Trapped as an NPC in a Dating Sim-Chapter 75: E-rank Beasts: Sky Cranes!

"It is really gone."

A tall woman in a long black coat stood before a massive arched stone pillar that served as a memorial.

Her fingers slowly traced a worn corner of the thick pillar, as if trying to confirm that it was truly there.

Her slender jade finger squirmed thick, black mana into the narrow groove between two names, coaxing some response from the stone.

Unfortunately, she felt nothing.

"Someone was here recently. I can feel a trace of foreign mana, though extremely weak."

She mumbled faintly, sensing something but unable to pinpoint it. That was all she could glean from what had been left behind.

Still, she didn’t seem concerned about investigating further, as it wasn’t really necessary. After all, there was someone who could easily tell her who it was.

’Let’s just ask then.’

With that thought, the tall woman draped in black slowly walked out of the Hero’s Cemetery, the same one Soren had visited before.

Her steps echoed softly against the stone path, cutting through the stillness of the morning.

"Hey, do you know who recently visited this monument?"

Once at the gate, she spoke softly to the middle-aged guard dozing in his chair.

The same one Soren had shown his ID to before.

"Hmm?"

The guard stirred at the sound of someone speaking, waking abruptly, only to see a beautiful woman emerging from the cemetery.

Startled, he immediately stood up.

"Miss, you cannot enter this place casually. You must first purchase a ticket or have some special identity."

He couldn’t understand why he suddenly dozed off on duty, which had never happened before, letting someone enter without verification.

Anxious, he was about to insist she leave when suddenly he noticed the woman’s eyes going faintly crimson.

The moment he met those gazes, it was as if something in his mind snapped.

He froze mid-step, sluggish and dazed, his movements becoming wooden as if under someone’s control.

"Let me ask you again," He once again heard her soft voice, calm yet unnerving.

"Do you know who recently visited this monument? Someone who left a deep impression on you."

The mana she traced was very weak and faint.

Her intuition told her the guard would know, and she was indeed right as he stared blankly for a moment before nodding immediately.

"Yeah... someone from the Elite Hunter Academy visited this place before. Besides him, no one’s come here in days."

This place was small and remote, after all. The guard, of course, remembered Soren.

"Oh? Someone from the Academy, huh..."

"...interesting!"

The woman’s eyes flickered with a faint trace of nostalgia at his words, only for it to vanish instantly.

Rather, she turned her gaze back to the guard and asked once more:

"Do you know what that person’s name is?"

***

"Okay, listen up, my dear students. Today is the day you all are going to your first Hunting Field for practical training."

Professor Kael Drave, S-rank Beast Tamer of the Elite Hunter Academy, stood tall before the assembled students from the three sections in a large open ground.

He was still the same tall, rugged man with a calm yet commanding presence, the kind that made even the rowdiest students straighten up without a word.

On his shoulder perched the familiar little wyvern, its wings folded neatly as it chirped softly, watching the students with intelligent, glimmering eyes.

"I don’t think I need to explain what a Hunting Field is. Just know that the field we are about to go to was formed after the explosion of the C-rank dungeon, Bleachwood Hollow."

Once he felt that every student was paying attention, Kael briefly explained where they were heading.

It was already the next week, and the students now had to leave the City of Fiona as planned.

"After nobody managed to conquer this C-rank dungeon, it finally exploded in the northern outskirts of Fiona, about 200 km from the city, directly changing its environment in the process."

"Although the hunters from our Academy managed to hunt down the boss monster, the area had already mutated enough to form its own ecosystem."

"So, the place is now called Whiteleaf Forest."

Professor Kael paused briefly before continuing:

"Before, this dungeon was inhabited by Albino Lizards above level 50."

"But now, the monsters you’ll find in the forest range from weak to mid-level. So, you don’t have to worry about being overwhelmed."

"As long as you remain on the outskirts, you will be safe. Besides, we professors will be constantly on the lookout, too."

Professor Kael finally finished explaining everything.

"Okay, that’s all for now. You will know more after arriving there anyway. Your seniors are already waiting for you all there."

He smiled meaningfully before giving the final instruction:

"By the way, I heard you all have been assigned a team by Professor Lyra. If so, please separate into your team formations."

"This time, we are going to use a very unique method of transportation, you see."

Professor Kael ordered, signaling everyone to separate into their respective teams on the field.

Since they were in a large open space, it wasn’t difficult for them to do so.

Although confused, everyone began to gather together, arranging themselves in groups of five or six members, leaving a certain gap between the other teams.

Along with the regular teams, the twin sisters, Darius, and even Morgan were in the same team they had participated in the previous competition.

The same was true for Soren. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

"Hey, Soren. What is the professor trying to do? What does he mean by transportation?"

Sylvia was a bit surprised by the turn of events and asked. After all, she couldn’t understand why they had to get separated like this.

"How will I know? Just wait and see."

But Soren only rolled his eyes at her. Although he knew what would happen next, he wasn’t an idiot to really say it.

After all, there had to be a limit to what he knew.

*Prrrrrr!*

Fortunately, Sylvia didn’t have to wait long for an answer, as the moment everyone separated into their respective teams, Professor Kael took out a whistle and blew sharply.

The piercing, high-pitched sound cut across the field, immediately drawing the attention of all the students.

*Whoosh!*

Then came the sudden, loud sound of flapping wings from behind the huge building, followed by a chorus of beastly cries echoing across the field.

Shadows loomed over every student as enormous white shapes cut through the sky, their wings spanning wide enough to blot out the sun.

For a moment, everyone was stunned.

But when the flying monsters swooped closer to the ground, everyone finally realized what they were.

They were Cranes.

Not ordinary ones, but mutated, massive enough to carry ten people on their backs.

And the most shocking part?

Each team had a single white crane landing gracefully in front of them, staring down with an almost intelligent gaze.

Really, as Professor Kael had said, this was indeed a very unique method of transportation, alright.

Even Soren found himself marvelling at this scene.

---

[Monster: Sky Crane]

[Rank: E]

[Status: Tamed]

[Ability: Flight, Enhanced Vision, Wind Manipulation]

---

"Well, well, isn’t this a surprise? To be honest, the Elite Hunter Academy has really been too generous to your batch this time."

A smug smile tugged at Professor Kael’s lips as he watched the students’ jaws drop in surprise.