*ROAR!*
Back in the camp, the last Iron-toothed Wolf standing glared at Derek with a murderous aura.
Derek was one of the Dog-type students, and today, had shown that he was arguably the strongest of them all.
He had singlehandedly slain three Iron-toothed Wolves out of the thirteen, leaving the rest of the group to kill only one each.
Although it was a hard task, Derek appeared to be capable of taking them down. Not after having a B-level skill, Slash.
The skill was a sword of light that only came with a slash as if like an attacking sword. It was fast and unpredictable, as the only thing the opponent could notice was the light, and then their lives were blown away in an instant.
The lecturers assisted in the clash as well, judging that the students would be outnumbered, but they were stunned when they saw Derek confront two Iron-toothed Wolves and slay them.
This was going to be the third.
Everyone stood and watched Derek confront the Iron-toothed Wolf at that moment, their eyes filled with worry and anticipation.
The middle-aged man also had an unusual look on his face. He already decided that he would strike and kill the Iron-toothed Wolf if it turns out that Derek isn't able to kill it.
"You've got this, Derek!"
"C'mon Derek! You need the units!"
With the cheers of his course-mates, Derek strengthened his focus on the last Iron-toothed Wolf. While he felt the pressure, he also considered the fact that this was a matter of life and death.
He didn't let the pressure rule over him as he balanced his stance.
In the next moment, the Iron-toothed Wolf, who had been watching and glaring, charged at him as if like a mad dog.
It was a dog after all... Wolves are Dog-type Vessels.
This was what Derek had wanted, as he knew exactly what he could do to such an attack. He had come to realize that this was the best tactic he could use to defeat an opponent.
Attacking first was always a bad option for him.
Derek calculated the wolf's approach toward him... He wouldn't miss it because he knew that might just be the end of his life.
Just when the Iron-toothed Wolf had jumped toward him and was close enough, Derek activated the Slash kill. Suddenly, red glowy lights emerged on his palms.
Without hesitation, he thrust the light toward the Iron-toothed Wolf's face, not minding if it could possibly dodge. But he knew it couldn't...
Not all Vessels are that smart.
At least one can imagine that for a Star-3 to Star-7 Vessel, not the one seen at the extreme entrance of Sagemount.
Surprisingly, the red lights transformed into a terrifying red light blade the moment they left Derek's palms, hitting the Iron-toothed Wolf's face and cutting it into two halves at that instant.
*Gasps*
The other students and lecturers gasped in both shock and relief the moment they saw the Iron-toothed Wolf fall on the ground, dead.
It wasn't as if they anticipated his death; they were only stunned by the way he got the wolf killed. It was visibly too easy for him, as he didn't even break a sweat.
"That's awesome," the middle-aged man praised.
[Star-1 Iron-toothed Wolf killed. 2 Evo Units gained.]
[The skill, Share had enhanced by 20%.]
What looked like an interface suddenly appeared in front of him and delivered that notification. Its pattern of speech and approach was entirely different from the Ultimate Evolution System, and of course, he knew that it was the global Vanquisher interface.
This was the entity that showed stats of Vanquishers and Vessels in Terraverde, so he didn't have to react strangely as he had seen it before.
"Great job everyone. We overcame our first challenge!" The middle-aged lecturer said with an impressed smile on his face. The students had just done as well as he wanted.
"You, Derek Skyshard. What an amazing Vanquisher you are. You must be ready to work hard and be determined. You surely would be among the best in the planet," he added.
"Thank you, sir. I promise to give my all," Derek replied with a bow, smiling decently.
It was after a few moments that Miss Brie quickly stepped out from behind the middle-aged man.
"We can't find Seven Hermes and Rolanda Wenzel anymore. We need to find them," she informed.
"True. We have to stop whatever aim that we have in sleeping for the rest of the night. We need to find them... Gosh! Where the heck have these kids gone?" The middle-aged was painted with a hint of frustration.
"Maybe they got abducted or something. Or taken by a dragon... It could be a Kong too... My father told me that Kongs do kidnap humans. Mostly women. If it had to take Seven, then it must have killed him by now. And if it is truly a Kong, then I'm sure that Rolanda is still alive," the young lady who had asked about Sagemount on their way to the mountain range spoke on her view.
"No. A Kong barely visits the lower territories. Dragons can't be found in Sagemount either. It must have been something else..." The other female lecturer said.
"What if they had escaped from the camp...? Maybe they had other plans?" This suggestion came from Derek who had been standing and listening to their conversation for a while.
"Whoa?"
"Ahh..."
"Why would you say that?"
There were countless stern reactions to that suggestion, but Derek still didn't drop his point of view. He was just hoping to see that he was right in the end.
"Enough with the weird guesses. We have to take action. We should seal up our tent and go in search of the missing students, now!"
With that order from the middle-aged man, the students sealed the entrance of their tents and progressed deep into the mountain range. The middle-aged man took the lead as usual, and it turned out that Derek would be taking the last spot through the pathway.
Everyone was handed a torch, as it was one of the most important things they needed at this moment.
While they walked, Derek's face was holding a deep sense of hatred. Even though he still tried to hide, it still showed and lingered.
There was something fishy at that moment, which he didn't want to disclose.
"You won't get there before me, Seven," he muttered.
It appeared that he and Seven were sharing the same ambition in Sagemount...
But how did he know?
No one knows.
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[A/N: Please, the book needs Golden Tickets. Fuel my motivation. Thanks.]