Ch. 13 Monster Wave (Part 1)

Gwen looked down at the notebook in her hands, filled with the names of a hundred new friends she had made. A satisfied smile spread across her face as she imagined her senior brother's defeated expression. The thought of him, who had always taunted her for being socially awkward and shy, losing the bet they'd made was too sweet to resist. Ah, how she couldn't wait for her seventeenth birthday when she would finally see his reaction. This year, for the first time, she was looking forward to her birthday.

As Gwen walked toward the school gates, ready to head home, one of her newest friends, Esmee, intercepted her with a bright smile.

"Wait a minute," Esmee called out. "Aren't you going home with your boyfriend?"

Gwen tilted her head in confusion, feigning innocence as if she didn't quite understand the question. "Should I go home with him?"

Esmee looked at her, eyebrows raised. "Of course! Aren't you guys dating? You're supposed to be together all day."

"Ah?" Gwen responded, her tone light and casual. "Isn't he afraid of being called a stalker if he follows me all day? I don't, so I think it's better if I don't follow him."

Esmee's eyes widened in shock. She had been expecting a completely different response, one more in line with the romantic expectations she had. But Gwen's nonchalance left her momentarily speechless. Esmee quickly ran toward Clayton's class, hoping to catch him before he left. She was disappointed, though, when she saw him accepting another girl's confession—the most unattractive girl Esmee had ever seen. Still, she sighed and let it go. After all, it wasn't like there was much else she could do. A mama's boy like Clayton had his own fatal flaws, and those were hard to ignore.

Still, Esmee's primary reason for approaching Gwen had always been to gauge the dynamics between her and Clayton.

"I don't know what your concept of dating is like, but when people start a relationship, they definitely want to spend time together. Don't you want to be with Clayton?" Esmee pressed.

"No," Gwen answered firmly, without hesitation. It wasn't even something she had to think about. She didn't need Clayton, and she didn't feel any burning desire to be constantly attached to him. She simply wasn't interested.

Esmee's face went blank for a moment, taken aback by Gwen's certainty. Gwen, however, didn't seem to notice the other girl's silence. She turned and walked through the school gates, moving toward the exit with her usual stride.

But just as she was about to continue walking, something shifted in the atmosphere. The steady rhythm of her steps faltered, and she noticed a dark shadow looming overhead, casting an eerie gloom across the bright afternoon sky. She looked up, and the warmth of the sun had already begun to be obscured by thick gray clouds. A strange, unsettling feeling settled over her, a sudden and unexplained discomfort in her chest like a fragile thread had snapped somewhere deep inside her.

"Master? Are you there?" Gwen called out softly, her voice barely above a whisper. Her master, or senior disciple, wasn't always responsive to her calls, but there was always a sense of connection, a tether between them. She had grown used to it, knowing that even if they didn't answer immediately, they were always there, watching over her from the world above. But now, there was nothing. The link that had always been there had gone cold.

At the same time, Clayton, who had been walking through the bustling streets, suddenly stopped in his tracks, his gaze drawn upward to the darkened sky. His expression grew grim.

"It's fallen?" Clayton muttered, his voice laced with disbelief. "How is that possible?"

Suddenly, a female voice echoed in his mind, cutting through the tension.

'Realm Knight!! Did you see what happened to the sky?' the voice demanded.

'Evil Phoenix! Where are you?' Clayton responded mentally, his thoughts racing.

'I'm on my way to Zelia, as per your summon orb,' the voice replied. 'But some monster generals appeared and intercepted me. They're delaying my arrival.'

'Monster generals?!' Clayton thought with growing concern. These powerful creatures were minions of the pillar demon kings, and their strength was equivalent to a level-nine Hunter—formidable opponents that even the most skilled Hunters would struggle to face alone.

Evil Phoenix continued, her tone filled with frustration, 'I'm overwhelmed by their numbers. If I don't deal with them soon, they could be a serious threat.'

Just as Clayton was about to activate the teleportation magic tool to reach her, another voice rang in his mind, interrupting the connection.

'Realm Knight! The monster general ambushed me at the empire's border!' This time, the voice belonged to the Grim Reaper, another powerful entity allied with Clayton.

Before Clayton could respond, a third voice joined in, each one revealing a similar situation.

'Evil Phoenix, Grim Reaper, Beast King, I'm sorry, but I can't help you. The tenth-pillar demon king has attacked Zelia. I have to prioritize protecting the city,' the final voice said, its tone heavy with defeat.

Silence followed, and Clayton understood. Each of these envoys would have to fight their battles alone. There was no time to waste. He quickly found a hidden spot and activated his teleportation device, contacting his confidant—his mother. A second later, a loud emergency alarm blared through the city, signaling impending danger.

"Warning! Warning! All Hunters below level five, immediately evacuate with the residents to the designated protection areas. Hunters level six and above, head to the borders to fight. A level nine healer is urgently needed," the alarm sounded, its dire message clear. Panic began to spread throughout the city as the citizens rushed to safety.

Gwen frowned when she saw the chaos unfolding around her. People were scattering in all directions, and Sofia, her only remaining friend, also hurried toward the evacuation zones. The crowd was thick, and Gwen could barely make her way through the mass of bodies. Sofia, in her haste, had been separated from her, and Gwen could no longer see her.

"Gwen! Where are you? Gwyneth!! If you hear me, raise your hands!" Sofia called, but her voice was drowned out by the deafening noise of the crowd. She was carrying a small child, whose frantic cries only added to the confusion as she tried, unsuccessfully, to break free of the mass of people.

Gwen didn't respond. Instead, she found herself standing at the edge of the chaos, atop a tall tree where she could get a clear view of everything happening. From there, she saw the waves of people fleeing toward the shelter area and the distant sounds of explosions in the distance.

"I came here because of that stupid bet with my senior brother. As long as I made 100 new friends, he promised to take me to that place. Why does it feel like my master sent me here to abandon me?"

Gwen couldn't shake the thought, but she felt no sorrow or disappointment. There was no regret. Even when she saw a small child trip and almost get trampled to death by the panicking crowd, she felt nothing at all.

The air was thick with tension as the battle continued. A choice lay before her—go toward the shelter area with the rest of the evacuees, or venture into the heart of the battle, where she might witness the clash of powerful forces, perhaps even catching a glimpse of her savior once again, even though the risk of death was high.

"Alright," Gwen finally said to herself, taking a deep breath, "I'll go to—"