The orc rushed towards them. Suho and Jaejin leapt off the stage to avoid it, skidding across the floor as its fist descended where they had been and cracked it into pieces.

There was always supposed to be warning for these kinds of things. There was technology in place. How had a monster appeared on campus without anyone noticing?

Jaejin tapped on his watch and hit “identify monster”. It buffered as it searched through its dictionary of monsters. Orcs were usually mid to low rank, but something about this one made all the alarms in his head go off.

The orc raised its fist and aimed for Jaejin, the closest target. He noticed half a second too late, trying to scramble up and get away.

Suho collided with the orc’s side, throwing it off course just enough for the monster to slam into the ground beside Jaejin instead. Suho was blown back by the impact too, skidding to a halt. Making contact with the orc had hurt, even through his high physical resistance.

The identification window finally popped up above Jaejin’s watch.

image [https://i.imgur.com/KVqIo8R.png]

Jaejin’s blood ran cold. A-rank was more than beyond their capabilities. Even the B-rank instructor that had been refereeing their match had been kicked aside as the orc charged in.

Well, it was a good thing they weren't alone.

Above them, there was the sound of glass shattering. The students shielded their faces with their arms as the pieces rained down, but it was unnecessary. The glass shards stopped, then floated softly to the floor around them.

Everybody looked up. It was easy to forget because it was above their heads, but somebody had been watching from the viewing platform.

Moon Hyuna burst out, leaping at the orc like a comet. In her hand was an intricate metal wand which glowed a cold white.

She smiled as she cast, looking relaxed, but feeling her blood boiling.

“Burn.”

Suho shielded his eyes just in time. Anyone not quick enough was temporarily blinded as a spear of fire materialized out of thin air, raising the temperature of the room like sunlight.

She flicked her wand, and it shot directly into the orc’s eye.

It roared in pain, clutching its face and spraying green blood all over the floor. Hyuna landed lightly on a magic barrier that she formed below her foot and pointed her wand at the orc again.

“Burn.”

Suho looked away as another spear of fire shot into the orc’s face. The monster was occupied, presumably dealt with. So they had other problems to focus on now.

He ran towards the refereeing professor, who was stuck under a piece of the broken wall. He was breathing hard, bleeding, but conscious.

Suho grabbed him by the shoulders, and he let out a loud groan of pain.

“I’m stuck on something. Just leave me here and go.”

No teacher wanted a student to put themselves in danger for their sake. But he was talking to the wrong person.

“Sunghyun!” Suho called.

Sunghyun was already on the way, dodging around the debris that had landed near the crowd.

“He’s pinned by the debris,” he said. “Can you move it?”

It was a big chunk of concrete. Sunghyun ducked and tried to get a look underneath, to check where the professor’s leg was. He nodded to Suho.

“Pull him out on three.”

Suho nodded back, tightening his hold on the professor’s arms.

“1… 2… ”

Sunghyun curled his fingers under the problem debris.

“3!”

Sunghyun lifted it, shifting it high enough for Suho to pull.

The professor shouted as he was brought out, but he was finally free. His leg was twisted in a weird direction, making Sunghyun flinch when he saw it.

“This building’s infirmary is on the second floor,” he said.

“Everybody’s going there right now,” Suho replied. “It’d be faster to take him straight to the main hospital.”

Sunghyun followed his eyes to the huge hole in the wall. They could certainly cross through it and get to the school’s medical building quickly. He swooped in and supported the professor from the other side.

“Let’s go then,” he said.

They dragged him as swiftly was they could to the hole. As Suho briefly looked back, he saw that they were the last students out. The rest had fled through the normal door. Jaejin was standing at the threshold looking back.

They exchanged a look. Suho mouthed:

“Go.”

Hyuna was still peppering the orc knight with fire spells. It regenerated wounds quickly, but couldn't get close to her. They couldn't spare the time to see the outcome.

Suho ands Sunghyun carefully navigated over the broken wall and finally made it to the outside.

And froze.

They weren't the only ones fleeing, nor was that orc the only one around.

Unarmored orcs were covering campus, going after the closest people. Students fled towards the main buildings, where there were designated shelters.

