Untimely deaths

The instructor's voice carried through the air with a note of finality. "And remember, if you do bring in a sample or the corpse of any species you recorded, you'll get additional points." With that, the briefing concluded, and each group was handed a device shaped like a tennis bat, along with a storage container for collecting samples.

As the cadets dispersed, other groups were already making their way into the dense forest before Preston even approached his assigned team. Sam glared at him, arms crossed. "What do you think you were doing? We're being left behind!" she scolded. Preston, however, remained silent, his expression unreadable.

"During this outing, you all are going to do as I say, whenever I say it." His arrogant declaration hung in the air like a bad odor.

The others blinked. For a moment, there was silence—before Sam scoffed, stepping forward. "Hold on there, 'Mr. Shitty Attitude.' I don't care if your big-headed self is some noble; you don't tell me what to do."

Dora and the others watched the exchange with wary amusement. 'Yeah, definitely a fiery one,' Adam thought.

Preston curled his lip in disgust. "This peasant... do you even know who you're talking to?"

Before things could escalate further, Adam's voice cut in. "Now, calm down, guys. Fighting amongst ourselves won't do us any good." The tension wavered slightly as the words sank in. Nearby, Dora struggled to restrain Sam, clamping a hand over her mouth before she could retort.

Preston turned his gaze toward the one who had interrupted him, a sneer forming on his lips. "Who do you think you are to tell me to calm dow—"

A sharp crack split the air as a fist collided with Preston's face.

Patrick, his expression as lazy as ever, pulled back his hand. "He was seriously getting on my nerves."

Dora gasped. "Patrick, what did you—"

"He deserved it," Patrick interjected nonchalantly.

"But he's still a noble!" she protested, her expression a mix of worry and incredulity.

An interruption came from the side. "Don't worry, Dora. He wouldn't exactly go around telling other nobles that a bunch of commoners beat him up, now would he?" Adam reasoned. The logic clicked, and understanding dawned in Dora's eyes, her lips twitching into a hesitant smile.

"Yeah, besides, the bastard is weak," Sam added, eyeing Preston's unconscious form. "I can't sense his rank, but seeing how Patrick knocked him out, he couldn't be more than a one-star Rank 3 at most."

"So, which direction should we head in?" she asked, shifting the conversation to more pressing matters.

"Well, I don't know," Adam admitted, "but for starters, we should get a rough grasp of what each cadet can do. Since we're likely to encounter and fight beasts, it'll help."

Dora was the first to step forward. "My bloodline gives me the ability to ensnare beings in an illusion of my choice."

Eyes widened slightly in appreciation. 'She will thrive in group battles. But there must be limitations to something as strong as that,' Adam mused.

"Great, you'll be invaluable in group fights," he noted.

Dora blushed. "Thank you."

"I'll go next," Sam volunteered. "I can produce shockwaves."

No further details were given, but no one pressed her.

"The more I hit something, the stronger and faster my body gets," Patrick drawled.

'That's pretty straightforward,' Adam thought.

Finally, it was his turn. "I can mess a little with gravity."

Before anyone could comment, he continued. "Now that introductions are over, how about we start moving? Others are minutes ahead of us."

"What about him?" Dora gestured at the unconscious Preston.

A beat of silence. 'Was I cruel for forgetting about him entirely? Because I definitely did.'

Thankfully, Patrick saved everyone the trouble. "I'll carry him since I knocked him out anyway."

With that, Patrick hoisted Preston onto his shoulder, and the group set off south. The journey to the forest edge took a kilometer—farther than they had initially expected. Once inside, a strange, ominous sensation settled in the air, creeping into their bones like an unseen predator lurking just out of sight. It went ignored.

Two hours later, Sam groaned in frustration. "Damn, all these plants have already been documented."

Honestly, what had she expected? The military had established the base here after clearing a significant portion of the jungle. Of course, they had already recorded most species. Not to mention the cadet groups that had ventured ahead of them.

"If undocumented species were this easy to find, the military wouldn't need extra hands, now would they?" Adam remarked dryly.

"Did anyone ever tell you that you're blunt?" Sam shot back.

"No. Am I?" Bluntness laced his words.

She shook her head. "Forget it."

A low groan broke through their conversation.

