Seed of Titan-Chapter 98: Entering the Central Area

Back at the area near the crimson dome, Drai finally emerged from his hiding spot.

’This cooldown is really a hassle. If only I could reduce the multiplier, then I would be able to use it a lot more times and for longer durations too,’ Drai thought in annoyance while scratching his head as he walked toward the small opening in the barrier.

’Hmm... Will I get some cooldown reduction skill if I use it to its maximum duration a lot? Maybe I’ll try it just in case, but the problem is that there’s nowhere here where I can go max size without being seen by others. Doing it in the nearby forest isn’t really viable either since going outside the campus grounds every day for hours would really mess with my daily schedule.’

Upon nearing the hole, Drai finally decided to leave the matter regarding his skill cooldown for now.

’The more I look at it, the more I realize how strong Liam is. How did he manage to make such a clean hole with just a single strike? And it was done in an instant too,’ Drai wondered in amazement as he inspected the small circular opening that Liam had created earlier.

Drai examined the opening for another few seconds before he finally climbed through it.

Landing in the inner side of the dome, Drai instantly felt that something was amiss.

’It’s too quiet...’ Drai thought. He perked up his ears, hoping to catch any semblance of commotion or fighting, but there was really nothing he could hear except for the occasional rustling leaves and insect sounds.

’And the air... There’s something different about it, but I don’t know what. It feels like it’s kind of... dry? Is it because the area is isolated?’

Drai thought about the whole situation a bit more, but he soon gave up. He headed toward a nearby building and began making his way toward Ravi’s mansion while sticking close to the wall, hoping that it could somehow provide him with cover.

’This feels so eerie,’ Drai thought while he hastily crossed a clearing, sticking to the walls of the next building as he continued forward.

’I still can’t hear anything. Have all the professors been defeated or are they oblivious to this invasion? They could also be quietly gathering somewhere after failing to break out of here...’

The situation inside the crimson dome really perplexed Drai. He had expected it to be more chaotic than the outside since the academy professors were collectively a lot more powerful than all the students combined.

And Drai was sure that suppressing these professors would not be an easy feat considering that most of them were at least third-stagers. Only the youngest ones and the assistant professors were still in the late second stage.

’Professor Ravi... I hope you’re okay.’

Minutes passed by as Drai kept walking quietly in the shadows of the campus buildings. His eyes were constantly alert, hoping to spot traces of fighting or even any victims. But to his disappointment, the areas he had passed were strangely peaceful.

At this moment, Drai was walking close to his faculty. He gazed at the dark hulking buildings which housed some of his classes, wondering if the blackout would somehow end before the whole thing was over. After all, he had yet to inform his parents about the situation regarding the academy and his class.

Just as he was crossing a junction, Drai suddenly froze. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

’Footsteps... And it sounds like there’s more than one person,’ Drai silently exclaimed before turning around. Although he could use Colossal Augmentation anytime, he decided to wait and see who these people were first.

If they were the robed intruders, he felt that he could probably trick them into thinking that he was merely a harmless first-year and possibly catch them off guard later, just like what he did against Venus. And if they were allies, there would be less reason for him to use his skill.

Soon, three figures emerged from the darkness. As they approached Drai, the large figure asked, "Who’s that?"

"I’m not sure. He doesn’t look like—wait... Drai!" the slender figure exclaimed.

Following this, three familiar figures entered Drai’s sight, making him relax his posture and sigh in relief.

"What are you doing here, Drai?" Samara asked, her eyebrows furrowing from worry.

"Do you know what the hell is happening? And what’s with this red barrier? I tried attacking it before but it just wouldn’t budge," Paul chimed in.

Drai glanced at the third person and saw that it was Smith, one of his classmates. Drai wasn’t too familiar with him since he was quite reserved.

Drai had always thought of Smith as a bookworm as he usually sat alone quietly at the corner during classes and seemed to always be studying whenever Drai spotted him outside. It also didn’t help that he wore thick glasses and stuffy clothes, just like what he was wearing right now. If not for his body that could transform into blades, he would definitely be a perfect fit for the Faculty of Generality.

"There is an attack on the academy," Drai answered his professors. He then proceeded to explain the whole incident chronologically, starting from the moment that the sirens went off back when he was still in his room with Jian and Christo.

After listening to Drai’s story, Paul and Samara turned their heads, looking at each other in shock.

Since the central area had been peaceful, Samara had been thinking along similar lines to Christo, suspecting that there was some kind of natural phenomenon that somehow caused a blackout. Unlike Paul, Samara hadn’t approached the edge of the dome, so she didn’t know that the red sky was actually a barrier that was isolating the central area from the rest of the academy grounds.

"That’s strange... Why didn’t I hear the sirens?" Paul asked, looking confused.

"I didn’t hear them too," Samara remarked. "I thought it was because I had been training deep in my basement earlier, but it looks like it has something to do with this crimson dome since you also didn’t hear it."

Samara then turned to Smith and asked, "How about you, Smith? Did you hear the warning sirens?"