"Professor Costine… WoW!"
Finally the professor made it on time where she immediately created an Ice Wall in front of Silvana and Aria that blocked the attacker's attack.
The Ice Wall summoned by professor Layla Costine was so powerful unlike Xerox Zee.
"Ohh my dearest students. So sorry for being late and are you all okay?"
"We are fine but we don't have much energy left to fight back so can you help us miss Costine"
"I am going to f**king kill all those poachers. Just wait and watch!"
"Thanks God for sending our professor right on time"
Silvana said with her eyes full of tears.
Silvana was really excited that her life was safe by now.
"What about others?. Where is Xerox Zee?"
Carter and Sofia, who went to call the professor said with a worried face.
"They are in the safe zone. Don't worry about them."
Aria replied.
"Are they kind of injured or did they run away?"
"No, they did not run but as Xerox after killing several poachers got injured, so we let Masha to take him to the safe zone"
"WoW, I am proud of you, my students. Now that I am here, don't you dare worry about anything anymore"
Professor Costine said with her smile full of pride.
"Professor, you are the Best teacher, Let's go with the flow!"
All the students cheered up and then Miss Costine condensed her mana and converted it into Ice energy.
(Dammit….. I thought I could kill all those Noob students but now this Ice Queen has appeared. I should better retreat and leave this place immediately)
The attacker was so afraid of her power.
"Hey you bastard! How can you even retreat after attacking my students so many times and today I am going to make you pay for that"
Having said that Miss Costine activated her Skill.
"Ice Spear"
Above Professor Costine , sharp ice spears appeared, glowing with freezing energy.
She waved her hand, and the spears flew straight at the attacker.
"Mana Shield!"
The Mage created a glowing shield in front of him.
-CRACK!-
The shield broke into pieces like it was nothing.
"N-no! This can't happen! I can't die!"
The spears hit him, piercing through his body over and over.
He fell to the ground, his body full of holes.
Professor Costine looked down at him and frowned.
"You dared to hurt my students. This is what happens when you don't think about your actions."
She turned to the students behind her.
"Let's go. We need to help the injured right now."
Silvana, one of the older students, stepped forward.
"Follow me!"
They all ran into the forest.
Soon, they reached a place where the injured students were lying on the ground, waiting for help.
"OMG! Everyone seems okay but this Xerox is badly injured and I guess he had used all of his mana to kill those poachers"
Miss Costine said.
"Come on, let us waste no more time. Let's take them to the academy for the immediate treatment"
Aria said with a tensed face.
But, by looking at the condition of the Xerox, it would be too late to reach the academy for the treatment.
So, professor Costine came forward and tried to transfer some of her mana potion into his body.
Huh!
"What is it?. Why can't I channeled my mana into him though he also had an Ice energy"
"Professor please save him at any cost!"
Every student present there was begging Miss Costine to save me.
Everyone's hearts felt heavy, and their thoughts were filled with sadness.
One thing became clear to all of them that they were too weak.
Too weak to protect anyone.
They clenched their fists so tightly that some of them began to bleed.
The thought of Xerox having to fight so hard, nearly dying because they couldn't help, filled them with guilt.
"What… What happened to him? How could a Rank 2 enemy hurt him this badly? I know Xerox is stronger than that,"
Miss Costine said.
Even though the student records said Xerox was Rank 1+, those who trained with him knew better.
He had clearly grown stronger, at least to Rank 2-.
"Rank 2-?"
Sofia, Liam, and Carter looked at each other in shock.
They couldn't believe it at first.
Rank 2- meant Xerox was in the top 50 of all first-year students.
Until now, they thought Aria was the only one on their team at that level.
But the truth hit them hard.
Xerox had already proven his strength when he fought and defeated a Rank 2+ poacher alone.
And now he was lying injured because he had to fight without their help.
Their heads hung low.
Sadness and guilt washed over them.
