Every year when the survival competition season arrives, it also marks the most bizarre weather in Sandra Forest. Shortly after the battle between Remi and Agate, the sky, which had been overcast all night, finally began to rain. At first, it was just a few scattered raindrops falling from the heavens, but soon, it transformed into a torrential downpour so intense that it became impossible to keep one’s eyes open.
The heavy rain quickly extinguished the raging fire surrounding Zhang Wen and his group. Sandra Forest plunged into pitch-black darkness.
In the darkness, the members of the Third Squad from Almither’s Academy regrouped, but they immediately realized that an important person was missing. Carlet, whom Zhang Wen had left behind the giant tree moments earlier, was gone.
Under Linoah’s command, the squad members searched around the giant tree and found Carlet’s badge and a small piece of her shredded combat uniform. It was clear—Carlet had been abducted.
“It must be the Syndicate,” reasoned Liana, the squad’s analytical mind. “The only people here were Agate and her brother, and Remi, the Hawk Captain. The latter clearly had no reason to take Carlet.”
“Mr. Zhang, Ms. Linoah, what do we do now?” asked the two remaining female students, clearly overwhelmed.
Although the words from Isaya and Remi had left the female students of Almither’s Academy feeling bitter, the brutal battle they had just witnessed forced them to admit—they were simply not ready for this kind of fight.
“Zhang Wen, what do you think?” The torrential rain seemed to have helped Linoah regain her composure. She casually tossed the question to Zhang Wen, her tone as calm and detached as always.
“You can go back if you want. I won’t be turning around. …And even if I wanted to, I couldn’t,” Zhang Wen replied with a faint smile, muttering the last part almost inaudibly.
When he had fought Agate at full strength, Zhang Wen had already burned his bridges. He had no choice but to move forward—to prove to everyone that he, Andrei Stein, the former Mithril Hunter, still had value, even without his old power base. Otherwise…
No matter how unwilling he was to admit it, Zhang Wen had to face reality. In today’s world, he was no more than an ant—any of the great powers, the Empire, the Syndicate, or even Mithril could crush him without a sound.
“Hehe, what are you muttering about? My mission isn’t finished yet. I won’t go back, even if it costs me my life,” Linoah shook her head.
“Right! We won’t go back either!”
“No! You must go back. You’ve already done more than enough for Almither’s Academy. Perhaps one day you’ll face a moment like this, but now is not the time for you to sacrifice yourselves. From here on, it’s up to us teachers to defend the honor of the Academy. Don’t worry, I will bring Carlet back. She’s my student, after all. I won’t let any harm come to her—not even at the cost of my life.” Linoah’s soft yet resolute voice nearly brought the girls to tears.
“Alright, since Ms. Linoah has spoken, you should all leave now,” Zhang Wen added, supporting Linoah’s words.
“Okay, we’ll go then! Mr. Zhang, Ms. Linoah, please take care,” Amelice showed her decisiveness. Though she was the lowest-ranked among the girls, she was the one who led the others in bidding farewell to Zhang Wen and Linoah. “I haven’t gotten you back for what you did to me last time. Don’t die, okay?” she whispered teasingly in Zhang Wen’s ear as she stepped away.
“Don’t worry, we’ll be fine. But you girls must be careful. There won’t be anyone to look after you on the way back,” Zhang Wen smiled and patted each of them on the head.
“Yes!” the girls nodded tearfully.
After seeing off the three students, Zhang Wen and Linoah instinctively moved closer together.
“Hey, Ms. Linoah, I didn’t know you were such a good liar.”
“Mr. Zhang, haven’t you heard the saying? Women are born orators. …This rain is so annoying! Anyway, now that the people who might interfere are gone, let’s get down to business.”
“Hehe! I was just thinking the same thing. Ms. Linoah, now that we’re alone, you should tell me how you plan to find the test subject in Sandra Forest.”
“Of course. I don’t have much time to waste either. But before I tell you how to find the test subject, shouldn’t you first explain why a former Mithril Hunter with only seventh-tier strength suddenly became a tenth-tier powerhouse?”
