Chapter 301: Killing Intent. Trouble.

As soon as Aiden shouted, the other talented students snapped to attention. They looked up, following Aiden’s gaze.

Darkness filled the sky, but there was something flashing and zipping toward them at high speed.

Cassian stood far off to the side, arms crossed, watching silently.

Graham spoke quickly, his tone serious: "This isn’t the Abyss. It’s the border between Earth and the Abyss."

"What you’re about to face are the remnant soldiers of killing intent falling from the sky."

"Thousands of years ago, when the Abyss first appeared, this was the first battlefield between humanity and its monsters. After centuries of relentless war, countless powerful monsters and human warriors have died here."

"They couldn’t let go of that killing intent before they died. It built up and up until it clung to their broken weapons, creating these ’Killing Intent Remnants’."

As Graham explained, he kept watching the talented students’ reactions.

But his eyes kept drifting back to Aiden, the one who noticed the threat first.

To be fair, the champion of the global Reclasser Exchange Tournament really is special.

Even without using a detection skill to check Aiden’s stats, Graham could tell that Aiden’s Spirit attribute was far stronger than anyone else’s.

More importantly, the moment they entered the spatial rift, everyone else let their guard down. Only Aiden immediately started checking the surroundings.

That kind of alertness isn’t something you just get; it takes heavy training to form it.

But Graham was confused. He’d checked Aiden’s file earlier. Sure, Aiden had fought in more battles than the others, but not enough to make that level of caution become second nature.

"This must be why he’s so far ahead of the rest," Graham thought.

He turned back to the group and shouted,

"This is the first trial on the way to the Golden Great Wall. You must not only defend against these Killing Intent Remnants, but also confront the lingering killing intent head-on."

"If you can hold your ground against three Remnants at once, you pass."

Hearing this, the tension and fear on the students’ faces instantly faded.

One student got eager. He crouched slightly and jumped straight into the air.

Just above him, a Killing Intent Remnant was plummeting down.

When it got less than a hundred meters away, it suddenly stopped. A thick red glow erupted from it.

Then, a ghostly figure appeared out of nowhere—wearing tattered armor, covered in fresh blood, with eyes burning red. It grabbed the weapon.

"Kill!"

"Kill! Kill all intruders!"

"Our home is Earth behind us. That’s where our parents, wives, and children are! We can’t let these invaders cross into our world!"

"If your hands break, use your feet! If your feet are gone, bite with your teeth! As long as you can move, as long as you aren’t dead, you don’t give up!"

The ghostly figure kept muttering to itself.

Suddenly, its blood-red eyes locked onto the closest talented student.

Instantly, the suspended Killing Intent Remnant started moving again. At the same time, the student’s body began to shake uncontrollably. He seemed to be possessed, suddenly clenching his fists and swinging them wildly forward.

It looked like he was fighting an invisible enemy.

"What’s going on?" one student yelled, turning to Graham.

Graham slowly opened his squinted eyes. His expression turned icy cold as he replied calmly:

"When you face these Remnants, you will experience exactly what the owner went through in their final moments of battle."

"You must hold back the killing intent and stay sane, while pushing through the pain. Once you fully absorb the killing intent from the Remnant, your Soul strength will increase."

Graham took a deep breath and turned his gaze to Aiden.

Aiden didn’t rush to act. Instead, he watched closely the student being influenced by the killing intent.

What puzzled him was that the student was a ranged mage type Reclasser, yet he was fighting only with fists and kicks, with no intention of pulling out his staff.

But just then, the Killing Intent Remnants falling from the sky drew even closer to Aiden and the others.

"This doesn’t make sense!" Victor shouted, frowning. "There are way more Remnants than us! If they keep falling like this, everyone will have to face three or four of them!"

Aiden didn’t hesitate. He had already thought of this and had a plan.

"Everyone, group up! Warriors and shields in the front, other Reclassers in the center. Defend first, then face the Remnants in batches!"

If any other talented student had tried to take charge, the rest might have hesitated.

But the moment Aiden’s voice rang out, everyone snapped into action instantly.

