Chapter 102: Worrying News and the Mid-Term Exam
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The End of Time is Coming!
As you probably know if you've been keeping up with the news over the last few days, the situation in the Mystoria Kingdom has taken a turn for the worse. The number of beast wave attacks has reached an inconceivably high level.
For those who are unaware, let me explain: In recent weeks, beast activity around certain towns has increased at an alarming rate, causing concern among the inhabitants of these areas.
At first, little action was taken, as nothing major had occurred. However, it soon became clear that the beast presence in the wilderness surrounding these towns was growing rapidly. Before long, full-scale beast wave began forming, catching the unprepared towns off guard. Since these were small towns with relatively few inhabitants, their defenders lacked the strength to resist, resulting in their complete destruction.
This news sent shockwaves through neighboring towns that had also noticed a rise in beast activity. In response, they urgently sent requests to the Central Academy, seeking aid in defending against the looming beast wave.
Of course, the Central Academy accepted these requests and swiftly deployed the majority of its students—accompanied by several teachers—to protect the towns from the advancing threats.
At this point, one might assume that the students of the Central Academy, the most prestigious academy in the kingdom, would be more than capable of effortlessly handling the beasts waves. Right? But, shockingly, that wasn't the case!
And yes, I said 'waves'—because unlike usual, this wasn't a single, unified beast wave moving in cohesion. No, multiple waves of beasts were arriving one after another. To make matters even worse, these waves were far larger than any typical beast wave seen before.
Taking these factors into account, the students struggled, but after a while, the teachers intervened upon realizing that the danger was too great. Following this, an investigation was launched into the source of the beast waves, as the situation was highly suspicious. It was soon discovered that a group of people had been using a sacrificial array to attract beasts and direct them toward the towns!
These individuals were, of course, captured, and it was revealed that their goal was to use the townspeople they lured the beasts toward as sacrifices. However, that was all that could be uncovered, as every single one of them possessed incredibly powerful mental defenses. The moment anyone attempted to read their minds or force a confession, they died instantly, preventing any further extraction of information regarding their true motives.
