Bab 65: Ch 65:- Meeting an Original
All the students were left speechless and confused when the names were announced. However, they weren't the only ones feeling confused. Quinn and the others who were called up to the front also shared their bewilderment. They knew they hadn't had much opportunity to scan during their expedition, especially when they were underground where the scanning devices didn't work.
"How did they get the top marks? Our group managed to scan around fifteen different plants and three new beasts. Are they saying they scanned more than that?" a student complained, furrowing their brow.
"They must have, otherwise, why were they called up?" another student replied, equally puzzled.
But the students from Del's class who knew the truth remained silent. They remembered how Quinn and the others didn't have many chances to contribute in terms of scanning, but they also recognized the bravery and selflessness displayed by Rayne. They were truly grateful to him because many students on the brink of death were revived due to Rayne's exceptional medical skills. Although no points were awarded for such actions, they believed their bravery deserved recognition.
However, there was one person in Del's class who harbored different feelings, and that was their teacher, Del himself. For some unknown reason, he still held a grudge against Quinn and the others, especially after the incidents that occurred during the expedition. Del was even surprised that they had managed to survive, considering their low levels. He couldn't comprehend how Rayne had come out on top, as he didn't recall grading Rayne. Del didn't voice his concerns about this, though, as he hadn't read the instructions clearly, unaware of the details. However, there was another student who shared Del's doubts, and that was Quinn.
"That's impossible! There must be some kind of mistake or cheating going on!" Del exclaimed loudly. "I checked the scores on their scanners, and not only that, they had fifty points deducted from their team due to an incident that involved breaking one of my other pupil's arms."
Del quickly scanned the area, searching for the student who had suffered the broken arm, but they were nowhere to be found. He realized that the student was among those who had lost their lives during the expedition. Nonetheless, Del's words were enough to reignite the anger and frustration among the students once again.
"Hey, I think I recognize him. I always see him in Leo's class. They often spar with each other," a student said.
Another student blinked and furrowed their brow, "Wait, so are you saying that guy's like a teacher's pet? A suck-up!"
"This is so unfair! There's no other way to explain this; it has to be favoritism."
"There has to be a reason for this. Why don't you all calm down? Violence is not the path."
"You shut up!"
The voices of the disgruntled students grew louder, and those who supported Quinn and the others became a minority. The tension in the air escalated rapidly.
"Enough!" Leo's voice boomed as he slammed his sheathed blade into the ground, causing a small vibration to ripple through the earth. "The students that have been called, please come to the front. If I hear another word from anyone..." Leo didn't finish his sentence, but the implication hung in the air, silencing the dissenting voices.
The students who had been called stepped forward and made their way to the front. However, instead of receiving looks of admiration and jealousy, they were met with glares of pure hatred. Cia, who still didn't fully feel like she belonged to the group, hated every bit of the situation. But she was spellbound by her master's orders and she couldn't deny his command.
Seeing the seething rage of the crowd, Fay decided to take action based on the information she had discovered earlier.
"Listen up, all of you! There's a reason why these students here have been selected as the winners of today's event." Fay reached into the crate filled with scanners that had been collected behind them and pulled out one in particular.
"This scanner here belongs to Logan. Each of these students discovered something that is worth far more points than any beast or plant could ever be." Fay pressed a button on the scanner, causing a 3D holographic model to appear. It showcased a recreation of the town that Logan had managed to capture on his scanner, the one he had made before entering the tunnels below.
"As you can all see, this right here is a Dalki base. It seems they arrived on this planet before us. This is the real reason why we are leaving, not just because of the powerful beasts on this planet."
With that revelation, everyone understood, leaving no room for argument.
"If it weren't for these students discovering such a place, perhaps none of us would be left standing," Leo added.
With no more complaints, the students willingly gathered their belongings, prepared to head back to the school once again. It now made sense to them why the shelter had been on high alert. The soldiers were getting ready to move out. Once all the belongings had been gathered, several portals were placed on the ground.
As Quinn turned his head to look around, he noticed that Rayne was not present. Once again, he had disappeared, and the people living in the treetop homes were not packing. They stood there with worried expressions on their faces, peering from above.
"Why aren't they packing their things?" Quinn asked, his concern evident in his voice.