Sunghyun lifted his wrist and quickly checked the monster information.

“These ones are C-rank. Did a gate break somewhere?” he asked. “No, there’s no gate alert. Then how’d they get here?”

The professor groaned, even paler and less lucid than before. Their attention went back to the problem at hand.

Sunghyun scooped him up, freeing Suho’s hands.

“Cover me?” he asked.

Suho nodded. He was the only one armed, so it was natural.

They took off towards the campus hospital. After the spar, Suho was already tired. But the adrenaline coursing through him made him forget all about that. He knocked down any orcs in their way, running through hearts, crushing heads, cutting off legs—whatever it took.

Sunghyun snuck a glance at him as they went. A sense of calm seemed to go over Suho as he faced the monsters—a totally different world from the impatience and anxiety he’d had while facing Jaejin.

He still worried about the random episodes of blacking out, but it looked like that wouldn't be the case right now.

Sunghyun focused back on the road. They had broken through the orcs, now nearing the medical center, where many teachers and students had gathered. He jumped over the barricade they had set up, followed by Suho. No sooner had his feet hit the ground, then—

“Ice Realm.”

Sunghyun could recognize Yuna’s voice anywhere. All the hairs on his arms stood up as an inexplicable chill went through the air.

Instantly, frost raced over the ground on the other side of the barricade. Spears shot out, overwhelming and impaling the approaching orcs, adding an even thicker wall between the monsters and the hospital.

Sunghyun saw her standing on top of the barricade at the hospital entrance. They exchanged a look.

“Thanks,” he said.

As usual, that didn't make her happy. She kept her arms crossed and turned back to survey the road leading to the hospital.

“Sunghyun,” Suho called, getting his attention, “the medics are here.”

Doctors from inside rolled a gurney out for them, squeezing through the crowd. Sunghyun and Suho gingerly helped the professor onto it, and he was whisked away in an instant.

“Suho!” a voice called.

They turned to see Kitae approaching, a rifle slung over his shoulder. He’d clearly just come from marksmanship class.

“Are you guys okay?” he asked, checking them over.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

“We’re good,” Sunghyun replied. “How's the rest of campus?”

“A mess,” Kitae reported. “The orcs are manageable but there are too many of them. And they’re stupidly tanky. It’s hard to take them down without magic.”

Urgent dings came from everybody’s watches at once. They checked the notification that had popped up.

[URGENT]

ALL STUDENTS HEAD TO SHELTERS NOW

DO NOT ENGAGE WITH MONSTERS

HEADMASTER’S ORDERS

Hyuna must've finished dealing with the A-rank orc knight and finally gotten time to send out a notice.

“There’s a shelter in the hospital’s basement,” Sunghyun said. “We should get going before it fills up.”

Suho nodded. Many people were already flooding inside. But as they turned away, Kitae stayed in place.

Suho noticed and looked back. He was staring at Yuna, who was still standing on the barricade, occasionally casting ice magic to keep stray orcs back. She didn't seem to have any intention of moving.

“Yuna!” Kitae called.

She either didn't hear him or pretended not to. He went towards her. Suho and Sunghyun followed.

Kitae leapt up onto the barricade.

“The hospital has its own magic barrier,” he said, “they can't break in.”

Yuna was definitely just ignoring him now.

“Hey.”

He held his wrist up to her face. The hologram of the message Hyuna had sent was shoved in front of her eyes.

“Look. It says ‘Do not engage monsters.’”

“Fuck off and go inside if you want,” she finally replied, pushing his arm down. “I’m staying out here.”

“That’s so—”

BANG.

They cringed back as a sharp shockwave swept over them, knocking the two of them off the barricade. Suho caught both of them, one in each arm, and set them back on the ground.

They peeked over the barrier at what had made that low, explosive noise.

Ahead of the hospital, in the center of campus, a huge swath had been cut out of the park and paths. Fire raged in a clean circle, growing, growing… forming a figure.

A huge, sturdy orc with flames leaping off of its skin appeared and scanned the campus.

