"Hmm?"
My eyes squinted subconsciously as they adjusted to the new environnt.
Confusion etched itself on my face along with a deep line as I blinked my eyes back to normal.
Checking my watch, I saw it was past two o'clock.
The hazy afternoon sun was still overhead, filtering through the thick vines and casting an orange glow over the forest that covered the island.
"Fuck these different ti zones." Grumbling under my breath, I looked around the place.
When I was at the academy, it wasn't even ten, and now, far away from there, ti had passed, giving only a few hours of sunlight.
I stood in front of so old building site, my back towards the sea, overlooking what would, once completed, be an outdoor pool.
But right now, it was a sorry-looking ss, crudely dug like a basin full of dirt.
"An abandoned island that was once ho to soone," I mumbled, gazing over the building now covered with plants and trees.
....Not the best place to be teleported at.
Without thinking much, I walked forward, entering the building and making my way towards the terrace.
A foul, disgusting odor filled my nostrils as I walked inside the abandoned building.
...The sll of death.
Thankfully, there was nothing inside to attack as I reached the top without any problems.
"Ahh, fuck."
I mumbled as I gazed around the island, which was filled with an eerie, misty fog that covered the entire place.
Trees taller than hundreds of ters covered the middle of the island, making it harder to see through.
But as far as I rember, if I want to find the place where the queen lays eggs, I have to move to the very north of the island.
...Opposite to where I stood.
"..."
And that will definitely take over a few hours to reach.
"Sigh..."
Sighing heavily, I flexed my legs before jumping toward the tree adjacent to the building.
Finding the right branch, I jumped down slowly from one to another until I reached the ground.
Looking at the peeking sun, I determined my location before starting to walk towards the north.
'...Right.'
Drawing in a deep breath, I parted my lips, mumbling, "....Iksna."
The mana in my body depleted by half as an invisible half-sphere started to erge around .
It took a mont for it to complete as the mana around the place slowly started to enter my body.
I waited for a while to restore the mana I had depleted until it was back to full again.
Taking out my katana, I coated my hand with mana before sweeping it horizontally.
I lost a small part of my mana, but it quickly restored.
"This sure is so next-level cheat."
I mumbled while walking as I stepped inside the dense jungle.
If my consumption of mana is lower than the mana I gather from the half-sphere, I can theoretically use mana forever.
"Then again, my consumption will depend on whom I'm fighting."
Unfamiliar sounds chirruped, squawked, and screeched within the dim forest.
A butterfly bigger than my entire palm burst past , caught in a web laid by a spider half my size with legs made of bones.
"..."
I blankly stared at the spider before walking forward.
One thing about monsters in this world is that we can't know how strong they really are.
There's no specific power system for that because it's not possible to do—
My train of thought stopped abruptly as the area, filled with hundreds of sounds, quieted down.
My gaze observed the place while I tightly gripped the handle of my katana.
Heavy hamring sounds slowly echoed... like sothing big was rushing toward .
I twirled my body slowly as the source of the sound wasn't clear.
But in the next instant, I felt a chilling sensation on my neck as I twisted my body.
CLANG!!!
The sound of tal clashing resonated as my katana hit sothing hard.
I propelled backward, creating distance between and the being that attacked .
"..."
The creature appeared to be a humanoid three tis my size.
Its body was muscular and sinewy, covered in tough, dark, leathery skin that resembled a mix of reptilian and insectoid features.
The most striking characteristic was its head, which had no eyes or face.
Instead, its head was made up of several petal-like flaps that opened outward, exposing a gaping, tooth-filled maw.
"SCREEECH!!"
With a loud cry, the creature's elongated arm, with clawed fingers, reached toward my neck.
I ducked down, adjusting my katana before grabbing its elongated claw. I shifted my weight and imbued mana at the last minute.
And the 1,000-pound monster was tossed into the air before slamming hard onto the ground.
"BOOM!!"
