We continued through the dense forest for another thirty minutes, moving carefully while I tracked potential survivor signatures through Blood Trail detection. The ambient mana felt unstable here—chaotic fluctuations that suggested we were far from civilized territories, possibly in one of the kingdom's wild frontier regions.
As we navigated around a particularly dense thicket, I heard sothing—quiet sobbing mixed with ragged breathing.
I raised my hand to halt the group, then moved forward cautiously to investigate.
Behind a fallen log, partially concealed by overgrown vegetation, I found a student curled into defensive position. His academy uniform was torn and soaked with blood—both his own and presumably others'. Tears streaked down his dirt-covered face, and his eyes held the glazed look of soone in severe shock.
He noticed my approach and flinched violently, scrambling backward with panic written across his features.
"It's okay," I said clearly, keeping my voice calm and authoritative. "I'm Adrian Blackwood, first-year tournant champion. You're safe now."
Recognition flickered through the panic as he processed my words and apparently rembered watching the tournant before everything went to hell.
"A-Adrian?" His voice was hoarse, broken by fear and trauma.
"Yeah. What's your na? Where's your team?"
"M-Marcus. Marcus Fell." He swallowed hard, fresh tears forming. "My team... they're dead. All of them. We were teleported with these beasts everywhere, and they just... they killed everyone so fast."
"How did you survive?" I asked, though I suspected the answer already.
Sha joined the fear in his expression. "I ran. When the beasts attacked, I just... I couldn't fight them. I ran and hid while they killed everyone else."
The other students with exchanged uncomfortable glances, clearly recognizing themselves in his cowardice even if they hadn't been tested the sa way yet.
"Get up," I commanded, not harshly but with clear expectation. "You're coming with us. We're gathering survivors and establishing defensive positions."
Marcus shook his head frantically, pressing himself further against the log. "No! No, I can't. If I go out there, the beasts will find . I need to stay hidden until rescue cos."
"Rescue isn't coming," I stated bluntly. "Dawn Break planned this too carefully. We're scattered across unknown territory, probably hundreds of kiloters from the academy. The only way out is fighting through whatever they've thrown at us and finding extraction ourselves."
"I can't fight!" His voice rose toward hysteria. "I'm not strong like you! I'll just die!"
"Then you'll die hiding here when beasts eventually find you," I countered. "At least with us you have protection and a chance. Now get up and—"
ROAR! HOWL! BEAST PRESENCE!
Multiple hostile signatures appeared in my enhanced perception—a pack of Elite-rank creatures approaching rapidly, probably drawn by Marcus's earlier sobbing or the scent of blood covering him.
Marcus's eyes went wide with absolute terror as the beast sounds echoed through the forest. Whatever fragile composure he'd maintained shattered completely.
"NO! NO NO NO!" He scrambled to his feet and bolted past in blind panic, running deeper into the forest with no awareness of direction or safety.
"Damn it—"
I moved with Transcendent speed, catching him within three strides. Before he could scream or continue his hysteria, I struck the back of his neck with precisely calculated force—enough to render him unconscious without causing injury.
Marcus crumpled, and I caught him, slinging his limp form over my shoulder.
"Thomas," I called to the earth-affinity student who'd volunteered earlier. "You're carrying him. Consider it your warm-up before the real fight."
Thomas nodded nervously and took Marcus's unconscious body, clearly not thrilled about the added burden but understanding the necessity.
The beast sounds were getting closer—I could hear multiple creatures moving through the undergrowth with predatory purpose.
My enhanced senses identified them clearly now: six Elite-rank beasts, probably peak-Elite based on their aura density. Genuine threats to the students with , but manageable if they worked together properly.
And importantly, not requiring my intervention.
"Battle positions," I commanded sharply. "This is an Elite-rank pack—exactly the level you need to handle yourselves. I won't interfere unless soone's about to die."
The students' expressions showed fear mixing with grim determination as they processed that I actually ant it. They were about to face real combat without solving their problems.
"Rember your training," I continued, positioning myself slightly back from where they were forming up. "Coordinate attacks, cover each other's vulnerabilities, and don't panic. Elite-rank beasts are dangerous but not invincible."
The beasts broke through the treeline—six wolf-variants with dark fur and visible scars marking them as experienced hunters. They paused montarily, assessing the group of students with calculating intelligence.
