After a long ti searching through the island’s dense vegetation, I finally managed to gather the herbs I needed.
So bitter roots.
Two serrated leaves with stimulating properties.
And a small purplish bulb that, according to the Biochip, had a slight strengthening effect when properly processed.
I stored everything carefully.
In addition, I found so wild fruits hidden among low branches.
They were sweet.
Too sweet for a place like that.
I ate a few quickly, but never completely lowered my guard.
Even while chewing, my eyes scanned the surroundings.
In the Waters of Death, carelessness ant death.
— Hey! Eduard!
Emily’s voice echoed in the distance.
— It’s ti to return near the boats on the beach!
— Understood!
I answered loudly enough for her to hear.
Going farther alone would be suspicious.
And dangerous.
I looked at a tree heavy with ripe fruit.
What a pity.
They would have to wait for another ti.
I began to turn back.
Then.
["Warning!"]
["Warning!"]
["Dangerous creatures are approaching!"]
The Biochip’s chanical voice sounded cold in my mind.
Red words appeared before my eyes.
My heart did not race.
But my muscles tensed.
— Quick. Show the map.
My expression remained neutral.
But I quickened my pace, pushing my body to the limit.
My right hand grabbed the hilt of the rapier strapped to my waist.
On the virtual map projected before , dozens of red dots appeared among the vegetation.
They were moving.
Fast.
Coordinated.
And they were surrounding us.
["Beep!"]
["According to the databases, these dangerous life forms have a 97.8% similarity to a group of black spiders!"]
— Damn... giant spiders?!
My eyes narrowed.
The data appeared automatically.
["Giant Spiders"]
["A species of black spider that inhabits paradise islands in the Waters of Death. Savage and cruel. Hunt in groups."]
["Strength: 2"]
["Agility: 2"]
["Vitality: 3"]
Vitality 3.
Far above mine.
— With that status... they’re definitely not creatures that I, a re knight in training, can face alone.
I increased my speed even more.
I quickly caught up to Emily.
I leaned in as if I were about to say sothing casual.
— We have company.
She glanced at quickly.
Most of the students were still resting without concern.
So, to keep up appearances, she smiled...
And kissed on the cheek.
I raised an eyebrow for a mont.
But I understood the ssage.
Cover.
— What’s the situation?
— A group of giant black spiders.
— They’re already surrounding us.
— I saw their hairy legs in the vegetation.
She kissed again, as if we were in an intimate conversation.
Then she made subtle hand signals to the selected mbers of the escort.
The boys hesitated for only a second.
But they recognized the agreed signals.
They imdiately began to act.
They discreetly pushed the younger girls forward.
They whispered short instructions.
The retreat began in an orderly manner.
Silent.
So more attentive acolytes noticed the movent and imitated us.
Others were still lying on the grass.
Laughing.
Unaware.
Sotis, when danger arises...
The only thing that matters is running faster than the others.
— Let’s go.
Emily and I began to fall back as well.
— Eduard... you’re surprisingly good at patrol and reconnaissance.
She murmured.
— Just attentive.
I replied quietly.
There was no ti for explanations.
Then.
— Ting!!
— Ting!!
— Ting!!
The shrill bell echoed across the island.
One of the attendants shouted with a voice filled with urgency.
— Return to the beach!!!
— Quickly!!!!!!!
Panic exploded like fire in dry straw.
The acolytes who had been resting in silence froze for a second.
The next instant...
Everyone ran.
Desperately.
Toward the boats.
— There’s no need to hide anymore!
— Let’s run!
Emily shouted as she drew her sword.
The blade’s gleam reflected the setting sun for a mont.
By that ti, all the mbers of the Alliance had already been alerted.
The fastest were practically at the boats.
The others kept a safe distance from the forest line.
Then ca the sound.
— Cruusss~~!
A long grunt.
Drawn out.
Filled with hunger and bloodlust.
Around the vegetation, the giant spiders abandoned any attempt at stealth.
Once discovered... they would attack head-on.
Layer after layer of black bodies erged from the woods.
Two... three ters long.
Long, hairy legs digging into the sand with absurd speed.
With every leap, a dark afterimage seed to follow them.
— A group of giant spiders!
An acolyte behind us scread in despair.
Her mistake was screaming.
A black shadow leaped.
The impact threw her to the ground.
Before she could rise, a leg ca down violently.
— Bang~~
— Help!~~
The scream was short.
The spider’s fangs pierced her skull with a wet crack.
— Crash~~
Her body went limp.
The creature began to chew.
Grotesque sounds of flesh being torn echoed across the beach.
So looked away.
Others froze.
A boy was running ahead of , tears mixed with sand on his face.
— Mom!
— I want my mom!
I watched the scene as I neared the boats.
Panic was spreading faster than the spiders.
"They’re falling apart..."
I muttered to myself.
Then.
— Swoosh!
— Swoosh!
Seven shadows shot forward along the flank.
The attendants.
Each one wielded a gigantic sword, the size of a grown man.
They advanced like projectiles.
