"I-I did it!"
Silvia lowered her hands and let out a soft sigh of relief, the gentle and quiet smile returning to her lips.
...
Catherine once again dismissed her doubts regarding the intelligence she had gathered.
"I knew it! You wouldn't let me down!"
Victoria happily patted Silvia on the shoulder. The latter stiffened slightly but quickly regained her smile.
Since the threats on both sides had been cleared, Victoria could focus entirely on the largest group of undead swarming from the right.
Her eyes burned with battle intent.
"O Earth, heed my call and pierce my enemies!"
The ground shook as several hard Rock Spears, as thick as an adult's arm and tipped with sharp points, burst out from the soil beneath the undead without warning!
Wet, squelching sounds of impalement echoed as seven or eight undead were skewered like kebabs on the Rock Spears. After a few struggles, they went completely still, their soul-fires extinguishing.
Catherine was surprised once again.
It was understandable for Silvia to achieve such a crushing effect using light magic, which naturally countered the undead.
However, Victoria was using ordinary elemental magic with no special properties against the undead, yet she had achieved the same result of clearing the field.
"This shows that her strength has reached the level of an outstanding second-year student. In terms of practical application, she might even be stronger."
"Yet during the Placement Exam, she clearly didn't show this kind of power. Otherwise, she wouldn't have been injured and hospitalized..."
"Could it be that this rapid growth is also related to Greg Sass?"
Aside from him, Catherine really couldn't think of any other variables.
She felt that the mysteries surrounding that man seemed to grow more numerous and complex every time she drew closer to him.
"Alright, let's hurry and keep going! The other teams must have already reached the deeper areas."
Victoria energetically picked up several soul stone fragments dropped by the undead, stuffed them into her waist pouch, and headed toward the direction where the mist was thickest.
Although Silvia was still resistant to going deeper into this eerie graveyard, seeing Victoria already stepping forward and about to be swallowed by the fog made her concern for her friend override her fear of the undead. Biting her lip, she hurried to follow.
Catherine watched their backs and let out a silent sigh.
Despite her reluctance, things had already come to this, so she could only follow them.
...
As they went deeper, the mist seemed to grow even thicker. The frequency and strength of the undead increased, but they also began to see traces left by other teams.
Victoria didn't stop her pace, and soon enough, they encountered another student team.
It was a team of six—three boys and three girls.
The three boys wore high-quality robes and held staves, their faces marked with obvious arrogance as if they were taking a stroll in their own backyard.
The three girls were dressed up and followed closely behind the boys. Whenever a boy took down a stray undead, they would immediately offer exaggerated praise.
"Senior Alan is so amazing! That Fireball was so powerful!"
"Senior Mike's swordsmanship is too cool! He took down that zombie in a single move!"
"As expected of the Student Council elite. You're so different from those ordinary students!"
The clumsy flattery and greasy interactions made Victoria's lip twitch. She wanted nothing more than to take a detour and get out of their sight.
However, the three boys had clearly noticed Victoria's trio.
A vibrant gray-haired beauty, a delicate and pitiable pink-haired beauty, and a blonde noble lady whose refined aura was hard to hide even in this filthy environment.
This trio of beauties was a stunning sight in this grim graveyard.
The three boys exchanged glances. One of them, a brown-haired boy named Alan, straightened his collar, put on what he thought was a handsome smile, and took the initiative to walk over.
"Beautiful ladies, are there only three of you? The depths of this graveyard are far more dangerous than the outskirts."
Alan's tone carried a sense of superiority.
"Why don't you join our team? With our protection, we guarantee you'll complete the mission safely and gather even more rewards."
"Protection?"
Victoria arched an eyebrow, glanced at the three boys and the three girls behind them, and shook her head quite bluntly.
"Forget it. The three of us can manage. We don't need your protection at all."
Her refusal was sharp and decisive, without the slightest hesitation.
Alan's smile stiffened.
The two boys behind him also frowned.
The three girls immediately displayed expressions of dissatisfaction mixed with jealousy.
"Hey! Where are your eyes?"
A girl in a pink dress with heavy makeup spoke up shrilly, defending her idols.
"Do you know who Seniors Alan, Mike, and Rhode are? They are official members of the Student Council! People usually beg for a chance to get close to them. Being invited is your good fortune! Don't be ungrateful!"
The three boys straightened their backs in coordination, their faces regaining their arrogant expressions.
They were indeed ordinary officers of the Student Council and were used to being flattered, enjoying their small privileges at the academy.
The reason they had come to participate in this dirty and messy mission was largely because they had been punished by President Vivian during their last provocation of Greg. They had been forced to stand in the hallway for an hour in front of everyone, losing all face. They were harboring a grudge and wanted an opportunity to vent.
They thought that by revealing their Student Council status, these juniors would be pleasantly surprised and gladly accept their protection.
But they didn't expect...
"Oh, the Student Council."
Victoria's reaction was unexpectedly flat, her tone devoid of any awe.
"So? Is that supposed to be impressive?"
In the past, Victoria might have thought it was somewhat impressive, but now... even a jerk like Greg could manage to get in as a Disciplinary Committee member.
To her, the Student Council didn't seem like much of a big deal anymore.
Victoria curled her lip inwardly, completely losing interest in the conversation, and turned to keep moving forward.
Seeing her attitude, the three boys' faces darkened instantly.
Being ignored by a junior girl like this made them feel like they were losing face.
Alan's gaze turned cold, and just as he was about to say something to make her understand the weight of the words 'Student Council'—
"Aaaah—!!!"
"Help! Run!"
"There's so many! There are so many behind us!!"
Suddenly, the thick mist ahead churned violently. Accompanied by chaotic footsteps and terrified screams, a large group of students burst out of the fog like a frightened flock of sheep. Their faces were etched with terror as they fled toward the exit without looking back.
"What's going on?!"
Alan and his companions were stunned by the sudden chaos, failing to react in time.
"Un... undead... so many... powerful undead..."
A boy running past them shouted incoherently, his feet never stopping.
"Tsk, a bunch of cowards. Getting scared like that by a few undead."
Mike, standing behind Alan, spat disdainfully. He turned to comfort the three girls who were pale with fright.
"Don't be afraid, with us here..."
Before he could finish his sentence, he was interrupted by the simultaneous screams of the three girls.
"Aaaah—!!!"
The three girls pointed at the thick mist behind Alan and the others, their fingers trembling and their faces white as sheets, looking as if they were about to faint.
"B-Behind you... undead... Necromancers! So many Necromancers!!"
Alan, Mike, and Rhode's hearts skipped a beat as they spun around.
Within the mist, figures emitting a dense aura of death, draped in tattered robes and clutching bone staves, were slowly emerging.
Blue soul-fires burned within their eye sockets, and their withered lips moved soundlessly as the death mana around them fluctuated violently.
At a glance, there were no less than fifteen or sixteen of them!
Moreover, judging from the mana fluctuations radiating from them, their levels were generally around LV20!
These weren't the weakling skeletons under LV10 that they usually bullied!
These were mid-tier undead units capable of casting magic and possessing a degree of intelligence—Necromancers!
And there was a whole group of them!
Rate on N.U.
