“Fuck, right? No, left,” Luna declared, gracefully evading yet another attack from the golden frog on her left side.
“Luna Warwood showcases her exceptional dodging skills once again, but how long can she continue to elude the Golden Frog’s relentless assault?” Landon commented.
Abruptly, the sand beneath Luna fell dead silent.
“Huh…? What’s going on?” Luna wondered aloud, sensing an eerie stillness and the absence of movement around her.
“The golden frogs have vanished from Luna’s path. Have they abandoned her?” Samantha questioned.
“No…” Jake responded.
Frank and Samantha glanced at Jake, noting his closed eyes and his hands clasped together in a cupped formation.
“Brother! Don’t tell me. Are you using that spell?” Samantha asked, surprise evident in her expression.
“What spell?” Frank inquired.
“A forbidden tracking spell called ‘Soul Tracer’,” Samantha revealed.
“Why is it forbidden?” Frank pressed for an explanation.
“When you wish to closely track someone, you cast this spell. It divides your soul into two parts, allowing you to control the other part and monitor your target regardless of the distance. However, if the user’s soul fragment is discovered or destroyed, the spellcaster will perish instantly,” Samantha explained, fear appearing in her eyes.
“Whoa, that’s one dangerous spell,” Frank remarked, eyeing Jake intently.
“Yes, that’s precisely why it’s forbidden,” Samantha affirmed.
“They are approaching her from the front,” Jake announced.
“Brother, recall your soul before it becomes useless to you. I doubt your body can function properly with only half a soul,” Samantha urged in tension that her brother will die at this rate.
Ribbit
Suddenly, a sound reached Luna’s ears from the front.
“Fuck!” she exclaimed.
“Shit! They’re going to attack me head-on. I can’t afford to stop now. I must use my claws or it will be game over for me.” Luna thought, extending her sharp claws from her fingertips, preparing for the impending assault.
Ribbit
A golden frog leaped out of the sand directly in front of her with his mouth wide open, he was fully prepared to devour her in one attack.
“Fuck you, ugly frog!” Luna shouted, driving both sets of claws into the frog’s abdomen, tearing it apart.
Ribbit.
The torn halves of the frog fell onto the sand, swiftly regenerating and giving rise to another frog from the other half.
Both frogs burrowed into the sand, resuming their pursuit of Luna.
“What? How did this happen, Seraphina? Anything you know about this ?” Landon queried, astonishment coloring his voice.
“These golden frogs are mutated,” Seraphina responded gravely, her attention fixed on the screen.
“Can you provide further explanation, Seraphina?” Landon prodded.
“When a golden frog consumes the flesh of a sandworm, it undergoes mutation. These mutated golden frogs possess extraordinary regenerative abilities as their primary skill. They can regenerate from even a single body part. If you divide them into four parts, four golden frogs will emerge from the fragments,” Seraphina elaborated.
Kia’s class…
“Wow, that’s frightening. But how can a frog of that size devour a sandworm? Aren’t they much larger and residing deep within the sand? I heard they only emerge in the seventh month of the year,” a student inquired.
“Not if someone feeds them intentionally.” Kia responded.
“Why would someone… Oh, now I understand,” the student realized, comprehending that it was a ploy by the nobles.
‘Why would they release them against their own student ? Is it to deceive the audience? No, I don’t believe it necessitates such an elaborate cover-up. So why?’ Kia pondered, various thoughts racing through her mind.
“Fuck, my hands are burning,” Luna exclaimed, inspecting her nails.
To her dismay, she noticed that a green liquid had dissolved her nails.
Swiftly, she vigorously shook off as much acid as possible, swinging her hands forcefully.
“Fuck! Double mutation! This was all planned…” Luna remarked, realizing that the golden frogs were strategizing another frontal attack.
When golden desert frogs mate with the acidic frogs found in the northern forests of Trantamom, they undergo a mutation wherein their internal skin becomes filled with a highly dangerous acid. This acid burns and liquifies bones, making it easier for the frogs to digest, akin to meat.
However, this mutation was a one-time experiment for research purposes and was never replicated due to the extinction of the golden frogs. Moreover, this mutation cannot occur naturally since the Draven Desert and the Trantamom Forest are at least 2000 kilometers apart.
Luna quickly comprehended that everything had been premeditated.
“That’s why that bastard stopped at the beginning of the desert. Fuck,” Luna muttered, continuing to evade the frogs’ attacks. Yet, she noticed their numbers multiplying over time.
“Oh my god, Luna is surrounded by golden frogs from all sides. Dodging the next attack won’t be easy. What are your thoughts, Seraphina?” Landon inquired.
“I believe this was a cunning trick, regardless of which side orchestrated it, i can’t say if, they were nobles or the Commoners but good trick.” Seraphina responded, contemplating from which direction the deception had originated, be it the nobles or the commoners.
Everyone became aware that the double-mutated golden frogs were not a natural occurrence but a premeditated scheme.
Yet, the question remained, ‘Who was responsible?’
The nobles suspected the commoners, while the commoners pointed fingers at the nobles. However, one person entertained a different theory.
Clap-Clap .
Seti suddenly began clapping.
“Wow, wow, wow. Ms. Letti, you’ve played a nasty trick this time, haven’t you?” Seti remarked, a smile adorning her face.
“What do you mean?” Letti inquired, suspicion etched on her features.
“What do I mean? You unleashed those double-mutated golden frogs on my student because you believed you couldn’t win this competition without cheating. You instructed your student to wait at the desert’s starting point, allowing Luna to pass him so you could execute your deceitful plan and halt her progress, am I correct?
You even employed a fake mana potion to create the illusion that he had depleted his mana, diverting our attention from the race. You possess a cunning mind, Ms. Luna.” Seti accused Letti, laying the blame squarely on her shoulders.
“What?”