"Who are you?" The question seemed simple, yet for me, it held layers of complexity. And why was I here? Even I couldn't say.
.....
I had been on my way out of the forest, even its edges were in sight, But a thought kept nagging at my subconscious
What would happen to that girl if I ran away?
"She will die," I whispered, but why did I care?
This wasn't my world, and After coming to this world I had only one goal survival
'I will survive', its was only thought on my mind after my coming to here in this world my motivation to live on.
my resolve to survive was weakening ,I could've just kept going, but one simple line brought me back
"Next to creating a life, the finest thing a man can do is save one."
It was a lesson from my mother, ingrained in me, emphasizing the value of every life.
A life of a person is Invaluable, no amount of money can be bargained for it.
"What's the difference between me and those people from the Union Government if I don't turn around now?"
So I did, I ran in her direction, hoping luck would be on my side and help would arrive from the Union Government.
-'Growl!!!!'
-'Growl!!!!'
-growl!
-growl!
As I hurried back, the growls of wolves reached my ears. I quickened my pace, heading towards the sound.
...
As i came near the sound wolfs growling, I leaped on tree to get a good view
'Looks like i am not late'
As i brushed my hair back, Perched myself on an upper branch of a tree, I witnessed an unusual scene.
The girl I sought to save knelt before a group of monsters, as if offering herself to them.
With long gunmetal gray hair that I mistook for silver in the sunlight, the girl's disheveled state couldn't mask the innate beauty that she seemed to radiate from her pores.
A pair of gleaming teal eyes shaped like perfectly rounded almonds quivered as her perky nose was so red from crying that it matched the color of her rosy lips.
While all of her individual facial features seemed to be carefully molded gems, on the fair creamy skin of her face that was the canvas, it brought her features into a surreal, almost phantasmal work of art.
Of course, this was me just observing her from speculatively as a gentlemen and Human who enjoyed beauty in.
Opposite to her are Five wolves standing, they are not making any move flowing there leader, who is not making its move.
'Four are around [G] and there leader should be around [F-]'
They weren't attacking merely reveling in her fear.
In this world, monsters possessed intelligence, particularly those of higher ranks. But these were mere low ranking monsters, driven by instinct rather than intellect.
Theses animal type monsters like to play game of cat and mouse they engage in behavior that is like the way a cat chases a mouse or plays with a mouse before killing it.
It was a twisted game for them, with the girl as their prey.
But Surrendering to them denied them the satisfaction of the hunt, This is way they are not attacking and giving her false hope that she can escape
So they could enjoy themself.
'I can take care of them'
If a fight broke out, I could likely survive, but to save her, I needed a different approach. Assessing my skills, I devised a plan.
I could even test the power of these skills and sword art.
Don't get me wrong,I admitted, that my tone tinged with Little ego, but I'm not overconfident. If it weren't for the Young Flame Art, maybe I wouldn't have even turned around to save her.
The destruction Power of [Young Flame] is something else. For these low rank monsters it is a one - shot kill.
As the alpha started moving i also moved.
''Time for some action''
I closed my eyes, and started flowing mana in body, slowly its started flowing from heart to all over body.
I could feel the surge of power in every part of my body, I looked at my fist and started condensing more mana in it.
Taking a deep breath I revised the contents of skill.
"[Shatterfall]"
I raised my fist and hit the free space of air front of me
-Wham!!!
-Krak.... Krak.... Kark!!!!!
The air space is cracked like glass, creating shockwaves that ripple through the ground and air causing wolfs to loses there footing and rolling on ground.
alpha also lost its footing and now on the ground with a confused face.
Now was the time to act.
"I have to finish this quickly," I muttered to myself as I unsheathed my sword. With a leap, I targeted the alpha wolf, as its confusion working in my favor.
Descending upon it, I aimed for a single, decisive strike.
"Reduce all creations to ashes," commanded, my voice was chilling clarity.
-Spurt!!
-Sizzle!!
As my sword pierced its heart, flames erupted from the blade, engulfing the alpha in a fiery inferno.
It worked beyond my expectations. The flames truly burned everything to ashes not even a bone was left.
Young Flame is one hell of a beast. I mean, its description says it burns everything to ashes, but I didn't think it literally meant it.
But there was no time to dwell on that success.
-Swish!!
The minion of the alpha, undeterred, charged towards me. His speed was astonishing, but I managed to evade his attack by ducking low
'its fast, it arrived infront of my nose in blink of an eye,'
-Slam!!
because of it speed it could'nt control his body and slamed in ground head first
-'Growl!!!!'
-growl!
-growl!
Looking in front the remaining three also came forward to attack.
Rotating my body backwards i performed a simple horizontal slash on the wolf who was on ground and recovering from its previous attack
-WhOOOsh!!
air bended from his attacks pressure
-Splash!!!
the wolfs body was cut in half from face which made it guts spill out ,Blood spilled, and the ground grass was stained crimson.
But as the remaining wolves hesitated, I signaled for them to retreat. Slowly, they slunk away, tails between their legs, disappearing into the depths of the forest.