Kitae quickly scanned it with his watch.

image [https://i.imgur.com/I2SJC42.png]

He gulped. Yuna put her foot up on the barricade, prepared to jump back up onto it—

She was tugged backwards, stumbling to a stop on solid ground. Suho had her by the back of the shirt.

She looked up at him, annoyed.

“Let me go,” she demanded.

“I can’t do that.”

Suho had no intention of letting her face that thing. Even though Kitae’s scan said A-rank, like the orc that Hyuna had fought, he could feel the gap between them. Animal Instinct was ringing alarm bells in his ears. This one…

It was safest to not even look it in the eyes.

“We have to get into the shelter—”

Yuna raised her hand.

“I don't want to. Ice Realm.”

Without needing to look, she cast. Ice shot out from the barricade and impaled the orc in the foot. It roared in pain, and then—

Spotted them.

“Yuna, you—”

Sunghyun was at a loss for words. He’d always known Yuna hated being told what to do, but this was too much.

The orc started charging towards them, taking huge strides across the campus. It would only be a matter of seconds until it crashed into the hospital.

“Ice Realm.”

Another spire of ice shot out and hit it in the shin. The damage was superficial.

“Stop!” Sunghyun shouted. “You're just provoking it!”

It was bulldozing its way towards them. Suho did the only thing he knew had to happen. He grabbed Yuna, slung her over his shoulder, and made a run for it.

The orc was after Yuna. So they had to get her away from the hospital—away from any place with too many people. Sunghyun gritted his teeth, grabbed a sword that had been dropped in the chaos, and followed.

“Ice Realm.”

She took advantage of her new perch to cast more ice magic at the orc, irritating it even more.

“Hey, isn’t Ice Realm S-rank? Can't you easily deal with an A-rank monster?” Sunghyun asked, glancing back at the orc. It was gaining on them.

“That’s not how it works at all,” she replied.

Just because a skill was S-rank didn't mean that the 17-year-old using it would automatically become S-rank. She didn't have the magic stats to full utilize it yet.

THUNK. THUNK. THUNK.

With every huge step, the orc was getting closer. Suho could only think of one place close enough that probably had no people left in it—

The training building they’d just come from. It had cleared out after the orc knight had appeared. And if they were lucky, Hyuna would still be there. Sunghyun recognized the way they were going quickly.

“What are we going to do once we get there?” he asked as he leaped over a trash can. “We can’t just drop Yuna off!”

Suho’s mind was also racing. They couldn't fight that thing. He’d read up on all sorts of monsters while trying to catch up with the other students. Orcs had thick skin, high regeneration, and were some of the worse matches for melee hunters. Which two out of three of them here were. Not only that, but Yuna had already proven that her skill couldn't take it down.

He spotted the hole in the building up ahead where the orc knight had entered. It was still quite far. As the footsteps neared…

THUNK.

THUNK.

Maybe they wouldn't even make it there.

THUNK.

Ping.

…?

A weird, high-pitched sound like metal hitting a concrete wall echoed through the air. The orc slowed to a stop, rubbing the back of its head. The three of them looked back too.

On the roof of the hospital was Kitae, eye to his rifle’s sight—aiming it directly at the orc.

Another bullet slammed into the orc’s face, right between the eyes. Angered, the monster changed directions and charged back towards the hospital.

Kitae opened his mouth, and although they should've been too far to hear him, his voice rang loud and clear inside their ears.

“Monkey in the middle!” he shouted.

They instantly understood. Suho put Yuna down. She raised her hand, and a spear made of ice formed at the end of her palm.

“Ice Realm.”

It shot out and smashed into the back of the orc’s neck. It barely left a scratch, but it exploded and definitely got its attention.

It turned around, locking back onto her, huffing out huge clouds of smoke. The orc ran for them, covering distance fast.

Bang-bang-bang.

And then three bullets in a row hit it in the head. They practically bounced off, but the impacts clearly landed as it was stopped in its tracks.

The orc screamed and focused on Kitae.

“Sunghyun,” Suho called, “the teachers—”

“I know. I’m already on it.”

As the valedictorian, Sunghyun had easier access to some of the instructors’ resources, including keeping track of where they were—in case he had to coordinate things between the students and teachers.