"What do you mean? These people have nowhere to go," Layla replied. "They probably spent all the money they had to move here. Even if the military allowed them to use the teleporters and head back to Earth, they would be left homeless without shelter or a means to earn credits."
"But if the soldiers leave this place, then there will be no one to protect them from beast attacks," Quinn pointed out.
Layla fell silent, and Vorden placed a reassuring hand on Quinn's shoulder. Both of them understood the plight of these people, trapped in a precarious situation.
As the portals were set up and ready to transport them back to the base, the group began to walk towards them.
Meanwhile, a few minutes earlier, at the military base, Nathan could be seen in his office with his feet up on the desk, taking a rare moment to relax. With the first-year students on their outing, there wasn't much for him to do at the moment, allowing him a well-deserved break.
"I wish I had this much free time every day," Nathan remarked. While he remained concerned for the students, knowing that Leo would be with them provided some reassurance. Nathan was one of the few who truly understood Leo's real strength.
The probability of the students being on a high-risk planet was low, but even if they were, Nathan was confident that Leo could handle it.
Just then, a loud knock echoed on his door.
"Come in," Nathan called out.
A soldier quickly entered, his face filled with panic.
"Sir, it's Sergeant Leo. He has sent a message informing us that he will be coming back soon."
"What!" Nathan exclaimed, jumping out of his chair. "It's only been one day."
The soldier gulped before delivering the next piece of information.
"That's not all, sir. I think you better take a look at the report he sent. It seems like the whole shelter will be evacuating from the place."
Nathan hastily read the detailed report, his eyes widening with each line. If the contents of the report were true, he couldn't fault Leo's decision-making.
In the present moment, inside the portal room at the school, multiple medical staff and military personnel stood by, following Nathan's orders. Information from the shelter integration had been passed on, and most of the students had already received medical treatment there, but the additional presence was a precautionary measure.
Nathan stood nervously, tapping his foot as they waited. Finally, the portal began to flicker, and Leo emerged first, followed by all the students.
The students were directed to their respective class groups, where their teachers gathered them, waiting for further instructions. When the last student had exited the portal, and everyone's presence had been confirmed, Nathan gave the command.
"Cut the link," Nathan ordered.
Two soldiers hurried to the portal and pressed buttons on either side before disconnecting the thick pipes supplying it with energy. Within seconds, the orange waviness of the portal disappeared, revealing the other side of the wall.
This necessary step ensured that no beasts or other entities could follow them and enter the base.
The portal was then moved aside, no longer intended for student use. It would only be activated again when the portal color changed to red, signaling the entry of stronger soldiers.
The students waited in the room, unaware of what was happening next. Vorden, however, had a heavy thought on his mind, especially concerning Cia. He leaned towards Quinn and whispered, his voice filled with concern.
"Hey Quinn, we need to do something about Cia. She witnessed your abilities. I don't know why she hasn't revealed it yet, but it's too risky for her to know."
Quinn agreed wholeheartedly. The reasons behind Cia's silence didn't matter; unlike their previous allies, she wasn't a friend they could trust.
Before Quinn moved away, Vorden extended his hand and passed something to him. Quinn observed it carefully and realized it was an earring identical to the one worn by Fex. It was black and rectangular in shape.
"It's that flying bull's earring. It told me to give it back to Fex. While you're talking to him, you can return it," Vorden explained.
As Quinn made his way towards Fex, Cia, who was walking away, inadvertently overheard their conversation. She sighed in regret. The events that had unfolded since meeting Rayne had been overwhelming for her. Previously, she had led a carefree life, occasionally spying on Layla to gather information for her mother. But everything changed when she encountered Rayne. She lost her freedom, unable to think ill of him without experiencing excruciating headaches. All of this was due to her affiliation with the Pure.
Cia had initially joined the mission, hoping for an easy and low-risk task that would grant her freedom outside the Pure's grasp. However, all those hopes had vanished. While she still had physical freedom, it was the mental freedom she missed the most.
"Sigh, it is really troublesome, but Rayne did say one thing that was quite accurate: life is a war," Cia thought while deep in contemplation about the events in the cavern. As she lost herself in her thoughts, she suddenly felt someone approaching from behind.
