Chapter 228

“Self-defense, right?” I said, sheathing my sword.

“Yeah, excellent self-defense,” Amy replied, her expression showing a mixture of relief and satisfaction. The way her baguette was lying forgotten on the floor spoke volumes about the ordeal she had just endured.

Or rather, it was more accurate to say she had been on the verge of death.

But then…

Amy picked up the baguette, dusted it off casually, and took a bite.

Munch, munch.

“…”

She was eating something that had been rolling on the floor…

As expected, she was the real deal, someone those cosplaying for image couldn’t even compare to.

In a way, I envied her.

She could replenish her carbs anytime, anywhere, whenever she felt drained.

It seemed like she was currently refueling her depleted energy by diligently consuming carbohydrates.

Color gradually returned to her face.

And then…

“Want some?”

She offered me the baguette, looking at me as if I were some fascinating spectacle.

Huh?

My eyes widened.

Because I knew.

For her, sharing her baguette wasn’t just about sharing food, it was practically an invitation to her home.

She must have been really grateful.

Well, I did save her life.

But still.

“I’ll pass.”

I firmly declined.

I couldn’t bring myself to eat that.

There was too much dust on the floor…

“Tsk, fine.”

Amy pouted, her offer of utmost sincerity cleanly rejected.

Then she started twirling her hair with her finger.

Why was she doing something she never did?

…Or so I thought, but then Amy spoke, her cheeks slightly flushed.

“A-Anyway… Th-Thank…”

“Speak properly, Amy,” Diana interrupted, a playful smile on her face.

“Thank you, Junior Max. You saved our lives.”

“You’re welcome.”

I replied with a light smile.

“Amy’s just shy and not good at expressing herself, but she’s really grateful.”

“Wh-Who’s not good at expressing herself?!”

“She doesn’t share her baguette with just anyone. It means she’s really thankful.”

Diana winked.

“N-No, I’m not! That’s not true! Wh-Who said you could interpret it that way…!”

“Alright, alright, let’s get out of here. We’re not done yet.”

Diana’s eyes, behind her glasses, gleamed sharply.

She looked prettier without her glasses, but they definitely suited her.

“Yes, our comrades will be here soon. Once we regroup, we’ll move to another location and help others.”

“Oh, your comrades. I see. We’ll join you. We might not be much help in fighting the undead, but we can heal the injured.”

“Help is always welcome.”

I nodded.

There would be more and more injured people.

The more healers we had, the better.

Thump, thump, thump!

The undead arrived before our comrades.

It was probably the last Death Knight in this area.

“Then let’s take care of this first.”

* * *

Our group had grown.

We had to decide our next destination.

The yellow area and the remaining red area.

Vampires and ghosts, and the Bone Dragon.

The latter was obviously more dangerous.

I hadn’t designated them as red areas for nothing.

But I chose the former.

Because I knew that it was probably too late for the latter.

The higher the risk, the higher the chance that the outcome, life or death, would be decided before we even arrived.

It could be a waste of precious time.

So I made a cold, calculated decision.

If there was no option to save everyone, we had to choose the best possible option.

That was the leader’s responsibility.

We had cleared out the ghosts at our starting point and some vampires, but there were still many ghosts remaining.

They were dangerous creatures.

If we could eliminate them quickly, we could save many students.

That was why it was the best option.

And the red area…

‘I’ll leave it to fate.’

The casualties in each area always varied.

The red area was no exception.

Because the placement of the students was random.

It meant that everything was a variable, except for the parts where I, the protagonist, now Max, intervened.

I could only hope that the variables would work in our favor.

That was all I could ask for regarding the red area right now.

“This way.”

I took the lead, guiding the group.

* * *

“Run!”

Ethan roared.

Even as he shouted, he was running with all his might, his massive body shaking the ground with every step.

It was rare for him, the one nicknamed the “Human Ogre,” to turn his back on an enemy and flee.

In fact, this was only the second time.

He was a man who knew only how to charge forward, but this time, he had no choice.

Because of the enemy they were facing.

A dragon made of bones.

It would have been nice if it was a weakling they could underestimate just because it was a skeleton, but it was anything but.

Its size was enormous, dwarfing even trolls and ogres, and it could fly.

Its claws and teeth were so large and sharp that they looked like they could tear you to shreds in an instant.

And lastly, its poison.

The poisonous breath it spewed from its mouth.

There was nothing more terrifying or deadly.

They had witnessed it melt everything in its path, and it had filled them with terror.

The only saving grace was that it didn’t seem to be able to use its breath attack consecutively.

If it could, they would have already been wiped out.

“Damn it, everyone get inside that building! Hurry!”

Emily shouted this time.

If her brother Ethan was a pure musclehead, the “Human Ogre,” she was a brainy genius spirit summoner.

She could summon spirits of all four elements.

But even she was pale with fear, her feet stamping impatiently.

Because she knew they were no match for this creature.

Rattle! Rattle!

“Huh? It’s… It’s locked!”

“Aaaaaargh! It won’t open!”

The students panicked, their faces white as sheets, as they realized the building’s door was locked.

“Move!”

Ethan slammed his massive body against the door.

Boom! Crash! Creak!

The locked door burst open.

“It’s… It’s open!”

The students rushed through the open doorway.

Once Emily was inside, Ethan slammed the door shut.

The lock was broken, but Ethan extended his arm, his muscles bulging, and gripped the doorknob tightly.

It felt even sturdier than the lock itself.

But both the lock and Ethan’s grip were ultimately meaningless.

They were useless against the Bone Dragon.

“Everyone, get down on the ground and hug the wall!”

Emily shouted.

The key was to hide.

To avoid being detected.

That was their only chance of survival.

The students hurriedly scrambled to the wall, pressing their bodies flat against it.

