Chapter 102 Absentee Instructors (Part 6)

Leo’s stomach was beginning to turn. He’d followed along with what Haeru had proposed because based on what he’d gotten to know about him, he didn’t seem like the type of guy to say words he didn’t mean. He thought he could follow along and go with the plan but he didn’t think he’d have to watch this….

This… Brutal “show” for over an hour. Leo and the others had been watching as person after person was slashed one at a time, until either the blood loss made them collapse of the sheer number of wounds added up and cost them their lives.

A young woman was the only one who seemed to have any fighting spirit. She’d been wounded multiple times but the look in her eyes gave Leo the impression that if she was going to die, she was going to make damn sure that whatever killed her didn’t get away without a scratch. She’d make it remember her with a token of pain that would last. The look in her eyes made Leo shudder as he envisioned himself on the other end of it.

Leo couldn’t even slightly enjoy watching Damien in such a sorry state. If anything, Leo started to grow a seed of admiration for Damien’s stupid perseverance. It almost made Leo want to gag and not because of the blood.

After watching for over an hour everyone wanted to either leave or jump in. They were gritting their teeth as they tried to stomach the scene in front of them. The only thing that stopped every one from jumping in blindly was the knowledge that if they did, they were almost definitely only going to wind up like every body else who’d tried to fight back against these blur-like monsters.

No one had any ties with the people in front of them, but watching them in such a sorry state struggle to survive was enough to push every one to want to help.

Haeru had taken out a flute at the beginning and had been holding it close to his face. Not a single emotion could be seen from his face, instead all anyone close enough could see was a look determination and concentration.

Haeru was about to use his greatest weapon. Normally he knew that what he could do with this ability was all but useless due to his limited insight but this was likely one of the few situations where this ability would actually be able to bear fruit.

Every second, minute ticked away as Haeru extended his mana through the air in the form of a sound wave with his mind. He was exuding a specific frequency over and over and over.

He ignored the time and everything around him including the scene before him and waited patiently. Sending sound wave after sound wave through his mana until finally he found what he was looking for.

Haeru finally grinned ear to ear as his face darkened.

‘Hurry up Haeru’ Leo thought through gritted teeth. Even if Damien died, he at least wanted to help the others. The worst of it, was the feeling of being so powerless to help. Leo knew that his strength lied in his swordsmanship. Unfortunately that limited what he could do in a situation like this, and it made him wish he had some aptitude for anything else. Since he was young he found it extremely hard to meditate. Moreover when he tried to feel the elements or the mana in his surroundings he felt like a fish out of water. It was only when it came to the sword that everything in the world felt right, like everything had come together and was just how it should be.

Finally he noticed the change in Haeru as he looked away from the people still standing. Damien had finally made some success with his attacks and fireballs which even impressed Leo a bit but even he could tell that Damien was at the end of his rope and had been the only one keeping the others alive for a while now. He’d been the only attraction and deterrent to the creatures in the trees.

Haeru put the flute to his lips. Not a single person noticed but a sound wave infused with all of his mana spread out from his position extending outwards in every direction as far as it could reach before dissipating into the air.

Only a moment later and there was rustling in the trees in multiple positions. Everyone whether it was Karina, Damien or Leo and the others had wary looks, as a light began to fade for the few others who had been standing next to Damien thinking this would be the final attack.

‘This is it. They’re all finally going to attack… We’re going to die’ they all thought.

Only Karina looked ready to put up a struggle. “COME THEN!” she screamed into the air as she put a ripple through their hearts only to be temporarily stunned at the sight that followed.

Before their eyes a strange looking black creature was falling from a tree right beside them.

Then another and another.

Strange black creatures were falling from the trees as everyone watched in shock and awe as the creatures that had been toying with their lives were helplessly falling. These creatures that had created a shadow of a demon in their hearts were falling and looking so weak and pathetic before their very eyes.

…

Even though Crimson and Lydia had killed their opponent in seemingly no time at all, it was only because of their teamwork. Moreover before they’d finally battled the their opponent, Crimson had been chased for a while as he’d utilized his fastest method of movement. After finally managing to take down the Devoid King Imp, there was no way Crimson could use that flash technique again.