"You..." She said a little startled as she moved back a bit. Still in her head were images of what the student had turned into although she hadn't personally seen it but nonetheless she had seen it. Although she was terrified, she quickly took a deep breath and calmed herself down. There was a high chance that Fex just had a transform ability that changed him into a type of muscular creature but she knew deep down that was not it, through what research she had done on vampire she could only assume that it was some kind of berserker mode.
Fex was perplexed by her reaction but dismissed it, saying, "Don't worry, you will not be afraid anymore." His eyes began to glow red, expecting the usual response where her eyes would dull and emit a faint red glow in return.
However, to Fex's surprise, Cia appeared amused and curious, as if she already knew what he was attempting or had witnessed it before. She swiftly retorted with a sassy remark, "If you're done with your sparkly eyes trick, I'll be on my way." Cia turned around and briskly walked away, leaving Fex bewildered.
Fex absentmindedly rejoined the others, and Quinn, puzzled by the encounter, asked, "Did it work?"
"It didn't work," Fex replied. "She resisted it."
"What?" Quinn asked shocked he couldn't understand how it didn't work. Looking at Cia's retreating figure with a perplexed expression, he thought to himself, "Isn't she just a level four ability user?"
Cia was filled with excitement, thinking, "It really worked! I thought the first time was a coincidence, but it truly worked. I need to inform Master about this immediately." However, she was faced with a challenge—she had no idea where Rayne was, "I still can't understand how can he vanish like that with his ability it is without a doubt that he would have been a great assassin taking out the world leaders in one night without breaking a sweat."
Meanwhile, Rayne found himself back in his room after emerging from the portal he had returned to his dorm room. Without wasting a moment, he retrieved his hidden scroll from underneath the bed setting it up along with the blue glowing lantern making the mist to once again flow down covering the scroll and empowering it with energy after that touched it, causing it to react and emit a bright glow. The glow enveloped his entire body as he was transported back to the planet he had just left. Perched on a tree branch, he surveyed the shelter, observing the houses nestled atop trees, some closer to the ground but not too close.
As Rayne prepared to depart, a rustling sound caught his attention. Without warning, five formidable, advanced-tier dinosaur-like beasts charged towards him. Glancing at his soul force bar, which displayed a mere [100/100,000], Rayne realized that his energy was insufficient to unleash any advanced spells capable of defeating them. With swift thinking, he summoned his Odachi, unsheathing its gleaming blade, and leapt down from the tree. His bracers transformed into a full suit of samurai-like armor, providing him with impenetrable defense, except for his head.
As he landed on the ground with a resounding thud, the onlookers were stunned by his appearance and the beast's disoriented expressions. Foam oozed from their mouths, indicating the effects of hallucinogenic plant toxins, much like the orangutan-like creatures before. Rayne assumed a ready stance, anticipating their attack. One of the beasts lunged, employing its vine-like appendages as whips, aiming to ensnare him. Reacting swiftly, Rayne countered with a precise slash, severing the vine. However, the other beasts wasted no time and joined the assault. Using their vines, they snatched and pulled humans from the platforms and bridges of the towering trees.
Undeterred, Rayne channeled his qi into his legs, leaping and sprinting at incredible speed. He slashed at the vines attempting to ensnare the humans, freeing them from the beasts' clutches. Some of the humans defended themselves with the meager weapons they possessed, fighting back against the onslaught.
Determined to bring an end to the chaos, Rayne sheathed his blade momentarily and inflicted a deep wound on his hand, allowing copious amounts of blood to flow. With his blade drawn once more, he unleashed a powerful strike, combining his blood aura and qi, uttering the words, "Bloody Slash!" The attack surged forward, slicing through the necks of three colossal dinosaur beasts, causing their decapitated bodies to crash to the ground making it shake and send shock wave through out the ground.
Rayne stumbled as the shockwave hit him, but he quickly regained his balance, his muscles tensing to maintain his footing. The relentless onslaught had taken its toll, and he could feel the dizziness creeping in, a consequence of the substantial amount of blood he had expended. Sweat trickled down his forehead, but there was no time for respite. Two more fearsome beasts continued their assault, accompanied by a relentless swarm of insect-like creatures, resembling giant mosquitoes and a massive mantis.
