"Teacher Jon, are you okay?" Veyra asked as she saw his angry and twisted face.
"Ahh, see for yourself," Jon said, pointing towards the little mischievous group entering the school.
"Oh no! Don't they hear our warning?" Veyra immediately panicked.
"Calm down, you get worked up too easily," Old Ray said, patting her shoulder. "I saw Aedric running inside just a moment ago—they should be going to get him."
In the end, he added with a smile, "Such deep friendship."
Knowing that even Aedric, who was the most calm-headed, got inside, Jon's legs almost gave out. "If you saw them, why didn't you say so sooner?"
"~Cough~ I'm getting old. Do you still expect me to think so fast?" Old Ray said with a serious face.
"This is bad. We have to go and get all of them out," Jon said, gritting his teeth. As he expanded his mana, he could feel chills rising.
The monster mana was getting denser.
"Right, I will come with you," Veyra said, though anyone could see she was trembling with fear.
"~Sigh~ I guess I have to move some muscles today," Old Ray said with a smile.
"WAIT!" Max hurriedly shouted. "If all of you go, who will keep these kids in check?"
"Oh, that you can do for us… don't worry. The principal must have already informed the authorities—they should be here soon," Old Ray said, as all of them, in the blink of an eye, ran inside.
It couldn't be helped. After all, the students who were in danger were the treasures of the school. They were only kids—not just in school, but in the entire city—who had almost reached the peak of human capacity in stats before entering the Tower.
And this was no normal achievement.
---
Back in the canteen..
"No, we can't do that," Kael said in a firm tone.
Aedric frowned a bit, but he knew how Kael was, so he wasn't surprised.
"Wahahahaawaa!" the man screamed, continuing his cries.
"It's hopele—"
"Yo!"
A soft and warm voice entered Aedric and Kael's ears, making them both shiver.
They instinctively looked back, only to find Alex standing there with a grin.
"So, what are you both up to without your dada, hehe," Alex said.
It's just that this friend reunion vibe (according to Alex) was immediately destroyed by the painful screams of the man whose name was still unknown.
"Al… Alex… wa… wait, it's—ahhh~" Alina, who came running, said breathlessly. Running straight at top speed from the ground floor to the canteen wasn't exactly easy.
"Damn, ~huff~ how can he be so fast all of a sudden?" Robert panted heavily behind Alina, with Corin beside him, not faring much better.
"Wahahahaa! Help meee! Mommmm! Waaaah!"
They all turned their eyes toward the screaming man.
There, a slime monster half their size was swallowing the man's right hand, steam rising and the smell of meat filling the air.
"Right! Time to hit the books," Robert and Alina said with the utmost serious faces before turning back toward the direction they came from.
Of course, Alina didn't forget to cling to Alex's arm and drag him along with her.
"WHAT!! COWARDS! You both don't even study for exams." Kael immediately criticized them.
Corin, at the side, was embarrassed. He looked at the man and said, "Sorry!" bowing a bit before quickly turning back and following Robert, Alina, and Alex (who was still being dragged).
'What the heck? ... Still, Alina is so soft…' Alex's thoughts were wholeheartedly focused on Alina's breast pressing against his arm.
'No, no, control yourself, Alex! You can't let her know.' Alex stiffened at the thought. He was caught between heaven and hell.
---
A few seconds later..
"Don't worry, uncle, I'm here to save you!" Robert shouted as he took a step towards the monster.
WAAHHAHAHAQQQW!
Robert immediately took two steps back, wearing a "noble" face.
"Please, stop… waaahh… just get me out of here," the man—who had regained some clarity after several minutes of terror—said in a begging tone.
Kael took a deep breath, preparing to use his absolute speed, but his legs immediately screamed in pain, veins popping out all over them.
"Ahh!"
"What are you doing?" Aedric asked as he looked at Kael.
Suddenly, three people appeared in front of them.
"What are you doing? Get out of here!" Jon shouted at them.
Leaving Aedric, the rest lowered their heads, fidgeting with their fingers.
Teacher Jon's mouth twisted at the sight… It was always like this. Every single time they messed up, they reacted the same way.
"Haha, these kids never get serious, do they?" Old Ray said, stroking his chin.
At the man's scream, Kael looked at the teachers and immediately said, "Teacher, quickly save him!"
Teacher Veyra looked at the slime, raised her hands, and just as she was about to use her magic, they all heard a loud explosion—followed by Jack's voice.
"Great! You're here… handle this guy for us, will ya?" Jack's voice resounded in their ears.
In the next moment, to the outstanding shock of all, the teachers were engulfed in mana and floated toward the center of the now-broken school.
"Damn…" Robert muttered, his mouth wide open.
All the teachers were Tier 1 climbers, yet they were taken away so effortlessly.
"Tch, now we're back at square one," Aedric clicked his tongue in annoyance.
He knew Kael wouldn't leave until they saved the man—and he himself couldn't abandon him to die.
"Well, looks like it's up to us to save the last bit of the school's remaining face," Alex said with a teasing smile.
"Now you too? Ahhh, this is frustrating…" Sighing, Aedric resigned himself to his fate.
"So, how are we going to save him then?" Robert asked with a raised eyebrow.
Alex looked at him and replied in a mocking tone, "We? We? Really?"
Ignoring Robert's angry face, Alex turned to Kael and said, "Run at your current full speed."
"Huh? What?" Kael was confused—until he saw Alex raising his hands toward him.
"Strength Boost. Stamina Boost. Speed Boost."
Three glowing circles enveloped Kael, making him forget his pain and filling his body with more strength and energy.
Without hesitation or asking for clarification, Kael entered his Godspeed mode.
This time he was faster—much faster. His body surged ahead so quickly that even his brain started lagging behind his physical speed.
He nearly reached half the speed needed to break the sound barrier.
By the time Alex blinked, Kael was no longer standing where he had been. Lowering his hands, Alex looked ahead.
The man was no longer with the monster.
Then, everyone heard a loud crash from behind the slime.
"Oh my godash!" Alina gasped, her mouth wide open.
---
A/N:
We are almost at the end of first volume Awakening.
In three to four chapter I should be done. Hope you liked it.
Comment your thoughts about it. This was a small volume next one will be bigger with alot more action and world building.