In the Northern Forest, a man sat beneath a shady tree. The heavy rain that poured down was, to him, nothing more than a natural law descending from the sky. When water seeped into the soil, new life would be born, and he lived to honor that law.
"I can smell a battle…"
His massive body, nearly as tall as the trees themselves, often made others mistake him for a descendant of the extinct giant race. Yet his handsome, clean shaven face made people think he belonged to a noble family instead. His long black hair reached his waist, and several tattoos on his body formed the image of a bear, further emphasizing his physical strength.
Even so, that was a source of shame within his clan. Every time he saw the rain, he wished his pride as a member of the Kunlun tribe would grow upon his face. Despite having passed the age of fifteen, his face still bore no beard, the very symbol of pride for his people. This disappointed him deeply as a member of the great Kunlun tribe.
Because of that, he was ostracized by his own clan.
Until one day, an eagle descended carrying a small piece of paper filled with letters he could not understand. The next day, the same thing happened, but this time the eagle carried a bell that could speak. The bell rang when touched and floated in the air.
It told him that he had been accepted into a place where many powerful beings gathered.
Thinking this was a good opportunity to grow stronger, he decided to journey forth and eventually arrived at the mountain academy known as Arx Lumina.
There, he met Arthur, someone who could match his strength and earned his acknowledgment.
"He has potential even without facial hair," he said calmly.
Suddenly, he sensed someone approaching from afar. When he turned around, he saw a man breathing heavily. Blue eyes, red hair. Though he disliked socializing, he recognized the man as someone Arthur called a friend.
"Leon Moriet?" the man called out.
"Fernando!"
POV Leon
My breathing was heavy as I ran through the Northern Forest. This was the closest place from the dormitory, so I had been certain he would be here. Since he was raised in the forest, he disliked being confined inside the narrow dormitories.
"I know you through the man I acknowledge. So tell me, what is your purpose here, Leon?" Fernando looked straight at me.
I struck my chest to steady myself. Arthur was fighting the lizard monster right now. I had to stay focused, or the loop would happen again.
"Fernando of Kunlun, Child of Bear. You already know who I am, and I am here to tell you that Arthur is in danger. If we do not hurry, he may be killed."
Fernando raised his hand to his face, mimicking the act of stroking a beard.
"Is that true? Not that I wish to refuse your request, since you are considered a friend by the man I acknowledge. However, compared to the many rumors I have heard about you, you are known as someone who lies for personal gain," Fernando said.
Damn those slanderers. It seemed there was no other way.
"I swear upon the pride of a true man. If I am lying, then my pride shall be cut away." I bowed to the ground, causing Fernando to widen his eyes. That was a solemn oath often spoken by the Kunlun tribe when they were serious.
The pride he referred to… you can imagine it yourself.
"How bold. Very well. When you make such an oath, you are a man of courage. Then where is the man I acknowledge? Let us go and save him!"
Fernando lifted his leg and, with his massive hands, grabbed my body. One leap felt like ten strides of an adult man.
"Umbros, I need you to find someone. She is usually around the swamp nearby. Call her as well!"
Umbros flew through the heavy rain toward the swamp. Without Umbros, I could already reach the dormitory without delay.
On the other side, Arthur was still battling the lizard monster, reducing the building to rubble. The students could only scream and flee as the fight spread across the area.
"Report to the teachers!" some senior students shouted.
However, the teachers' dormitory was located at the southern end of the mountain, meaning it would take a long time to deliver the report.
Even if they managed to report it, the teachers would still need time to arrive, even with flying magic. With the terrible weather, it would likely take even longer.
The academy's attendants and guards could only focus on evacuating the students from the battlefield.
Lyena and Helen, dressed casually, rushed out and carefully observed Arthur fighting the lizard with all his strength.
"Helen, where are Edward and Maurice?" Lyena asked.
"Edward is at the training grounds. As for Maurice, I cannot tell where he is."
Lyena thought for a moment and removed her cloak. She took flight, a cold aura surrounding her. Though not as strong as Arthur, at the very least she could assist him against the lizard monster.
"Helen, control the students. I will help Arthur," Lyena said as she flew forward. With her ice magic, she formed ice spikes and fired them directly at the lizard.
HSSS!!
The lizard roared, its shrill cry shaking the ground. Poisonous insect monsters emerged from the earth and attacked Lyena.
"Senior Lyena!" Arthur leapt forward and cut down all the insect monsters attacking her.
"Arthur, I will support you."
"Please seal the holes in the ground. That monster is trying to escape and may kill other students!" Arthur shouted.
Lyena raised both hands into the air and released her domain. The frozen ground prevented the lizard from digging. Feeling challenged, the lizard raised both arms and activated its own domain.
"It can use a domain?" Lyena was shocked. This was the first time she had seen a monster capable of creating a magical domain.
All the ice melted, and the insect monsters grew even stronger. The dark body of the lizard slowly turned red, its roar weakening both Arthur and Lyena.
"W-W-WAIT!!"
Something struck the lizard at incredible speed, disrupting its domain.
Arthur and Lyena regained their footing, feeling their strength slowly return. When they looked toward the lizard, they realized someone had arrived.
"What was that?" Leon stepped forward.
"Leon?"
I had just been thrown from a distance of one hundred meters by Fernando, who said, "You have the perfect body to be a human cannon. Go!" before hurling me straight at the lizard monster.
I looked around and realized Lyena was also there. Good. This place was open, and everyone would notice. Thankfully, Arthur had not allowed it to dig underground, or we would have been forced to fight below.
"Huahahaha! Just as I thought, you have a body of steel." Fernando arrived with an innocent expression. If I had not trained my body, I would have died just now.
"Leon! Watch out!" Arthur shouted, and my senses sharpened. I lowered my head, narrowly avoiding the lizard's tail attack.
Thanks to Edward's training and my experience with death, I managed to evade its attacks. However, my strikes were still not strong enough to deal damage to this monster.
"What incredible courage. I will join as well!" Fernando entered the battle. He grabbed the lizard's shoulders with both hands, exerting immense pressure that forced the ground to sink.
SKRRR!
The lizard was clever. It swung its tail and hooked Fernando's leg, forcing him to bend down. The poisonous spikes on its tail dug in. The lizard laughed as black veins spread across Fernando's body.
"Sigh. You jumped in without thinking, you brainless bear," a soft, whispering voice said.
A needle flew through the air and struck Fernando, yet it caused him no pain. Instead, the poison vanished.
"Huahaha! So you came too, poison girl!" Fernando laughed as he looked at Orkid.
She had a slender body, wore green attire, and possessed a calm face with a charming smile. She had the bearing of a calm individual, with a pouch hanging at her thigh filled with poisoned needles, and dark green hair adorned with floral ornaments, her long hair cascading down to her chest.
"I came because this bird said there was an emergency," she said, as Umbros flew over and perched on my shoulder.
"What is this plan of yours?" Umbros asked.
That was right. When all the main characters were absent, I could not do anything alone. But this was not a game that restricted the use of other characters. So why should I not use all the powerful characters in this story?
"Sorry, but I do not want to go through this loop as many times as before," I said.