Chapter 67: The Barrier Collapses

Chapter 67

The Barrier Collapses

"Ellie!" Aman and Koross reached the young woman almost simultaneously. They searched for her immediately when they heard the emergency announcement. When Ellie saw them appear, she felt a significant sense of relief.

Perhaps it was because Ellie had fought alongside Aman and Koross before. Their combat skills and strength made Ellie feel reassured when facing danger together. As the two men ran towards Ellie, a man with a foolish expression also joined the group. Behind him was a woman Ellie least wanted to encounter. Unfortunately, no matter how much she wanted to drive them away, it wasn’t possible in this situation.

"I’m here now. I’ll protect you," Wint declared. Deep down, he had been waiting for this opportunity for a long time. Who would have thought that danger would appear so quickly? It was a chance for him to protect Ellie, and in front of Aman from the Setter family, no less.

Aman didn’t say anything about Wint’s display. If Wint was so eager to court death, Aman was more than ready to oblige.

"Lord Aman, this is..." Ellie ignored the two newcomers, addressing Aman directly. She had a feeling that the problem with the beast might be related to the person capable of creating such demonic beasts.

Aman nodded to her immediately. Their demeanor showed a great deal of familiarity, which made Nara, who was standing behind, secretly pout.

"Lord Aman, what’s happening?" The petite young woman feigned fear. Since Ellie could get close to Lord Aman, why couldn’t Nara do the same!?

Of course, that was only Nara’s own thought. Aman let the girl’s words pass by as if they were worthless dust.

Seeing Aman’s indifference, Wint almost burst out laughing. Luckily, he managed to keep a calm face, otherwise Nara might have suspected his demeanor.

It was Ellie who couldn’t help but smile. She felt that Nara was setting herself up for embarrassment. Despite Aman’s notorious reputation, the woman still tried to get close to him!

"Lady Ellie, from my earlier assessment, it seems that the beasts are attacking from the air with hundreds of them, and there are over a hundred more attacking from the forest edge. With this many, it’s impossible for the barrier to continue protecting everyone. The military has orders to fight, not to protect. This means the injured may have to be abandoned. Therefore, whatever happens, Lady Ellie, you must listen to us. You are not permitted to go out and help people, no matter how pitiful they may seem...do you understand?" Koross said seriously.

He was likely afraid that Ellie might risk herself to help the injured, so he tried to make her understand the dire situation first. Koross’ only concern was Ellie’s safety. That was the task given to him by the family head and the eldest young lord. The lives of others were not his responsibility, including the life of the Second Young Lord!

"Understood," Ellie quickly responded. She wouldn’t cause trouble for the two of them. Besides, the lives of others didn’t matter to her. Ellie felt no attachment to them and didn’t have a second life because she owed the sick. After wasting her previous life on meaningless pursuits, working hard every day without loving herself, Ellie had promised herself that in this life, she would live for her own happiness.

"Good," Aman replied with approval. The more he got to know Ellie, the more he found her increasingly intriguing.

Aman was constantly prepared, summoning his magical equipment to wear, just like Koross and Wint. The three of them took only a short time to change into their gear and ready their weapons for battle.

Ellie was a bit slower than them. Nonetheless, she donned armor that wasn’t a family heirloom from the Setter family, as it would have been too conspicuous in such a crowded place. Ellie had equipment that could be bought in the market for about 10-100 gold coins, which was slightly lower in quality than Wint’s. However, in her hands appeared a special weapon, a level 5 spiritual weapon of immeasurable value.

Seeing Ellie’s preparation made Nara even more envious! They had both left the village at the same time, but in just a few months, Ellie’s status was so drastically different from hers.

Ellie no longer resembled the poor village girl who once lacked even basic food. She was more like a little millionaire now. The protective gear Nara could only dream of affording, Ellie casually pulled out from her dimensional ring.

It was now clear to Nara why she couldn’t find anything in Ellie’s room. Ellie had hidden everything in her dimensional ring! While others didn’t notice, a look of intense greed appeared in Nara’s eyes once again...

Boom!!!

The impact of the clash of the beasts gathering at this location shook the protective shield. The aerial assault was beyond Ellie’s control. She realized now that her abilities were still lacking. While she could see the movements of the beasts on the ground, the ones in the sky were visible to her only as they were to everyone else.

“There are too many of them. The soldiers can’t handle this,” Koross complained. These beasts were enormous, likely at least level 1, with some possibly even reaching level 2.

With beasts of such levels, regular soldiers wouldn’t stand a chance. The only hope was for the professors to handle the level 2 beasts while the soldiers dealt with the level 1 beasts as best they could. As for the students...the first years wouldn’t be able to do anything, as they hadn’t yet learned how to use any magic. Second to fourth-year students might assist the soldiers in minor ways.

This camp...it’s doomed!

