The forest was mesmerizing, with verdant life and a humid atmosphere. As the students of Class A and B trekked across the muddy, uneven ground lined with dead insects and feces, they plugged their noses.
The scenery was beautiful, but the smell… It was awful.
Class A walked on the right, while Class B walked on the left. The two lines were led by Mr. Slovenio and Ms. Gomez respectively, who chatted lightheartedly while using the branch of a tree to prevent accidents while they walked.
Each student had a flashlight attached to their forehead, and a sensor on their wrists to notify the teachers when they were in danger.
Surprisingly, a few other teachers had also tagged along on the trip. However, they weren’t homeroom teachers and simply specialized in a single subject. They followed behind the lines of students to supervise from the back.
Some examples of such freeloader teachers were Mrs. Carter, Mr. Carter, Ms. Lopez, and Mr. Mason.
After a few hours of walking the students bundled up into a circle with the teachers in the middle. Mr. Slovenio and Ms. Gomez took charge, while the other teachers remained silent alongside the students.
“Shall I?” Ms. Gomez glanced at Flecker, stepping forward to provide an explanation of the task at hand. The latter nodded, clasping his hands together near his rear. He watched with a satisfied expression, glad to have passed off his job to his colleague.
Ms. Gomez, on the other hand, was glad to interact with the students. She was one of the teachers who was compassionate about her job, and pursued a healthy relationship with her students.
She wanted them to grow and improve.
“You all might be wondering why we conducted this trip on such short notice,” Ms. Gomez began, raising her voice to an appropriate pitch so that it sounded neither weak nor overly strong.
So that it sounded stern.
Noticing the murmurs and nods of the students, Ms. Gomez allowed a faint smile to blossom on her face. “Well, the principal of Arcadia Academy, Athanasia Arcadia, decided it would be a good opportunity to allow us to handpick a few students… to enter Heaven’s Spire at the end of the year.”
Arthur immediately perked up.
Entering Heaven’s Spire through Arcadia Academy was quite simple. An applicant could complete one school year and apply for entry, after which it depended on your grades, power and loyalty.
However, others could continue studying at Arcadia Academy to pursue one of two paths. They could either apply in their second or third year and sprout to Heaven’s Spire, or they could simply graduate and continue pursuing power or knowledge on the planet.
Most people decided to enter the tower, as it offered more opportunities.
According to Ms. Gomez, the teachers were allowed to handpick a few students to enter Heaven’s Spire, which would immediately force the students to adopt their best behavior during the trip.
It also gave Arthur an opportunity to display his true skills. Being handpicked by a teacher was vastly different from successfully becoming a climber through applications.
At her words, the students broke into chatter. Many were glad, while others were ecstatic. Climbing Heaven’s Spire from this particular planet was a heavenly opportunity, as it forced you pursue a much more beneficial path.
Most influential figures on this planet were Elite Rankers or Rankers. ．𝘦𝘵
But, once they retired, a lot of the power they received from Heaven’s Spire degraded into nothingness. As years passed, their bodies became frail, and they did not retain most of their power from when they were climbers.
An example would be Melzer, who could dominate the entire planet had it not been for the degradation in his power after retirement.
The strongest person on the planet was equivalent to someone who’d climbed twenty floors in their peak, even though some people were Rankers. Basically, leaving Heaven’s Spire ruined your prowess in both the physical and mental aspect.
“Now, whether you are picked or not depends on our impression of you,” said Ms. Gomez. “So, maintain your integrity and do not solely show off when we are around. Also, we’ll be watching from the shadows.”
A few chuckles resounded.
“Anyway, the objective of this trip is to eliminate a pest that has been roaming around the forest,” announced Ms. Gomez, reverting to her solemn tone after joking around. “Many refer to it as the Invisible Venom Lizard… for obvious reasons, that is.”
Silence.
“The Invisible Venom Lizard, along with being incredibly deadly, is a partial parasitic organism,” Ms. Gomez continued, glancing at every student in order while explaining the situation. “Your… and our job is to eliminate it.”
Immediately, several hands shot up.
“Yes?” Ms. Gomez asked, pointing to a specific student. The student stepped forward.
“But miss, the Invisible Venom Lizard is a mythical creature.”
“How so?”
“It’s been talked about in many myths and is regarded as a troublemaker of this area,” explained the student. “My grandmother used to live near this area, and she reported that the Invisible Venom Lizard granted her good fortune. Since then, she regarded it as a deity of this area.”
“And this helps your case?” Ms. Gomez asked, raising an eyebrow. “How so?”
“I… We shouldn’t eliminate it,” said the student.
“So, your basis comes from a moral standpoint?” Ms. Gomez inquired, stroking her chin. “Let’s say Hank, here, gave Caroline a pencil when she needed one. Then, Hank went on to kill thousands of people across many different communities. Should Carol defend him simply because he gave her a pencil?”
“I… er… What do you mean, Ms. Gomez?”
“I mean to say that the Invisible Venom Lizard is a pest,” said Ms. Gomez. “Have you heard of the Hamarta Massacre?”
The students turned silent. The Hamarta Massacre was an event in which several thousand people were killed near this particular area. It occurred due to undisclosed causes, which was why it wasn’t associated with a single entity.
“Well, the Invisible Venom lizard was behind it. So, your moral standpoint doesn’t work out very well, does it?”
The student, with his head hung low, returned to his previous position.
Ms. Gomez glanced at the other teachers, who nodded in acknowledgement. She then cleared her throat.
“Hunt in groups of no less than three. The teachers will be tailing some groups and will be sensitive to the beeps of your wristwatches or your screams.”
At that moment, everyone spread out.