Eternal Freedom's Ascension-Chapter 68: Gate Closure (3)

The mood of the class was low, and everyone just tended to themselves silently. Those with healing-related attributes helped the others who were seriously wounded, while those who were still strong enough stood on guard.

Standing beside Hazel, Ariel silently ruminated on her answer.

’So that’s her reason for aiming for Class-A. It is very humane.’

His green eyes glanced down at her, then shifted to Kaiser.

The blue-haired young man was lazily leaning against a wall, seemingly lost in thoughts.

’This guy... I wonder why he was placed in Class-E. Could it be because he has a dormant violent tendency?’

He thought, his eyes cold and unfeeling.

’Based on my agreement with Hazel, he might become an unstable wildcard in the class. What should I do? Can I... dispose him?’

At that thought, Kaiser’s eyes suddenly shifted to him. The look was short, just for a few seconds, but Ariel felt like he had been seen through.

Even then, he remained indifferent. He wasn’t actually scared if Kaiser, but wanted to avoid exposing himself by dealing with him.

’Kaiser Solace... do you think you can... kill me?’

The two locked eyes, one green, one blue. A silent confrontation seemed to spark between the two, until someone laughed.

"Hahaha! I see it now! You two are gay."

Sebastian grinned proudly as if he had made a great discovery. Ariel’s expression turned deadpan, and he immediately turned away. Kaiser outright ignored the comment, closing his eyes to get some peace.

"Okay guys, listen up"

Liam moved to the front of his classmates. Everyone had rested enough, and it was high time they kept moving.

"From now on, I want us to stick to a single formation while advancing."

He briefly assigned the students into their respective positions. Although, there were a few who seemed to dislike their positions, they didn’t complain. The class assembled into the Spearhead formation, then continued moving according to Anya’s directions.

"Up ahead!"

Astron’s warning was timely, as a large centipede-like creature climbed down the walls, its several tens of legs creating irritating sounds.

Hazel took a sniff and groaned. ’An Awakened Monster.’

"This one is serious. Don’t risk your lives."

She said to Liam and the others, then charged forward with the others at the tip of the formation.

The massive creature looked grotesque, its body made of large chunks of flesh covered with chitin. The hundred legs moved in a way that irritated a person, scuttling forward at surprising speed.

Hazel didn’t hesitate and immediately activated her ability. A soft golden glow enveloped her figure, and she suddenly became faster.

She crashed into the centipede, her battle-axe grinding against the hard chitin. It was tough, something a regular weapon couldn’t break through.

The golden hue around her spread and enveloped her weapon, making it sharper and more durable. Under the astonished gazes of her classmates, the battle-axe shattered the chitin it had hit, drawing dark purple blood.

IIIRRRRKKKKK-!!!

The creature itself was surprised, as it lifted half of its front body in recoil. Its shrill cry was deafening, but no one paid attention.

’Her ability... it seems to augment her greatly whenever she’s having a battle. A very useful support ability.’

Ariel noted, then turned to Liam.

’This sudden boost we keep receiving, it has to be his ability. Buffing his teammates and debuffing the enemy, very impressive.’

’Well, I shouldn’t just remain idle.’

As part of the real spearheads, he had a role to play. He also activated his ability, with several simulations playing in his mind. He studied the creature for a few seconds, then narrowed his eyes.

"Target the midsection. Its chitin is quite weaker and its body could be disconnected from there."

He shouted to Hazel, then joined the others in attacking the creature’s head. Among its six eyes, he targeted the top left, ensuring it didn’t have the opportunity to observe Hazel who was aiming for its weakness.

Bang!

Liam’s lance struck a leg, completely severing it. The centipede faltered slightly, but continued moving. The loss of a single leg wasn’t enough to stop it.

’Then what if I sever more?’

His brown eyes darkened slightly, and he suddenly increased his attacks on the legs. Sparks bloomed as he moved from leg to leg, pushing through and ensuring each one was completely severed.

"Creature! Bow to this perfect king!"

Boom!

A thick bullet struck the centipede’s head, cracked its chitin, but failed to kill it. Even then, the force behind the attack was strong enough to push it a few steps back.