“All students who can fight, from now on, follow Professor Gwen’s orders only. Do not act beyond her commands. All other professors focus on handling the higher-level beasts. Don’t let them enter the camp. The soldiers definitely can’t hold them off!” Professor Regan commanded amidst the panic. Shortly after, he used a storm to lift himself into the sky. The sight of Professor Regan was truly impressive, and his bravery inspired the students.

Professor Gwen took over, looking at the third-year students for whom she was the homeroom teacher, planning how to utilize each class year. It didn’t take her long. With countless near-death experiences, Professor Gwen issued her first order.

“First-year students, form a line at the back. Your job is to protect the medical tents. If anything from the battle gets through, deal with it to minimize damage. This includes students from any other years who do not have combat abilities.”

“Second to fourth-year students with combat abilities, form a battle line. The fighters who focused on strength should stand at the front with shields, and long-range fighters should stay behind them. You must form groups of 4 or 5 and support each other. Do not let any member of your group get hurt. If your group is down to 3 fighters, retreat and help the injured.”

Professor Gwen provided the combat formation, leaving the rest up to the students. Third and fourth-year students, being more experienced with battle, should easily form groups and give commands among themselves.

The professors accompanying the students on this mission stood at the front, acting as another layer of a shield for the students. They fought alongside Professor Regan. Next, Professor Gwen stood as a shield for the second-year students, ready to handle any stray beasts that might break through.

Many students began grouping up as instructed. Aman, Koross, and Wint had already decided to protect Ellie, so they didn’t move. It was as if they had already formed a group. However, the problem lay with the extra person, Nara.

“Wint! Didn’t you hear Professor Gwen’s orders? She told us to go to the back to deal with any danger from the fight! Why are you still standing here!?” Nara nearly screamed, trying to pull Wint to the back, but he stood firm.

“You should go to the back as instructed by Professor Gwen. I’ll stay here to protect Ellie.”

“How can that be possible!” If I go, who will protect me!?

Nara wanted to say this last sentence, but she wasn’t foolish enough to ruin her own image. Right now, she could only use Professor Gwen’s orders as an excuse.

“You don’t need to help Ellie. She has Lord Aman and the Setter family’s people protecting her. You should focus on the patients in the tents.”

“In that case, you go. I will be the first line of defense to protect the patients.”

“Don’t you understand!? I told you to go to the back!!” Nara screamed just as the barrier exploded. The beasts had gathered and succeeded in breaking through the barrier.

Students and soldiers cried out in fear as the battle intensified. Ellie tightened her grip on the rake in her hand. If it was a beast on the ground, she was confident she could handle it since they were only level 1. She could leave the level 2 beasts to others.

- Brown Bear, Level 1: Attributes - Mindless beast attracted by the poison powder. Its body isn’t very strong, but its strength is immense. If you’re not confident in your defense, avoid direct confrontation. Additionally, its skin is extremely tough, and weapons below level 1 cannot inflict any wound on it.

Action Panel:

Option One: Use the rooting of the purple mushroom spores to mark the location.

Option Two: Use the rooting of the purple mushroom spores to decompose internal organs.

Option Three: Use the rooting of the purple mushrooms for decomposition. -

Upon this assessment, Ellie found that her spores could also handle the Brown Bear. Unfortunately, their power was limited to decomposing internal organs. When she sent the spores in, they couldn’t penetrate the Brown Bear beast’s tough skin. However, she didn’t give up experimenting and discovered that she could deal with the Brown Bear if it already had wounds, or...the bear that provided an entry point for her spores to act.

At the same time, the third option was very clear. There was no need to wait for the Brown Bear to be wounded first. The purple mushroom, formed from the combination of many spores, could immediately decompose the beast. This meant her purple mushrooms were strong enough to penetrate its tough skin. However, if she did that...she would reveal her decomposition ability.

At the institution, everyone knew Ellie had mushroom powers, which were known for tracking targets. Additionally, there was a villain hiding in the institution, someone with the ability to decompose things. The professors were still searching for this person. If everyone saw her purple mushrooms decomposing the beasts, they would easily make the connection. Ellie would certainly become a target of hatred.

Therefore, Ellie had no choice but to refrain from using the third option. Instead, she would try to kill the beasts by destroying their internal organs. Unfortunately, the decomposition was too slow. Once the beasts were wounded, they were quickly dealt with by others. So, for now, all she could do was wait for the right opportunity.

As everyone knows...opportunities often come with disaster! No! Opportunities always come with crises...

“A-above! They’re coming from above!!” Nara’s scream diverted everyone’s attention to the winged beasts overhead. Even Professor Gwen felt a shiver down her spine at the sight!

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!Feathers, sharper than blades, shot out from the wings of the large bird, which took advantage of its high position to attack. This forced the students to scatter in a panic. Many were injured by this assault!