The trail bent again, this time sloping downhill. They passed normal forest things--just a few snagging vines and uneven roots--but Julien slowed slightly anyway, still letting the navigate through first.
It had been too quiet. There hadn't been a single creature for almost fifteen minutes. Normally, you didn't have to even look to find a monster in a gate. And this one was supposed to have a bunch of them. But if there were none at all…
That's a bad sign. What could've happened to them?
"Wasn't there supposed to be more?" Karis murmured from up front, brushing aside a hanging branch. "We've only fought, what, five? Shouldn't there be like twenty by now?"
Julien didn't know what to say. The situation was highly unusual--he'd cleared many gates, chased monsters through them hundreds of times, so he knew how things normally happened-- vanishing mobs wasn't something he'd ever seen before.
Either they've been killed by another group, or…
They were supposed to encounter at least one group of branch-boars every few hundred meters, maybe a flock of poison-gliders further in. The scouts said there were plenty of monsters roaming around. And yet… there were none to be found anywhere.
Zain hesitated as they approached a small ridge, peering ahead. "Nothing moving. Again."
"I think I liked it better when stuff was trying to kill us," Alec said. He scanned the trees warily. "This just feels... off."
They weren't wrong. Something was off. Julien crouched for a second beside a hollow log and pressed a hand to the dirt, just in case. There was no vibration, no trace of lingering mana. Not even a monster trail.
We should've run into something by now.
He stood again. "Keep moving," he said quietly. "I'm sure we'll find something soon."
Julien didn't reach for his mana-communicator yet, but his hand hovered near the coat pocket anyway.
The gate was still quiet. Mana wasn't reacting, and the students hadn't noticed anything out of place beyond the silence. By all appearances, things were fine. But the trail ahead felt wrong in a way that didn't show up in reports or system logs, like something was waiting for them to catch up.
They crossed into the next stretch of forest without a word.
The trees grew taller here, their roots twisted deep into the soil and their branches thick with tangled growth. Morning light filtered through the canopy, but there was a slight shimmering in the air, as though it were being bent by something invisible. Shadows didn't stretch the way they should've. Some flickered in the wrong direction while others were completely missing,
Their surroundings were devoid of all life.
Julien scanned the undergrowth again. Still nothing. There were no skittering paws, nor wings overhead. Not even the chirp of mana-wasps. The deeper they moved, the more it felt like something had cleared the path ahead of them. Not by force, but by... presence.
Jenna spoke up. "There should be gliders by now, right?"
"Yeah, should be," Mina murmured. "They usually nest near water, but that stream we passed was empty."
"Could just be the light throwing them off," Julien said. "Gates like this sometimes have fluctuations with ambient mana." His voice was steady, giving the kind of answer Ian Mooring would--measured, rational, meant to keep nerves down.
But inside, he wasn't sure. They're not wrong. Something cleared this place out.
Little Julien slowed his pace slightly, adjusting the way he held his blade. Not out of fear--just caution. The same instinct was settling into the others, too. Even Karis was finally keeping his voice down. They were picking up on it, whatever it was.
They walked on for a little while longer, then the air shifted slightly. A change so subtle that none of the students noticed. But Julien did.
It wasn't the mana itself--it hadn't warped or anything. The temperature hadn't dropped and there was no scent in the air, though it didn't seem that way. But something around them had changed its weight.
Julien apprehensively looked back at the ridge they'd crossed a while ago. Still only trees. Nothing else.
Okay. He exhaled quietly. If this is just a lull, it ends soon. If it's not--
A single snap echoed from up ahead. It was just one sound, but whatever made it sounded heavy. Heavy meant big, and big never meant anything good.
Every head turned at once, even the quiet girl with the spear. Julien reacted swiftly, and he immediately moved to the front of the group and held out his arm.
The underbrush split apart. Leaves and twigs scattered like a manabomb had gone off.
Something moved through the trees with crushing force, the ground groaning beneath its steps. Vines withered behind it. Roots cracked open like dry bone. Its silhouette emerged--a towering, eight foot tall creature of stone and jagged armor, plates fused over thick muscle, its chest glowing faintly with deep-core mana.
The system didn't chime. It flared.
[Threat Detected: Petra Lvl.80]
[Type: Named]
[Element: Earth]
[Tier: S]
Julien's heart slammed against his ribs. A Named?! Shit!! What's it doing here?!
The Petra charged.
There was no buildup--it simply used raw speed. Dirt exploded behind it as it surged forward, one of its four massive arms raised, aiming straight for the front line.
Julien threw himself between it and the students. "Scatter!" he shouted. His voice cracked like a whip. "Get behind cover--go!"
Before they could move, the Petra's fist came down like a landslide.
Julien's hand snapped up, and he used a skill without thinking.
"Flame Shield!"