He opened a map. It didn't have all their live locations—some opted out of having trackers on their watches—but from what he could see, it wasn't good. They’d ended up quite spread out to deal with the lower-ranked orcs. Some were stuck in place, probably helping the injured. A couple were headed their way, but they couldn't see any on the horizon.

“Please tell me I don't have to keep this up,” Yuna said, casting another ice spear at the monster.

She was feeling her energy running low. Kitae would eventually run out of bullets too.

“Well maybe you shouldn't have picked a fight with it then,” he grumbled.

“What's the point in saying that now—”

“Are the teachers coming?” Suho asked, cutting in, forcing them to stop fighting.

“Yeah, but it might be a minute,” he said. “Nobody’s close by—”

“Don’t worry about that.”

An unfamiliar voice rang through the air, clear as day—as if all the noise had stopped just to hear him.

They looked up. Standing on top of the orc’s head, like it was the most normal thing in the world, was a man with soft brown hair and blue eyes. He had a kindly smile that could disarm anyone—the opposite of Hyuna’s. The flames coming off the orc didn't affect him at all.

He pointed a simple wooden wand down at the orc.

“Enough of you.”

Lightning shot out of the end of the wand so quickly that this time, Suho didn't have time to avert his eyes. The world went white and soundless, the following crack of thunder so loud that it would’ve blown a normal human’s eardrums out.

His head rang as his vision and hearing slowly returned. He looked around with blurry eyes as he came to, and found Sunghyun and Yuna in much the same state.

He turned to the orc, or what was left of it. A huge, sizzling chunk of charcoal that used to have limbs was laying at the center of campus. The man who had killed it was still standing on top of its body, the smoke for some reason not even staining his clothes.

As Suho’s eyes finally cleared, he recognized who it was. Lucian de Loren—a man from Europe who taught the third year advanced magic class. He’d never met him in person before, but it was hard to mistake him for anyone else. He was really handsome.

Lucian leapt down from the orc’s body and came towards them.

“Are you okay?” he asked. “I’m sorry. I should've given you some warning, but killing it was paramount.”

“I’m fine,” Suho replied.

Sunghyun nodded too, rubbing his eyes, but seeming mostly recovered.

“I’m alright,” he said. “Thank you, Professor Loren.”

“Not a problem,” Lucian replied. “What about you, Miss Yuna?”

Yuna still had her head a little bowed, brow furrowed deeply. Her resistance stat wasn’t as high as theirs.

“I’ll be fine,” she said. “That was loud as shit.”

Lucian sent her a wry smile.

“I apologize again for that.”

“Whatever.”

She waved them all off and forced herself to straighten back up.

“Anyway, there must be more orcs left, so—”

She was silenced as a blade of grass below her feet grew into a thick vine and wrapped around her, lifting her into the air. In fact, it got all three of them, bundling them together like a strange present.

“Of course there are more orcs left, Miss Yuna,” Lucian said, that polite smile never leaving his face, “but they are not your problem. Nor yours or yours.”

He eyed Suho and Sunghyun once each.

“Don’t worry, I haven’t forgotten about your friend on the roof either. I’ll be scolding him later. All of you ignored the evacuation order sent by the headmaster.”

Sunghyun felt wronged. They had tried to evacuate, but…

“We had no choice,” he said. “We had to—mmph!”

The vine grew a huge leaf that slapped over his mouth and silenced him.

“Leave your reasoning for the disciplinary committee,” he replied. “The only thing left for you to do today is get to the shelter.”

A second instructor, Amanda from the advanced spearmanship class, finally arrived on the scene. She seemed perplexed momentarily by the charcoaled chunk of orc, but she quickly turned her attention to the kids.

Lucian sent her a look.

“Send them to the nearest shelter for me, please,” he requested.

“Will do.”

Amanda nodded. An extra tendril of vine grew out of their bindings, and she grabbed it.

“Well then, I’ll see you,” Lucian said, backing away.

He waved, turned, and was quickly out of view as Amanda slung them over her shoulder and dragged them towards the hospital.

It really was a strange sight when three of the school’s strongest students were unceremoniously dumped in the shelter like that.