~BOOOOOOOOOOM!!!~
The earth beneath the students rumbled as a flash of lightning descended from the darkened clouds.
It was so far away—perhaps a couple thousand meters or so—yet the impact of the strike caused a violent quake where they stood.
Everything happened instantly too, causing every student to get startled.
"A-ahh…!"
"What was that?!"
"A dark cloud? A lightning strike? The Capital?"
Many students were already on the ground, having been knocked over by the tremors and their intense surprise once they heard the noise.
Still, they couldn't help but gaze in the direction where the lightning struck.
Then, before they could process their thoughts, or answer their questions—
~BOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!~
—Another blast of the same lightning struck once more.
The ground did not respond to kindly, and it shook even more than it did last time, causing nearly all the students to fall.
Adonis and Billy were the only ones who remained standing, and Adonis' distracted face as he stared at the Capital said it all…
"Smoke."
… The horror that was to come.
Right in front of them, the right distance away, dense pillars of smoke began ascending to meet the dark clouds above.
All of this vivid imagery burned into the minds of the students, and there was no longer any confusion or ambiguity.
"The Capital is under attack!"
They didn't know the enemy, but was there really a need to?
Their home—headquarters of their operation, and the heart of the United Human Alliance—was under attack.
"We need to go… NOW!" Adonis turned to his classmates, but found a different expression on their faces than what he expected.
Rather than the optimistic and resolute faces—the kind that they had displayed before leaving for the Adventurers City—only dread could be seen now.
The students were scared as they stared off into the distance.
Some of them were trembling, their lips shaking as their bulging eyes struggled to stay open.
"I-I don't think… I want to go anywhere."
To everyone's surprise, the one who spoke out loud was Eric. He was one of the most adventurous of the group, but the look in his eyes said it all.
"W-what if it's another Dragon? I… can we win?"
Thanks to the horrible experience that everyone faced in the Dungeon, the moment they heard the questions of Eric, their faces showed even greater fear.
"The Capital… if it's under attack… we… can't we just escape?" Even though Eric said this, the look on his face and the tears in his eyes made it clear that he didn't like it.
The boy didn't want to abandon all those innocent people—not again. He couldn't bear it on his conscience.
But… he also didn't want to die.
Before he was transported into the forest and reunited with everyone, he was surrounded by tons of Death Knights and Liches. His Mana Level was running low, and he saw his life flashing before his eyes.
'I don't want to die!' Those were his thoughts back then.
He had finally been summoned into this amazing new world, one where all of his fantasies were real. He had Magic, reliable allies, and a mission to save the world.
He was relevant to the world, and he wanted to continue being so.
Eric slept every night and dreamt of all the adventurers he would have with his friends, all the places he would visit with them… and how his life would turn out after he was finally done with his grand mission.
Perhaps he would take over Lucielle's position as the Grand Mage of the Alliance. He could settle down, have a few kids of his own, and tell them all the crazy stories of his wild adventures.
But… if he went in the direction of those dark clouds… something told Eric that those dreams of his would not come true.
"I don't want to die, guys… I don't want any of us to die." He sobbed even more as he looked at everyone.
Eric knew he looked pathetic, but he just couldn't control his instincts. He didn't want to lose everything he had gained so far.
'I don't want that. Please…'
"I also don't want to die." Adonis said, a sigh escaping his lips as he looked at the group in front of him.
Most of the faces that stared back at him had similar frightened expressions on their faces, though not as pronounced as Eric's.
But he understood it, regardless. Everyone was thinking the same thing.
—What if there is a Dragon waiting for us at the Capital?
If all their encounters with Dragons taught them anything, it was the fact that they were absolute.
Dragons were supreme—the apex predators of the world. Against such entities, what could they do but lose?
Adonis knew all of that, but still…
"I don't want any of us to die, but… I have to march forward."
One would think that, after facing despair, Adonis would be able to understand and accept the position of cowardice. And while the former was true, the latter remained far removed from his mind.
After all, compared to this despair that he currently faced, the one that waited for him if he chose not to march forward was far worse.
And so, unable to ignore the horrors that would eventually come, Adonis walked ahead.
"You can all retreat and save your lives. But… I will go ahead." As he walked forward, Adonis clenched his fist and tensed up his body so he wouldn't shake.
'At this point, it's safe to say that the future is completely changed. If I am to survive this, then I can no longer rely on my knowledge of the future…'
Swallowing hard and breathing heavily, he prepared his legs to dash away. But—
"Where do you think you're going, leader?"
"Leaving the rest of us behind? How rude…"
"I'm not leaving you alone to handle everything on you own."
"Kwii kwii."
"Count me in! I won't ignore those in danger."
"It's what Sir Ralyks would do!"
"Let's do this!"
Adonis turned back to see all the Otherworlders, with the exception of Eric and Justin, standing right behind him.
"You guys…"
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Thanks for reading!
