Counterattack

Yser briefly explained the rules of the 【Hunting Festival】 to the three of them. Erich immediately turned and ran toward the stairs.

“Why didn't you say so earlier?”

“You didn't ask.”

Returning to their dorm room to grab their respective weapons, the four of them, who had originally planned to find a place to hide, quickly realized something was wrong.

The buildings couldn't block the light emitted by their school badges at all. The light pierced through every obstacle, pointing steadily toward the sky.

“What on earth is going on with this light?” Erich asked as he ran.

“It's the locating magic of the school badges,” Yser said. “It's designed so that you can't hide.”

Running to Sparkfire Hall, Erich and the others saw other pillars of light, but they were very different from theirs.

“Why are theirs so dim?!”

Indeed, the distant pillars of light were a whole size thinner than their four, and their brightness was also far inferior.

On the run, Erich finally couldn't help but yell, “Why are ours so thick and lasting so long?!”

He was referring to the pillars of light. The four of them had run at least five hundred meters, yet the light from their badges showed no sign of dimming. Instead, it grew brighter and brighter. In the distance, the second-year students had already begun to move, converging toward them.

“This is the academy's love for us,” Yser shouted back.

By the time the four of them ran into an open clearing, the surrounding pillars of light were already close at hand. North, south, east, west, front, and back—there were people in every direction. They wore second-year badges on their school uniforms and held wands in their hands. At least ten people had arrived.

The leader was a blonde male student. He walked into the center of the clearing, sized Erich up, and let out a laugh.

“Talk about bad luck, Erich. Caught right off the bat.”

Erich felt this wasn't a matter of luck. This was targeting—blatant, naked targeting.

Holding his wand in his left hand and his sword in his right, Erich looked at his three roommates.

“Can we fight?”

Balin hopped down from Ragg's shoulder, swung the warhammer that was nearly as tall as he was with one hand, and propped it on his shoulder.

“If a skinny monkey like you can fight, why can't I!”

Yser drew his wand. Its silver shaft gleamed with a faint blue under the moonlight. He took half a step forward and stood to Erich's left.

“I'll only take care of one direction.”

Ragg gripped his mace-like wand and walked to Erich's right.

“Then leave the last direction to me,” Ragg said.

Erich raised his sword.

“Let's go.”

The blonde senior opposite them sneered. He had already raised his wand, and its tip glowed with a red light. His chanting speed was very fast; he was clearly an experienced hand.

But Erich was faster.

Without chanting, mana surged into his wand, and the fireball at the tip instantly took shape and shot out. The blonde senior was still chanting, his eyes fixed on Erich's sword, completely ignoring the wand—but the fireball was already blasting right into his face.

The fireball exploded against his chest, interrupting his chant. The magical backlash sent him stumbling back two steps, his wand nearly slipping from his grip.

Erich had already rushed in front of him. His blade hacked down fiercely against the middle of the wand, snapping the blonde senior's wand in two.

Erich smoothly spun around and struck the back of the senior's neck with the butt of his wand. The blonde senior's eyes rolled back, and he collapsed limply to the ground.

The remaining second-years moved simultaneously, but Erich didn't give them a chance to chant. He charged into the crowd, his longsword already sheathed. Using the wand in his right hand as a short club, he used fireballs to interrupt their casting, then knocked them out with a swift strike.

Yser's magical proficiency was high. Accompanied by a brief chant, several wind blades quickly knocked out several second-year students.

Things were quite lively on Balin's side.

The dwarf was too short, and the second-years couldn't aim properly. Their magic either flew over his head or ended up hitting their own allies. Balin scurried through the crowd with his warhammer on his shoulder, swinging it at anyone's shins he could find. Each time he struck one down, he let out a loud shout before rushing toward the next target.

Ragg, relying on his thick skin and tough build, traded blows directly with the second-years and quickly knocked his opponents down.

The battle ended very quickly. Over a dozen people lay sprawled across the clearing. The four of them stood in the middle of the crowd, the pillars of light from their school badges still shining brightly, piercing straight into the night sky.

Balin planted his warhammer on the ground, panting heavily. “Is that it?”

Yser offered a brief critique: “Their coordination was too poor, and their chanting rhythm wasn't synchronized.”

Erich took the school badge from the blonde senior's chest and examined it under the pillar of light.

“What's the use of a first-year getting a second-year's school badge?”

“I don't know,” Yser said.

“Do you want to find out?”

The four of them looked at each other amidst the pillars of light.

They had been ostracized by their respective races, shut out by the clubs, and hadn't even been notified about the 【Hunting Festival】.

So, they nodded.

Erich stuffed the badge into his pocket.

“Then let's go.”

The 【Hunting Festival】 had only just begun, but those marked by the four thickest pillars of light were no longer the prey.