"We're cooked!"
Kael looked at the ball of violent mana quickly forming in the monster's mouth and swallowed hard.
It would be a lie to say he wasn't afraid at this moment—he had never been this close to death.
"N... no, I don't... wan...t... to... d..ie..." The man tried to crawl toward the exit.
But it was too late.
WAAAOOPPPPAA!
The monster launched the mana ball toward them. The violent energy cut through the air as it flew, creating a loud, piercing noise.
Kael's eyes widened with fear, his blue irises reflecting the incoming attack.
"Shit!" Kael instinctively closed his eyes as his life flashed before him.
BOOOOM!!
A deafening explosion erupted, filling the canteen with a dazzling mix of green and blue light.
Ba-dump, ba-dump, ba-dump
For a moment, the only sound Kael could hear was the beating of his heart. But then, noticing that he wasn't in pain, he slowly opened his eyes.
And he saw two men. One held a giant sword, the other a flying book.
"Not bad, Kael. You did the school a favor," Teacher Doran said with a serious expression.
"Teacher Doran... huff~" Kael sighed in relief upon seeing him.
Everyone in the school knew Doran was a Tier 2 climber—one of the strongest people in the city, if not the strongest.
A Tier 2 climber was no joke. Just one casual attack from them could easily destroy a street.
And it's important to note—this isn't a street from 500 years ago, made only from mortal materials.
These were mana-enforced streets.
Even a level 100 climber, or a non-combat Tier 1 climber, wouldn't be able to leave so much as a crack.
Kael then turned to look at the other man: lean, dressed in a magic robe, and seemingly in his late twenties.
It was Jack, the one who had helped with their awakening. Then Kael noticed that they were standing inside a green, transparent barrier, while outside it the monster howled in anger.
The canteen was a mess of broken chairs and tables. He also noticed that the entire canteen itself seemed to be wrapped in a barrier.
'Well, if there wasn't a barrier, half the school would've been destroyed,' Kael thought. The monster's attack was no joke. Even though he didn't have any inspection skills, Kael knew only a Tier 2 climber could start using ambient mana.
And even among them, only truly talented magicians could do it.
"This thing is no joke. I can't defeat it," Jack said in a serious tone—so unlike his usual nonchalant one.
"How can a monster of this caliber even be here?" Doran asked, his eyes narrowing as he looked at the result of his Inspect spell. A D++ skill.
[Name: Varient Slime
Species: Rare (Involving)
Combat: (3-Stage) Mana Core Formation]
A rare species—due to its evolving nature.
"If it evolves, it will become an Epic species, and we can't fight that," Jack said with a tense look.
To fight an Epic-grade monster would require a squad of Tier 2 climbers.
"Well, then we have to defeat it before that happens." Doran stepped out of the green transparent barrier and took a fighting stance with his sword.
[ Name: Doran Swif
Title: N/A
Technique: Zephyr Circulation
Level: (1-Stage) Mana Core Formation
Element: Wind
Class: Wind Greatsword
Talent: N/A
Skill: Inspect (D++), Wind Slash (D), Air Step (D-), Momentum (D+++), Wind Guard (D), Wind Breaker (C-)]
'I have to end this quick.....Wind Slash' Teacher Doran stook a step forward and swing his sword releasing a sharp cutting gust.
Fwssshh!
The slime monster shouted seeing the incoming attack but it can't doze it.
The gust of wind cut through the monster as it scremed in pain.
But Doran didn't let his moment down he used Air step and then his another skill Momentum.
[Air Step (D-): Uses wind to leap higher or dash mid-strike.]
[Momentum (D+++): Consecutive attacks grow lighter and faster]
"YAAAAA!!" In a second, Doran swung his giant sword hundreds of times across the slime monster, cutting it from every side.
"Hufffff~" Doran landed on the ground, a few beads of sweat on his forehead, the tiles beneath him cracked.
"Sustain Spirit!"
A faint green light glowed on Doran, making him feel as if his stamina was flowing freely.
'What a strong spell… it must be at least a C grade,' Doran thought in amazement, even though he wasn't really exhausted and could keep going like that for hours.
But still, continuous use of skills at their limit can drain a good amount of stamina.
"Don't be distracted, this guy isn't defeated yet," Jack said, looking at the slime monster regenerating rapidly.
And not only that—some small slimes started forming from its body.
"What the heck?" Kael said in confusion. Slimes are weak monsters; even their variants aren't that strong.
Not to mention, Kael had never read about this in any book.
"We're all going to die," the man who had been full of hope a moment ago said, falling into despair again as he saw the monster's rapid regeneration.
---
School Ground
"Hmmm, it seems Kael really is a protagonist," Alex mumbled as his eyes easily saw everything going on in the canteen.
[Skygaze (A++): An enchanted eye that pierces the horizon, allowing its user to observe distant lands as if they were nearby.]
'Still… how did this monster suddenly come here?' Alex thought, not realizing that it was all his carelessness that led to this event.
'Well, whatever. I'll deal with it if they can't.'
"Aren't you going to help?"
Alex blinked and glared to his side. Then he saw a child… floating.
"What?" The child tilted their head as they noticed Alex staring.
He looked to be about five years old, with white hair and a blue eye. It was an incredibly adorable and cute child.
But Alex noticed that no one else was looking at the mysterious child, meaning only he could actually see it.
"What are you?" Alex asked, his gaze curious.
"Oh! Right, sorry." The child cutely stuck out their tongue while winking and spoke.
"I am...."