The ground shattered from the impact, and the monster wailed deeply in pain.
Gripping my katana, I lodged it deeply into its gaping mouth, cutting its face in half.
It died, but not before letting out a scream for help.
"Tch."
I clicked my tongue in annoyance as I heard the sa hamring sound, but this ti from ten different places.
"....Azariah?"
...But before that, soone else arrived beside .
I turned around to look at the white-haired girl standing in front of .
"..."
I quietly stared at her as she took out her sword, glaring at .
...
...
...
"Is everything alright?"
Inside a large hall in the middle of the island, filled with equipnt, a lady with reddish hair asked while looking at the multiple screens that showed the entirety of the island.
"Yes, ma'am," a man sitting in front of the monitor replied. "...All the caras are working properly without any problems."
"Hmm, what about the second-year students?" Daphne asked, staring at the monitor. "Are they in the right place?"
"Most of them are," replied the man. "...But a few still need so ti to get to the right location."
"Tell them to move faster," she ordered, folding her hands. "...We don't need any mishaps."
"Yes, ma'am."
Daphne turned around to look at the two students sitting with Lauryn and Julian.
Running his hand through his light green hair, Julian mumbled, "...What are they doing here?"
Christina looked at him with a light smile. "...We were asked to be here, professor."
He gently nodded before looking at Avril for her response.
"Sa reason," Avril replied curtly, her gaze on the screen.
Especially on the monitor showing a boy with purple hair.
"Who is guarding the place with the Darth Queen?" Christina asked, looking at Daphne.
"Ivan and Prince Jonathan," Daphne replied, tilting her head. "...Why do you ask?"
"...No reason," she mumbled, gazing down at her necklace before softly grabbing it.
Daphne's gaze shifted towards Lauryn, who sat, staring blankly at the monitor.
Confused by her behavior, Daphne moved closer, shaking her. "...What happened to you?"
Lauryn's tired gaze moved towards her, and she shook her head, replying, "...I'm fine."
But the sweat pouring down her forehead said otherwise.
Daphne pursed her lips, but in the end, she just nodded gently.
"...Professor Daphne," Christina mumbled, glancing at her. "...Just in case sothing bad happens... sothing that you guys can't handle, what are we going to do?"
Daphne smiled, clearly anticipating the question. "...Lauryn has a device that is directly connected to the one the principal is carrying."
She nudged Lauryn, urging her to take out the device.
Lauryn sighed before taking out the device laced with red marks from her bracelet and showing it to them.
"And a teleportation circle is made right outside for him to arrive within a minute," added Daphne, smiling.
"...But what if it's sothing that can't be handled by him?" Still not satisfied, Christina asked again. "...What about then?"
Daphne's smile didn't falter as she replied confidently, "...In that case, Lady Esray has volunteered to help us if the situation calls for her."
"...I see," Christina mumbled, squinting her eyes at her.
Her hand softly rubbed her necklace as she fell into deep thought.
"...Where did you get the necklace?" Avril asked, her purple eyes staring at Christina's neck.
"Hmm, this?" Christina mumbled before smiling sweetly. "Azariah gave it to when we first t."
"...Why don't I rember it?" Avril mumbled. "And is it just , or did Azariah never notice it?"
Christina shrugged. "...I have no idea what you're talking about."
But before Avril could reply, Lauryn abruptly stood up from her seat.
"I need so fresh air," she mumbled before walking out of the small building.
Her gaze remained blank as she moved deeper into the woods.
Her breathing remained haggard, her chest constricted with pain.
Arriving far away from the building, she leaned against a tall tree.
"...Kill the monster," she whispered softly, taking a deep breath. "...Kill the monster before he hurts soone else."
Taking in a deep breath, she took out the sa device that she had shown to Christina.
"...I'm sorry," she whispered softly, lowering her hand.
Her grip tightened, and the device crumbled.
....Its broken pieces fell to the ground.
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