*** BloodyWolf Forest ***
[ "Headteacher, Don't you think that some students should be out by now? We are only left with 10 minutes before the time is up." ]
[ "Strange, in the past most of the students would be out by now. Do you think something happened to students?" ]
[ "Should we send some professors to check the situation?" ]
The professor was discussing what they should do. They have never encountered such a situation in the past. Some professors suggested going in the forest while some others told them to wait till the time is up.
-HUFF! -HUFF!
While the professors were voting which option to choose, the Head Teacher notice some students approaching the entrance.
[ "Ho ho, Looks like we are worried for nothing. Some students are going to reach the entrance soon." ]
[ "Hahaha. I told you there was nothing to worry about, the students must have stayed to earn more points. After all, this batch of students is Golden Generation." ]
'Golden Generation' is used to describe the first-year students in Humalia Domain. The students of this year were all stronger than other years. While it was a blessing to have a total of about 50 Rank-E - students in other years however this year the Rank-E - was numbered at more than 200 students with 10 students being in Rank-E and 1 student in Rank-E +.
From this batch of students at least 10 students are expected to reach Rank-SS. Rank-SS humans were the cornerstone of human peace. Excluding Zion, Lisa, and Hiro from Ace Academy, at least 7 other students from different Academy had reached Rank-E which indicate that they have the potential to reach Rank-SS.
All the professors from different academies were paying extra attention to their first years. They would eventually become the ones who will lead humans in decades to come.
The professors were relieved to see that the students were coming out.
However, the Head Teacher notice something odd about this group of students.
At glance, they seem to just come out of the BloodyWolf Forest, however, you will notice that they were sprinting and running as if someone was after their life. Another reason was the number of students in the group, one group consist of 5 students but he could only see 3 students in that group.
( Something is up. )
Though it could also be that they were working separately. It was not that rare as some students dislike each other and some like to operate alone.
In any case, Head Teacher found the situation strange and with no other students in sight, he thought it might be that the students are in some danger.
[ "Professor Mia, hurry and call all the professors quickly. " ]
-WHOOSH!
Head Teacher didn't waste his time, immediately after asking professor Mia to gather other professors he quickly approached the students.
The Head Teacher appeared before the three students in seconds. The three students were indeed Zero's teammates. They were able to avoid the Devil Contractor by going from another way instead of going straight from the forest. They luckily encountered no Devil Contractors on their way.
They were all alerted by Head Teacher appearing before them. They all took their battle stance thinking it was Devil Contractors.
[ "Student why are your teammates missing?" ]
[ "Huh?" ]
After noticing that the person before them was the professor, not their enemy, they were glad.
[ "Sir, Devil Contractors has entered the BloodyWolf forest. We are ambushed by them but we killed them. However, others were also fighting with Devil Contractors so our two teammates went to help them while we are here to report the situation to the professors. Please, send the professors to help as soon as possible. " ]
[ "WHAT? Devil Contractors. How did they pass through the guard? What is the surveillance team doing? We need to rescue the students as soon as possible." ]
*****
[ "Hahaha. I gave you the chance but you all didn't take it. Don't blame me for killing you." ]
The Leader had already won the battle with one move. He would suffer a backlash for eating the fruit but he would recover in a month.
The reward for Hiro's head was comparable to some of Rank-A heroes, he would be able to get enough Dark ore to reach Rank-C. He was not afraid to suffer from this little side effect in exchange for Hiro Life.
-SWISH!
[ "Huh?" ]
The Leader sensed someone powerful coming in their direction. At least Rank-B, considering the place, he concluded it was probably some professors of Ace Academy.
[ "I got to finish the job quickly and escape." ]
-WHOOSH!
The Leader quickly advanced towards Hiro.
-SHUA!
However, before the Leader could take the life of Hiro, the Head Professor had already used his skill.
The Leader was blown by the Head Teachers Wind attack. Even with the distance between them being more than a football field still, Head Teacher was incredibly more powerful than the Leader. Even with his attack losing power due to the distance, it had more than enough power to injure someone at Rank-D.
-SPURT!
The Leader spat a mouthful of blood. He looked at the Head Teacher who was quickly proceeding towards him. He knew that he had failed his task.
