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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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The lesser dragons, all except Regita, trembled, their eyes narrowed.
‘What was that?’
Barely three minutes had passed since Neltarion had charged with his sword drawn.
Even if his only goal had been to wear down Jekkiel, it had been a sound strategy.
Thud.
But Neltarion’s body now lay lifelessly on the ground.
Everyone glanced nervously at Regita.
She wore a relaxed expression, but they instinctively sensed her simmering rage.
And a moment later…
“Iyaaah!”
Jekkiel and the human students charged towards them.
Kwaaang–! Boom!
Magic exploded around them as the momentarily paused battle resumed.
“Kreeuk!”
Driven back not by force, but by sheer momentum, the dragons began to falter.
They had fought countless battles.
Large-scale skirmishes were commonplace.
But what were these humans?
Despite their youth, they moved with uncanny coordination.
Their glances at one another were anything but amicable, yet their bodies and magic flowed together, seamlessly compensating for each other’s weaknesses.
One second.
Two seconds.
With each passing moment, their coordination improved, their movements becoming more refined.
‘We’ve lost.’
The dragons realized they were already defeated.
They were losing ground against mere human children, while the true monster, Jekkiel, remained unscathed.
It was strange that they weren’t more excited by Neltarion’s swift defeat.
Fighting spirit bloomed only when there was a semblance of a challenge, not when faced with an insurmountable foe.
“Keoeok!”
One dragon fell to Jekkiel’s magic.
And as he fell, another followed.
Collapse, once begun, was unstoppable.
And the price of collapse was death.
‘We can’t even run.’
Escape was impossible.
Regita stood implacably behind them.
Any attempt to flee would be met with her unforgiving wrath.
If they had to fight, they would fight their hardest.
Just as they steeled themselves for battle…
Paaaang—!
“I got one!”
“Don’t get cocky, get the next one.”
Telekinetic orbs struck the dragons’ ankles, tripping them.
Jekkiel swiftly finished them off.
‘…But I want to run.’
One dragon clenched his teeth.
Dying in a worthy battle was one thing, but being defeated by these human children was unbearable.
Faced with such a meaningless death, the desire to live, to escape, became overwhelming.
As he instinctively turned to flee…
“Honestly.”
A familiar voice.
His body was cleaved in two.
“Uh…?”
Before he could even register what had happened, his body crumpled to the ground.
“Uh uh…”
Crack!
His head, still convulsing in pain, was crushed underfoot.
Silence descended.
Every head turned to look at the one who had crushed the dragon’s skull.
Regita.
The Radiant Dragon stood impassively in the center of the battlefield.
“…Useless, the lot of you. I didn’t even give you a difficult task.”
The students trembled.
“Wow…”
Isabel muttered involuntarily.
The dragons they had just defeated were enormous, but this one dwarfed them all.
She looked around.
The fallen dragons lay scattered across the plaza.
The students were exhausted, but none were seriously injured.
Yet, the presence of this single dragon made the situation feel even more precarious than before.
The Radiant Dragon, Regita, spoke.
“I’ll do it myself.”
With those words, she cracked her neck and rolled her shoulders.
Crackle, crackle, pop.
Each movement was accompanied by a sickening grinding of bones.
“Should have done this from the start, shouldn’t I?”
Regita’s gaze was fixed solely on Adrian.
The students’ eyes followed hers.
“Should have just not done it at all.”
“You talk a good game.”
“And I’m not just all talk.”
Regita nodded in agreement.
Then, suddenly…
Shweeeak—!
She lunged at Adrian with blinding speed.
He pushed off the ground, retreating along the path Regita had carved.
The Radiant Dragon pursued him relentlessly.
In the blink of an eye, the only ones left in the plaza were the failing class students.
They blinked once, twice, then collapsed, exhausted.
“Haaaa…”
The speed had been too great to follow.
They could only sit and catch their breath.
“Did he… lead her away for our sake…?”
“Probably.”
They were grateful for the respite, but worried about Adrian.
‘Real combat is terrifying.’
Their hands trembled uncontrollably.
This wasn’t a sparring match; this was a fight for survival.
The realization sent chills down their spines.
Charlotte clenched and unclenched her fists.
Isabel spoke softly.
“Charlotte, you did well.”
“Did I?”
Charlotte seemed unusually listless.
“I hate the demons… but I can’t do anything against them… It makes me feel so useless.”
Isabel couldn’t find the words to comfort her.
It wasn’t Charlotte’s fault.
Demons were overwhelmingly powerful.
Surviving against them was a feat in itself.
But she understood why Charlotte felt so despondent.
‘Professor Adrian…’
He never showed his students his weaknesses.
He always one-upped himself, constantly exceeding their expectations.
Being around him inevitably raised the bar.
‘It’s not just about raising the bar… She must be blaming herself for not measuring up.’
Isabel felt the same way.
She had thought she had mastered a new skill, but real combat had exposed her shortcomings.
“Don’t be so down.”
Michelle used her telekinesis to flick both Isabel and Charlotte on the head.
“You did what you could. That’s enough for now. And be grateful you’re alive. You were up against demons, after all.”
“Still…”
“That’s why I’m telling you not to be so down. It would be great if we could adapt and overcome every challenge, but that’s not realistic, even for the other students.”
“That’s true…”
“Think of it as a valuable learning experience. We should be worrying about how to get out of here and how many points we’ll lose, not about anything else.”
“We should be worried about Professor Adrian too.”
“Well, that’s a given.”
The conversation died down.
Was Professor Adrian alright?
What should they do?
Should they just wait here?
As they pondered these questions…
Rustle! Thump, thump, thump!
The blocked exit finally reappeared.
“Ah! There you are!”
A woman with dark circles under her eyes stumbled into view.
Two familiar faces accompanied her.
‘The sponsor?’
It was the woman Violet had introduced as the failing class’s sponsor.
The opaque sunglasses jogged their memory.
Demelie rushed towards the students.
“Is everyone alright? Oh, you are!”
Demelie examined each student’s face before sighing in relief.
“Where’s the Professor?”
None of them could answer.
They didn’t know where Adrian had gone.
Demelie exchanged a few words with the sponsor and her representative before turning back to the students.
“Let’s go. I’ll lead you out. Consider yourselves lucky.”
They hesitated, but Demelie urged them forward.
“…We’re not going to be any help here anyway. There’s nothing we can do.”
Michelle’s words were the final push.
They followed Demelie, their eyes filled with worry.
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“Christine.”
“Yes.”
The two of them were alone in the plaza.
Artel asked Christine,
“What should we do now?”
“There’s only one thing to do.”
Christine slowly removed her sunglasses.
“…I have to go to my fiancé.”
Her crimson eyes were clear and bright.
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