"Due to some unknown reason, the monsters near the border suddenly attacked several cities, causing a lot of casualties. Nyan city was one of the cities that was attacked. I remember you're from there..."
Kyle's mind went blank for a moment as he shuddered at the mere thought of anything happening to his family. Although Nine continued speaking, he was too overwhelmed to fully comprehend his words.
Nine noticed Kyle's dark expression, and it sent a chill down his spine, leaving him a little scared. Just as he was about to speak up, Kyle abruptly started walking and hastily left the classroom.
Kyle didn't have any communication device he could use to contact his family. All he wanted was to leave the Academy right away and see his family.
Nine watched his fading image, realizing it was almost time for Professor Aliza to enter the classroom. He cursed under his breath but still quickly followed behind him.
Initially, Nine wanted to get close to Kyle because he saw him as someone strong. However, after spending an entire month together, he genuinely grew concerned for Kyle.
After bolting out of the classroom, Kyle didn't know what to do since leaving the Academy without permission was a no-no. With sweaty palms and a blank expression, he pondered his next move when Nine grabbed his shoulder, trying to calm him down.
"Don't worry, everything will be fine. Let's take on a mission and go together."
Kyle glanced at Nine, and upon hearing his words, he started to calm down. He clenched his fists and nodded, realizing that now was not the time for impulsiveness.
They hurriedly made their way to the mission hall, paying no attention to their surroundings. Kyle approached the mission board and randomly picked a mission.
Nine followed suit, and both of them handed their chosen mission pages to the young man behind the reception desk. The young man glanced at Kyle with narrowed eyes, finding him somewhat familiar.
"Oh, it's you."
The young man muttered disdainfully. He also glanced at Nine, who wore an awkward smile. Without giving them a second glance, he registered their names.
"These herb-collecting missions were just posted yesterday. You have two weeks to complete them and return with the items."
Kyle didn't care about the way the young man spoke. After confirming the mission, he quickly left the hall with Nine. They headed straight to the teleportation array outside the Academy.
The streets in front of the Academy were filled with various shops selling skill cores, arts, clothes, and daily necessities.
Kyle checked his storage ring and found some mana stones. They were only enough for one person to travel. Seeing his worried expression, Nine let out a sigh.
"I can pay for myself."
Kyle felt relieved and didn't ask any more questions. They waited for their turn and used the teleportation array to go directly to the capital city.
After arriving in the capital city, Kyle was feeling edgy due to the after-effects of the teleportation array. Because of that, it took them an hour to find the teleportation array heading straight to Nyan city.
But since there was a huge crowd of people heading towards Nyan city, it took them another hour before it was their turn. The more time passed, the more anxious Kyle was feeling. His worries worsened when they arrived in Nyan city because the only thing awaiting their arrival were broken buildings.
When Kyle left, the small city was bustling with all kinds of people busy in their daily lives. But now, the sky was filled with grey clouds and the atmosphere around the city was gloomy. Countless people were running here and there, trying to find help or save someone else.
There weren't any living monsters in sight, because guards with blood-filled weapons were patrolling the city. However, it seems the reinforcements from the capital city arrived a little late, as quite a lot of dead bodies were lying around.
Kyle gazed at his surroundings. Living in a world filled with cruel people, he had seen dead bodies before, but it was the first time in his life he felt so angry.
His feet felt heavy, and his heart trembled at the mere thought of seeing his house in a similar condition. Meanwhile, Nine quietly followed behind, not saying much. After witnessing the state of the city, all he could do was hope for the best.
After walking in silence for about thirty minutes, they arrived in front of one of the largest buildings in the city. The area around the house looked better than any other place they had seen on their way.
Kyle spotted a familiar, exhausted face standing by the gates, engaged in conversation with some servants. When he saw the middle-aged man, Kyle let out a sigh of relief and hurriedly ran towards him.
"Father?"
Baron Ohan turned around upon hearing a familiar voice calling him from behind. His clothes were wrinkled and stained with blood. Upon seeing Kyle running towards him, his tired face lit up with a momentary spark of happiness.
Kyle didn't mind the heavy stench of blood emanating from his father. With a relieved expression, he tightly hugged the old man.
After a minute, Kyle finally released his father from the embrace and asked in a worried tone.
"Where are elder and second brother?"
Baron Ohan remained silent, wearing a sorrowful expression.
Kyle instantly noticed his slightly teary eyes, and his voice trembled a little.
"They are fine... right?"