–Arcadia Hunter Academy, Training Grounds, Sunday Night
As the three sophomore students emerged from the training rooms of the Arcadia Hunter Academy, the evening air felt charged with Mana.
Aria, Doran, and Helia stepped outside, their faces filled with exertion and tiredness. They had been training in the grounds reserved for seniors for quite a time already.
Aria Johnson, a slightly tall girl with brown hair bouncing with each step, led the trio with an infectious energy. “That was exhilarating, wasn’t it?” she exclaimed, her emerald eyes sparkling with adrenaline. “I swear, I almost had you with that last Mana blast, Doran!”
Doran Johson, the tall and composed brother of Aria, offered a faint smile in response. “You were improving, Aria,” he remarked, his voice steady and measured. “But remember, control is just as important as power.”
Though Doran was one year older than Aria, they both entered the academy at the same time. It was because, when Doran was at the age of entering, his family’s situation didn’t allow him to enter while his talent was lacking as well.
But, as in the case of Aria, she was a lot more talented than him. Therefore, she was easily accepted to the academy. And because she was accepted, the academy decided to take Doran in as well, though they needed to pay a sufficient fee.
At that time, their family’s finances were improved thanks to a certain opportunity, and they even entered society a little. Therefore, they could easily afford the tuition fees, which made Doran enter the academy.
This wasn’t a common case, but it was also not uncommon either. There were some cases where the students would be admitted later than their peers, but the academy cared more about their talents and their current strengths than their age.
Helia, walking quietly beside them, nodded in agreement. “Doran’s right,” she chimed in softly, her eyes focused ahead. “Precision and finesse are key to mastering Mana manipulation.”
She was a mage with a relatively high ranking. They met in the course project design during the second semester of the first year, and they have been friends ever since. Helia and Doran were even dating at this point.
Aria rolled her eyes playfully. “Oh, come on, you two! Where’s the fun in being so serious all the time?” she teased, nudging Doran with her elbow. “We’re young hunters-in-training! We should be embracing the thrill of the unknown! Just because you are dating doesn’t mean you should give up the delicacies of life. “
Doran smiled at Aria’s words, wrapping his arms around Helia’s shoulders. “Maybe we should savor it a bit,” he said, planting a kiss on Helia’s cheek.
Helia’s serious demeanor crumbled in an instant as a faint blush appeared on her face. “Doran, your sister is looking,” she said shyly.
Doran shrugged, unconcerned. “She can leave if she wants.”
Aria harrumphed, seeing the two lovebirds, and then declared she should leave them alone. With a huff, she turned and walked away.
Doran shouted after her, “We’re going to have fun for your sake too!”
Aria just pointed her middle finger back at him before continuing on her way to the library.
As Aria walked briskly towards the library, a pang of jealousy gnawed at her heart as she observed her brother and Helia. They seemed so at ease with each other so in love. She couldn’t help but wonder when she would find someone like that for herself.
“When will it be my turn?” she muttered under her breath, her steps quickening with determination. “Maybe my standards are a bit too much…”
She paused for a moment, mentally recounting her list of criteria for a potential boyfriend. Each requirement seemed more absurd than the last.
“He needs to be tall, strong, and humble,” she muttered to herself, ticking off the qualities on her fingers. “Obsessed with me but not too clingy, lenient but not meddling, respectful, loving me for who I am and not just my body, smart, quiet but knows how to talk…”
As she listed out her impossible standards, a sense of frustration washed over her. “Is it really this hard to find such a man?” she wondered aloud, feeling a twinge of self-doubt creeping in.
“No, he definitely exists, and I will find him.” With a smile, she discarded the idea.
“You won’t, and it is a pity.” Suddenly, her smirk widened, turning a bit creepy and inhumane while she uttered those words from her own mouth. Her steps also altered, moving in a different direction, the direction of the backyard.
But as she stepped into the dimly lit backyard, she was suddenly jolted out of her reverie by a strange sensation. “Huh?” she exclaimed, releasing a surprised sound as her eyes darted around the unfamiliar surroundings.
The backyard was shrouded in darkness, the only illumination coming from the soft glow of the moon and the twinkling stars above. Aria felt a shiver run down her spine, her senses heightened by the eerie atmosphere.
SWOOSH!
Suddenly, something hit her from the back of her head, making her blast off.
CRASH!
She crashed to the wall, blood flowing from her body.
“ARGHK!”
A scream of pain echoed as Aria felt the pain in her head.
“Who- who are you!”
She screamed in pain as her vision blurred. For some reason, the strength of the attack was a lot more compared to what she could endure, and she felt as if she couldn’t draw any power from her mana at all.
SMASH!
As those words sank in, it was what she heard last before she lost consciousness.
SMASH! SMASH!
In the eerie darkness, the stick rose and down, hitting the unconscious girl on the ground.
And somehow, there was an eerie smile on the assaulter’s face.
“Kekeke….I don’t know who it was, but I should thank you for giving us this opportunity. Who would have thought the opportunity to mix things before the final exams would arrive this fast and this well.”
With a smile, the figure smashed the stick once again.
“Kekekekkee….. ‘He’ will really be happy.”
