Avoiding Death in an Otome Game

Chapter 50: Chapter - 50: Caging The Monster

Inside the Forest:-

The boy’s group finally managed to make their way through the dense part of the forest and head towards the location of Kai and girls by following the path that Kai took.

The path was easy to recognize. Branches had been blown away from the trees. Leaves were scattered across the ground.

Several small trees had been bent or broken by the force of the wind magic Kai had used to propel himself forward. Even the grass in some places had been flattened in a straight line.

”He really didn’t slow down at all.”

Ian muttered while running after the trail.

His breathing was already becoming heavier, but he continued pushing himself because there was no time to rest.

”We need to hurry.”

Lucian said from the front of the group. His usually composed expression had become noticeably more serious.

”Whatever Kai had sensed, it was dangerous enough for him to leave us behind.”

Ray nodded while running beside him.

”And if they are still in danger, then we can’t waste any more time.”

The two other boys, Kevin and the Tudor, followed closely behind them, although Kevin does not look particularly comfortable with the speed they were maintaining through the forest.

The branches kept striking their shoulders and faces as they moved through the trees, while the uneven ground made it difficult to maintain their balance, but nobody complained because everyone understood that every second mattered.

They had already heard the distant sounds of battle earlier.

The roar of monsters and occasionally, the unmistakable sound of powerful magic spells being released.

Whatever had happened ahead of them, it was far beyond the ordinary examination they had been expecting.

”Do you think Kai has already reached them?”

Kevin asked while trying to catch his breath.

”He should have.” Ian answered.

”That guy practically flew away.”

”He did indeed fly.” Ray said with a wry chuckle.

Ian glanced at him ”...That wasn’t the important part.”

Before anyone could continue the conversation, Lucian suddenly raised his hand.

”Stop.”

Everyone immediately slowed down. The forest ahead had become strangely quiet. There were no sounds of birds and even the worms were missing, but the path ahead seems equally broken as the one they have been following.

Lucian carefully looked around.

”Something is nearby.”

The boys immediately prepared their magic.

Unlike knights, none of them relied on physical weapons as their primary means of combat, so their hands quickly moved into casting positions while magical energy began gathering around their bodies.

Ray’s fingers were surrounded by faint golden light.

Ian’s staff began emitting a low vibration as sound magic gathered around its bell-shaped head.

Lucian’s mana formed a concentrated aura around his body.

Kevin swallowed nervously while preparing his own defensive spell.

Then—

”Something is there!” Ian said as he pointed his staff towards a branch of giant tree.

Everyone looked upward.

A massive creature was wrapped around one of the thick branches. Its long body was resembling the tree branch itself.

Its eyes locked onto them.

”It is a Datura Snake.” Ian immediately recognized it.

The snake suddenly dropped from the branch.

Its enormous body twisted through the air before landing directly in front of them, and the impact caused leaves and loose soil to scatter across the ground.

”Attack!” Lucian raised his staff and a concentrated burst of magic shot forward.

Everyone followed almost simultaneously.

The snake dodged most of the attacks with a rapid movement but some magical projectiles still struck the Datura Snake’s body, forcing it backward.

For a moment, it looked as though they had successfully stopped it. Then the creature suddenly changed its target. Its head turned toward Kevin.

”Kevin, move!” Ray shouted.

Kevin barely had enough time to react before the snake’s enormous tail shot toward him.

Its speed was so fast that Kevin could not even cast any spell. The thick tail wrapped around his left arm and immediately tightened.

”AH!”

Kevin’s expression changed as the snake’s body began coiling around him. The creature pulled him toward itself.

”Get it off me!”

Kevin shouted desperately.

.....

Meanwhile on Kai’s side:-

*What is wrong with this creature?*

The giant blackskin earthworm has massive injury after taking several attacks from the trio but its pursuit of them remained as firm as ever.

”Why is this thing so persistent? Could it be that the earthworms we killed were its children?” Luna asked looking at the disgustingly mutilated body of the giant earthworm.

Hearing those words made Candice flinch as she remembered that two of those things died at her hands. Though it was because of Hina’s ability, Candice was the one who delivered the final blow.

”Four of you run. We will keep it here.” Elena told them as she again cast a spell and a strong dark colored hurricane of wind appeared, pushing back the creature.

