"pant… pant… pant…"
"Don't stop! We're almost out of the first mana field! Keep running!" Robert encouraged class A15 from the front of the line.
After they successfully passed the blockade, the goblins no longer chased them. This made Artur think that the goblins were only tasked to slow them down. If that were the case, it could be the answer to Dony's previous question.
However, Robert still told them to run at full speed until they were out of the first mana field. Although it may not have been necessary, it was better to stay alert.
The tall trees began to diminish and the dense forest began to thin. They finally passed the last trees and arrived at a vast plain. Robert signaled for them to slow down. However, they still did not stop running.
Artur looked towards the increasingly bright sunlight, trying to estimate the time. However, he had no knowledge of time and had never learned how to read the time from the position of the sun. Eventually, Artur asked Dony who was next to him.
"Dony, are we going to be late?"
Dony reached into his pocket and pulled out a strange round iron pendant. He pressed the button on top and the pendant opened. Artur saw 12 numbers arranged in a circle. Then there were two stationary needles and one moving needle.
"We still have less than 30 minutes," Dony replied.
"What is that object?" said Artur, pointing to the strange pendant in Dony's hand.
"Oh, this is a hand-watch."
"A hand-watch?"
"Yep, a time indicator. Is this the first time you've seen a hand-watch?"
Artur just nodded with his eyes still fixed on the watch in Dony's hand.
"We're about to enter the second mana field!" suddenly Robert, who was running ahead, gave a signal.
Dony put the watch back in his pocket and Artur refocused his gaze forward. He tried to forget the beautiful object that had caught his attention and refocus on his goal.
Artur sheathed his sword, although it was very dangerous considering they had entered the second mana field. But Artur thought it would be even more dangerous if he encountered an enemy later and his hands were too tired to swing his sword.
And it seems like the other A15 class students have the same thought. They have been carrying their swords for too long, so taking a break is the right thing to do. With Sigurd's owl incantation that has been proven in the first field, the A15 students feel a little bit calmer.
Although they have entered the second field, Artur doesn't see any trees around him at all. He is confused because the mana field he knows is like the Bog forest and the first mana field, filled with tall trees whose leaves cover the ground and make it dark.
"Type meadow mana field," whispers Dony next to him.
"Meadow?" Artur is still confused.
"Yeah, you know if there are several types of mana fields depending on the amount of certain mana colors in them. Mana field like the first one we passed through has the forest type, this field has green mana and mages with wood spell faction will find it easier to control mana in it.
"While the second field is a meadow type, this field has blue mana, so mages with water spell faction will find it easier to control mana in it," Dony explained to Artur.
"Oh," Artur nodded. He already knew that mana has colors and each color has a close relationship with the spell faction. But this is the first time he knows that mana colors also affect the shape of the mana field.
"Then, are the living creatures in the meadow-type field different from those in the forest-type field?" Artur continued.
"Hmm... not really, but usually mutated animals in the meadow type have mana organs related to water, while mutated animals in the forest type have mana organs related to wood. Maybe this has something to do with their food source, but no one can prove it for sure yet." Dony thought for a moment before answering.
"AWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!"
As Artur was about to ask further, they were suddenly startled by a very long howl of a wolf.
At the same time, the ground beneath them trembled as if there was a giant herd approaching. Sigurd quickly searched for the direction of the attack, knowing that the howl was a sign of a wolf pack on the hunt.
"Sigurd, is there a mutated animal among the wolf pack?" Robert quickly asked.
"Just a moment, I haven't found them yet. Ah... at 2 o'clock direction! Twenty wolves are running towards us! I don't see any mutated animal leading them," Sigurd answered.
"Huh?" Artur was surprised by Sigurd's response.
Something else was amiss. Wolves are intelligent animals, with a keenness that even surpasses that of hunting dogs. A wolf pack would not attack something that could kill them unless they were truly starving.
Artur turned towards the 2 o'clock direction and saw twenty wolves running across the grassy field towards them. Artur was confused because 42 humans were definitely more numerous than 20 wolves. They should not dare to attack and just watch Class A15 from a distance.
But from the bloodlust eyes of these wolves, it seemed that they had no intention of just watching.
"Prepare your weapons!" commanded Robert.
Although their enemy was only twenty wolves, he wanted to remain cautious in case there was another danger behind them.
As usual, Robert led Class A15 as the spearhead. It did not take long before the battle ended, and they managed to kill dozens of wolves, leaving only a few that ran away haphazardly.
"Twenty wolves, 2 o'clock direction!" Just a few minutes later, Sigurd gave another warning.
Robert frowned, sensing that something was wrong, but still led Class A15 to attack the wolf pack. A few tens of seconds later, they successfully destroyed the wolf pack without leaving a single one alive.
Their journey continued, but just a few minutes later, Sigurd gave another warning that there was another wolf pack approaching them with the same number of wolves. At this point, it didn't take a lengthy analysis to know that this wolf pack was attacking them in waves.
The A15 class once again managed to defeat the pack of wolves that attacked them. Despite his tired arms swinging the sword, Artur still had enough energy to keep fighting. However, he had a bad feeling after seeing the sun getting brighter.
"We're being led away from the fastest way out of this field!" Robert gave his analysis.
"What? How can that be? How can these wolves do that?" one of the A15 class students said in disbelief.
"That's what crossed my mind when I saw the pack of wolves always attacking from the same direction. They're leading us somewhere, and wherever it is, it'll make us farther from the fastest way out of this meadow."
"Shit! Robert's right, a pack of twenty wolves is coming from two o'clock!" Sigurd's warning eliminated any doubts in the A15 class students' hearts.
"Ignore them! We have to go back to the original path! If not, we'll run out of time to fight with the wolf pack in this field!" Robert quickly gave the order.
Although the meadow did not have tall trees blocking their view, the vast grass that stretched as far as the eye could see could make them lose their previous track. This was what made Robert realize too late that they were getting further from the actual path.
The A15 class ignored the pack of wolves that came to attack them from two o'clock, but within seconds, another pack of wolves appeared in front of them. This sight made the A15 class sure that they were being led somewhere by these wolves.
"Don't think too much! We'll break through and get out!" Robert's command stopped the A15 class from thinking further about this oddity. Whatever it was, their goal was not to be late for school.
Robert led the A15 class to break through the pack of wolves. Like an unstoppable hurricane, Robert and the A15 class he led slaughtered anyone who stood in their way.
However, the wolf pack did not give up easily. They chased the A15 class from behind and attacked when a student was off guard. As a result, Artur and the others had to use their energy to run while fighting.
Fortunately, none of them were unfamiliar with combat, so even though their numbers were smaller and they were tired, the wolf pack failed to knock down any of the A15 class students.
The meadow, as far as the eye could see, began to shrink, and the narrow path indicating the area outside the meadow began to appear. Artur and the others started to breathe a little easier; there would be no danger ahead of them. They just needed to run as fast as they could until they reached the school.
Dony pulled out his hand watch from his pocket and checked the remaining time. Then he turned to Artur, smiled, and nodded, indicating that they still had time before school started.
"AAAAGHHH!!"
But before Artur could breathe a sigh of relief, a scream was heard from behind him.
Artur turned and saw one of the A15 class students falling due to his foot slipping into a hole. The grass had obstructed his view, so he didn't realize that he was stepping into a deep hole.
From his voice, Artur knew that the student had broken his leg or, at the very least, had severely sprained it. Artur had a bad feeling and looked ahead.
Robert suddenly stopped and turned around.
"Robert what the fuck are you doing!!?"
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