Deep in the back mountains, at the entrance of a cave about six meters high, a dark green barrier covered it like a thin sheet of paper. The cave, illuminated by the fluorescence emitted from the barrier, gradually dimmed with the fading fluorescence.
Suddenly, a massive black shadow that almost blocked the entire cave burst out, crashing into the barrier.
When a piercing, sharp scream echoed from the back mountains, all the emotionally charged students stood frozen in place, like clockwork suddenly halted. They would never forget this sound, never forget that night.
Three seconds later, the crowd erupted into screams, scattering in all directions.
"Monster!"
"It's coming out!!"
No one bothered to argue whether Ira was framed, and no one spoke about how the academy had changed.
They just wanted to escape, to survive. Even if they knew they couldn't escape the pursuit, driven by instinct, they wanted to flee the square.
Even before seeing the owner of the sound, it didn't prevent the fear in their hearts.
"Don't stop me!"
"Are you awakeneds crazy?"
"We've all gathered here, and the monster will devour us all!"
On the platform, standing at the lectern, Clark looked indifferently at the chaotic scene before him.
The crowd was congested, countless people tried to escape from the edge of the square. Anywhere was fine, as long as they didn't stay here.
The awakened individuals, prearranged for this situation, had emotionless faces, wielding various skills aimed at the crowd trying to escape.
Compared to ordinary people who easily lose their composure, those who possessed power were well aware that escape was futile.
Clark hadn't left yet; he was their last hope.
Even though everyone thought that Clark, as a psychic, probably couldn't withstand the monster, he was still their last chance.
"Clark, why not let the ordinary people evacuate first."
Dirk couldn't bear to watch the chaotic crowd in front of him—trampling, crowding. Many weak students and girls were knocked to the ground, countless feet trampling over them.
"They staying here won't serve any purpose."
"Later, we'll be fighting that monster, and there's a possibility of accidentally hurting them."
Dirk, on the other hand, was confident in Clark. He knew that Clark wasn't a psychic awakened. Although he didn't know where Clark came up with new attack methods, the fact that Clark stayed here indicated that he was fully confident.
"Look..." Clark spoke tersely.
The earth lightly trembled, and in the distance, it seemed like a colossal creature leaped up and then descended.
"I want them to see everything that happens tonight."
"I want them to remember forever what happened tonight. I want them to never forget the scenes of this night even in death."
"Having some casualties during the battle is acceptable."
"I want the survivors, at least for some time, to have no rebellious thoughts."
Clark walked slowly toward the platform with his hands behind his back, looking at the fleeting black shadow not far away in the dark night.
When the sharp roar got closer, enough to pierce through the eardrums of the crowd, everyone stopped running. It was already... too late.
The awakened individuals maintaining order all looked at Clark on the platform, the leadership below the platform, and the principal and teachers tightly clenched their fists, staring at his back.
With the last tremor of the earth, the monster arrived.
Clark with his back to everyone, a faint blue mist rising in his eyes, and his powerful psychic force rapidly spreading.
When the information from the Eye of Judgment returned, different from the pale faces of the others, his mouth began to lift slightly.
So it's you...
Sandworm [Podoi].
"Ding, detected Second-tier magical beast - Sandworm (Second-tier Advanced)."
"Biological characteristics: Gigantification, Burrowing, Flesh Healing, Tracking, Breath Contamination, Psychic Resistance."
"Biological Weakness: Inside the oral apparatus, the fourth pair of limbs on the head, abdominal core (white area)."
Not far away, a massive sandworm, about six meters high like half a building, emerged from the ground. It arched its body, covered in thick, wrinkled, earthy-yellow skin.
On its massive body, small and densely packed sickle-like legs were distributed on both sides, resembling a centipede. Instead of a head, there was a feeding orifice resembling a pocket, and sharp teeth extended from the oral apparatus into the abdomen.
Just by looking at its appearance, it was disgustingly sufficient to make everyone's courage shiver. The mismatched sickle-like legs waved, and the sandworm seemed to be perceiving something, not launching an attack immediately.
In the crowd behind, fear spread, and many people collapsed to the ground, tightly covering their mouths.
"Clark, this thing is damn disgusting..."
"What is it waiting for?"
Clark silently smiled. After the Eye of Judgment was enhanced to the second level, the newly added weakness markers were clear and distinct.
"It's assessing from which side to start eating."
In the previous world, Sandworm [Podoi] was somewhat famous. Its fame didn't come from strength but from being a rarely tamed magical beast. With an appearance like an enlarged worm, Sandworm [Pōduōyī] could freely burrow through the ground with its sharp oral apparatus.
The fully penetrated digestive tract allowed it to tunnel underground like a shield tunneling machine used in subway construction. Not only could it open passages, but it could also expel excess sand and stones from its tail.
Therefore, in the apocalypse game, Sandworm [Podoi] was also known as an almost perfect "engineering and construction" magical beast.
However, in the past world, the academy had only managed to tame it after the first year. At this stage, the strength of the Sandworm was indeed something they couldn't resist.
Unexpectedly, the Sandworm that countless safe zones in the past world envied had almost annihilated the entire academy.
"From which side should we attack?"
Arnold rubbed his forehead, not quite understanding Clark's meaning.
Do you remember what Ira said? The Sandworm is immune to psychic damage, so he concluded that we couldn't stop the Sandworm.
"Huh? Clark, isn't it true? Is he deceiving us? That kid doesn't seem like he's pretending!"
Clark stood with his hands behind his back, his expression somewhat strange.
"He didn't deceive us, but the Sandworm's immunity to psychic damage is not due to any unique talent or powerful psychic force."
"It's purely because this creature simply doesn't have a brain."
Not far away, the massive sandworm seemed to have determined its target. Following a piercing scream, its enormous body defied logic and leaped into the air, then, upon landing, burrowed effortlessly into the hard ground.
The next moment, "Boom!" a shower of sand and stones erupted from the underground. The sandworm, having drilled into the ground, resurfaced, and its teeth-filled oral apparatus engulfed Ira, who was bound to the flagpole, trembling all over.
"No!!" Ira's voice abruptly stopped, leaving nothing but silence.
When the sandworm appeared near the crowd, panic erupted. Everyone desperately fled towards the distance. The awakened individuals responsible for maintaining order felt a sense of despair, their legs trembling uncontrollably.
When the once feared creature appeared before their eyes, when the demon that had devoured over 6,000 people reappeared, they could hardly muster any thoughts of resistance.
"Boss!"
"Please, act quickly!"
Principal Gerard bent over, his voice filled with tears, pleading with Clark.
"Didn't you say you would stop the monster?"
"What should we do?"
Fear made them lose their composure.
Arnold glanced at the crowd below the platform and couldn't help but scoff. He had no doubt that if Clark didn't speak up, this group of people, even if they knew they couldn't escape, would cry and flee from the square.
"Everyone, listen to my command."
Clark stood with his hands behind his back, his tone calm, as if he completely ignored the monster behind him. His sudden words sounded like celestial music to the ears of the awakened.
"Fire-element awakened, attack the sandworm's oral apparatus area with all your strength! Weaken its burrowing ability!"
"Ice-element, water-element awakened, attack the fourth pair of sickle legs on the sandworm's head! Reduce its perception ability!"
"Thunder-element, wind-element, arcane-element awakened, attack the most concealed abdomen! Disrupt its attack rhythm!"
All the awakened individuals who were pre-grouped subconsciously formed teams upon hearing Clark's instructions, but many among them voiced doubts.
"It's useless!"
"We've tried before! Our skills can't break through that monster's..."