Outside
"Damn, where did Victor go?" Ruby's eyes widened in panic as she looked at Amanda, who was staring at the spot where Victor had vanished, a deep frown on her face.
"Looks like it's not just him," Amanda said in a cold voice as her sharp gaze swept over the surroundings. The entire hall was almost empty now. She had clearly seen not one but hundreds of portals suddenly appear, swallowing all the people who had been trying to comprehend techniques. She assumed they had all been teleported somewhere else.
'This can't be because of his Primogenitor bloodline…right?' At first, when she saw Victor get swallowed, Amanda had panicked and thought the phenomenon was caused by his bloodline. But after seeing many others also taken by the portals, she dismissed the idea.
"Miss Amanda, do you think he's alright?" Ruby asked nervously, her voice trembling. Amanda raised an eyebrow at her words.
'Hah, his little fan club sure adores him,' Amanda thought with a sigh as she rubbed her temples. Instead of replying, she pulled out a small glowing orb from her storage ring.
"That's… a Life Orb!" Ruby's eyes widened in shock as she recognized the item.
A Life Orb was an artifact used to signify whether a person was alive or dead. As long as the orb remained intact, it meant the person was still alive. Even Ruby had one. During admission, the Light Academy created a Life Orb for every student, allowing the academy to track if they were still alive. It was necessary, as students frequently went out to train and fight monsters. The death rate was extremely high, and every year, many—especially non-Rankers—never returned.
"Looks like he's not in any danger," Amanda said with a sigh as she saw the intact orb. Ruby also sighed in relief seeing the orb.
Step. Step.
Both girls turned their heads toward the sound of hurried footsteps and saw a group of staff members rushing over while glancing at the area. Their faces were pale, and sweat dripped down their foreheads.
"Damn, it's really true…" one of the staff members muttered. Without even acknowledging Amanda or Ruby, he stopped nearby and scanned the surroundings, confirming that all the people who had been studying the techniques and spells had completely vanished.
Ring. Ring.
The staff member quickly pulled out a futuristic, mana-powered phone and answered the call.
"Hello? How's the situation there?" a panicked voice asked from the other end.
"It's the same here," the staff member replied grimly.
"I understand," the voice said before abruptly hanging up.
Amanda and Ruby had clearly overheard the conversation. Amanda narrowed her eyes and finally spoke.
"Hey, what's going on?" she asked with a frown.
The staff member froze, then turned to her in surprise.
"Ah… Lady Amanda, I didn't notice you. Did someone related to you also vanish?" he asked hurriedly.
"Yes, my student also vanished. Now, what happens? Do you know anything?" Amanda asked with a narrowed gaze, causing the man to break out in even more sweat under her intimidating stare.
"I-I don't know… but the headquarters on the upper floors informed us that the same thing is happening across every branch in the tower. Portals appeared and sucked people in… the entire headquarters is in chaos because of this sudden event. They called us to confirm if it was the same here, and they still can't figure out what's happening," the staff member hurriedly replied.
"It's happening in the upper floors?" Ruby cried out in disbelief. She had never set foot inside the tower before, and in her eyes, Rankers from the upper floors were invincible. Hearing that even they couldn't figure out what was going on left her deeply shaken.
"Lady Amanda, you should evacuate quickly. We don't know if the portals will emerge again," urged one of the staff members anxiously—but he immediately fell silent when he received a cold look.
"Hmph, I'll stay. Do you think something as trivial as this can scare me?" Amanda said with a sneer.
Seeing Amanda's confidence, Ruby and the other staff members also stayed behind.
'Just what is going on…' Amanda thought with a profound frown on her face.
---
Victor looked at the sword that suddenly emerged in front of them, which startled everyone. Without hesitation, he quickly grabbed the hilt of the sword infornt of him, since he didn't have any weapon on him, while the others were still frozen in thought due to current situation.
[ All other weapons and artifacts will be seized by the Records, except those given during the trial. They will be returned after the trial ends. ]
Woosh—
As soon as the text appeared, everyone who had been confident despite their greatly diminished strength suddenly panicked as all their weapons and artifacts vanished instantly.
"Shit, all my stuff is gone!" cursed one man, looking at his empty hands in panic, even his armour was gone.
"Heavens, I'm screwed! I relied on the equipment my family provided, that's why I was confident… but now I'm literally doomed!" shouted a noble as sweat poured down his forehead as he checked himself.
"Hah, that's what happens to noble bastards who rely too much on equipment. Luckily, my foundation is strong—I'm confident I can handle whatever trial comes my way!" mocked a commoner with a sneer while looking at the nobles.
"You commoners are just jealous!" the noble retorted angrily.
"Damn, I guess I'll have to make do with the weapons the Records provided," another person muttered as he grabbed one of the swords, his expression tense.
"Hah, at least there's a variety of weapons. If they were all swords, I'd be a fish on the chopping block," someone else said in relief as he picked up a spear.
Victor silently observed as curses and shouts filled the air. The people who had relied heavily on equipment were the most panicked, while those with strong foundations remained confident.
Whoosh! Woosh! Woosh!
Soon, under their gaze, hundreds of portals began to form around them.