Chapter 156: Reincarnation Anomaly

There was also a small note beneath the rewards section.

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«Note: Due to outside interference, the reward "True Bond of a Love Demon" cannot be granted at this time. Please do not worry. It will certainly appear in a future quest.»

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"..."

Ethan stared silently at the message.

For the first time in a long while, he genuinely didn’t know how he was supposed to react.

Should he complain that the System had shamelessly postponed one of his rewards?

Or should he simply be grateful that nobody had been kidnapped and the situation had somehow resolved itself without requiring him to risk his life?

"...I’ll take it as a win."

He sighed.

’At least everyone here is safe.’

Although, his expression quickly became troubled again.

’The Hollow Lich is gone too...’

One of the objectives he had hoped to accomplish during this trip had disappeared entirely.

His calculations had failed.

What Ethan didn’t realize, however, was that his predictions weren’t merely slightly inaccurate.

They had gone completely off course.

The future had diverged so drastically that it was no longer reliable.

Fortunately, sometimes ignorance was a blessing.

Inside the Earth Walls, the group quietly remained on guard.

No one dared lower their vigilance.

"Woof! I’m telling you, I definitely smelled Owner and that barbarian!" Voomie declared confidently while sitting atop Jojo’s shoulders.

Jojo nodded thoughtfully.

"The situation outside is definitely unusual. The battle has been going on with frightening intensity."

"Yet somehow, none of the attacks have reached us." Soleil narrowed her eyes before turning toward Ethan.

"Junior, why don’t you remove these Earth Walls? I think we should take a look."

She paused for a brief moment.

"...Besides, it feels like someone has been deliberately protecting us."

Despite the tremendous battle raging outside, not a single attack had managed to breach Ethan’s defensive spell.

To Soleil, that simply wasn’t normal.

At the same time, she had also sensed a strangely familiar aura somewhere beyond the walls.

An aura she couldn’t quite identify.

Ethan remained silent.

He simply couldn’t tell them that the magic had been hijacked.

But before he could answer, Leopold spoke first.

"I think we should wait until the fighting ends. If both sides exhaust themselves, that’ll be the best opportunity for us to move."

Erica considered his suggestion for a moment before nodding.

"I agree too, there isn’t any point rushing outside without knowing the situation."

Ethan felt relieved at Leopold’s suggestion, he mentally gave him a thumbs up.

"Alright, everyone stay aler-" He abruptly stopped speaking.

The sounds... had disappeared.

The explosions.

The sword clashes.

The fluctuations of mana.

Everything outside had suddenly become eerily silent.

The group instinctively exchanged glances.

Without any warning, the Earth Magic was also slowly dismissed from outside.

The massive stone walls gradually crumbled back into the ground.

As the opening widened...

The first person they saw standing outside wasn’t an enemy.

Nor was the teacher they had expected.

Standing calmly amidst the devastated battlefield, with both hands folded behind his back, was the Headmaster of the Imperial Zenith School himself.

It was Aurelius Zenith.

***

Some time earlier...

Aurelius Zenith had been observing the situation from outside the Goblin and Undead Dungeon through his immense [Mana Sense].

Nothing within the dungeon could easily escape the perception of an Archmage.

At first, he merely intended to supervise while allowing Stalin to resolve the situation himself.

That was, after all, part of the instructor’s responsibilities.

However, the moment Stalin and Korrik’s clash escalated, half of the sixth floor was blasted apart.

A deafening explosion shook the dungeon.

Chunks of stone, broken structures, and countless undead were launched out of the shattered ceiling as though a volcano had erupted in the school.

Aurelius slowly rubbed his forehead.

"...Unbelievable."

Without moving from his spot, he casually raised one hand.

[Telekinesis].

An invisible force spread across the sky.

Every piece of debris, every tumbling skeleton, every zombie, and every fragment of shattered rock abruptly stopped in midair.

The countless objects floated silently before him as though time itself had frozen.

With another flick of his fingers, a massive transparent cubic barrier materialized around the airborne debris, neatly imprisoning every undead that had been blasted outside.

Only after ensuring nothing would damage the surrounding school grounds did Aurelius take his next step.

The space around him rippled.

In the following instant...

He silently appeared within the ruined sixth floor.

From a distance, he calmly watched Stalin exchanging blows with Korrik and the enemy mage.

His expression remained composed.

His thoughts, however, were anything but.

’These useless bastards only know how to destroy other people’s property...’

The sixth floor had practically become a disaster zone.

It would require a considerable amount of money to repair.

After a brief moment of thought, Aurelius made a decision.

’Stalin handled the emergency well so I’ll give him a small bonus.’

Then his eyes drifted across the devastated surroundings.

’...And afterwards, I’ll deduct the repair costs from his salary.’

Far away, Stalin instinctively felt a chill run down his spine.

A slender wand quietly appeared in Aurelius’ hand.

He didn’t chant.

Nor did he construct an elaborate magic circle.

He merely spoke a single word.

"[Gravity]."

The world itself seemed to grow heavier.

BOOM!

Stalin, Korrik and the mage were instantly slammed into the ground before either of them had the slightest chance to resist.

The ground beneath them shattered upon impact.

"...Why me?" Stalin complained helplessly while struggling to lift his head.

Aurelius looked at him kindly.

"Don’t worry, I’ll give you a small bonus."

His smile widened.

For some inexplicable reason, his teeth looked particularly bright.

Stalin stopped the words in his throat.

’...I’m doomed.’

Meanwhile, Korrik stared toward the unconscious dwarf floating beside Aurelius under the effects of Telekinesis.

His heart sank.

’Damn it...! The mission has completely failed.’

The Hidden Kosilori Cult knew something unusual had recently occurred within the Imperial Zenith School.

What they hadn’t anticipated was that the situation had become serious enough for an Archmage to personally intervene.

’Those idiots in the Information Pavilion, I swear I’ll kill every last one of them if I survive this...’

Unfortunately, he never got the opportunity.

A wave of magical drowsiness washed over him and the mage.

And their consciousness faded.

Just then, the voice echoed throughout the ruined sixth floor.

"You may come out now, Archmage. Your gaze has been stinking for quite some time."

Aurelius slowly raised an eyebrow.

The speaker had noticed him long before he had entered the battlefield.

Following the voice, Aurelius arrived together with Stalin and the three unconscious captives.

There, he finally came face-to-face with the Hollow Lich.

The battlefield had become strangely quiet.

Bonjour remained bound by dark chains.

Several students were confined behind magical barriers.

The Count’s son, Caelum Annum, wandered freely beside the Hollow Lich as though the two were acquaintances rather than enemies.

Before Aurelius could speak.

The Hollow Lich calmly addressed him.

"Do not attempt anything funny, I can feel your mana trying to dismantle my magic formations."

Aurelius’ expression gradually hardened.

His gaze carefully examined every detail before settling upon the ancient undead seated upon the throne of bones.

’...Another reincarnation anomaly.’