The SSS-rank Guide Doesn't Need Saving

The lesson that day was on the fundamentals of mental attacks.

Zeke stood at the front of the room with his arms crossed loosely behind his back, explaining how Sentinels and Guides weren’t limited to physical attacks when facing corrupted beasts. Psychic energy, when properly focused, could be projected outward as a direct attack, capable of tearing through a monster’s mind the same way a blade would through flesh.

A student near the front raised his hand. ”Can we defeat one monster from a contaminated zone already, sir?”

Since they’ve awakened as Sentinels and Guides with a considerable amount of mental and psychic energy, it shouldn’t be that hard for them to defeat at least one monster on their own.

Zeke looked at him for a long moment like he was staring at a toddler, gathering as much patience as he could get and not regret coming into the academy.

Shaking his head, he said, ”If you stood in front of even a low-threat beast right now, the odds of you dying would be significantly higher than the odds of you standing your ground while inside the contaminated zone.”

The student’s excitement deflated.

Another student spoke up from the back. ”What if we joined the Association, or one of the three military factions? Would we have a better chance then?”

”Even a soldier from the Association, Federation, or even the Imperial army only has around a thirty percent chance of winning a direct confrontation,” Zeke answered. ”That thirty percent accounts for the fight itself. The remaining seventy percent is the risk of running out of psychic energy and having miasma enter your body before you can retreat to safety. This is why no group entering a contaminated zone is ever smaller than five people.”

The room fell quiet as they absorbed his words, learning new things about battling against monsters inside the contaminated zone.

However, Zeke didn’t tell them that the monsters inside the zones were the only thing they should be worried about. Rather, everything inside and even the contaminated zone itself could never be as ordinary as it sounded.

Aisha found herself leaning forward slightly, more interested than she’d expected to be. She hadn’t seen a single live corrupted beast since arriving in this world. She wondered whether they resembled the mutated creatures from her past world.

It would be good if she could find one and test her survival skills on them and test if they’re as vicious and resilient as those in her world.

She raised her hand.

”Is it possible for one person to enter and come out alive?”

A few students turned to look at her in confusion since it sounded like the same question their classmate asked minutes ago. But Zeke understood exactly what she meant, and answered without hesitation.

”There are Sentinels who enter alone,” he said, turning to show photos of the entrances of the zones registered under the association. ”It isn’t generally permitted. The risk is too high to allow someone to go in alone, and the three ruling powers of Gaia don’t allow that kind of endeavor without proper authorization. Most contaminated zones are registered under either the Association or the Federation, with the Empire backing them from behind. And so, the number of zones that can be entered alone is too few, and mostly, they are unregistered and unrecorded.”

He paused, letting the students realize how dangerous it was to take action alone.

”Which means the danger is even greater in those places. No one knows what is inside. Unless a person is either courting death or confident in their own strength and unafraid of dying, most Sentinels and Guides avoid unregistered zones and stick to the registered ones for their own safety. Even then, it comes down to physical resilience, and whether their minds can withstand exposure to miasma and detection by monsters inside, long enough to survive.”

He looked directly at Aisha as he said the last part. ”So, to answer your question, it is possible. But only a few of them are still alive.”

Aisha nodded slowly.

She thought inwardly that Zeke was very likely one of those few.

***

The class ended not long after.

Yet Aisha still had a handful of questions circling in her mind, things she wanted to ask about miasma and how exactly a mental barrier could be strengthened against corruption, but by the time she looked up after noting the things that were discussed in the class, Zeke had already left the room.

She let the thought go for now and redirected her attention to the matter of the three gifts.

She turned to Kane, Vesper, and Sabel, who were all sitting with heavy expressions.

Aisha had completely forgotten to tell them that she had Zeke agree to be the overseer for their duel with the other students.

”Aisha, should we follow Instructor Zeke and ask him today?” Kane asked as he went to stand by her table.

Aisha shook her head, and he assumed it was something else. ”Do you have someone else you think can help us?”

Aisha replied, ”No. I’ve talked to him already.”

Vesper shot to his feet and leaned forward from behind Aisha’s chair. ”What did he say?”

Sabel also came to crowd around her like the other two.

”He’ll help oversee the match,” Aisha finally said, which was received with excitement and a joyous howl that Vesper let out.

”But how did you do it? Did you go to the academy without telling us?” Sabel asked worriedly. ”You should’ve called us. We would’ve gone with you.”

”It’s fine... actually, I have something I want to ask,” Aisha started. ”Did any of you send something to my house?”

Kane blinked. ”Send what?”

”Just...something.”

He shook his head. ”Not me.”

”And it’s definitely not me,” Vesper said, holding up both hands like he was already being accused of a crime. ”I don’t even know where you live.”

Sabel crossed her arms, thinking it over before shaking her head as well. ”No. Why? Did someone send you something?”

Aisha didn’t answer right away.

None of the three had done it. That left an even shorter list of people who might have.