More accurately there was no way anyone could convince him to use it unless his life was in danger again. He knew better than anyone just how great the toll could be on the human body when someone either utilized a skill that they didn’t have sufficient insight into or when they used a skill that pushed the human body past its limits without first training the body past what a human body was capable of.

When they arrived and saw the sight before their eyes, both of them were equally stunned as they watched the bodies falling from the trees. They’d been running through the trees so they could use the branches to propel themselves forward instead of running along the ground and avoiding the trees themselves. When they saw the sight before them, they were more shocked than even Damien and the others who’d just previously been expecting death to come for them.

The imps were falling to the ground as if they weren’t ferociously fast beasts that few humans could hope to stop. ‘What the hell is going on…?’

Haeru was the only left unaffected as he yelled in a commanding tone “NOW! ATTACK!”

Leo and the others snapped back to reality as they understood exactly what Haeru meant as they charged through the trees at the others. The confused participants completely unaware as to what was happening as Leo sprang through through the trees and brought his sword down onto the closest creature that had fallen to the ground. He drove his sword straight down through it’s neck and then infused his foot with mana as he brought it down on the creature’s head.

Much to his surprise the creature was squished like a bug under his foot, it’s skull giving in with little resistance.

’So weak…’ he thought for only a moment as the others sprang into action killing the other creatures with ease. No one had hesitated. After watching their fellow participants getting tortured for what felt like forever, they had been itching to get a taste of these creature’s blood.

Leo watched the scene and noted how there were about 14 or so creatures.

’Just 2 or 3 could have wiped out Damien’s group… If we’d have charged in here we would have been tortured and slaughtered no different than the others…’

Leo’s entire body shuddered at the thought as he looked back at Haeru with a slight look of fear in his eyes. Haeru was standing there grinning at the sight, seemingly unaffected by everything that had happened.

’Scary guy.’ Leo thought to himself, happy he’d gotten on his good side.

Lydia and Crimson looked at one another completely impressed. They had seen the sight right before their eyes unfold at the most crucial moment but even they didn’t quite understand how it happened.

Lydia stepped through the woods and revealed herself to the others “Well done.” as Crimson followed right behind her.

Damien and the others had only moments to relish being saved until Damien realized who it was that saved him and a look of shame crossed his eyes as he looked down as his torn up body and gritted his teeth.

He wanted to say something but didn’t have the words. He didn’t like Leo at all, in fact he had been thinking about how to get revenge from the moment the exam had begun and now he had been saved by that very same person!

He wasn’t sure whether to be grateful or angry. All he knew was that he felt shame. Shame he couldn’t do enough, and shame that he’d had to be saved by someone else, and his enemy no less.

Karina was looking at the two instructors with almost indifference. While gazing at the others who’d stepped much the same way. Although they’d saved her life, she couldn’t help but wonder when the other shoe was going to drop. In her world nothing was free and everything came with a price you would most likely not be willing or wanting to pay.

Looks of relief flooded through the others eyes as the saw the two instructors walking over.

“We would have stepped in sooner, but we were dealing with these little beasts boss. Honestly we are surprised you managed to handle them on your own.” Lydia spoke up. She knew that if she’d been in their shoes she would have held a little hate in her heart for the instructors that had done nothing. She could already see the blood on the ground and the number of wounds that so many of them had received. As she walked over to three of the students from Leo’s group and produced 25 small bottles as she handed them to the three of them “One each for the injured.”

Then without waiting she walked past them as they walked over to the injured and gave a bottle to those that could still move and directly poured it into the mouths of those who had already passed out.

Just like that the injuries of those who were still alive began to visibly heal. Once they checked, it was better than they thought. Only 9 of Damien’s group had died and those on the verge of death looked like they were at least going to make it now that they’d been given these ‘potions’.

“What is it?” Karina asked and Damien answered right by her side “This is a mana infused healing potion. Something that an alchemist and someone with a healing attribute can do. It’s not easy to make, and something of this quality is near the top. Only those at the top of Lumea could be so willing to shell these out as if they were nothing…”

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