He clenched his fist but he didn't try to take Hiro's life. This was his last chance to escape from there.
The Leader took out a round object from his storage ring and threw the round object on the ground. The round object burst and opened a portal.
[ "Next time, I will definitely kill you all. Kekeke…." ]
[ "Huh? Looks like he escaped. Was that the thing they used to infiltrate the test area? I need to report this to the higher-ups." ]
The Head Teacher move near the students and checked their pulse and was at ease after finding out that they were still alive.
At the same time, other professors were also busy helping other students. The professor had killed some Devil Contractors while others Devil Contractors escaped using a portal.
*****
[ [ "Zero" ] ]
It was Misha and Sylvia trying to wake Zero at the school infirmary. It had been three days after the incident at BloodyWolf Forest. Misha and Sylvia had recovered after two days of rest at the school infirmary.
They heard Zero had regained consciousness so they had come to take a look at him.
[ "Looks like he is still sleeping." ]
[ "Well, Can't help it. We can just eat the porridge ourselves. Let him rest, after all, he had a battle with many Devil Contractors. I was practically useless there." ]
[ "No, no. Sylvia, you have also fought hard with the Devil Contractors. You have saved mine and other team member life, we are very grateful for that." ]
[ "Even so we would be dead if Zero didn't show up we would have ended up dead. }
They were silent for a moment. Sylvia and Misha both were overpowered by one Devil Contractor. Not only that Sylvia was not even able to take care of the Mage Devil Contractor. Sylvia felt helpless at that moment.
Misha was also thinking about that time but she was also thinking about something else. She stared at Zero's face.
( Something is different. )
[ "Anyway, Misha you seem familiar with Zero. Do you know him?" ]
Snapping her out of her thought was Sylvia's question.
[ "Ah. Yes, We studied at the same school. We were in a different class but we did interact with each other." ]
[ "WHAT? You were his schoolmate?" ]
After being startled, Sylvia asked.
[ "So were he always this powerful." ]
[ "Well, we had gone to dungeon together a couple of times. I have seen him fight but he was nowhere as strong as when he fought those Devil Contractors. He was strong but he would only be average when compared to the students of this school." ]
[ "Hmmm. He was average in the middle-school and suddenly became strong after entering Ace Academy. Sounds a lot like someone I know." ]
[ "Well, he might have also hidden his power in middle school. But I don't think he would hide his strength in the Ace Academy entrance exam after all talented students get more resources from the school." ]
[ "Strength aside, what about his personality. Did he have a girlfriend? He seems like the guy that flirts a lot." ]
[ "No. Though I am not sure as we are not that close however he didn't have a girlfriend. Zero was a serious type who would spend most of his time training. He didn't have lots of friends and let alone flirt with girls, he barely spoke with them." ]
[ "So did he change his personality after seeing Lisa. Lisa must be his first Love." ]
( First Love? Impossible after all he …. )
[ "I don't know if he loves Lisa or not but if it was previous Zero, he would not help us at the risk of his life." ]
[ "Really? He felt heroic when he saved us." ]
[ "Zero doesn't like to help others because he can't trust another human. Not anymore after that incident." ]
[ "That incident?" ]
[ "Ah. Nothing. It was nothing. Anyway, we shouldn't disturb Zero anymore. Let us leave." ]
Misha glance back at Zero for the last time before leaving.
( Zero seems different. He feels more human now. He seems just like before that incident. )
[ "Take this medicine according to prescription. Most of your wound had been healed but your veins still need more time to heal or you could take a High-rank potion. Either way, it is a shame that I don't have the chance to use the potion I developed, or do you want to try it. Maybe it will even heal your vein." ]
[ "Ehhh... . Thanks for your offer but I will have to decline." ]
The doctor really gives me a dangerous vibe. He seems very eager to experiment on my body.
( This man is really dangerous, I just hope he didn't give me anything strange when I was unconscious. )
[ "What a shame. You can leave tomorrow. You have to rest here for the rest of the day. Tell me if you feel any discomfort." ]
[ "Okay. Thank you." ]
The doctor went after checking the health monitor.