”No we can’t! If we leave then the connection will break and you will be left without enough mana to fight this thing.” Luna explained as she tried her best to maintain the moonlight connection.

It almost seems like the earthworm has realized where the trio is getting their mana, as it resists Elena’s attack and digs in the ground again.

”It’s coming here!” Lily exclaimed realizing what the creature is trying to do.

”You take Luna and Lily I will protect the other two.” Kai told Elena as both of them moved almost immediately.

Elena using her wings plus the third of the eight sky steps reached Luna and Lily’s in just a few moments, holding the arms of both of them she kicked the air and flew backward as the ground beneath them started to break open.

At the same time Kai bypassed three of them at a very fast speed, instantly reaching Candice and Grusha’s side and took them out of the danger zone before they even had time to react.

The next moment, that giant blackskin earthworm popped out from the ground and headed towards one specific person...Kai.

Kai immediately turned around and threw his Will Arrow at the creature, but unlike the previous time when he was able to pin down those smaller earthworms, this time the arrow pierced through the giant earthworm’s body and just like before the earthworm ignored the pain and continued its attack.

Seeing this, Kai knew that now there’s no holding back. He will have to kill this creature if he wants everyone to escape unscathed.

*So be it! Although I haven’t practiced it much, it should be enough for this thing*

Kai made up his mind as the moment of wind suddenly increased around his body which caused Candice and Grusha to step back until they were a few meters away from him.

While Kai himself lunged forward as the wind and water elements raged around him like creating a storm with Kai as its axis.

The monster’s open mouth also drifts closer to Kai as it remains completely unafraid of any injury.

”Kai!” Elena screamed in fear, completely unsure of what Kai was trying to do.

”THUD!”

But the moment before Kai surrounded by raging wind and the giant earthworm’s gaping mouth with horrifying teeth would make contact, something heavy fell on the creature’s head, pinning it down on the ground.

Kai immediately stopped in his track as he looked at the scene and immediately recognized the object that has fell on the monster, so he immediately retreat his magic.

The object or should I say the ’thing’ that has pinned the creature down is a massive slab structure created of pure magic energy. The slab is ten feet long and more than five feet wide and resembles a wall type barrier magic.

”Kids, sorry for coming late. You did well.”

They heard a male voice and when they looked up to see in the direction of the voice, they saw a man wearing the academy instructor uniform standing on a floating slab of magic similar to the one suppressing the monster, just much smaller in size. About two square feet.

It was their combat magic instructor Ben Carter.

Ben gave them a look of appreciation as he created more slabs like magic barriers and restraint the mutilated body of the giant earthworm by creating a cage like structure around it that kept shrinking until the monster is unable to move its body at all, preventing it from even digging underground.

”You can rest. The test is cancelled.”

”Of course.” Luna replied in a sarcastic tone, not hiding how disappointed she is because of the almost life threatening situation they suddenly found themselves into.

Instructor Ben, ignoring the sarcastic remark decided to finish the work at hand as he unsheathe his sword while he removed one side of the barrier cage containing the monster and then....

”swish...shukk...shukk.”

With several sword swings that releases magic projectile of moon shape blades, instructor Ben massacred the caged monster.

”Urgh!” The girls looked away, unable to watch the sever butchering of giant earthworm as it was already looking disgusting enough.

”Huff..huff...Huh?”

Suddenly Kai heard a voice from far behind and when he turned around to see, he saw prince Lucian approaching with a panting breathing like he was tired from running.

Not far behind prince Lucian, Ray and others could also be seen following as they came running. Seeing that the instructor is already here, they had a sigh of relief only to be followed by covering their mouth and nose as they smell the bad odor of the earthworm’s blood all around the place.

”Thank god you are all safe.” Lucian said with a sigh of relief as he walked forward, ignoring the bad odor and also the group of boys behind him who are acting more repulsed by the scene of the massacred creature than the girls.

”Ray!” Luna suddenly ran towards her beloved fiance like the exhaustion she felt after using her ability was already the thing of the past.

”Luna.” Ray also took a few steps forward and hugged her.

*D@mn this couple! It was actually their fault that the group was split!*

Kai cursed the duo in his mind.