Sulien exhaled slowly, his gaze sweeping over the wounded students. Some clutched their arms, others barely remained conscious, their faces pale from exhaustion and blood loss. Even Flinn, though still standing strong, had a tense look in his eyes. He knew the situation was dire.
Sulien clenched his jaw. This wasn't what he had planned.
He had intended to gather every student first before resorting to this. Transporting a large group with a spatial rift consumed an immense amount of mana, far more than he would like to waste in an unpredictable battlefield. But looking at the students before him, he knew he had no choice.
If they stayed any longer, they wouldn't just slow him down. They would die.
Flinn, noticing Sulien's hesitation, stepped forward. "Sulien, what are you thinking?"
Sulien didn't answer immediately. Instead, he raised a hand, flexing his fingers slightly. The air around them trembled, a faint distortion warping the space before him.
Flinn's eyes widened. "Wait, you—"
A sharp gust of energy burst outward.
In an instant, a swirling vortex formed in front of them. An abyss-like portal stretching into the void, shimmering with unstable energy. The sheer force of it sent cracks skittering across the ground, distorting the very air around them.
Sulien felt the weight of the spell press against his body, the pull of mana draining from his core at an alarming rate. He gritted his teeth, forcing the portal to stabilize. His fingers twitched slightly, he could feel his own limits being tested.
"This will take you back to the academy," Sulien said, his voice calm despite the strain. "Go. Now."
Flinn hesitated for only a second before nodding. He turned toward the students. "Everyone, move! Step into the portal!"
The injured students staggered forward, some helping others as they crossed through the swirling abyss. The moment they passed through, their presence vanished from the ruin, safely transported back.
Flinn was the last to step in. He turned back to Sulien, his expression grim. "And you?"
Sulien's breath was steady, but the toll was evident in his pale complexion. He met Flinn's gaze without hesitation.
"I'll find the others," he said.
Flinn hesitated. He wanted to argue, but he knew Sulien wouldn't change his mind. "Then don't die," he muttered before stepping through the portal.
The moment Flinn disappeared, Sulien released his grip on the spell. The portal collapsed in an instant. The strain hit him immediately. His vision wavered, his mana surging wildly inside him, threatening to throw him off balance.
He staggered slightly, pressing a hand against the ruined wall beside him. His breath came slow and measured as he forced his body to recover.
This was why he hadn't wanted to use it. A large-scale portal wasn't just difficult, it was a burden even for him. And now, if he had to open another one when he found the rest of the students…
Sulien exhaled sharply.
Sulien wandered through the ruins, his steps steady despite the lingering strain in his body. His mana was already recovering, but the weight of exhaustion still pressed against his limbs.
He exhaled slowly. Just opening a portal for a fraction of the students had taken a noticeable toll on him. A third of them. Only that much, and it had drained him enough that he felt the backlash. If he had to open another one, let alone transport everyone at once…
His brows furrowed.
Then what about the headmaster? The one who had transported every student and instructor into this ruin at the start of the trial.
Sulien came to an abrupt stop. A sudden, cold realization crawled up his spine.
The headmaster hadn't just transported a dozen or so people. He had sent an entire group of students, dozens upon dozens, along with fully grown instructors, all across an unimaginable distance.
Sulien shuddered.
How much mana did that take? His own mana capacity was far beyond normal, yet he still felt the effects of his spell. And yet, the headmaster had done the same thing on a grander scale, without showing the slightest sign of strain.
Sulien pressed a hand to his temple, a wry chuckle escaping under his breath. Just how terrifying was that man?
For the first time since arriving in this world, he felt something far more unsettling than the shifting story. He had no idea what kind of monster the headmaster truly was.
And that thought alone sent a ripple of unease through his mind.
The distant murmur of voices reached Sulien's ears, barely audible over the whispering wind. His steps slowed, sharp eyes scanning the ruined landscape. The sound was coming from just ahead.
Students.
His body tensed instinctively. Were they in danger? Injured? Or worse, cornered by another anomaly?
His fingers twitched, readying a himself, but as he moved closer, he recognized the tone of the voices. Not panicked. Not desperate. They were speaking in low, controlled murmurs.
They weren't alone. Sulien stepped past the remnants of a collapsed archway and caught sight of them.
A cluster of students huddled in a clearing, some standing alert while others rested, exhaustion clear in their postures. At their center stood an instructor. One of the academy's senior staff, his uniform torn and dirtied from battle but his stance still firm.
The moment Sulien emerged, the instructor's gaze snapped toward him.
"Instructor Sulien." The man exhaled in relief before quickly composing himself.
Sulien didn't waste time. "What's the situation?"
The instructor's expression darkened. "I already sent an emergency signal to the headmaster."
Sulien's brows furrowed. "And?"
"He's already here."
Silence. A sudden weight settled in Sulien's chest.
Already here? The thought sent a sharp chill down his spine. He had barely managed to send a fraction of the students back to the academy, and yet the headmaster had somehow arrived in the ruins without issue.
The instructor didn't seem to notice Sulien's unease and gestured toward a path leading deeper into the ruins. "We've secured a safe zone not far from here. The other students are there. We need to regroup before deciding our next course of action."
Sulien took a slow breath before nodding. "Lead the way."
As they moved, he kept his expression neutral, but his mind raced.
If the headmaster was here, then things had already escalated beyond what he had expected.
The path to the safe zone was eerily silent.
Too silent.
Sulien had been in enough battles to recognize when something was wrong. The tension in the air was palpable, thick enough to set every one of his nerves on edge. The closer they got, the more unnatural the stillness became.
Then,
A scream.
Not from their group, but ahead.
The instructor leading them froze for a fraction of a second before breaking into a sprint. Sulien was already moving, his body reacting before his mind could fully process the situation.
Then he saw it.
The so-called "safe zone" was in chaos.
Fires raged through the ruins, illuminating the battlefield with an ominous orange glow. Students who had once been resting were now scrambling for cover, their terrified shouts blending with the clashing of steel and the sharp, commanding orders of instructors.
Figures clad in dark, mismatched armor weaved through the chaos, their movements swift and precise. They weren't just random bandits—no, these were professionals.
A criminal organization.
Sulien's eyes flickered toward their insignias, barely visible through the flickering flames. A familiar symbol. One he recognized from the novel.
His stomach twisted.
One of the instructors standing his ground barely managed to deflect a strike before shouting, "We're under attack! Get the students to safety—!"
Before he could finish, a masked figure surged forward, blade gleaming in the firelight—
Sulien moved.
A flash of movement. A burst of wind.
And the next moment, the attacker was sent flying, their body twisting unnaturally before crashing into the rubble.
Silence stretched for a single, fragile heartbeat.
Then chaos erupted once more.
Sulien exhaled, his hands tightening into fists. The students were already exhausted. The instructors were outnumbered. If they didn't turn the tide soon,
Another figure lunged toward him. Sulien sidestepped with ease, his fingers barely grazing the air.
Collapse.
Space twisted violently, and in an instant, the enemy was crushed into the ground with a sickening crunch.
The instructor who had led him here was already barking orders, trying to rally the students. Sulien's mind worked fast. They needed to get organized, and fast.
His gaze flickered across the battlefield.
This wasn't just an ambush.
This was planned.
The criminal organization knew they would be here.
Which meant,
There was a traitor.
****