[ "Okay then. Status" ]
[Status]
===Status===
Name: Zero Elea
Rank: E -
Strength: E +
Speed: E
Stamina: E +
Mana: D
Luck: B
Charm: C +
- - > Skill:
[ Rank SS: Parallel Memory ]
A skill that enables the user to get the memories from their alternative self from another world.
Side Effect: The user may sometimes be overwhelmed by the emotion and personality of the alternative self.
- - > Art:
[ LVL 3: Shadow Style proficiency: Proficient ]
Art that enables the user to use the sword as if the sword is a shadow. The sword slash will be faster and stronger than a normal swing. After mastering the Shadow Style, the user will be able to move and attack using the shadow.
[ LVL 9: Cryomancy: Practitioner ]
Magic Art is said to be made by the strongest Ice mage in history after fighting the Ice dragon. The user will be able to use ice magic to freeze the enemy to death. The Ice related skill will be twice effective and the user will gain tolerance to Cold. After mastering the Cryomancy, the user may be able to freeze the world.
[LVL 6: Dual Art: Beginner ]
A unique Art created by Zero. The Art combines two Art into one. The power and effect depend on the Art that has been combined.
= = = = = = = =
I became happy after seeing my status screen. Not only did my mana increase but also the Dual Art was acknowledged as an Art by the Status. It means I would be able to wield this Art more easily in the future.
After one more day of rest, I was allowed to leave the hospital. I checked the news on my phone and most of it was about the incident at BloodyWolf forest.
' Shocking News! Seven students were killed in Ace Academy Test. '
' Devil Contractors targets Golden Generation '
' Ace Academy Failure! Rank-E Devil Contractors breach security of Rank-S ' ….
And much more similar headlines were popping in my newsfeed. The public was questioning the ability of the teacher of Ace Academy, not being able to stop the Devil Contractors from taking the lives of students.
The most popular news was the interview with the Head Teacher.
[ "Professor Delvin, What do you make of the incident? How did the Devil Contractors manage to enter the test area?" ]
[ "The Devil Contractors used an unknown teleportation device due to which they were able to successfully infiltrate our test ground. I have already reported this to The Authority. They would research a solution for this problem." ]
[ "People are saying that Ace Academy is incompetent and can't even prevent Rank-E Devil Contractors. What do you say to those people?" ]
[ "As a Head Teacher, I have indeed failed in my duties; allowing multiple casualties. However, I believe students are not someone that needs to be always protected by us, such things are common when exploring the dungeon, so they need to learn to survive by themselves. As the future protector of humans, they will face many dangers in the future. Our job is to make sure that they get powerful enough to be able to survive in those dangers." ]
[ "Sir, What do you think the objective of the Devil Contractors was?" ]
[ "We believe they are trying to eliminate our students when they are still weak. Especially since the strongest of Golden Generation attend our school." ]
[ "Strongest? Hiro Ernest! Are you saying that their main target is Hiro Ernest?" ]
[ "Though it is only my assumption however a Rank-D Devil Contractor was fighting with Hiro. And considering his potential we can say that they want to eliminate him before becoming their threat. However, there is no need to panic, Hiro is already able to fight with Rank-D Devil Contractor." ]
[ "Rank-D! Have Hiro defeated that Rank-D Devil Contractor?" ]
[ "Did Hiro reach Rank-D?" ]
[ "Impossible, he was only at Rank-E+ one month back." ]
[ "Sir, Can we have an interview with Hiro?" ] …
The interview with Head Teacher Delvin was intensifying with the reporter asking lots of questions about Hiro though Head Teacher refuse to disclose any more information on Hiro.
They were a lot of discussion on the words said by the professor which is Hiro being able to fight with Rank-D Devil Contractor. This was the tactic used by the Head Teacher to divert the attention of reporters from Ace Academy failure to the strength of Hiro Ernest.
They needed to prevent the public from questioning the Ace Academy's ability. It was already hard for them to reassure the parent of the students especially since seven of them died under their noses.
Lots of news also came out about Hiro Ernest.
' Hiro Ernest: The Next Rank-SSS.'
'First-Year already on par with Rank-D'
' Hiro trample down a Rank-D Devil Contractor.'…
I also check out the other news.
