
Finally, they reached the dormitory gate, and in front of them was an open field. Artur's view was blocked by dense trees two kilometers ahead. They could only rest for a few minutes before entering the mana field.
Robert sped up his pace, followed by the other A15 students. It seemed like he wanted to catch up with the Milton group while they were still on the open field. Unfortunately, the A15 students didn't have the same physical strength as Robert, so he had to match his speed with theirs.
They ran with all their might until the dense trees ahead of them started to become visible. Robert slowed down and drew his sword from its scabbard, and Artur and the others did the same.
They never knew what could happen inside the mana field. Even the adventure seekers of Heles City, whose entire lives were spent in the Bog forest, sometimes came back with missing body parts due to ambushes by mutated animals.
The mana field was home to these mutated animals, and they ruled inside it.
As they entered the mana field, Sigurd's body suddenly glowed, and all the A15 students turned to look at him, including Artur. Robert just smiled as if he had expected this to happen.
"Secret Spell!" exclaimed Dony in surprise.
Hearing this, Sigurd chuckled dryly, scratching the back of his head. "Hehehe... yup, this is a secret spell, but you don't need to worry. The secret spell my family has is not for attacking, but only for detection."
"Detection? What kind of secret spell is that?" Artur asked.
Robert answered before Sigurd could speak. "It's the owl incantation, am I right?"
"Ah... as I thought, you know it, Robert. You're right, this is the owl incantation. With this secret spell, I can see 360 degrees around me. Although my family is not as famous as the Robert family and the Mana Ruling Family, my grandfather was a PSA graduate, so he was able to pass on the owl incantation secret spell to our family. And luckily, I am an heir of this generation." There was a slight hint of pride in Sigurd's words that he tried to hide.
"Wow! So we'll be safe from ambushes!" Dony exclaimed joyfully.
"Eh? Not really, the owl incantation only makes me able to see 360 degrees around me, but it doesn't enhance my vision, so my sight range is just like any normal person's," Sigurd said a little embarrassed that his family's secret spell wasn't very useful.
"You don't have to be ashamed of it, Sigurd. Your owl incantation is enough to ease our way through this mana field. I'll leave the watch to you, okay?" Robert encouraged Sigurd.
"Thank you, Robert. Leave it to me, I won't let our class get ambushed," Sigurd patted his chest with regained confidence.
With Sigurd on board, Robert picked up their pace. The mana field was not only dangerous due to mutated animals but also easy to get lost in. Fortunately, Robert had enough experience to read the signs in this dense forest.
The rough terrain and numerous obstacles made them more exhausted than usual. On top of that, they had to stay alert despite having Sigurd's owl incantation, which drained their energy even more.
The mana-filled air also made it difficult for them to breathe. Their mana flow worked hard to adapt their bodies to the mana in the environment.
"Whew...whew...whew... Dony, how much longer until we can get out of this mana field?" Artur could no longer keep up with running through the mana field.
"Hah...ha...ha...this is the first mana field, we have to cover a distance of 4 km to get out of it." Dony replied with shortness of breath.
Artur felt relieved to hear that they only had to cover 4 km to get out of the mana field, but he soon realized that Dony only counted the distance if they ran straight. And there were other words that made Artur feel even more burdened.
"The first mana field?"
"Yes, after this there's a second mana field, we have to cover a distance of 5 km to get through it."
'Fuck me,' Artur started cursing himself.
The damp soil made their footsteps weaker with each step. The sun started to rise on the eastern horizon, and the dark forest began to lighten up. Along with that, Artur's danger instincts began to ring loudly.
He realized that it was now breakfast time for the creatures living in this mana field. Birds began to chirp, and the air was filled with dew, making his sweat-covered face feel even more wet.
Despite all of that, they kept running at full speed.
Suddenly, they heard the sound of rustling leaves rubbing against each other.
"Three o'clock direction!" Sigurd gave a warning.
This chapter is updat𝙚d by f(r)eewebn(o)vel.com