"What the fuck! Oh, and more blood-sucking insects? Where the hell are these even coming from?" Rayne exclaimed, frustration and fatigue evident in his voice. With fluid grace, he swiftly decapitated another mantis-like beast while simultaneously dispatching a giant mosquito attempting to sink its proboscis into his flesh.
Suddenly, a powerful explosion erupted, shattering the air with a thunderous force. One of the vine beasts collapsed in a heap, followed swiftly by its companion. As the echoes of the battle subsided, a momentary stillness settled over the area, broken only by the heavy panting of Rayne as he scanned the surroundings for any lingering threats.
His attention was drawn to a gathering of people, their voices mingling in animated conversation. No longer locked in combat, they seemed grateful, their gazes filled with awe and appreciation. Among them, a woman bowed before their savior, a figure that Rayne instantly recognized as the vampire progenitor who had recently awakened from a deep slumber.
"Sigh, I guess I'm not that likable. Even though I saved them, they didn't even say thanks. But I don't mind," Rayne muttered to himself, a mix of weariness and resignation coloring his words. Just then, his keen senses detected a singular wasp, visibly pregnant. Realization struck him like a bolt of lightning, and he swiftly unleashed a devastating blood slash, severing the threat in an instant.
The people who had been engrossed in their conversation turned their attention towards Rayne, their expressions shifting from surprise to curiosity. Their gaze fell upon the ground where the wasp had fallen, revealing a small girl, no older than eleven, rising from the earth. The woman who had been standing there rushed forward, embracing the girl tightly. She then approached Rayne, her voice filled with gratitude as she spoke, "Thanks for saving her, sir, and for helping us earlier. By the way, my name is Ruby."
Rayne nodded in acknowledgement, his fatigue momentarily forgotten, and replied with a warm tone, "You're welcome, Ruby. I'm glad I could be of assistance. My name is Rayne."
As Rayne and Ruby conversed, the vampire progenitor of the 14th family, Arthur Pendragon, stepped forward, his gaze fixed on Rayne. In a gesture of respect, Arthur extended his hand, a glimmer of curiosity in his eyes. "My name is Arthur. It's a pleasure to meet you."
Rayne accepted the handshake, his grip firm and confident, as he responded, "I am Rayne, Arthur. Likewise, it's a pleasure to meet you." Arthur's scrutinizing gaze lingered on Rayne, a mixture of intrigue and calculation apparent in his expression. There was something about Rayne's armor, an air of unfamiliar power that piqued Arthur's curiosity.
"That was a blood slash, right? Even the previous one," Arthur inquired, his voice measured and perceptive.
Rayne nodded, meeting Arthur's gaze directly. "Yes, you're correct. They were blood slashes."
"Hmm, you seem to possess formidable power, even for someone as young as you. Let's cut to the chase. Do you happen to have my ring?" Arthur asked, his tone serious and searching.
Rayne's initial confusion gave way to recognition as he recalled the ring Quinn had been wearing. "Is he referring to that?" Rayne wondered silently before answering, "I don't have it, Arthur."
Arthur's keen eyes studied Rayne intently, his instincts sensing the truth in his words. "Hmm, you seem to be speaking the truth," he acknowledged with a hint of satisfaction.
Curiosity getting the better of him, Arthur continued, "By the way, what brings you to this place?"
Rayne met Arthur's gaze with unwavering honesty and replied, "I came here to collect herbs."
Arthur and the others exchanged amused glances, intrigued by Rayne's unexpected response. Ruby, her curiosity piqued, voiced her astonishment, "Herbs in this forest? I never imagined they could be found here, let alone used for consumption."
Rayne nodded, maintaining his composure, and clarified, "Indeed, Ruby. There are valuable herbs that grow in this forest. Now, if you'll excuse me, I must continue my search."
Arthur's eyes held a glimmer of disappointment as he voiced his final question, a glimmer of hope still lingering. "Wait, before you go, do you have any knowledge of what happened to my people?"
Rayne's expression turned somber, regret coloring his features. "I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I am unaware of what transpired," he replied sincerely.
With that, Rayne turned and strode towards the forest. With that he vanished from the shelter, reappearing amidst the foliage, resuming his solitary quest for herbs.
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Sorry, guys. I don't think I will be able to update regularly like I used to. The pressure of my studies is increasing, so expect irregular updates, as it has been for a while. But don't worry, every week there will be at least two chapters.
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone