Darius’s plan comes to light

After the plan was set, the five teachers and one student were ready.

"Here's a tracker to see where the other teams are. Team C seems to be the closest, so I advise you to head there," the head instructor said.

Luka had a look of joy on his face—his sister was on that team. As the six were about to head off—

"Hey, good luck!" Joey called to Luka.

"Thanks, but I don't need luck," Luka called back. "I need determination," he muttered as the six took off.

As they were running, a beast spotted them with its great eyesight. It was eating a body—a mantis—and then gave chase without any of the six noticing.

"Okay, we'll rest here for the day," the head teacher told everyone once they arrived at a cave, with no complaints from anyone.

⸻

Back with Team D, they all rested in some bushes to recover their stamina. Once everyone was ready, they headed out, running at a steady pace.

"Sir, how far is everyone?" a student asked.

"About three days away. Luckily, we just got word that they're sending a group to meet one of us halfway. And the group will go back with them, and they'll help out Team A," the head teacher yelled out.

Jordan and Wren both heard a sound and got their weapons out.

⸻

Meanwhile, with Team C—

Riven heard a dinging sound:

[Beast Horde Incoming]

[Quest Received]

[Defeat as many beasts as you can – 0/30]

[Your reward will be determined by how many beasts you kill]

"A beast horde? But I don't—"

Before Riven could finish his thought, he sensed the presence of beasts not far away.

All the teachers, Riven, Nico, and Kira were on guard. The other students were confused—until they saw the beasts. Most of them were terrified, but the leader of Team C wasn't feeling fear—he was confused.

"Wait… these aren't praying mantis-looking beasts. They look more like lions!"

⸻

Back with Team D, they were also dealing with a beast horde, but not lions or mantises—these were more like bulls.

They had two gigantic horns and teeth that looked like they could tear through flesh. All 17 of the beasts rushed the group.

Jordan used his ink to wrap around both horns of one beast and forced it off course. At the same time, a teacher leapt from above, tripled the size of his arm, and bashed the beast's skull—killing it.

"Good job, kid," said none other than Mr. Knox—Jordan, Wren, and Harkel's weapons teacher.

Jordan nodded to his teacher and ran to help others.

Wren managed to get on the huge beast's back. While others fought, she placed her hand on its hide and used her Sound Evolution, mixed with Lightning Evolution. The shock passed through the beast, incapacitating it. Then, with her spear, she stabbed it repeatedly until it died. She quickly extracted its gen stone—without anyone noticing—before jumping back into the fight.

The head teacher was impressed at how well the students were handling the beasts. But a question lingered:

"How was Team A almost wiped out by beasts like this… unless they ran into a stronger tier?"

His thoughts were cut off when a student screamed for help.

"Please! Help me, please!"

The beast snapped its jaws—and blood splattered.

That one kill shattered the students' morale.

"What am I doing, thinking at a time like this? Students' lives are in my hands. I need to stop thinking—and start acting," the teacher muttered.

He sliced the beast's head clean off with his long sword, then ran to help others who had lost the will to fight.

One of the students he went to help suddenly emitted a glowing aura. This student had undergone Evolution, and the teacher had an epiphany he'd think more about later—as he sliced through more beasts until there were none left.

"This tells me all I need to know," the teacher said angrily.

"We were originally going to run a bit longer, but change of plans. We'll rest for the day."

"Where?" a student asked.

"In the trees," the teacher said calmly.

This shocked the students. The trees in Aurex were massive—reaching hundreds of feet high. They knew they couldn't climb them without cranes or gear.

"Don't worry. We teachers will help you up. Luckily, the branches are thick—you can sleep safely. No one will fall," the teacher added with a forced smile.

⸻

Back with Team C, Riven clawed at the huge lion's throat, slicing it and activating his poison effect—apparently their biggest weakness. The lion fell dead, and Riven smiled as he leveled up, rushing to kill more.

He noticed that most of the teachers weren't helping much—it seemed they wanted the students to gain experience while in a dire situation.

Riven ran past a group that had already weakened a lion and slashed its neck, finishing the kill.

"So the system only counts the kill if I land the final blow,"

Riven thought to himself as he ran toward another beast—when it was suddenly engulfed in flames.

Nico stood there, both hands raised.

"Nico, behind you!" Riven shouted.

She turned just in time to see a beast claw at her. Her body looked like it had been put through a shredder.

Before it could strike again, Riven slammed into the beast and began slashing until the system confirmed that the poison had taken effect. The beast collapsed.

Riven ran to Nico. Kira, the group's healer, was too distracted helping others—and her staff didn't have the AOE capability that Joey's did. So without hesitation, Riven mentally bought a healing potion from the system. It materialized in his hand, and he made Nico drink it.

Her wounds healed—but she remained unconscious from the pain. The potion only healed up to 50% of a person's health. If someone was at 47%, it would only bring them to 50%, no more.

Once he confirmed Nico was in good hands, Riven went back into the fight. By the end of it, Riven had killed 18 out of 30 beasts. No students died—but he suspected that was thanks to Kira and her level-4 staff, which must have boosted or multiplied her healing abilities.

Everyone stopped and took a breather.

⸻

"Okay, everyone gather around," the head instructor said. Everyone complied.

"I just heard from Team D. They also ran into a beast horde. Sadly, one student died."

Silence followed.

Riven's mind raced.

"Was it Wren? Or… no. God, please not Jordan—"

A hand tapped his shoulder.

"Your brother and your friend aren't dead. Put some trust in them, will you?" Nico said with a smile.

"Also… can we talk later?"

Riven knew what she meant. There was a chance Nico had been semi-conscious when he healed her. He didn't care. A life was worth more than any secret.

"Sure," he replied, smiling back.

"Now, thanks to the trackers and word from Team A, we know a small group of six is heading this way. They'll take four of our strongest and help lead Team A back to us," the head instructor announced with a smile.

Some students cheered. Others hugged, relieved they might soon see their friends.

But not everyone was happy. Some didn't want to risk their lives helping students they didn't even know. No one could blame them.

"Now, Team D told me they are in the trees—and that's how they'll be sleeping tonight. We'll do the same. The teachers will help those who can't get up there themselves." The man said with a smile

Team B

"Uh-huh, okay, copy that," Sable said before turning off his communicator. He turned to his group, raising a hand to stop everyone.

He then explained to them what had happened with the other teams—that they'd be calling it a day and sleeping in the trees.

Leo and Tessa climbed up without needing any help. Tessa simply flew up, helping a few students along the way, while Leo used brute strength to run up the tree himself.

"I can tell you're getting tired. You need to stop using it," Tessa whispered so no one else could hear.

Leo nodded and did as she said. When he deactivated the ability, he immediately started gasping for air—like he'd been holding his breath the entire time.

Tessa walked over and gently patted her brother on the back.

"We need to rest for now… and hope for the best for the others," she said, lying down on a huge branch.

Leo nodded again and leaned back against the tree, falling asleep in a sitting position.

Mr. Sable looked out across the group, watching them as they slowly drifted to sleep. Just then, he heard his communicator ring.

"Yeah, Ox?" Sable answered.

It was Ox—the leader of Team D.

"Darius knew," Ox said immediately, his voice sharp.

"He knew, Sable. He knew."

"Slow down. Slow down. What did Sir Darius know?" Sable tried to calm him down.

"No more of this Sir Darius crap! He knew these beasts were adapting to his presence—or someone else's. It doesn't matter. He knew this place was dangerous for students. He knew they were likely going to die," Ox said, trying to convince Sable.

"What makes you think that?" Sable asked.

"One of my students… they just Awakened," Ox said.

There was silence on the other end.

That silence told Ox everything: Sable knew what he meant.

"He didn't want us getting gemstones," Ox continued. "He wanted the students to Awaken. And obviously not every student can do that right now —so he was prepared to sacrifice the rest."

Sable clenched his fists, his eyes narrowing.

"That man is mad," he muttered, rage simmering beneath his calm exterior.