Chapter 79: Ambush, Battle with the Dwarf Boy

"Teacher Crab is dead, Teacher Crab is dead!" Vien and his group hurried along the road, they had to quickly inform the other teachers so they could handle the situation.

Shana looked around, "Damn it! Why haven't we seen anyone from the other groups on the way?"

"Damn scoundrels, who could have killed the teacher and Uncle Pipican!" Vien said anxiously, "Forget it, let's just head back to Fire Lizard City. If we don't return soon, the bodies might start to rot."

"Don't worry," Emma said, "When Shana and I were changing clothes, we set up a magic array in the room. The bodies should be fine for five days."

Vien asked, "It's already been one day, will four days be enough?"

"I don't know, it took us several days to get here. But a lot of that was taking detours, so... it should be possible." Emma said, "Or I could go back alone, my wind magic can get me there faster than you guys."

Shana shouted, "No way! Although you are the strongest in our group, a lone Green Robe Mage is more likely to die. Don't forget... don't forget how many dangers and injuries we've faced coming here. Now... now without the protection of a teacher, it's even more dangerous."

Vien gritted his teeth, "Damn it, we can't run too fast, and we have to be on guard for the surrounding monsters... If only I were strong enough on my own!"

The four of them hurried along, not daring to let their guard down for a moment.

Shana noticed that the timid Hesmingfen had been following them with his head down, as if he had something on his mind: "Hesmingfen, what's wrong? You haven't said a word the whole way."

"Huh? No, nothing..." Hesmingfen thought of the headless Pipican, the gruesome death of Teacher Crab, and the young mage who had stabbed Teacher Crab in the heart. Fear washed over him, "That guy... that guy is a devil!"

"I... I can't go on," Shana stopped and panted, "I didn't get enough rest last night, let's take a break."

"How can we do that?" Vien grabbed her arm and dragged her forward, "It's not long after dawn, how can we rest now? If we keep resting, how can we get to Fire Lizard City quickly?"

"Hey, you..." Shana had no choice but to follow him.

Emma suddenly stretched out her wand in front of Vien, "Shana is right, we can't keep going like this. It's been three hours since our last break. If we keep pushing ourselves, we'll be too exhausted to handle any monsters we encounter, and we'll all die here. We barely slept last night, so let's rest, eat something, and sleep. We might even run into other groups passing by." Emma was the strongest and most experienced in the group, and everyone had unconsciously started following her lead.

Vien knew she was right and had to settle down to find a place to rest. They set up tents, ate, and took short naps, each taking turns to rest as they had done the previous night, even though their minds were filled with thoughts of the teacher's death, they tried to force themselves to sleep.

Before they knew it, it was already afternoon.

Vien finished his last watch and pushed open their tent, shouting, "Wake up, wake up, let's eat something and get going."

"Such an impatient person," Shana sighed inwardly and reluctantly got out of her sleeping bag.

Hesmingfen, while eating, asked, "What will happen now that the teacher is dead?"

"I don't know," Shana shook her head and looked at Emma.

Emma said, "I heard that during the last practical exam, a teacher died due to an accident, and the academy compensated their family with a lot of money."

"Is that all?" Vien asked.

Emma nodded, "Yes, even though they are teachers, in the wild, survival is on your own. It's a job, and it's impressive that the academy can offer compensation. If you were a mercenary, you might just die and that's it."

"..." Vien clearly didn't believe it.

Emma, seeing Vien's disappointment, said, "You mentioned that you are the son of a servant from a noble family, and you've always stayed at home and in school, so you might not know. The magic world isn't as beautiful as you imagine. You might still be living in the fantasies of your childhood, thinking that war and death are simple matters, but when you truly experience them, you realize how cruel they are. Life and death are always on the edge. Without a wealthy family, you have to fight with your own hands. Even nobles have to prove their worth through their survival skills."

"Maybe you have the resolve to work hard with your own hands, but this resolve only truly awakens when you wake up from the fairy tale dream. Your era has already begun," Shana continued, "Of course, you can choose to stay in the city, but once you step out of the city, you should understand that the world is no longer safe. Your life is in your own hands, that's survival."

Emma added, "But Teacher Crab was likely murdered, and the academy and local government will investigate to find out who did this. We don't know if it was a personal vendetta or a misunderstanding, or if it was just against Teacher Crab or the entire Kulandtin Academy."

Hearing that the academy would investigate, Vien felt a bit more at ease.

Shana said, "But from the fact that Emma and I were stripped, it's likely that the murderer tried to rape us but was stopped by the teacher, leading to his death. As for why we were left unharmed, it might be... there might be another reason. Perhaps the murderer was scared after killing and didn't dare to harm us while we were unconscious, and fled."

"Is that so?" Vien asked in shock.

Shana said, "Maybe, it's just my guess, one of many possibilities. We'll have to wait for the experts to investigate and analyze it. We are just outsiders."

Emma wiped her mouth with a handkerchief, "Alright, we've rested enough, it's time to get going."

"Yes, compared to our exam, human life is more important," Shana organized her things and prepared to pack up. Suddenly, she saw someone sitting on a nearby hill, watching them.

Vien and the others also noticed the person.

"Is it a student from another group?" Emma frowned, "It doesn't look like it."

Hesmingfen, seeing the person in a green plaid outfit with a huge knife, was scared and hid behind Vien.

The green plaid outfit belonged to the dwarf named Boy from the Blue Cross Mercenary Group. The dwarf Boy laughed strangely, "You finally noticed me, I've been sitting here for half an hour."

"Who are you?" Shana had already picked up her crescent moon saber and asked warily.

Boy jumped up four or five meters and landed in front of them, "Hehehehe, it seems your group doesn't have a guardian teacher. How about I be your teacher? Hahahahaha..."

Emma, seeing the blue cross on his clothes, asked, "Are you here on a mission? We won't disturb you, maybe we'll meet again someday." Emma said this not because she really wanted to meet him, but to avoid trouble.

But the other person didn't let them leave, slashing their tents to pieces and laughing strangely, "Hehehehe, you want to leave without playing with me? Hahahahaha, my knife won't allow it."

The four of them took a few steps back, fully on guard. Shana, not wanting to cause trouble, stopped Vien, who was about to get angry, and said to the dwarf, "Sorry, we really have something to do. If we meet again, we'll play with you."

"You damn woman, how dare you not listen to me!" Boy suddenly flew into a rage and jumped up, slashing at her.

Shana was prepared and raised her crescent moon saber to block his attack. There was a 'clank,' and her saber was shattered. Fortunately, Shana used the moment to dodge the blade's edge, but she was still thrown back by the powerful force.

Vien, surprised by the strength of the dwarf who was shorter than him, raised his great halberd and swung at him.

Boy laughed, "Hehehehe, this is more interesting." He held the giant knife in one hand and swung it to the side, while dodging Emma's magic attack.

Vien's halberd was hit by the back of the knife, bending the metal rod like a spring and flinging him away. In an instant, only Emma was left facing the monstrous dwarf, while the useless Hesmingfen held his sword and trembled, too scared to attack.

Emma, an experienced 'warrior,' knew after a few moves that the opponent was a high-level warrior. It was almost impossible for a mid-level mage, a low-level knight, and two unformed warriors to fight a high-level profession. However, since the opponent was a high-level warrior and not yet a berserker, they were relatively weaker, giving Emma some confidence.

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