“If I told you that a Mithril Hunter has no secrets, would you believe me? Or if I said I barely managed to escape the Syndicate with nothing but luck, would you believe that either?”
“Hmm… Well, that does sound a bit hard to believe.”
“Fine then. Since I sought you out specifically because I believed in your strength, I’ll accept your explanation—for now. But I do hope you’re not hiding anything else from me.”
“Of course not. Mutual trust is the foundation of any alliance! Now, how do we find the test subject?”
“Hehe. Actually, my intelligence isn’t complete either. …Don’t worry, I’m not hiding anything from you, and I wouldn’t drag you into a life-or-death situation based on mere fantasy. What I mean is, we don’t have detailed information on how the Syndicate identifies the test subjects. However, we do have a confirmed lead—the Syndicate’s Prophet made his third historical prophecy a year ago. This wasn’t some trivial prediction—it was a true historical prophecy, one that drains the Prophet of all his psychic abilities for two full years after use.”
“A prophet? A historical prophecy?” Zhang Wen couldn’t help but be shocked by the words.
In the library of Almither’s Academy, Zhang Wen had never come across any mention of a “Prophet.” Yet from Linoah’s tone, she clearly believed in the Prophet’s words without a doubt.
Given Linoah’s position and her current relationship with Zhang Wen, there was no reason for her to deceive him. If the method she proposed for finding the test subject relied on something as vague and inexplicable as a “Prophet’s prophecy,” then Zhang Wen had no idea how he would hide his true identity from her!
With Linoah’s psychic abilities, Zhang Wen’s surprise didn’t escape her perception. She smiled with satisfaction and nodded mysteriously.
“Ah, that’s right. The Prophet. Mr. Zhang, you didn’t even know about the Prophet, did you? Hehe, no wonder then. If you had known, with your cunning nature, you certainly wouldn’t have gone back to the Syndicate to throw your life away.”
“Hmph! If you’re going to mock me, you’ve had your laugh. Now tell me, what’s this Prophet all about?”
“Haha! Mr. Zhang, you’ve asked the right question. The Prophet’s existence is a secret known to fewer than ten people, even among the three major alliances.”
“Really? You’ve actually met the Prophet in person?”
“Not at all. To be honest, even within the Syndicate, no one is said to know the Prophet’s true identity. After all, a power like prophecy is simply too dangerous for anyone to handle. The Prophet’s personal guard always delivers the written prophecy to the Syndicate’s leader. That’s one of the Syndicate’s most closely guarded secrets… Oh, I’m getting off track again. Let’s talk more about the Prophet. Zhang Wen, you’re so close to the Southern Lord, Krath, so you must know what ‘transcendent tier’ means, right?”
“A little.”
“Then this will be easier to explain. For martial artists, breaking through the third bottleneck—the so-called ‘Divine Tier Barrier’—causes a qualitative change in their battle energy, giving it various properties and special traits. Agate’s battle energy, for example, has the attribute of fire. Psychic users are the same.”
“Oh?”
“There’s no need to be surprised. It’s only natural. Whether it’s battle energy or psychic power, at their core, they’re both just forms of energy. When any power reaches its peak, it converges into the same ultimate truth. However, compared to battle energy, it seems far more difficult for psychic power to develop unique attributes. But when it does, the resulting abilities can be truly extraordinary.”
“Like the Prophet’s power of prophecy?”
“Exactly. By the way, our Almither’s Academy Principal Jackfrit is also a psychic user who has broken through the barrier. His ability is said to be just as formidable as prophecy, even being labeled a ‘strategic-level super ability’ by the Empire… Anyway, we don’t have much time. Let’s get back to the main topic—the Prophet’s prophecy.”
“Oh? So you know what the prophecy says?”
“Of course. Otherwise, why would I go through all this trouble to come to a place like Casares? Listen carefully. This is the Prophet’s historical prophecy.”
*A guest from afar,
In the forest west of the great beast.
Visitors with various intentions
Will be misled by the veil of illusion.
