In front of us were hundreds of glowing beady red eyes of hundreds of Snarlers staring at our class.
"W-Why are there so many?" I could only hear Clive barely get out as the entire class stands still in fear or shock.
"We should head back-" Professor Glory begins to suggest we all head out of the dungeon as a fast-moving fire bullet flies past her. It flies into the large crowd of Snarlers and explodes outwards making a decently sized explosion, killing off tens of the E-class Snarlers.
Shocked Professor Glory looks to the crowd of students beside me and asks, "Who was that?!"
A half-elf boy half raises his hand as he cockily announces, "It was me, and I think I had proven that those insignificant E-class pests should be easy enough to deal with no matter the numbers."
Professor Glory sighs, "Fine, everyone split into your groups and follow the plan." She announces as we all begin grouping up with the people we were assigned with. SHe stops Lucas as our group passes by her, "and as for you Lucas, you better not do that again or I will drag you out of here by your ear myself."
He scoffs and pushes past her, we move over towards a smaller group of the Snarlers. Even though it's a smaller group it still had a few hundred of them clustered together. They run and charge at us and we all get into our positions.
Lucas and Tessia were placed in the back along with Clive to protect them since they are the main long-ranged fighters while I was meant to be towards the front along with Roland who was meant to be my guard since he was an augmenter.
I just let him do his own thing however, I separated from him and withdrew my Djinn blade while walking toward the snarlers. I prepared myself for one big slash attack as the Snarlers approached.
I began enhancing my blade with wind magic as I waited for the Snarlers to come closer. Once they got close enough I released the attack, the initial swing of the sword cut up and killed nearly ten Snarlers while the blast emanated from the sword, and the wind mana launched outwards killing upwards to sixty Snarlers.
I smile as I look at the blade, this was my first time correctly using it since beginning my assimilation to its power. It felt good as I used it, it felt like my entire body and my mana were strengthened. It was obvious from that slash attack I had just used since that was not something I could do normally. It must have somehow made my wind magic stronger at the moment. Or perhaps it had launched something else? I wasn't sure what it did but it worked so I continued using what I had learned while pretending to be a conjurer while using the sword when Snarlers got too close.
It was a good method for me generally using earth magic since I wanted to try and improve my efficiency and strategy with using it.
Around three Snarlers came up to my left as I stomped on the ground with earth magic making the dirt next to me rise like a pillar uppercutting the oncoming Snarlers.
I hadn't expected for it to entirely take off their heads though, their blood splattered all over when I had used the spell. 'Am I overdoing it? These creatures are only around E-class... No, I shouldn't underestimate my enemy even when they are E-class. Just pretend I'm facing an S-class beast where anything can happen.'
I didn't want to make any dumb mistakes from underestimating them, they could easily come up with some kind of trap or trick that could severely weaken me. I continued using my spells full force although still preserving mana in case they do something.
I looked over to check on my team and how they were doing. Lucas and Tessia were doing fine, in fact, they were doing great. Both of them respectively show skills surpassing that of an ordinary A-class adventurer. It made sense for Lucas but how did Tessia gain such skill? Was it because she was an Elf?
I put that thought on hold as I checked on Clive and Roland, Clive was handling his own, not getting close to the Snarlers at all. While Roland was struggling quite a bit. His skill with the water whip spell was only decent and his footwork and evasion skills could use some work.
I didn't plan to have to step in to help him but when I saw a Snarler come up from behind him and nearly take a chunk out of his back. I cast an Earth Burial Spell underneath the Snaler making it sink and be engulfed into the ground.
Roland didn't even notice the Snalrer ever being behind him so if I hadn't stepped in there we would need to be carrying him out of here with bad injuries.
The battle went on for several minutes with no end to the Snarlers in sight, there were more of them now than there were before we all started fighting. There were perhaps over a thousand Snarler corpses on the ground we all had to step over making the fight difficult.
"I think it's time we retreat," I say to the group. While people like Lucas and Tessia wanted to stay at first they eventually agreed after seeing the other groups also returning to the professor.
Our group retreats to Professor Glory and we all begin making our way toward the exit.
I was in the front of the group helping students pass by many Snarlers that were in the way. We were approaching the stairway outside when suddenly a blast of mana flew past my face.
I quickly stepped back to make sure I wasn't hit by the blast of mana, I saw the blast fly past me and crash into the wall near the exit and explode. The explosion rumbled the entire cave as the ceiling above the stairs collapsed down in front of us.