A wall of hardened flame materialized around the group, catching the strike mid-air. The shock still rippled through his arm, but the shield held. Cracks splintered across its surface before the flame dispersed into heat, causing the monster to recoil slightly.
Julien skidded back a step, thoughts rushing through trying to create a battle plan.
They can't handle a Named. And I'm not sure I could counter one myself, at least not with my current mastery of Ian's abilities! Of all things, why did it have to be a Petra? Fire isn't the best element to fight an earth monster with…!
Another system alert pinged in his mind, different from before.
[Character Guidance: Deactivated]
[Status: Threat Level exceeds Guidance Threshold]
Of course it does. Even this nice little perk has its limits.
The Petra reared back again, dust circling it in a slow spiral as it prepared to charge once more. Julien could see the mana gathering around its frame, coating its skin in another layer of armor--a defensive skill. Its body was already regenerating where Julien's barrier had scorched the surface.
Julien raised both arms, mage staff forgotten a few feet away. "Don't look back!" he yelled, not taking his eyes off the monster."Just run!"
Flames curled around his fingers, gathering into concentrated points--not skills this time, but spells. The strongest ones, those he hadn't risked trying back at the Academy. The kind that most mages wouldn't dare cast without complete confidence.
He wasn't sure how well he could control them, but he saw no other choice.
I just need to aim forward. The kids are behind me, so any stray flames shouldn't touch them.
The Petra finished preparing and charged again.
Julien dashed forward to meet it, trying to both keep his eyes on the monster and comb through more of Ian's memories of spellcasting.
Skills and spells… they're not the same.
Skills were the only thing I knew. The abilities unique to everyone. Mine were mostly melee-based. Ian's are different, sure, but using them is simple, really.
But spells? Spells are a mage's domain.
I've been relying on easy, controllable ones for the last few days, but they aren't going to get me anywhere with a Named. I think I could use the powerful ones if I find Ian's memories of using them.
One memory stood out from the rest.
It was during an advanced exam at the Academy, only last year. A simulated battlefield, shattered terrain, debris still smoldering all around him. The final challenge: defeat a crystalback golem with an advanced spell.
Ian didn't hesitate. He extended one hand, fingers steady.
Mana coiled inward, precise and compressed. A single lance of flame formed at his palm and shot forward. It was silent, but focused and impossibly fast. It pierced straight through the golem's chest. The core shattered instantly. He hadn't even needed to recite an incantation.
Okay, let's do this thing. No words, only will.
A spear of compressed flame ripped from his palm, spiraling toward the Petra's chest. It struck dead-on, detonating in a burst of red heat that shook the trees. Smoke billowed out.
But when it cleared, the Petra was still standing. Charred but not slowed.
It did take some damage, however. Its plated chest had cracked a little. One of its four arms now hung limp, blackened from the blast, but recovering slowly. The other three slammed into the dirt as it lunged through the smoke undeterred.
I need to break the plates. Named monsters don't die until you destroy their core. It'll just keep regenerating itself.
Julien dropped low, barely dodging a sweeping punch. Earth split where he'd just been standing. Shards of stone shot past his head, slicing his cheek. He turned with the motion, channeled his mana without a chant.
A mobility skill.
His body vanished in a flash of orange and reappeared ten meters to the right, heat trailing behind. It was a short-range movement skill.
Mana Level.
A blue system popup appeared.
[Mana: 25390/31000]
Down almost six thousand points already? Are you kidding me? No wonder mages faint from mana exhaustion so much. In my old life I only had seven thousand total, and that was a lot for a swordsman. It's a good thing Ian naturally has high levels of it.
He flicked his hand sideways, throwing a stream of searing fire into the Petra's side. The heat was enough to melt through iron… but the Petra wasn't made of iron.
The monster roared furiously then retaliated by slamming two fists into the ground. The entire area shook. A crack shot toward Julien's feet like a fired arrow, and stone erupted upward in a jagged pillar.
He didn't use a skill or spell to deflect it. He just dodged, his instinct as a physical fighter taking over for a second. Julien stopped once he was clear of it, panting slightly.
Ugh… I can't forget, this is Ian's body… he's not suited to ducking and weaving all around the place. Running circles around it isn't an option. I could keep using mobility skills, but I might really need that mana for offensive spells.
Julien glanced briefly toward the students. They were crouched low behind a mossy ridge far behind, wide-eyed but unharmed.
Good. Stay down. He wiped the blood off his cheek, remembering that Ian was far from a tank.
Health Points.
[Health Points: 6208/6300]
Great, not too much damage. But I have to be more cautious now. Honestly, this guy is as brittle as a snowflake.
The Petra turned again, gaze fixed, and tore forward yet again.
Julien straightened, clenching his fists. "Let's see how well you handle this," he muttered to no one in particular.