I always did my utmost to meet my parents' expectations. I used to say, "You can do it, Ronan, you're capable."
Even when I entered the academy, I didn't allow myself to envy the kids from noble families. I knew I would reach their level or surpass them if I worked hard.
With those thoughts I entered the Gate of Corruption, but I soon found myself at Death's door.
"why this happen to me?"
My voice came out hoarse as I trembled from the situation. I was surrounded by ten strange beasts with white flowers growing out of their bodies.
My sword shook in my hand as I imagined my imminent death.
"No — I won't die that easily."
I said, gripping my sword tightly and pointing it at a pack of dog-sized creatures. Their bodies were torn by horrible wounds here and there; thorny vines sprouted from the wounds and moved like octopus tentacles.
'Are these monsters even alive?'
I thought as I connected to the Wind Shard and summoned three compressed air spheres, sending them toward the strange dogs.
The spheres exploded, sending strong gusts that hurled the dogs backward before they could steady themselves. I had already moved.
With my body enhanced by wind, I rushed at the first dog, sliced its neck with my sword, and cut it cleanly.
"One down."
Before I could rejoice at killing one, a tremendous pain stabbed through my body.
"Ughhh."
I looked down to see those vines piercing through my belly and coming out the other side.
'Damn, this dog didn't die.'
I fell to my knees, coughing up blood profusely.
'I don't want to die, please someone save me.'
I thought desperately as the dogs charged toward me crazily.
I closed my eyes as they approached, waiting for my death, but…
....
"What—what is happening?"
I opened my eyes slowly to see what had stopped the dogs from killing me.
"Miss WhiteHaven?!!"
Elena WhiteHaven, the goddess of the academy herself, stood before me. She wore a black cloth armor covered with light silver plates protecting her vital areas, holding a long silver sword that It looks like it can cut through the world.
'What about the dogs?'
I looked around to see that the heads of three of the attacking dogs had been severed.
"Miss White Haven, these dogs don't die even if you cut off their heads!"
I shouted quickly, warning her as I coughed blood violently.
"Oh, so that's why. The statu didn't say anything. Anyway, you're going to die — let me help you."
She said with a carefree smile, pointing a finger at me.
A beam of light shot from her fingertip like a laser and pierced my body. The change was immediate — I felt strength returning to me. I looked at my stomach to see the wound healing.
"What the hell—since when can an Awakened heal a wound this severe?"
I shouted in astonishment, trying to understand the miracle before me.
"Stop gawking and stand."
Her firm voice snapped me out of it and I hurried to my feet, ready to fight.
The four corpses whose heads had been cut earlier stood up.
"So if they remain alive when decapitated, what if I destroy them completely?"
She said with a pleasure-filled smile as she raised her hand toward the sky.
"Miss WhiteHaven, what are you trying to—!!"
My words were cut off when a sun of light appeared above her hand. Before I could understand what was happening, she slammed her hand down to the ground with force.
Explosion!!
As soon as the sun struck the earth, there was an explosion that engulfed the whole area.
"Ughh, I can't see anything."
I thought as I looked around; the area was covered in a blinding radiant light.
After a moment the light faded, revealing the scene around us.
"You must be joking."
I muttered in disbelief as I looked at the huge crater formed around us, but for some reason the ground directly beneath us remained untouched.
'Now that I think about it, why wasn't I harmed even though I was in the center of the explosion?'
Puzzled by what had happened, Miss White Haven spoke again.
"I've gotten rid of the enemies, let—?!"
She stopped mid-sentence and turned around quickly.
"Miss, did something happen?"
I asked, feeling uneasy at her sudden change in behavior.
I didn't have to wait long for an answer — hundreds, maybe thousands, of monsters appeared and were rushing toward us as fast as they could.
"For the love of hell, how can this many enemies exist without fighting each other?"
I cried out in fear, but a hand jerked the collar at the back of my neck violently.
It turned out to be Miss White Haven herself.
"No time to think. Run!"
She shouted at me as she hauled me back hard.
"I-I understand."
I said, apologetic, regaining my composure and running as well.
We ran at top speed toward the front, but the distance between us and the monsters kept shrinking.
"If you have long-range attacks, use them now!"
She shouted, flinging explosive spheres of light at the monsters.
I didn't need to be told twice; I pushed my hand back and hurled five wind spheres that exploded and sent blades flying in all directions.
But our attacks were useless; the monsters kept closing in even as their bodies were cut apart.
I looked around for anything that might help us escape.
"?!"
I saw something like a ruined city to the northeast.
"Miss WhiteHaven, I see a ruined city about ten minutes northeast!"
I shouted to her, waiting for instructions.
"What are you waiting for? Head for it now!"
She shouted as she dashed toward the city at top speed.
I increased the wind enhancement in my body to keep up with her.
Because of our speed we reached it in just seven minutes. We entered the ruined city and headed for its center.
The houses were blackened from an old fire, broken here and there, and rubble filled the place. In the middle of the city stood a ruined church; a fallen cross lay before its gate, inverted into the ground — its meaning turned from faith into blasphemy. Maybe fate itself was mocking the gods worshiped in this place.
In the church courtyard there was a fountain with black water and a statue of a headless stone angel.
We stood before the fountain and faced the monsters surrounding us. There were more than 150 beasts: dog-like creatures, humanoid fiends with scythes for hands, giant snakes, rats, and all kinds of creatures. The common thing among them was the white flowers covering their bodies.
"You're Ronan, right? Listen — I didn't get a kill notification earlier, so I assume these monsters are dead and the flowers are some kind of parasite. But since I didn't get a kill notification for the flower, it must be a stronger monster using the flowers to control them. Do you understand?"
She said, her silver eyes fixed coldly on the monsters with murderous intent.
'Holy hell, are you telling me a single monster managed to subjugate all these beasts?'
That truth sent a cold shiver through me.
"No time to be scared. Let's lure them into the narrow alleys and kill them slowly. I can't use that sun again — I risk drawing more. Understood?"
Elena explained the plan to Ronan, and once I agreed she summoned five spears of light and launched them at the monsters.
The spears pierced them, but they didn't die — except for one creature that convulsed violently and then fell to the ground.
"?!! Ronan, target the cluster of vines coming out of them — they'll die that way."
She shared her discovery with me.
"Alright, I understand."
I replied, slashing with my sword and sending a blade of air that cut three humanoid fiends.
As Elena predicted, the monsters fell after their vine cores were destroyed.
'Do we have a chance?!'
Before I could think optimistically, the ground beneath us shook violently.
Monsters appeared from every direction and surrounded us, trapping us in front of the fountain and preventing us from using the narrow-alley plan.
"Damn you. Since we're already trapped, I won't hold back my power."
Elena shouted angrily and threw another sun toward the front, obliterating the monsters and the ground ahead. The fountain and church were untouched because the attack was aimed at the distant earth.
But before we could breathe a sigh of relief, more monsters appeared and covered the crater created by Elena's attack.
"You've got to be kidding me. My stamina will run out before I can kill all these monsters."
Elena said in denial, but fate was cruel — the beasts attacked from all directions.
"Head into the church now. If we get inside, we can fight them more easily."
Elena shouted as she threw spears of light, clearing a path toward the church.
'I wish Nox were here. He'd come up with a solution — he's smarter than me. No, I shouldn't think like that. Even if he's smarter, I'm stronger than him. I can survive; all I need is to create an opening.'
Elena pushed away the negative thoughts as she was cutting through monsters left and right, approaching the church.
.....