"It’s the attendants... they’ve begun the counterattack."
My gaze analyzed coldly.
The spiders had stats averaging close to 3.
Comparable to knights.
But humans had weapons.
Tactics.
And secret skills.
In a one-on-one confrontation...
Or even one against three...
The attendants would win.
But there...
There were hundreds.
Zoshh~~!
A blade traced a silver arc through the air.
A spider was split in half.
Black and greenish entrails scattered across the sand.
The tallic sll of blood filled the air.
To make everything even more macabre...
The nearby spiders stopped advancing.
And began devouring the body of their own companion.
— Filthy demons!
An attendant with a scarred body licked the blood from his blade.
There was sothing almost feral about him.
He turned to a fallen girl.
— Co on, my precious little one!
— Thank you... thank you, sir!
She was crying, still trembling.
— Are you an idiot? Run now!
He was already charging forward again without even turning his head.
Only then did she snap out of it and dash toward the boats.
— Hurry!
— Defensive formation!
— Girls to the rear!
— Boys, swords in hand! Establish the periter!
One of the attendants was shouting orders.
— Alright!
Emily answered first.
She leaped forward, organizing the mbers of the Alliance.
— It’s ti to fight for our lives!
I tightened my grip on the rapier with both hands.
I quickly observed the mbers of the Alliance.
Thanks to the early warning...
No deaths.
So stumbles.
Minor injuries.
But alive.
Around us, the difference was brutal.
Mutilated bodies scattered across the sand.
Exposed entrails.
I recognized two missing faces from Charles’ group.
The survivors were wounded.
They had survived by luck.
— We’ve already rescued everyone we could save!
The attendant Liny returned to formation.
His body was covered in blood — part of it wasn’t his.
He saw , standing in a combat stance.
— Boy... what are you doing?
— Aren’t you afraid?
I looked at him without taking my blade off the line of the spiders.
— At this mont...
— Being afraid won’t help at all, right?
— Biochip, deactivate the passive surveillance I activated earlier.
— Activate assisted combat mode.
["Executing order..."]
["Beep!"]
["Assisted combat mode initiated!"]
I smiled.
The world changed.
An invisible digital grid expanded before my eyes.
Vector lines.
Predicted trajectories.
Impact points highlighted in pulsing colors.
All of it visible only to .
["Danger detected..."]
A leg ca from the left.
["Opening found!"]
A yellow point shone at the creature’s joint.
I advanced.
I twisted my body, letting the leg scrape through the air where I had been a second before.
The sand exploded behind .
My blade drew a luminous arc.
— Zosh~~
Piercing Strike!
The Quick Blade technique was a secret passed down through the Edson family.
The principle was simple.
Centrifugal force.
Waist rotation.
An explosive burst of montum at the exact instant of contact.
I felt my muscles obey the perfect calculation provided by the Biochip.
The crossing blade whistled through the air.
Psh!
The tip sank into the flesh of the giant spider.
Resistance.
Hard as reinforced leather.
Then it gave way.
The impact ran through my arms like a shock.
The blade stuck for an instant.
— Co on!
I flexed my muscles.
I pulled violently.
The steel ca out tearing flesh with it.
Fresh blood sprayed over my face.
The spider grunted in pain.
It recoiled in leaps.
Two of its front legs no longer responded properly.
My eyes glead.
For a second, I considered pursuing it.
["Critical failure found!"]
An intense yellow point blinked behind its head.
The Biochip marked the exact location for the finishing blow.
I took a deep breath.
No.
Most of the pressure was on the attendants.
If I crossed the defensive periter...
It would be suicide.
Besides, that spider was already dood.
If it didn’t die from the wound...
It would be devoured by its own companions.
— Excellent!
Emily’s voice ca from behind .
I glanced back.
She was covered in blood.
But compared to the red soaking her two daggers... it was insignificant.
Her movents were elegant.
Precise.
As if she were training.
Not fighting for her life.
She was facing two giant spiders at the sa ti.
And she didn’t seem at a disadvantage.
"The secret techniques of noble families truly aren’t ordinary..."
I turned my focus to another creature ahead.
Its bulging eyes reflected the digital glow that only I could see.
The battle continued.
Minute after minute.
The sun disappeared beyond the horizon.
Darkness fell over the island.
The spiders’ eyes began to glow erald green.
— Hah... hah...
My breathing was heavy.
I looked as if I had stepped out of a pool of blood.
Face.
Clothes.
Hands.
All red.
Even with the Biochip calculating the most efficient routes...
The physical strain was real.
Each thrust drained energy.
"If even I am like this..."
I looked around.
Many acolytes from the front line had retreated, wounded.
The girls behind were tending to them with trembling hands.
The attendants were still fighting with tireless brutality.
But even they were beginning to show signs of fatigue.
"Why haven’t the Mages acted yet?"
At the center of the beach there was an empty space.
Three Mages were seated there.
Motionless.
Cold auras emanated from their bodies.
No acolyte dared approach within three ters.
...
1757 Words
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