"This is good," I murmured, relieved. I didn't have to fight them all. Seeing their alpha dead had shattered their spirits.
Mana in my body is almost reduced to half, by the use of these skills
Plus, I preferred to avoid unnecessary bloodshed whenever possible.
'She is safe' ,I breathed a sigh of relief,
After dealing with them lucas slowly walked in girls direction
Right now she is looking at him in shock. She should have seen everything but she did'nt know that this is the power of [Young Flame] a 5 star sword art. and everything happened was too fast for her to comprehend.
As lucas walked in girl direction she moved back a little and tried to get up.
But soon he was infront of her
he looked at her with cheerful eyes and extended his hand for her take it
"are you ok"
She took his hand asking
"Who are you"
....
I helped her get back on her feet before answering
"just a fellow academy student"
"What were you doing out here alone?" he asked gently.
The girl hesitated for a moment before speaking, her gaze dropping to the green grass.
"I... I got lost. I was trying to go to academy"
He nodded understandingly, his expression return to normal.
"Well, you're not alone anymore. I can feel that help from union has arrived."
After reaching [F] rank my perception and ability to sense are improved.
i could that sense that there are people in forest not so faraway from our location. and the way there are moving i can tell they are from government.
There movement are refind and trained.
She looked up at him, her eyes reflecting a mix of gratitude and curiosity. "Who are you?" she asked again, her voice filled with genuine interest.
"As I said, just a fellow academy student... And you did all of this, okay?" Saying that, he turned around to leave.
He was trying to hide himself, and In this world if you are not strong only people will try to exploit you so its nessecery to hide himself properly.
As Lucas turned to leave, she reached out, her voice urgent. "Wait! The Union will help us. You should take all the credit."
But Lucas just ran off into the forest, leaving her standing there.
Frustration bubbled up inside her. "My name is Ava!" she yelled after him. "I'll find you in the academy, and I promise, I won't tell anyone about this!"
But Lucas was already gone, disappearing into the dense foliage of the forest. Ava sighed
...
[Ava POV]
[few mins later]
They Union Help Squid arrived at scene and Gave her a healing potion
I took the potions without any thought and gulped them down. The potion was too bitter but I was in no condition to mind the taste.
Due to the adrenaline rush earlyer, I was not feeling much pain.
" Hello. My name is Hen and he is captain Rick" she said pointing toward rick
"I am Vice-Captain of squad 8 belonging to union Government." Shaking his hand I replied,
"Hello," I managed weakly, offering a nod. "I'm Ava of House Serenade, a student of Elden Academy." My voice was strained, but I tried to maintain composure.
Hen's expression shifted slightly, and I noticed a flicker of recognition in her eyes as I mentioned my clan. I could feel the weight of my family's legacy bearing down on me, even in this moment of vulnerability.
The Serenade Dukedom one of the two of Kingdom of Valaria, known for its power and esteemed history.
After telling them about my situation, I explained the reason for comming to this forest saying that i wanted expirence hunting beasts before academy starts,
I even explained my reason for sending the emergency signal, providing them with the precise location of the deceased
"You're truly remarkable. While most nobles are enjoying themselves in the capital, you're here honing your skills to give yourself an edge. this proves that Serenade are already leagues ahead in experience compared to Most noble childrens" Captain Derrick remarked, with a smile.
I nodded in acknowledgment.
As they commenced their evaluation and began searching for survivors, they soon discovered the grim reality of the situation: 27 dead bodies lay in the forest, while 7 students were found alive but injured. Without hesitation, they swiftly carried the deceased and the injured out of the forest.
As they departed the scene, the officer attempted to engage her in conversation, but she was lost in her own thoughts, paying little attention to their efforts to communicate.
Her mind was filled question of the young man who had saved, her mind swirling with unanswered questions.
Although she didn't receive any answers from him, she couldn't shake the feeling excitement that she would encounter him again at the academy.
'may be i can befriend him'
'may be'
.....
"Who goes there?" the soldier's voice sliced through the stillness of the forest.
Emerging from the shadowed canopy, Lucas squinted at the figure standing sentinel at the entrance to the academy.
"Elden Academy," the guard's tone was gruff, his spear gleaming in the dim light.
"Yeah," Lucas affirmed, his gaze flickering over the soldier's uniform, the polished black with accents of vibrant green and glinting gold.
"You need to register," the guard declared, brandishing a tablet.
Lucas complied, stepping forward as the soldier presented the device.
"Name?" the soldier prompted.
"Lucas " Lucas replied crisply.
"Clan?" the guard inquired.
" Reohart ,Commoner," Lucas answered, sensing a shift in the guard's demeanor, a subtle stiffening of his posture.
"Place your hand here for identification," the soldier instructed, gesturing to a scanner.
Lucas pressed his palm against the cold surface without hesitation.
As the scanner beeped, confirming his identity, Lucas glanced up, ready to continue
" Elden academy ." I quietly murmured.