*** Inside an unknown place ***
[ "Hiro trample down a Rank-D Contractor? " ]
The phone was crushed. Veins were popping on his head. The person was the Devil Contractor who fought Hiro, the Leader who lead the assassination that day.
He failed the assassination of Hiro Ernest, the main objective of their mission. He was punished for failing the mission by his superior. He was ridiculed by other Devil Contractors and he lost his position as the leader of the assassination group.
Not only that he suffered from the side effect of using the fruit that is he became extremely weak that he couldn't even retaliate against the weaker Devil Contractors.
[ "Hahaha… Hiro Ernest just wait for me. I will take your head. Both the resource and fame will be mine after I kill you. I will certainly have my revenge after I recover. Hahaha…" ]
******
I have already got the information on what happened to other students from the news. It seems like seven students were killed in this incident. Devil Contractors used teleportation orb to escape, teleportation orb is currently an unknown technology possessed by the demons though it gets invented by humans in the future.
Hiro Ernest fought with Rank-D Devil Contractor and survived. Another news was about Sylvia and other students having killed multiple Rank-E including one Rank-E +.
I closed my phone and lay on the bed. I thought about the incident at BloodyWolf forest.
( I am too weak. If it was not for the other students and professor Mia saving me, right now I am probably dead.)
I even used my ace card Dual Art, and it worked however even with that I have failed to kill all my enemies, endangering my life.
Luckily, Kale and other students have helped me get out of the danger. Otherwise, I don't want to think about the consequences.
( And the novel direction has all gone wrong. The Devil Contractor Vice-Leader fights with the MC and his friend however, in reality, I had to fight with both the Vice-Leaders. Looks like I can't trust everything to happen as written in the novel. )
I changed the World. I took the LVL 9 Magic Art, I must have done other things that have affected the world. But I would not blame myself, if I didn't take the LVL 9 Magic Art then I might be already killed by the Devil Contractors.
I have tried to prevent any change in the world and made effort to keep it the same as the novel. However, even if I tried to keep the world similar to the novel, I failed.
( Instead of worrying about useless things such as keeping the things the same, I might as well try to improve my power. )
One of the things I learned from this incident is no matter what I do, things are bound to be different from the novel.
Another thing is that only after growing powerful would I survive in this chaotic world. It is just the beginning of the novel and I was on the verge of dying. In the coming days, I will definitely face a stronger enemy.
Whenever I think about it I become angry, I did all the useless things to keep the world the same as the novel. Chasing after Lisa, flirting with her, making a fool of myself; I already made lots of enemies due to that.
I really regret doing such things. I already threw the idea of confessing to Lisa in the dustbin. The world has already gone in a different direction, and I don't need to follow the novel.
I have to use my knowledge to my advantage. The weapon, Art, Skill, Elixir, and every other resource that can make me strong, I need to get them before others get them.
( … )
I thought about which item I should find. Weapons? but the effect will not be that great; the weapon I have is already good for my rank. Art? One of my Art is already of the highest level. Skill? only those at Rankin skill and above may help me, however, it is hard to get those even with my knowledge of the novel.
Elixir? Though I reached the Rank-E - recently, with enough elixir, I could quickly reach Rank-E. The easiest method of getting stronger is to rank up. What I need to do is to find the elixir.
The elixir is mostly found in the dungeon and is sold on the market at an astronomical amount. I don't have enough money to buy even Rank-F elixir, not to mention elixir to rank up at Rank-E.
Then the only option left is is to explore a dungeon. And from the knowledge of the novel, I already know a dungeon that has the item I want.
The Rank-E dungeon that is under the control of The Authority. Anyone at Rank-E - and above can enter after paying a fee. This dungeon has a hidden room where many Rank-E herbs grow. It also had the exact item I need, Galanthus Nivalis flower, a rank-E item.
I quickly wrote down everything I know about the dungeon on the notepad and also spend time researching the dungeon from the internet.
From the type of monster and traps to the type of environment in the dungeon. I need to make thorough research and come up with a good plan, after all, anything can happen in a dungeon. I have to plan for every unexpected problem that may occur.
Time to Power-Up!
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