As intimidating a present as it possessed Alaric wouldn't let down.
With a quick run forward, he leapt and drove himself downward in a topspin like manner; a controlled rotational force that enabled him the opening to attack from above.
As his blade descended, the claws of the metamorphosed Blackulus spider deflected his attack with a clash of sword against claw.
Small particles of glowing matter emerged from the point of contact before he was pushed away by the monster.
Easily able to land on his feet again, he took a mental note that this creature could in fact match his physical strength.
A claw-strike from above descended with heavy winds to decimate its target, but Alaric was up to the task being able to counter by the use of his sword's flat side.
He had held it upward against the advance of the monster. But, he was a knee down after the claw struck his blade. Truly, he struggled in a back-and-forth clash with the nightmarish creature.
The party of Dilbert complained bitterly, full of angst "What is that creature!?", "We're gonna die!" then there was Dilbert trying to calm them down and assure them they'd get through it.
At the same time, I was used this opportunity to analyze what exactly was going on. 'Scentia, brief me..'
[>> Briefing. Demonization spell has been used on Blackulus spider to further evolutionary process. Successful, Blackulus spider has now evolved to become Blackuline spider. Physical strength and body armor has increased exponentially. <<]
"A demonization spell? From where?" anyone could notice the confusion in my voice, how exactly did this happen.
[>> I do not have that information. <<]
This same Vania Croft made use of magic jamming again, even more potent than before.
If she could bypass Mana Sense, that in its own was a feat deserving of the highest of praises. How would one be able to do that?
[>> Survey complete, switching to additional skill --wild sense-- successful <<]
My eyes turned to a pale colour of blue signifying [Wild Sense] was in use.
On the contrary that [Mana Sense] could account for light fluctuations and sound pertaining to magicube reaction and turn them to perceptible data.
[Wild Sense] accounted for the physical aspects, which in fact meant it wasn't a phenomenon of magic but in fact an extrinsic impulse and intuitive reaction not based on rational conscious thought.
It allowed one the ability to catch any physical occurrence in mere seconds of it happening.
Magic jamming definitely wouldn't work here.
I could sense the person who lurked in the shadows, only one within a ten meter radius of us and five more a kilometer south of where we stood.
Unfortunately, I couldn't account for their level of magical power, in order to do that I'd have to use [Mana Sense] and given magic jamming was involved it'd be less functional.
Still, [Wild Sense] could catch their desire for bloodshed and carnage.
But as for the woman nearest to us, she didn't give off the same ferocity, instead she found this amusing.
This was in fact some dark force at work.
I knew I had to do something. So I darted in the direction of the lady instantly, a gust of wind emanated from such powerful motion.
"Nyx! Where are you going!?" Belitha was the first the ask the moment she saw me move.
The others had to focus on the monster.
It looked as if I'd abandoned them, but in actuality, I had to get to the source of our problems.
Dilbert and Rosemarie conjured pillars of flame counting up to five that emerged from the ground around it.
The Blackuline spider stood there mesmerized by the heat but still determined to break free. However, they were only doing this to contain the monster so Belitha and Laia could gain range to attack.
Both Laia and Belitha conjured the same attack, both using [--Type magic--] with a speedy spell activation, they both manifested multiple magic seals around the immobile creature.
From varying angles, numerous spiraling balls of fire were directed for it which predominated the creature. Its loud, emphatic screams were enough to show the level of pain it suffered.
"Alaric! Now!" Rosemarie and Dilbert dispersed the pillar of flames adjacent to Alaric to enable easy passage.
"Right!"
With his hilt of his blade held with both hands, he charged straight for the monster where he forced his sword into its mid-region. It took alot of effort to drive it past its durable skin.
When it was deep enough, Alaric drew the blade upwards as he propelled himself with a powersome jump that allowed for a clean halving of the creature.
The background turned to a monochromatic focus of black and white as the blood rapidly flowed out like a geyser.
Success, but it didn't linger much in Alaricʼs mind 'What on earth did I just kill..'
"Seeing you slice that thing in half was impressive.." Rose relayed her compliments, he had the potential to become a great Hunter/Adventurer.
As for me, I arrived at the location of the woman in between the time the others fought the creature. However, to my surprise, no one was present there - not a single soul.