I saw one of my classmates in the area where the rocks would fall. The professor was too occupied protecting the class to notice so I ran towards them to try and reach them before the rocks collapsed.
When running wasn't fast enough I used Infinite Step to transport me there in an instant, I enhanced my arms and threw her out the exit which was closer.
I look to see if I could make it back before the rocks entirely collapse but- *thump* a large piece of rubble falls and hits me in the head knocking me down to the ground. The remaining rubble falls over me as I lose any space to move my limbs.
I augment myself in a struggle, hoping to find the strength to escape from this. 'I could use ice to escape easily. But I can't reveal that. Can I use wind or earth somehow?'
I decided to try and warn Saya of the current situation hoping she could help in some way, 'Saya, the class is in trouble. I think you should get down here.' After a few seconds pass I get no response. Is she ignoring me? Or can she just not hear me? But how though, they should just be outside the exit.'
'Dammit, keep calm Arthur, think about your situation. One girl got out, so she can escape and tell Saya there is an emergency. Good so all I need to do is just find a way out of here without revealing my other elements.'
I think and come up with a few theories such as using earth magic to move the rubble above me, the problem is if I make a mistake I could accidentally harm my class who are on the other side of this rubble if I so much as move it causing a miniature rock slide.
The solution finally comes to me, 'Maybe I could use Infinite Step?' I decided this was my best idea since it will be easier to lie about how I got out using Infinite Step rather than have people see my use of ice to escape.
I focus mana onto the rune and try to move in the direction where the class should be. I try to remember how this works. It brings me to the destination as if there was nothing in between. So this rubble should not matter, it's simply not there, I try to convince myself.
I activate Infinite Step as I appear on the other side of the boulders back with my class. Everyone was facing away from me towards something in the center of the room so thankfully no one saw me.
But when I look over to see what they are looking at concerns me. I see a Queen Snarler eating another Queen Snarler. How are there two Queens? Not even one should be on this floor.
When the Queen Snarler finishes eating their comrade their body begins to mutate and change in color. Before all of us was a large creature black in color with an onyx color horn sprouting from its head. Its body and skin look malformed and many of its limbs were different sizes. But its wings still grew stronger as it held itself up in the air.
The mana it had within it was clearly over the rank of B-class it was normally meant to be. If I were to estimate it would be perhaps A-class, maybe even AA-class if it gained new abilities.
'Shit' I curse in my head as the other students around me scream and panic from the atrocious beast in front of them. It makes a roar, scaring many of the students. Professor Glory was stunned for a moment unmoving before she regained her composure and gripped her two blades.
"Everyone! Combat the Snarlers and try to find a way out of here! I'll keep the Queen Snarlers' focus once again!" Professor Glory announces to the class. Curtis and Claire took charge and began instructing the students to help combat the Snarlers more efficiently and try to preserve mana. "Try and limit the use of fire! We can't afford to run out of oxygen!" Curtis yells out to the class.
The only thing standing in our way of escaping the dungeon was the rubble blocking the exit. Saya must not be nearby because she wasn't getting my mental messages so the possibility of her busting us out is a no.
I look at the wall and think of ways that it could be brought down. 'My ice may be strong enough to take it down but I should find better options.' If I could make just one big blast of mana like I could do with my other two elements maybe I could-
"Curtis! Come over here!" I yell.
"Why? We need to keep the Snarlers back!"
"Just come here." I tell him, He kills the last Snarler in his group and runs over to me where I ask, "can you use Worlds Howl on this wall?"
"No I can't, I am depleted of too much mana to activate the first stage." He answers.
"I have an idea, trust me."
"I trust you with my life so go ahead with your plan," Curtis responds.
I walk behind him and take off my mana-sealing bracelets. I placed my hands on his back and began trying to flow mana into his core.
There are many theories on how to transfer mana to another person but all were dropped due to failing. I had learned I had accidentally done this back when I was only four. Back when I was helping Lilia make her mana core I had done a lesser version of this.
What I need to do is find the ratio of mana attributes in his core and match them with my output of mana.
"I have no idea what you're doing but it's working, I have enough mana to use worlds howl now," Curtis says.
I tried to still flow more mana into him but when he activated his first stage his body was rejecting any new mana I tried to flow into his body and he began his spell. I stepped back as I watched him release Worlds Howl, and tear down the wall of rubble blocking our exit.
Authors Note:
I ended up taking a short break to get everything handled. But thankfully I'm back to trying to consistently write. I won't however be daily uploading, never again. I will probably be uploading every other day or something like that.