Only with the key to truth
Can one open the door to dreams.*
“So this ‘historical prophecy’ is just vague poetry?” Zhang Wen feigned a frown after listening to Linoah’s recitation.
“Exactly,” Linoah nodded seriously. “What did you expect a prophecy to be? If it could clearly state time, place, and people, would it still be a prophecy?”
“In other words, all prophecies are ambiguous?”
“You’re not wrong. A prophecy is something that can be interpreted a thousand different ways by a thousand different people. Perhaps it’s precisely because of these ambiguous interpretations that people make different choices, leading events to unfold as the prophecy foretells. The Syndicate may have realized this, which is why they’re not worried about the prophecy being leaked. However, there are a few clear elements in this prophecy.”
“The ‘guest from afar’ refers to the test subject, the ‘great beast’ represents the Empire, and the ‘forest’ is Sandra Forest. That’s not hard to understand. But what about ‘the key to truth’? That must be the key to the prophecy.”
“Precisely. To decipher that phrase, our Intelligence Division worked tirelessly. Eventually, we concluded that it refers to this year’s psychic representative from Themis Academy—Selene.”
“Selene? What special ability does she have that allows her to identify the test subject?” Zhang Wen questioned, recalling his previous encounter with Selene at the banquet. He hadn’t sensed anything unusual about her.
“Trust me, the intelligence is reliable. And the Syndicate’s actions have already confirmed my theory.”
“Oh?”
“Didn’t you notice that one of the deceased’s badges was missing?”
“Ah, I see. Only those with badges can sense the location of other badges. The Syndicate took the badges from the bodies, obviously intending to use them to find someone. So our next move is to find Selene before the Syndicate does?”
“Exactly.”
“What about Carlet? I’m not exactly looking forward to making an enemy of Governor Termis.”
“Don’t worry. If we find Selene first, the Syndicate won’t dare harm Carlet.”
“Hey! This isn’t going to be an easy task.”
“If it were easy, I wouldn’t have needed to team up with you. Although the Jishe group is locked in a conflict with the Empire’s Eagle Guards and might not have the time to deal with us for now, don’t you dare think it’ll be easy. The real test is yet to come,” Linoia said with a subtle smile.
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the forest…
“What a detestable planet! Disgusting people, loathsome beasts, and this miserable weather,” Douglas muttered angrily, spitting in frustration as he cleaved a giant worm that had leapt in front of him in two.
Among the four physical-arts representatives sent by Casares this time, Douglas was undeniably the strongest. Therefore, when assigning members for the survival competition, he naturally became one of the leading instructors for the strongest first squad at Thymos Academy.
“Douglas, should we stop for a moment? It’s true that the beasts in Sandra Forest are more active at night than during the day, but tonight we’ve encountered an unusually high number of them. I have a strange, uneasy feeling,” said Douglas’s partner, the female instructor Rusty, who had always seemed more like a nanny than a teacher to Seline.
“Hmph! What does it matter? It’s just a few more beasts. Besides, this is still the safe zone. What serious monsters could there be? These random beasts are just coming to die no matter how many there are!” Douglas said carelessly, casually slashing out several energy waves that sliced a suddenly appearing hornet-beast into pieces. “Tonight is actually quite suitable for us. Although this rain is annoying, it’s muffling the sound of our footsteps. With rain this heavy, even if we sneak into the camps, those guys probably won’t even notice us. … By the way, how is Seline doing with her sensing? How far are we from our next target?”
“What’s the rush? It’s hard enough for Seline to sense the opponents while also suppressing the fluctuation of your badges.”
“Tsk! Isn’t that entirely your incompetence as a teacher?”
Douglas and Rusty didn’t get along well. Seizing the moment while Rusty was complaining, he threw in a sarcastic remark.
“What did you say?” Rusty’s furious roar immediately echoed through the forest.
Just as an internal conflict between Rusty and Douglas seemed imminent, Seline’s voice timely cut in: “Found them.”