Emily also crouched low.

She wished there weren’t any windows, but there was nothing they could do about it.

This was the only building they could find to take shelter in.

“…”

They held their breath, not daring to make a sound.

They prayed desperately that the Bone Dragon would just pass by, that they wouldn’t be discovered.

Silence.

Whoosh!

A powerful gust of wind shattered the silence.

It was almost like a tornado.

They knew it was the wind from the Bone Dragon’s massive wings.

They had seen it clearly before.

Rattle. Rattle. Rattle.

The windows rattled violently.

The students flinched and held their breath even tighter.

And then.

Thud!

They heard the sound of the Bone Dragon’s massive feet landing on the ground.

Gulp.

Someone swallowed nervously.

They didn’t even dare to move their eyes.

Thump! Thud!

The Bone Dragon was approaching.

Its massive head pressed against the building.

“Gasp!”

The students stifled their screams, covering their mouths with their hands.

Their hearts pounded in their chests.

Their faces were pale, their breaths shallow and rapid.

They lay flat on the ground, their eyes darting around, desperately trying to track the Bone Dragon’s movements.

They all silently pleaded for it to leave.

Its head scanned the windows.

Its empty eye sockets made it impossible to tell where it was looking, which made it even more terrifying.

Every second felt like an eternity.

Their hearts were about to burst.

And then…

Its massive head finally moved away.

The students’ faces brightened.

They thought they were safe.

That they would survive.

Hope flickered in their eyes.

But that hope was…

Crrrrraaaash!

Shattered as the wall crumbled and the windows exploded inwards, the Bone Dragon’s massive body crashing through the building.

“Aaaaaargh!”

“Ugh!”

The students screamed in terror.

“Damn it, everyone get out! Now!”

Ethan roared, throwing the door open.

But the students were frozen in fear, their bodies trembling uncontrollably.

“Get out!”

Ethan shouted again, his voice booming through the chaos.

The students finally snapped out of their trance and scrambled towards the exit, but it was too late.

“Tsk, we have no choice, brother! Let’s buy them some time!”

Emily summoned all four of her spirits at once.

Three high-ranked spirits and one mid-ranked spirit.

She had only summoned four mid-ranked spirits during the mock battles because her mana had been restricted. This was her true power.

“Got it!”

Ethan stood firm, his massive body like an impenetrable wall.

Emily commanded her spirits, creating a barrier of various elements in front of them.

It should buy them some time…

Gurgle.

“Wh-What?!”

But then the Bone Dragon suddenly opened its jaws wide.

Greenish poison swirled within its throat.

Everyone knew what was coming.

It was about to unleash its breath attack.

The poisonous breath.

“Damn it, it’s recharged already!”

“Aaaaaargh! What do we do, brother?!”

They couldn’t withstand that.

Despair filled their faces as they realized their impending doom.

“You’re just a pile of bones with no meat, and you dare to rampage like that?”

Someone suddenly appeared, their voice laced with annoyance.

It was a high elf, wielding a bow.

Hiresia.

She nocked at least ten arrows at once and released them in a single, fluid motion.

Multi-shot.

Her signature skill, a barrage of arrows, slammed into the Bone Dragon’s throat just as it was about to unleash its breath attack.

Groaaaaaan!

The Bone Dragon let out a pained groan for the first time.

The poisonous energy within its throat visibly weakened.

“Eat this. And this. And this.”

She fired two more volleys of ten arrows each.

A total of thirty arrows in an instant.

Even the fearsome Bone Dragon seemed overwhelmed by her relentless assault.

Groaaaaaan!

It screamed in agony, its body swaying unsteadily. The poisonous energy within its throat completely dissipated.

“The… The breath?!”

“A-Amazing…”

Ethan and Emily gasped in awe.

To push back that terrifying Bone Dragon so effortlessly…

They had heard rumors of her strength, but she was even stronger than they had imagined.

As expected of the legendary high elf!

But her tone was a bit different from usual…

“Is everyone alright? I’ll take care of this, so calm down and compose yourselves.”

Her voice was calm and elegant, as always.

…It must have been their imagination.

Yes, it had to be.

There was no way their refined high elf senior would ever use such crude language.

They must have misheard her in the heat of the moment.

“Th-Thank you!”

“W-We’re alive…”

Relief finally washed over the students, who had been on the verge of death.

But they say that the moment you let your guard down is the most dangerous.

Boom!

“Get back!”

Ethan shouted urgently as another Bone Dragon appeared from the opposite direction.

“Eek?!”

“Another one?!”

The students cowered in fear, their bodies trembling uncontrollably.

They thought this was truly the end.

But Hiresia had a strange smile on her face.

They soon understood why.

“I’ll handle this one.”

A figure stepped forward, blocking the path of the newly arrived Bone Dragon.

“Professor?!”

“Sigh… Thank… Thank goodness…”

Relief flooded the students’ faces.

Professor Regina Ernbert, the newly appointed professor.

The legendary former student council president stood before them, her Hanbing Sword gleaming in the dim light.

They had been students together just a year ago, so they knew her strength all too well.

By the way, it was an interesting composition.

If Max had seen this, he would have coughed awkwardly.

The two heroines he was deeply involved with had coincidentally appeared together and joined forces.

But he would have been relieved and overjoyed.

Because the best possible scenario had unfolded.

It was practically a miracle.

“I’ll leave it to you, Professor.”

“Likewise.”

A brief exchange of words between an elf and a human.

But even in those few words, their trust in each other was evident.

They were willing to entrust their backs to each other, even against a Bone Dragon.

Regina and Hiresia moved almost simultaneously.

If Max had seen this, he would have probably said,

“This place couldn’t be safer.”

The red area was safe.