Sebastian laughed happily, his grin as wide as it could be. "Tough one, aren’t you? Very good."

He dismissed the gun he was holding, then summoned another one of a larger size.

ROOOAARRRRRKKK-!!!

The monster roared, its eyes turning red in berserk rage. Being injured by a bunch of weaker creatures, it grew incensed and retaliated with full power.

The legs, which had just been used for movements, lashed out at those surrounding it. Liam barely reacted in time, raising his lance to block.

Bang!

He was sent flying, crashing deep into the walls of the tunnel.

"Liam!"

Kiera screamed, worry coloring her voice. Before she could react, another leg almost impaled her. Thankfully, someone appeared just in time to pull her back.

"Focus."

Kaiser said casually, then released her collar. Looking at the enormous berserk centipede, he quietly wondered. ’Can they handle it?’

He looked towards Sebastian, wondering what that guy would do. Sebastian sensed his glance and smiled. Do you want me to fight?

It was like a question, but Kaiser knew that guy already had his own answer.

"Very good! Let me show you true perfection!"

Sebastian threw his arms up, making a dramatic pose as he summoned his greatsword.

The weapon materialized with a sharp ring, its light almost blinding. The fight stopped temporarily, and everyone turned to look at him.

"Such a show-off." Hazel facepalmed, though her body relaxed. Perhaps, it was high time they witnessed Sebastian’s strength.

The golden-haired student pointed the sword at the creature. "Witness the true beauty of perfection."

His armor morphed, creating propellers that pushed him towards the creature at sound-speed.

"Goddamn. I actually forgot he’s the heir to the Hemsworth Technology Worldwide."

Eric said, his mouth wide agape from shock. It was basically something everyone had overlooked. Sebastian was a tech genius and prodigy—there was no way he wasn’t equipped with things like that. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Boom!

He clashed with the creature, lifting it off its feet and crashing into the wall of the cave. The whole place shuddered from the force, and a cloud of dust rose from the impact.

[You have slain an Awakened Monster, Cave Dweller]

[You have received a Relic]

Silence reigned for a moment, until the dust eventually cleared. Sebastian stood atop the corpse, his blade dripping with dark blood.

"What? Are you awed?"

He grinned at everyone, a haughty expression on his face. No one answered him because they were too stunned to speak. Killing an Awakened Monster in just one strike? They almost didn’t dare believe it despite seeing it happen.

"That..." Even Liam was speechless, and could only watch with his mouth open.

Hazel gulped, realizing she wasn’t as strong as she imagined. If someone like Sebastian was to attack her, would she even be able to survive?

’I have to get stronger... I can’t lag behind.’

Ariel stared at the corpse without saying a word, his thoughts unknown.

Meanwhile, Kaiser merely smiled. ’As expected. Even though he is still a fake article, he’s quite strong.’

"Uh... Thanks so much for the aid, Sebastian. We really appreciate."

Liam clasped his hands and bowed towards the golden-haired guy. He was sincerely relieved that Sebastian had chosen to help them scape through this difficulty. Else, they might have sustained more injuries which might hinder them in the upcoming fights.

Sebastian simply nodded in response, then began rearranging his scattered hair strands.

"I’ll dig out the crystal."

Astron proposed, then stepped forward to do it. In less than five minutes, they were done with everything and moved on, keeping the same formation in place.

A little while after they left, the wall rippled and someone appeared in the battle zone.

"Wow. That Adela girl was really serious when she said these gates are interconnected."

Tamara from Class-A, clad in a dark cloak looked around warily. "Did they fight here? That’s the carcass of an Awakened Monster. What class was present here?"

She pondered alone, circling the massive corpse a few times. Finally, she spotted a wound on the left part of its body.

It looked like a big sword had been drilled in, then deposited something that crushed its internal organs.

’A bomb?’

She crouched, bringing her nose closer to take a sniff. After confirming, her eyes turned cold.

’A class that could do this is really dangerous. Could it be those Class-B dimwits, or those Class-D wolves? Ugh... I hate thinking! Wait, what about those Class-C guys? They’re so secretive it’s hard to know anything about them.’

Still frustrated, she decided to follow the footprints of the students that had left this place.