However, Professor Iakopo’s words were reiterated by Shaker’s gruff voice.

“Listen up, you lot!” he bellowed. “There’s been a change of plans. We won’t be docking at the shipyard because there’s a bunch of monsters on a beach and we just received word that the city guards are being overwhelmed. Get ready to help, you useless flotsam! And try avoiding dying!”

The students exchanged worried glances.

Takai, quietly observing from nearby, stepped closer to Talia.

“Help them?” he asked, his voice laced with concern. “How strong are the monsters?”

“It doesn’t matter,” Shaker replied, having overheard, looking at Professor Iakopo standing on the prow with a frown. “We’ll be doing what Water Riders are meant to do. Now, go get your good panties ready! You’re about to have your first real fight!”

A heavy silence fell over the deck.

The reality of their situation began to sink in.

“But sir,” a timid voice piped up from the back of the group, “we’re just first-years. We don’t have any experience.”

Professor Iakopo stepped down from the prow and looked at that student well.

“Experience is gained through action, not hesitation. This is your moment of truth. A true Water Rider doesn’t shy away from danger when innocent lives are at stake. It doesn’t matter whether you’re strong enough or whether your life will be at risk. You’re here to protect the civilians and help the guards. Your life was always meant to be the currency the moment you decided to become a Water Rider. You can now expend it for what’s honorable or drop out.”

He paused, surveying the nervous faces before him.

“You’ll need to work together to survive.”

As the students scrambled to form teams, Talia went to find Lilo, Nami, and Takai.

“Fiora,” Talia called out, spotting the blonde girl nearby. “Want to join our group?”

Fiora hesitated, her eyes darting between Talia’s group and another formed around an auburn-haired girl.

After a moment of indecision, she shook her head.

“No,” Fiora said, joining the girl Talia had seen her talk with several times during the trip.

Talia felt disappointed, but there was no time to dwell on it.

Shaker was already moving to the center of the deck, his hands waving at the students.

“Gather ’round,” he commanded. “We’re about to disembark.”

The students gathered around Shaker and Professor Iakopo, and soon, the latter started channeling Mana. The air around him shimmered and distorted, and suddenly, a massive platform of solid Mana materialized beside the ship.

It was large enough to hold all the students.

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“All aboard,” Iakopo said dryly. “And brace yourselves. This isn’t going to be a gentle ride.”

As the remaining students cautiously stepped onto the mana platform, Talia was in awe of that gigantic Mana Board. To create something so large and stable required an immense amount of control and power.

Once everyone was on board, Iakopo raised his hands.

The platform lurched in the air, then moved swiftly towards the shore.

The wind lashed at their faces as they sped over the waves, the beach growing larger with each passing second. Beside Nami, Talia wondered why they came to Placid City.

The official story was to clear out the Placid Cave, but Talia couldn’t shake the feeling that there was more to it.

She remembered her vision in the Darkstorm Sphere, where her mother had mentioned a Dark Water Well in Placid City.

“The Dark Water Well,” Talia muttered, causing Nami to glance at her curiously.

“Did you say something?” Nami asked loudly, trying to make herself heard over the wind.

“Nothing,” Talia replied as loudly.

As they approached shore, Talia’s hand unconsciously moved to her bag, where she had stashed her father’s journal.

She had brought it with her, hoping that being in Placid City might help her discover what was hidden within its pages.

She was pretty sure it would be the secret to Dark Water.

Since she didn’t want to ask her father about it, she needed to look for any clues that might be found there.

Perhaps, starting now.

* * *

Soon, the sounds of battle became audible.

Shouts and screams mixed with otherworldly screeches.

The platform touched down on the sand, and most of them witnessed a real battleground for the first time in their life. Several dead bodies were on the ground, with twice as many Abyssal Creatures dead.

Massive arthropods twice the size of a man scuttled across the sand.

Their bodies resembled mantises, with long, blade-like forelimbs that they used to slash at their opponents.

Professor Iakopo’s voice cut through her shock.

“Slashing Crusters,” he said grimly. “Watch out for those front limbs.”

The local defenders were a motley crew.

These are not actual guards, Talia realized. These men clearly barely have any training.

The sand was now churned and stained with blood.

Broken weapons and discarded shields littered the ground.

The air was thick with the acrid smell of fear and the metallic tang of blood.

To the left, a group of locals had formed a defensive line, using overturned fishing boats as makeshift barricades.

They fought desperately to hold back a tide of Slashing Crusters.

As Talia watched, one of the locals - a young woman with braided hair - stepped too close to a Slashing Cruster between two boats.

The creature’s limb lashed out with lightning speed, piercing through her stomach.

The woman’s eyes widened in shock, a gurgling cry escaping her lips as she collapsed to the ground.

The sight seemed to freeze everyone in place.

The reality of the situation crashed down upon the students like a physical weight.

This wasn’t a training exercise or a controlled environment.

This was life and death, played out in brutal clarity before their eyes.

Talia felt her whole body erupt with sweat as she gripped her glaive.

She glanced at her companions, seeing her own fear reflected in their eyes.

Even Lilo, usually so confident, looked pale and shaken.

Suddenly, Talia felt a strong hand grip the back of her robe.

Before she could react, she was lifted off her feet.

Professor Iakopo had hoisted her up and was now speeding towards the fallen woman on a mana board.

“What are you-” Talia began, but Iakopo cut her off.

“Heal her,” he barked, depositing Talia next to the wounded local.

Talia stared at the gruesome wound, her mind blank with panic. “With what?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Iakopo’s response was swift and brutal.

He slashed his hand through the air with a single, fluid motion. A blade of concentrated Mana shot forth, bisecting the nearby Slashing Cruster that had hurt the woman.

As the creature’s halves fell to the sand, Iakopo’s gaze turned to Talia.

“With that,” he said, pointing to the fallen monster.

Then, he moved around, rescuing people from critical situations but not killing all the monsters.

He wants us to do it, Talia realized. He’s in control. He’s strong enough that he can kill any of the monsters in an instant. This… this is another test!

His voice boomed across the beach.

“Any student who refuses to join the fray or acts like a coward will be expelled immediately!”