“Oh?” Douglas’s eyes lit up immediately. Compared to bickering with Rusty, he much preferred directing his anger toward the representatives from the detestable Casares Academy. It would be even better if they could run into the most hated Almishas Academy!
“Direction, two o’clock, one thousand seven hundred away,” Seline said, her tone as cold and detached as she had appeared at the banquet.
“One thousand seven hundred? That’s pretty close,” Douglas said, reaching to his side where Poseidon’s Wrath immediately appeared. The red glow from the echinoid stone blade illuminated the area for several meters.
“Wait!” Rusty suddenly shouted sternly.
“Hmm?” Douglas hesitated and stopped.
“Beasts! Many beasts! Damn it, I was careless!” Rusty’s voice now carried an unprecedented mix of tension and anger.
“Oh? How many? How far?” Rusty’s seriousness made Douglas tense up too.
“Innumerable! Damn it, way too many! Almost everywhere to the east and south. There must be some very high-level spirit beasts among them, interfering with my sensing.” Rusty gritted her teeth, forcing the words out.
“What?! How is that possible?” Douglas was shocked. Soon after, the low, heavy growls of the beasts pierced through the heavy rain, clearly reaching the ears of Douglas and his team.
“This… this is…” Before Douglas could finish speaking, a giant beast with red eyes had already charged at him like a madman.
“Tsk!” Douglas hastily dodged aside while swinging Poseidon’s Wrath, cleaving the beast in two.
However, the beast’s blood did not stop the others from advancing—it only seemed to make them even more frenzied.
Shhhhh… The sound of the beasts’ footsteps actually overpowered the sound of the heavy raindrops hitting the leaves!
“Damn it! You all run! Abandon the mission!” Just from hearing the terrifying sound of the footsteps, Douglas already felt his teeth aching. He shouted hastily and gritted his teeth, raising his sword to stand firm, assuming a rear-guard stance for the others.
“Fine! Go! Douglas, we’re heading west. Hold them off for a bit, then catch up quickly!” Rusty made an immediate decision and quickly led the students to flee westward.
“Alright! Go ahead!” Douglas replied confidently. Without the students to slow him down, Douglas felt quite assured. With the echinoid stone blade in his hand, he wouldn’t be easily troubled by a group of low-level beasts.
The army of beasts quickly appeared before Douglas. Seeing the endless stream of figures, seemingly without end, his courage instantly vanished. Douglas had no intention of getting stuck in this seemingly infinite horde of beasts. Otherwise, even if he had Poseidon’s Wrath, the energy from the echinoid stone blade would eventually run out!
“Damn it! This… this is just too much! How could I possibly handle all of this! I’ve already done my best!” Douglas shouted furiously, viciously cutting down two giant worms that leapt toward him before immediately turning and fleeing without looking back.
Regardless of how Douglas later caught up with the Thymos Academy group heading west and how he excused his cowardice in abandoning his blocking position, the scene that had just unfolded for Thymos Academy was being repeated almost everywhere in the survival competition.
Those academy representatives who encountered large groups of beasts either fled in the opposite direction of the beasts’ advance or were torn to shreds under the attacks of the swarming creatures.
Even Zhang Wen and Linoia, who had just passed by a destroyed camp, were no exception. After advancing through the rain-soaked jungle for about an hour, the two were surprised to discover that, at some point, a massive group of beasts had begun surrounding them from behind.
“Zhang Wen, it seems a large group of beasts is approaching from behind. Can you feel it?” Linoia asked while continuing to sprint forward.
“Yeah! Definitely a lot,” Zhang Wen nodded. “Also, did you notice? In the past while, many teams that had previously stopped moving have started moving again.”
“Right! And they’ve completely stopped suppressing the fluctuations of their badges.”
“Abandoning suppression of the badge fluctuations means they must be in serious trouble and are choosing this way to call for help. Judging from our current situation, they must also be surrounded by large groups of beasts. Also, did you notice? The direction all of us are moving in… seems to be pointing toward the same spot! It’s as if the beasts are herding us all toward a specific direction. What exactly is going on?” Zhang Wen frowned deeply, quickly analyzing the situation.
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