Then they attacked.
CHARGE! COORDINATE! HUNT!
The students responded with varying levels of competence. Thomas dropped Marcus's body behind defensive lines and raised earth barriers. The girl who'd found the healing potion launched fire projectiles. Others attacked with whatever talents they possessed—wind blades, water strikes, basic sword techniques.
It was ssy, poorly coordinated, and tactically imperfect.
But they were fighting, and that was what mattered.
I stood back and observed with critical eye, ready to intervene if soone was genuinely about to die but otherwise letting them handle the encounter themselves.
This was their test. Ti to see if words about pulling their weight translated into action when teeth and claws ca for their throats.
The forest echoed with combat sounds—beast roars, student shouts, the clash of elents and weapons.
And I watched, calculating who would survive through competence versus luck, and who would need serious redial training if we made it through this crisis.
Welco to real awakener life, I thought grimly. Where survival requires more than just attendance at academy classes.
The pack of Elite wolves would teach that lesson far more effectively than any instructor's lecture ever could.
The wolves moved with predatory coordination, their pack tactics imdiately exploiting the students' poor formation and obvious inexperience. The alpha—largest of the six with distinctive white markings across its muzzle—directed its subordinates with sharp barks that sent three wolves flanking while two attacked frontally.
Thomas's earth barriers rose to intercept the frontal assault, but his technique was sloppy. The stone walls were too thin, positioned incorrectly, and lacked proper reinforcent. One wolf simply smashed through with brute force while the other leaped over entirely.
CRASH! SHATTER!
"Thicker barriers!" I called out from my observer position. "You're wasting mana on structures that can't actually stop them!"
Thomas grimaced but adjusted, raising a second barrier with better density. This one actually held when a wolf crashed into it, buying precious seconds.
The fire mage—I thought her na was Sarah—launched projectiles toward the flanking wolves, but her aim was terrible under pressure. Two fireballs missed entirely, scorching trees instead of targets. The third connected with a wolf's shoulder but lacked sufficient power to cause serious damage.
"Stop panic-firing!" I shouted. "Aim properly or you're just wasting mana!"
She flinched at the criticism but steadied herself, taking an extra second to line up her next shot.
The three flanking wolves reached the students' formation and chaos erupted. Claws raked across a boy's arm, drawing blood and panicked screaming. Another student barely dodged snapping jaws aid at his throat, stumbling backward and nearly falling.
But they were fighting back.
A wind-affinity student managed a decent cutting blade that sliced across a wolf's flank, drawing blood and forcing it to retreat montarily. Thomas finally landed a useful earth technique, creating a spike from the ground that impaled a wolf's rear leg and pinned it temporarily.
The pinned wolf howled in pain and fury, thrashing to free itself.
"Finish it while it's immobilized!" I commanded. "Don't waste the opening!"
Three students converged on the pinned wolf with weapons raised. Their strikes were uncoordinated and poorly executed, but sheer numbers compensated for lack of skill. The wolf died under multiple stab wounds, its struggles ceasing as blood pooled beneath it.
First kill achieved
The students who'd participated looked shocked by their success, briefly frozen by the reality of having actually killed sothing.
"Keep moving!" I snapped. "Five more wolves and they're not giving you ti to celebrate!"
My harsh reminder jolted them back to awareness just as another wolf lunged at the distracted group.
A student with a sword—hadn't bothered learning his na yet—managed a desperate parry that deflected the wolf's bite away from his throat, though the force of impact sent him sprawling backward.
Before the wolf could capitalize on him being grounded, Sarah finally landed a solid fireball directly on its face.
WHOOSH! BURN!
The wolf recoiled, temporarily blinded and disoriented by flas scorching its eyes and nose. The downed swordsman scrambled away while two other students attacked the blinded wolf from its vulnerable flanks.
SLASH! STAB!
Both strikes connected, one opening its ribcage while the other found the throat. The wolf collapsed, blood fountaining from multiple wounds.
Second kill achieved
Four wolves remaining, including the alpha that had been observing and directing rather than engaging directly.
The pack recognized the threat level had shifted. What they'd assud would be easy prey was proving capable of actual resistance and inflicting casualties. The alpha barked new commands, and the three subordinate wolves retreated to reform alongside their leader.
"They're regrouping!" Thomas shouted with obvious relief. "We're winning!"
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