Under the darkness, the badge on the assaulter’s shoulder shone.
It was the badge belonging to the fourth-year student, a Senior.
********
–Arcadia City, Azure Crest Guild, Sunday Evening
Emily stood before the entrance of the guild hall, her gaze fixed on the emblem hanging above the door. The familiar symbol of Azure Crest Guild seemed to hold a weight of memories, both bitter and sweet.
‘Sigh…..We somehow recovered to some extent….’
She couldn’t help but reflect on the journey they had undertaken, from the devastating blow that almost shattered them to the gradual resurgence they had managed to achieve.
‘I really did well, father did well too…..’
Despite the setbacks and challenges, they somehow managed to recover a little bit after the initial loss.
‘Yet, if not for Ethan….We wouldn’t be there.’
Emily knew that it wouldn’t have been possible without the help of an individual like Ethan, who had offered their support without expecting anything in return. For the first time in her life, she saw that, in this world, there were things that couldn’t be achieved by every person.
Not everyone could do as they pleased, nor could they reach the place they wished to. The strength required was too much, and there were many big shots.
After dealing with this matter for a long time, she noticed that the events that were happening to her guild and to the guilds in the corresponding area were all thanks to a bigger fish.
Someone was moving the pieces from their seats above, and they were nothing but pawns to be crushed.
Therefore, she silently thanked Ethan in her thoughts, acknowledging the pivotal role he had played in their guild’s journey toward redemption.
“Well, should I treat myself something after this long?”
She had been walking for a while now, and she had already reached halfway through her destination.
FLINCH! But then suddenly, a sudden chill ran down her spine!
‘What is this?’ She felt as though a veil of darkness had descended upon her surroundings.
The once-familiar sights and sounds of the guild district now seemed distorted and unnatural, as if she was disconnected from reality.
–SWOOSH! CRACK!
Before she could process the strange sensation, a sharp pain erupted in her shoulder, accompanied by the sound of something whizzing through the air.
“Argh!”
Instinctively, Emily stumbled backward, clutching her injured shoulder as she scanned her surroundings for the source of the attack. With her already trained body and instincts, her body naturally followed the trajectory of the attack without even thinking.
“Huh?”
In the distance, she caught a glimpse of shadowy figures lurking in the shadows, their presence ominous and foreboding.
SWOOSH! Panic surged through her veins as she realized that she was under attack, but before she could make a more detailed assessment, another projectile hurtled towards her with alarming speed.
CLANK!
Yet this time, she was ready and aware. She drew her sword in an instant and then slashed the projectile, deflecting it.
SPURT!
However, contrary to what she had experienced previously while clashing against rangers, this time, the projectile somehow contained a liquid. It sprayed on her face and her clothes.
“Argh!”
This made her vision blur, and a burning sensation covered her face. She felt her face burning.
‘It hurts!’
She wanted to shout. However, the instincts she had developed in the dungeon and the clashes against academy students made her hold back.
The muscle memory imprinted on her body instantly took control, as her senses became overly sensisitive.
SLASH! CLANK!
She slashed the arrows entering her sense of range, defending herself.
However, Emily, despite her valiant efforts, found herself pushed back by the relentless barrage of attacks. The shadowy figures lurking in the darkness seemed to have the upper hand, their movements calculated and precise.
With each deflected projectile, Emily’s strength waned, the burning sensation on her face intensifying with each passing moment.
The liquid sprayed by the projectiles seeped into her wounds, causing agony to ripple through her body.
‘I need to break through this. I can’t keep being passive like this.’ ‘Right, I can do that!’ Yet, despite the pain and disorientation, Emily refused to yield. Drawing upon her training and determination, she continued to fend off the assailants’ attacks with a fierce resolve.
CLANG! SWISH!
She was looking for an opportunity to attack, as she knew this was her one chance.
“Hufff….”
BOOM! She forcefully expelled the acid burning her body, using her skill, [Breth Resonance].
It was a skill that enabled her to expel mana from her lungs through the pores of her skin. Normally, she would utilize this to create an explosive field interrupting her enemies, but she found another use just now.
SWOOSH! Following that, she pushed the mana into her legs, concentrating her strength around there.
CRACK!
With each stride, she closed the distance between herself and her assailants, her sword held tightly in her grip.
As she reached the spot where the shadowy figures had been lurking, she was met with an unsettling sight. There was no one there, only faint imprints of mana lingering in the air like a haunting echo of their presence.
‘Huh? Where are-‘ Confusion gripped Emily as she scanned her surroundings, searching for any sign of her elusive attackers.
But before she could make sense of the situation, a whisper brushed against her ears, sending shivers down her spine.
“Such determination… Such resolve… But it will not be enough…”
In an instant, Emily, from the corner of her eyes, saw the silver glint of the dagger approaching to her face…..
Yet, at that moment, the assassin suddenly tensed.
“Tch.”
He clicked his tongue while leaping back with afterimages left.
SWOOSH! Following that, a flying spear pierced through the location where he was standing just now. The spear was burning with flames.
“The note was really true.”
Before Emily, there stood a man with a familiar broad back.
“You don’t need to worry anymore now that I am here.”
It was the familiar smile as well.