Graham watched from the side and couldn’t help but nod. The more he got to know Aiden, the more he realized he couldn’t underestimate him.

There was no doubt about it: Aiden had already become the natural leader and commander in the eyes of the other talented students.

As long as Aiden kept growing stronger, this deep-seated respect would never fade—not even in the future.

"So, an extraordinary genius has finally appeared," Graham thought. "No wonder SeleneLord said it wasn’t her who valued Aiden, but BellaLord."

There was one more thing that troubled him. Even though he had been interacting with Aiden frequently, they hadn’t known each other long enough yet.

Graham had a strong feeling that Aiden would continue to surprise them as they moved forward.

"Hmph, I wonder how many Killing Intent Remnants you can actually survive," Cassian sneered, crossing his arms with a look of disdain.

Frowning slightly, Graham said in a warning tone:

"Our job is to escort these talented students to the Golden Great Wall. If anything goes wrong, we both bear responsibility."

Cassian slowly uncrossed his arms and turned to Graham, replying calmly, "We can’t guarantee that nothing will go wrong. If an accident does happen, then we’ll just do our best."

"Don’t worry," Cassian laughed. "I feel like the only one likely to face an accident is Aiden."

He slowly turned his head back toward Aiden, his eyes filled with anticipation.

"Ease up, Cassian," Graham warned. "This Aiden is the one BellaLord has placed her trust in."

Cassian’s frown deepened instantly. He responded dismissively, "Him? What’s so special about him?"

"To be honest," he added, "while his performance so far has been impressive, he’s still a long way from earning BellaLord’s true attention."

Even though Cassian’s teacher, The Flame God Ignis, had a rocky relationship with Bella, it didn’t change how much he respected her.

As the strongest human divine powerhouse, Bella was the idol of all students like them.

"I’m not exactly sure," Cassian said reluctantly. "But if BellaLord spoke those words, Aiden must be truly special."

"Ease up a bit," Graham warned. "Otherwise, it’s going to be hard to explain later."

Cassian nodded, though very unwillingly.

He wouldn’t go too far, but he also wouldn’t let Aiden have it too easy.

Just then, the talented student who was facing a Killing Intent Remnant first suddenly spat out a huge mouthful of blood. His eyes were tightly shut, his face twisted in panic as he screamed:

"No! Don’t! Don’t kill me!"

"Why?"

"We’re supposed to be comrades!"

In an instant, the ghostly figure near the Remnant clutched its weapon tight and charged at him.

"Cowardly soldiers die!"

Seeing this, Aiden’s eyebrows immediately knitted together.

Although he didn’t know the full details, hearing those words made him realize the student must have been losing his courage, which triggered this nightmare.

Without a second thought, Aiden cast a skill. Several blue Water Elemental Arrows shot out, heading straight for the panicked student.

Boom!

The Water Elemental Arrows hit the student perfectly. They didn’t hurt him; instead, they helped clear his mind and bring him back to reality.

"Thanks!" The student didn’t hesitate. He flew toward Aiden and shouted.

But the ghostly figure gripping the Killing Intent Remnant didn’t give up. It kept chasing after them.

Aiden took a step forward. His Blackfire Cloak snapped open behind him, and he flew quickly toward the panicked student.

"Captain!" Victor’s eyes widened. Without hesitating, he flew right after Aiden.

"Anyone who retreats from an invader deserves to die!" the ghostly figure formed from the Killing Intent Remnant roared.

Instantly, the Killing Intent Remnants falling from the sky began gathering together rapidly.

Ghostly figures appeared across the sky. While their clothes and armor varied, every single one of them had blood-red eyes.

"Kill!"

"Cowardly soldiers die!"

The chorus of shouts echoed as the figures spoke in unison.

Watching this, Graham sighed helplessly. "Trouble now. Unless someone stands up and voluntarily absorbs the killing intent from so many Remnants, or else..."

He didn’t finish his sentence. Suddenly, his eyes widened, his neck stretched forward, and he stared fixedly at Aiden’s location.