“Sorry for the inconvenience, girl. But, bear with it for a while.”
With those words, Sylvie suddenly felt flying.
SWOOSH!
Following that, she almost lost her eyes. The moment the instructor dashed forward with Sylvie on her shoulder, the speed was so fast that the wind cut the corner of her eyes.
As Sylvie was being carried by the instructor, her mind raced with a flurry of questions and concerns. She felt an adrenaline rush as the instructor swiftly made her way through the corridors, heading towards dungeon B-3.
The urgency in the instructor’s movements and the gravity of the situation sent shivers down her spine.
Breathless and anxious, Sylvie finally mustered the courage to speak. “What’s happening in dungeon B-3? Why am I needed there?”
The instructor’s voice was tight with worry as she responded. “We’ve received reports of suspicious activity in the dungeon. The signal interference is a significant concern. There’s a possibility that the lives of students in that dungeon are at risk.”
Hearing this, Sylvie couldn’t help but remember what happened in the joint dungeon exploration and the berserk-going monsters.
Students almost lost their lives because of that, and that experience was something she had never wanted to go to again.
“Does that mean-”
“Yes. There might be demon contractors. Even though we normally can teleport the injured students to the healing room, right now, the dungeon [B-3] is not working properly, and neither can we teleport inside, nor can students teleport outside.”
As they reached the entrance of dungeon B-3, Sylvie’s heart raced with a combination of fear and anticipation.
But before the instructor could enter, they were met with the sight of other combat personnel already moving inside, accompanied by a group of vigilant guards.
“Senior Rachel.”
The guard immediately acknowledged the instructor as he bowed his head.
“We have been informed that some students were in a dangerous situation.”
“Can you locate them?”
“Yes. GPS and surveillance are working properly. Only spatial teleportation is disturbed.”
“Situation?”
“There are no deaths, but some students are getting pushed back by the horde of monsters.”
“Potions?”
“You may leave. I want no deaths, am I clear?”
“Clear.”
“Good.”
SWOOSH!
The instructor wasted no time and immediately rushed towards the location where Astron Natusalune was last seen.
And the personnel and guards followed the instructor’s lead.
As they entered the dungeon, the first thing Sylvie felt was her insides turning up and down. And because she was getting carried by the instructor at a rapid pace with a weird posture, it was very severe.
“Burghk!”
On the way, she couldn’t help but throw up.
“Bear with it; we are almost there.”
Just as the instructor said, in almost two minutes, they had reached their destination. They didn’t encounter any monsters on the way because the instructor was way too fast for them to follow their lead.
They reached the location where the last signal had been detected, and the instructor came to a halt. She seemed to be trying to sense something, her expression tense.
“There’s a barrier here. I can’t sense anything inside it.”
Sylvie’s unease grew as the instructor mentioned the barrier. It was clear that something unusual was happening, and they needed to proceed with caution.
“S-should we enter here?” She slightly stuttered as she felt the fear once again.
“Yes, we should.”
“B-but….”
“Don’t worry. I am strong.”
With those words, the instructor extended her hand, and a soft, pale light emanated from her palm. With a gentle push, the barrier began to shimmer, and they could now see what lay beyond.
“Huh?”
And the scene that unfolded before them sent shivers down Sylvie’s spine.
As the barrier dissipated, the sight that unfolded before them was one of horror and despair.. There were signs of battle all around the place.
Blood was everywhere. Bodies of monsters were scattered around, and even though Sylvie didn’t know what they were, the arrows stabbed on their body made it obvious that they were dead.
However, the thing that got their attention was none of them.
In the center of the barrier lay a young man, his form battered and bloodied. His black hair was matted with dust and dried blood, and his body bore numerous injuries and lacerations.
A pool of crimson had formed around him, stark against the cold dungeon floor. But the most gruesome sight of all was the young man’s right arm, severed at the elbow as if forcibly chopped off.
“Burghk!”