Patrick unceremoniously dropped Preston onto the ground. The impact jolted the noble awake, and his gaze flickered between confusion and seething rage. "You bastards! You don't know who I am! You're all going to pay for treating me like this!"

The tirade was short-lived. Another punch. Another thud as Preston crumpled.

Dora and Sam stared at Patrick with wide eyes, while Adam gave him an approving nod. "I think we can all agree he needed some time to cool off."

"Ye—yeah..." they stammered, still processing what had just happened.

They continued their journey until a rustle in the bushes caught everyone's attention.

"Careful, guys," Adam cautioned as he sensed some vibrations from the ground. "Something's up ahead."

Weapons were gripped tightly, bodies tensed, ready for whatever lurked in the shadows. Seconds stretched, thick with anticipation.

Sam exhaled. "There isn't anything there. Are you sure it's not your senses messing with—"

A violent tremor pulsed beneath their feet.

The ominous sensation from before crashed over them like a tidal wave.

"Jump!"

Instinct took over. They scattered—some into the trees, others rolling into the underbrush. A bone-chilling shriek ripped through the air, followed by a grotesque sight.

A monstrous blue worm erupted from the ground, its jaws lined with jagged teeth. In its maw, crushed and bleeding, were both Patrick and Preston. Preston remained unconscious, but Patrick—

His eyes reflected pure, unfiltered despair. The kind that only appeared when there was no escape, no hope.

Adam's expression darkened. 'Damn it. How did I not sense it sooner? A moment later, and I'd be in its jaws too.'

Dora and Sam had managed to evade the attack as well. Sam seemed dazed, struggling to process what had just happened. Dora, however, was paralyzed with horror.

The beast's aura was overwhelming, its presence suffocating. A three-star Rank 2.

With sickening crunches, the worm devoured its preys and burrowed back into the ground. The earth swallowed it as if it had never been there. The moment it was completely out of view, Adam decisively pressed the distress button. They had to get out—now. He didn't know why, but he was sure they hadn't seen the last of that thing.

"Are you guys okay?" He asked as he jumped to the girls side. His voice was steady—too steady.

No response. The two girls were still trapped in their shock.

"I've already pressed the distress signal. Someone should be on their way here".

Sam's voice trembled. "How do you act like nothing happened? They just... died. And you look unfazed." Hmmm she was right actually, his emotions might be numbed down and he couldn't express them properly, even though it has its cons, it also has its pros. Like in this situation, it helped him keep a calm head.

**Adam's POV**

Even if my emotions and expressions seemed normal, I wasn't calm. I was barely holding myself together, but wasting time grieving for two people I had just met while my life was still in danger wasn't an option.

But then again, perhaps that was my rational mind speaking. Maybe, if the situation had been different, I would have been more wrecked than the two girls. But I was grateful it wasn't.

"That's just how I am," I replied.

"I see," she said simply. Disappointment flickered in her eyes, but I didn't care. Dora just stood there, frozen.

"We should start heading back to base. We might meet whoever was sent to retrieve us on the way, rather than staying here and hoping the beast doesn't return," I suggested.

"Fi...fine, let's go." Dora's voice trembled. Her once-bright blonde hair seemed dulled. We set off, moving swiftly to escape the forest. At our current pace, I estimated fifteen minutes to reach safety.

Suddenly, a soldier appeared before us. "You're Group 32, correct?" he asked.

"Yes," I replied.

"Where are your other team members?"

"Dead."

His expression darkened. "Explain."

"Now isn't the best time. Let's get to the base first," I suggested. He hesitated, then nodded. "Okay. Let's go."

We set off again, we were just a few hundred meters from escaping the forest, but suddenly, the ground trembled.

In an instant, it erupted. "Holy shit!" The soldier barely got the words out before the worm caught him in it's jagged teethed maw, dragging him underground. Its massive tail lashed out, reducing Dora to a mangled mess.

The entire attack lasted less than two seconds.

"Ahhhhhhh!" Sam's scream shattered the silence.

Horror gripped me. 'That bastard was following us all along, waiting to catch us off guard.'

A/N:

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#When I was writing this chapter, I wanted at least two of the group mates to die, but ended up being torn about which ones to choose.

So I said "you know what, let's just kill them all".

Your gift is the motivation for my creation.

Let's reach 50 powerstones by Sunday and I'll upload a bonus chapter.