They couldn't stop blaming themselves for being so weak, for failing to protect their friend.
Sooner, Aria and Silvana explained everything that had happened in the battle like how he managed to kill several poachers and nearly killed their Boss too.
Sofia, Carter, and even Professor Costine were shocked by the story.
Xerox had fought alone against multiple Rank 2 enemies, including a Rank 2+, and still managed to defeat most of them.
It was clear his strength was much higher than they thought and he could even be compared to a Rank 3 or 3+.
"We need to leave this place now,"
Professor Costine said firmly.
"I will carry Xerox. I need to keep absorbing his Ice energy to stabilize him. Sofia, and Carter, you carry the other injured students."
The two nodded.
They were the only ones who still had enough strength to help.
Silvana, Aria, and Masha were all badly hurt.
While their injuries weren't as serious as Xerox, it was clear they had fought a very difficult battle.
They ran as fast as they could for ten minutes until they reached the Mistshade Training Grounds Entrance.
The area was crowded with medical staff, all busy helping injured students.
Xerox's and Silvana's teams weren't the only ones who had faced those poachers.
At least a hundred students had been attacked. But it was clear that Xerox's team and Aerox's team had faced the most dangerous enemies.
===========================
"Aerox, I think there are more enemies nearby,"
Elis said nervously.
The group had been moving through the dense forest after a successful hunt, but earlier, they were attacked by three Poachers.
Aerox Sun had taken on Rank 2 Poacher alone, defeating him after a fierce battle.
The others handled the remaining two, but one of their teammates, Lesley, was seriously injured.
Now, they were making their way toward the Mistshade Training Grounds Entrance, where professors were stationed to help.
"I agree,"
Sun replied.
"There's no way they sent only three. Stay alert and stick together."
Leonard, however, rolled his eyes and smirked.
"What's the matter, Aerox? Scared? The so-called number one student of our grade, afraid of a few enemies? Don't be such a coward."
Leonard was an arrogant member, who was being spoiled and praised from his childhood days.
But at Eclipse Academy, where many students were stronger and more influential than him, he ranked a lowly 416.
His resentment toward Aerox Sun, a commoner ranked at the top, was clear to everyone.
Aerox and the others frowned, already annoyed by Leonard's behavior.
"We've already lost Lesley for now. If we fight again, we might lose another teammate,"
Roger snapped.
"Stop acting so reckless!"
Roger, another member who was ranked 375 and far more skilled than Leonard.
He was furious with Leonard, especially because Lesley had been hurt due to Leonard's mistake.
Instead of protecting her, Leonard had rushed into battle without a plan, forcing Lesley to shield him with magic and now he had the nerve to blame her for being injured.
"Humph. She's weak. I could've killed those enemies alone if she wasn't in the way,"
Leonard said, crossing his arms.
"Leonard, you're the weak one!"
Roger barked, his anger boiling over.
"You're the one who can't do your job. Lesley saved you, and you repay her by insulting her? You're a disgrace!"
"Enough!"
Aerox's voice was sharp.
"Leonard, apologize to Lesley. She fought to protect this team while you made things harder for everyone."
Leonard sneered.
"Apologize? To her? Don't make me laugh. You're just a commoner, Aerox. Don't think you can order me around!"
Aerox Sun clenched his fists, but before he could say more, Roger stepped in.
"Aerox Sun is our leader. If you don't want to listen to him, then leave. Go on your own, but stop dragging us down."
Leonard huffed.
"Fine! I don't need any of you. I'll go ahead and clear the path myself."
Without waiting for a response, Leonard stormed off into the forest.
"Let him go,"
Roger muttered, putting a hand on Sun's shoulder.
"He'll only cause more trouble if he stays."
Aerox hesitated but nodded. He knew Leonard wouldn't listen.
The group continued their journey in silence, moving carefully through the forest. After several tense minutes, they reached the forest's edge.
But when they stepped out they saw something ...
O…M…G!