This was quite unsettling, and I could not pick up any trace of them again, as if they had simply vanished. The only sound that I could hear was the echoing laughter in the forest, which was mentally frustrating.
It seemed the woman was skilled enough to evade my senses and was aware I came her way. How exactly she knew this, I could not say.
I made my way back to my friends I'd left earlier, still feeling quite disturbed by the events that had transpired. I decided not to share this information with them, as it could make them feel uneasy, especially Laia.
I wanted them to remain calm and enjoy the moment, so I kept my worries to myself.
"Hey! Where'd you run off to Nyx!?" Rose saw me before any other person.
I didn't have an honest response to her question so I decided it was better to improvise and approach her question with caution, "I had to scout the area, see if there was any monsters around that'd catch us by surprise.." lying wasn't hard when the person doesn't suspect that you'd lie.
Which made it a lot harder to lie to Lady Ophelia.
"You should've told me at least, I could've assisted you.." she replied, it was good she didn't tarry too much on the situation. It gave me a sense of relief.
We parted ways with Dilbertʼs party. With three scrolls, we believed that was enough for a passing grade.
Originally, we believed that we'd encounter a small number of monsters, but the more we traversed the forest the more difficult it became.
Notwithstanding, we were ready to wrap things up in an orderly fashion.
At the tower...
As stated earlier, our checkpoint was the tower at the centre of the forest where we were to submit our scrolls for analysis.
Three scrolls may have sounded small, but in total there was about ten available for five parties to search for. An equal setting would be two scrolls per party, for us to have had three meant we did in fact go the extra mile.
"And that's the last of it.." Belitha put the last scroll on the table, it was all smiles now that we could enjoy the tranquility that comes with succeeding.
I was equally as happy, "We did it guys.."
These practical exercises were made to be very challenging for students, but was essential in a lot of fields surrounding becoming a mage, knight or hunter.
That'd be because it helped students gain a mutual understanding with one another and also strengthen mental fortitude.
In the end...
"The practical exercise is complete and the top scoring team is Roseʼs group.."
Elena addressed all the students.
Everyone was back with a few in bad spirits, some failed to acquire even one scroll. It'd reflect poorly on their results but they'd still get points for participation.
Dilbert comfortably gave us a standing ovation and a few others in the crowd of students, not everyone would acknowledge we were the top scoring, they believed we were depending on Rose.
But anyone who saw us during the exercise would know the real MVP was none other than Alaric Stronghold. He'd gave it his hardest all through our time in the Gelin forest.
"I'd expect nothing less from Lady Rose..", "She's just so venerable.." the ladies of the class continued their praises once more.
"Disgusting! The only reason their team won is because of Miss Rose.." sigh, they faced me again even when I didn't say a word.
"A Cross like him shouldn't even be allowed to enroll in this academy in the first place!", "You said it girl!" their conversation was a bit vague.
I couldn't hear them from the podium I stood on as a member of the team with the top score. I guess I shouldn't be bothered.
Sure, I was a Cross but I'd shown them I was in fact capable of magic and excelled better than most of my classmates and yet they found it hard to acknowledge me.
"Itʼs a bit disheartening than not much people congratulated us, it's my fault... no one would like to see a Cross thriving in this academy." it didn't tell well on their personal abilities.
"Don't let that drag you down, it doesn't change the fact that we won." optimistic as always, Alaric.
Meanwhile...
In the dark corners of the Belmund mountains, a meeting was ongoing. All wearing dark ragged cloaks to mask their identities. Six in all.
"They've proven more capable than we anticipated... the boy in particular."
"At least we were able to take measure of his strength in his previous encounter with the Black Pendant guild."
"He's certainly exceptional for a Cross."
"We've also appraised the Grand sorcerers and knights they have on their side, but we can effectively back them to a corner strategy wise that is.."
"Yes, but they're no match for the monsters we have on our side, including King Zaratros.."
"Can we really trust this King...?"
"Impudence! There's no cause for concern, rest assured he desires the destruction of the world every bit as much as we do!"
"Let's hope so, we must return the world to a proper state for our great lord. Only then can he take his rightful place as the founding father of all that breathes..."