Meanwhile, the monsterâstill roaringâsuddenly activated a protective mana shield. Elianaâs arrows, infused with mana, bounced harmlessly off, just like the spells from Seraphina and Marcus.
Even Aishaâs powerful strike with her summoned greatsword failed to leave a scratch.
More students joined the fray, casting a flurry of spellsâfireballs, wind blades, water spearsâbut none of them pierced the mana shield. It was like throwing pebbles at a boulder.
Then the spider cast a spell of its own. A huge sphere of condensed wind formed near its mouth, spinning violently before it launched the devastating attack. The gust exploded across the classroom. Several students were blown off their feet. Desks toppled. Papers flew. Chaos.
"Shit! This is real shit!" Amon muttered, frozen in place at the back of the class. His legs trembled slightly.
Unlike the others, Amon knew his limits. He wasnât a prodigy. He wasnât even remotely useful in a monster battle. So he did the only sensible thing a perfectly sane person would do:
He ran to the window.
"Damn it, open!" he hissed, struggling with the latch. He yanked, pulled, smackedâit didnât budge. The window might as well have been forged by dwarves.
"FUCK! OPEN YOU DOGSHIT!" he yelled, banging his fists on the glass like a man trying to escape a locked bathroom during an earthquake. "HELPPP! SOMEONE HELP!SAVE US!"
He could hear the clash of spells and steel behind him, the whoosh of mana, the spiderâs unholy screeches. But Amon? He was busy having a meltdown against a window.
The monster loomed near the doorâhis only exit now sealed by fangs and hairy legs. Panic was setting in fast.
âIâve seen some strong monsters before,â Amon thought. âBut never had to fight them! Thatâs what other people are for!â
Amon did have killed some humans before but they were mudane humans.He didnât had coice at that time so he did it.But fighting against a true scary monsterânever he had never done it.
He banged the glass again. "WHERE ARE THE TEACHERS?! WHAT THE FUCK ARE THEY DOING?!"
Some nearby students glanced at him. Shock. Disgust. Confusion.
"Oi, coward! What are you doing? Fight or something!"
"I heard he was one of the golden ticket entries but he was the obly commoer among them and akso the weakest one. No wonder. Total scaredy cat," another sneered.
Amon ignored them completely. He was far too committed to his escape plan. âLet them talk,â he thought, trying to dislodge the latch with sheer willpower.
Even in his past life if a wild tiger were to come in front of normal human.He swear they will be so much scared that they will pee.
And now a monster 100 times scarier than tiger is in front of Amon.How can he wonât be scared.
His the most normal one here.
Meanwhile, back in the actual battle,
Eliana notice something weird about monster.Like how it was not attacking with his legs physically or how itâs attack which look so dangerous yet dint have much impact on students.
Seraphina gritted her teeth and prepared her strongest spell. Five radiant swords of pure lightâeach as long as a grown manâmaterialized around her.
With a wave of her hand, they shot forward, golden trails streaking through the air. The mana shield shattered in a burst of blue fragments.
"Yes!" someone shouted.
But their victory was short-lived. The swords passed through the spiderâs body like it was mist, embedding into the wall behind it with a loud crash.
And then it clicked to Eliana.
Eliana narrowed her eyes and said. "Itâs an illusion... or a projection."
Just then, the giant spider began to flicker. It glitched, like a bad magic crystal broadcast, and then slowly faded out of existence.
Then came laughter. Feminine. Amused.
"Hahahaha!"
A woman appeared near the blackboard. Wheat-blonde hair, sharp eyes, a dark violet robe with arcane patterns, and a wide witchâs hat that screamed,Definitely trouble.
She chuckled and pointed across the room. "You! The boy with black hair and black eyes near the window. Whatâs your name?"
Every student turned to stare at Amon, still half-kneeling beside the very stubborn window, his face pale with disbelief.
She didnât ask Seraphina, who shattered the mana shield. Or Eliana, who figured out the illusion. Or Marcus or Aisha, who jumped into the fight.
Nope. She wanted the guy who tried to punch a window.
Amon stood up slowly, pretending his knees hadnât almost betrayed him. He dusted his blazer with exaggerated calm.
"My name is Amon Vale," he said, in the calmest, most composed tone he could fake.
Inside his brain, however, was chaos.
âThat was an illusion? All of that? Gods above... I acted like a damn clown. Everyone else was throwing spells, and I was screaming at a window like it owed me money! Ugh, I shouldâve noticed the lack of blood or spell impact. Observation, Amon! Observe! Thatâs the lesson here. Next time you see a rank 4 monster casually strolling into class, observe before panicking. Unless itâs real. Then run.â
The woman smiled. "Amon~ What a lovely name. Also, I really liked your decision-making. If the enemy is clearly stronger than you, Itâs totally right toâhow do I put itârun away for your lifeâphhahahaha!"
She burst into laughter again.
Aisha, the tall beastwoman with sharp eyes, simply sighed and looked out the window. The disappointment on her face could have soured milk.She donât like weak and Cowards.
âSheâs not even hiding it...â Amon thought, trying not to look embarrassed.
The woman stepped forward. "Alright, class. That illusion was created by yours truly. The mana shield, the spells, even the terrifying atmosphereâall mine. Neat, right?"
She gave a theatrical bow. "My name is Aria Magestra. Iâll be your instructor for magical theory and spellcraft. So, get ready."
The students straightened. She mightâve been odd, but her power was undeniable.
"Now, performance review!" she sang cheerfully. "Many of you reacted fast. You showed bravery. Some of you showed cleverness. And one studentâphhhâshowed excellent self-preservation instinct."
She winked at Amon, who smiled like someone being handed a consolation prize at a funeral.
"Seraphina, your mana control is exceptional. No wonder youâre already late-stage Rank 1. But do work on your awareness."
Seraphina nodded solemnly.
"Eliana, same. Your observation skills are impressive, but next time, try more harder.I thought might able to notice itâs an illusion even before a spell attack pass through it."
Eliana nodded silently.
"Marcus," Aria turned. "Youâre leaning more toward warrior-type, arenât you? Use your weapon next time. Youâre stronger with steel than with spells."
Marcus smirked slightly, like that was obvious.
"Aisha," she said finally, "donât just trust your instincts blindly. Strategy matters too."
Aisha only folded her arms and nodded once.
Aria twirled her wand once and smiled. "And thatâs the end of todayâs traumatic surprise! Welcome to Arcadia Academy, where the danger might be fake... or not. Who knows!"
She clapped her hands. "Class dismissed! Take a breather. And Amon..."
Amon tensed.
She grinned. "Next time, maybe scream for help after checking if the monster is real."
He gave a thumbs-up. "Noted, maâam. Very noted."
As the students filed out, many whispered about Amon. Some sneered. Some were amused. A few actually looked impressedâafter all, not everyone would dare yell "HELP" in a room full of prodigies.
Amon followed them out quietly, muttering to himself, "Note to self, stop panicking. And maybe figure out how to unlock windows next time."
Arcadia was going to be... something else.