Chapter 344
Slightly better fodder (5)
There was an eerie silence around the illusion path formation. The figures of students who had died prematurely, the managers overseeing the formation, and even the Student Council members stood frozen, staring numbly at the multiple floating screens.
They couldn't even feel the wind on their faces as more and more absurd scenes unfolded before them.
Ari was completely blindsided, her carefully built understanding unraveling. She had never witnessed anything like this.
What exactly was happening?
She had seen countless trials, year after year, yet never—NEVER—had she encountered anything like this.
Is the new generation being fed senzu beans or something!?
How was this possible? Not just one, two, three, four, five, but six! Six different students, each displaying methods so potent they resembled methods only masters could perform!
It was insane, unprecedented, and utterly impossible. She was watching something that should not exist play out right before her eyes.
She glanced at Snow, whose own eyes were wide, and spoke softly, "I guess you found your people…"
Her words hinted that Snow herself could produce something extraordinary—but Ari hadn't expected six more students to be capable of such feats.
She remembered the first time she had seen Snow's talent. She had been in a stupor, unable to believe what she had witnessed. A gift like that was one in a billion, almost impossible.
And now—six more?
Wasn't it supposed to be like in the past, where the students relied on cute, weak methods? What the hell was happening?
On the screens, she had seen Reuel, Henry, Natsuki, Zara, and another student whose name for some reason escaped her memory. Five of them were already impressive, but Yohan… Yohan! He was absolutely stealing the show, his methods so absurd in her eyes that it was almost insulting to logic itself.
How? Just how!? What kind of ridiculous concept had he turned into reality to achieve such feats?
Ari glanced back at Snow, who was still staring intently at a particular screen. Her face had turned sour. "You stupid girl… focus!"
"Uhwha! Uhhh… what?" Snow stammered, shaken out of her stupor, glancing sheepishly at Ari, who let out a deep sigh.
"These are the people you're likely going to be competing and mingling with. You need to be ready; only those like them can push you to grow," Ari said firmly.
Snow nodded, her gaze lingering on the screens with the poise and grandeur of a princess from an ancient kingdom. Even now, her beauty rivaled Ari's.
Ari turned her attention to the woman, who at some point was had to take a seat as she was lost in thought. "What's up with you?"
"What… what have I been wasting my time doing!?" the woman exclaimed.
"Oh, please!" Ari muttered.
"I'm so old and oily," she continued, frustration thick in her voice, "I've been an ascender for so long, and I can't even glimpse the next level! And these… these literal children are pulling out methods that are completely unreal! As novices!"
"You're not that old…" Jeremy whispered to himself, either he was unheard or just ignored.
"Don't be so dramatic," another voice said.
"Dramatic!? Dramatic!? Me! They literally took down so many high spawnlings in such little time! And that last move—what the fuck was that!?"
"Uhhh…"
...
Yohan approached with a faint smile, though it dropped slightly when he saw IAM standing distant from Natsuki. IAM simply watched her, seated gracefully, sword resting at her side. She looked spent—her body and mind had poured immense mental energy, strength, and mana into achieving the results she did!
Yohan shook his head, a faint expression of a disappointed mother in his gesture, as IAM continued to watch him approach Natsuki.
His expression softened, warmth radiating in the slight smile on his face. "Are you okay? You must be exhausted, I—"
He froze mid-sentence. He had stopped speaking not because he wanted to... But because he couldn't.
A sword was pressed against his throat, its cold steel humming with threat. Natsuki's voice cut through, calm but cold. "Step away."
It carried a domineering, tyrannical weight. Yohan's hands shot up in surrender, and he backed away slowly, a meek smile still lingering on his face. He stopped near IAM, meeting his gaze with a look of understanding.
IAM shook his head slightly, exhaling in disbelief. "I can't believe how ridiculous you are… You actually went ahead and took out the third one, even though I was worried you'd struggle with multiple mid sprawlings and a high one…"
Natsuki remained silent for a few seconds before answering, her tone casual yet powerful "Merely slightly better fodder… nothing much."
IAM nodded, now accustomed to her intense personality, expecting such a dismissive answer.
He turned back to Yohan, curiosity in his eyes. "How did you find me?"
Yohan chuckled lightly. "It would have been a miracle if I hadn't. I think we actually spawned relatively close to each other because I heard the sound of bullets going off in a direction, and only you came to mind, so I followed it. By the time I arrived, nothing was there, so I kept moving that way. Then I heard screeching noises from the same direction, so I pressed on… There was a bit of commotion—some creatures started moving like mindless zombies toward this direction, it was so strange and out of order. Then they suddenly stopped and returned to normal, so I just kept going until I came upon this scene. Thankfully, I arrived before that creature got you."
IAM nodded, a sense of relief washing over him. "Thanks. If it wasn't for you, I'd be dead right now."
"No problem… But what about you guys? Why are the two of you working together?" Yohan asked, his voice teasing as he cast a suggestive glance toward IAM. IAM ignored it completely, beginning to explain while carefully sidestepping the implication.
A few minutes later, Yohan nodded thoughtfully, stroking his chin. "I see… I did think it was strange. Your theory might actually make sense. But if you're right, then we need to move. And fast!"
Indeed… they couldn't let too many people die.
IAM gave a brief nod and looked at Natsuki, who had recovered just enough to stand. She held the flag that had caused all the chaos tucked into her waistband, her expression was calm. "I'll be right behind," she said simply.
It was then Yohan cleared his throat softly, almost hesitantly. "Ahem… do you have any clue… where… um… Zara is?"