Sylvie couldn’t contain her nausea welling up as she threw up once again. She was already feeling unwell, and now that she had seen such a sight, she couldn’t hold it in.
“Calm down.” The instructor said as she patted her. The instructor was also looking around for any signs of attackers by expanding her senses. She was vigilant.
However, after a second of sensing around, she finally nodded her head. Then she rushed to the body’s side, rushing Sylvie as well.
“Hufff…..Huffffff…”
As Sylvie attempted to regain her composure by taking deep breaths, her eyes darted around the scene of devastation.
The dungeon was in a state of chaos, with signs of battle all around. The cold, oppressive atmosphere was suffocating, and she could see jagged cuts on the dungeon floor, evidence of a fierce struggle.
Blood was splattered across the walls, and the lifeless bodies of monsters were scattered haphazardly, their deaths marked by arrows and wounds.
And as they instantly reached the student, the instructor immediately took his pulse and checked his wounds.
“He’s in critical condition. We need to act fast.”
But something wasn’t right. This person…..Sylvie knew him. These features, this skin, this hair….
Everything was just familiar.
“Astron…..”
The person lying on the ground was the edgy boy…..
********
When someone asked Sylvie what she thought about Astron, she would probably say he is someone unique.
And, it was not because of how he acted, how he looked, or anything. There were plenty of students who didn’t like to associate with others and stayed as a loner.
There were also plenty of people who were good-looking to a certain extent. Even in the Hunter Academy, there were prestigious people whose looks could not be matched with others, and Astron was certainly not on that level of looks.
He wasn’t strong either, as he was ranked last.
Therefore, the reason he was unique was not because of them.
It was because of the feelings he held underneath.
Sylvie had a special talent stemming from her [First Lord’s Authority].
She could see the emotions people were hiding underneath.
When she first saw Astron in the school, the hatred on his color palette was so dark that it was an amount she had never encountered before.
She asked herself. What might have caused this? What might have possibly caused such amounts of sadness for such a young person?
Those questions led to intrigues, and they led to her wanting to know more about him. It was not in the form of attraction, but rather, it was a curiosity.
Then, she saw him getting bullied and getting beaten. He was the weakest, and she knew it. Thus, she helped as much as she could, sometimes healing his wounds from a distance or using her trait to relieve his pain even a little.
lightsnοvεl.cοm However, because she wasn’t proficient enough, her help wasn’t much, and it would hardly be noticed.
But then, he changed. Something inside him fundamentally changed. The sadness and hatred in his heart were pushed back by something different. Something empty.
Indifference it was. Like a barrier covering his feelings, the fluctuating emotions he felt rather stagnated, pushed back underneath the barrier of grey.
“I will erase your existence, just like I will eradicate your kin.”
She still remembered the words of that time—the cold voice that sent shivers down her spine.
After that, it was their sparring. There, he spoke words that she didn’t want to hear.
Things that she didn’t want to remember, the memories of that time…..
He made her remember those feelings, so she distanced herself from him immediately.
It was a cowardly act, but who could say something to her about her life anyway?
But then again, as the life in the academy went on and on, things changed. She joined more practical lessons explorations with her team, and she enjoyed the school life she had.
Hanging out with her friends, using her traits to help people, and joining clubs.
She was in the same club as Astron, but as if to show respect for her choice of keeping the distance, he never once said anything. Never approached and did his own thing and attended the club.
As if a cold barrier had formed, she felt a distance that didn’t exist before, and she knew it was her own choice.
But those thoughts soon shattered just last week when he explained the question. At that time, she felt the distance between them was a little closer, and the barrier between them was lifted.
And as she saw him studying, his meticulous work concentration, it became evident to her that he was also actually trying his best, just like her.
And now, that person was lying on the ground was the very person she knew, and his life was in her hands….
————————————
My exams have started, so chapters will be slightly shorter for a little. After my exams end, I will start posting Eroge again as well; it is about time I sort my things out.
Thank you for supporting me thus far.