Chapter 96: Sudden Change

Just as these thoughts began popping into his head, Jackson shook his head and dismissed them.

"No, I’m thinking too much. If the space were really this vast, the teachers would have mentioned something."

Still, his mind continued turning over the possibilities as he moved deeper into the forest. The more he thought about it, the more cautious he became.

He watched every step, checking the ground before placing his foot down. He paid attention to the trees, the undergrowth, and even the subtle changes in the terrain. Thick foliage crowded the forest, while towering trees blocked much of his view, making it difficult to determine what lay beyond the next stretch of vegetation.

Yet, despite his caution, Jackson soon noticed something strange.

It was the kind of detail most people would overlook. To an ordinary observer, the forest appeared undisturbed, with nothing more than scattered leaves and tangled roots covering the ground. But Jackson’s sharp spiritual force allowed him to pick up traces that others might easily miss.

There were signs of a struggle.

Broken branches lay scattered among the undergrowth. Patches of vegetation had been crushed, and the soil bore faint marks that suggested something had moved through the area with considerable force. The traces were fresh, as though a battle had taken place only moments ago.

Jackson’s expression grew serious.

If a battle had really occurred here, why hadn’t he sensed anything?

He had been moving through the forest for hours. With his spiritual force constantly alert to his surroundings, he should have noticed the disturbance if it had happened nearby.

Unless...

A possibility surfaced in his mind.

Could it be that one side was so overwhelmingly powerful that the other never even had a chance to fight back?

The thought made Jackson’s heart tighten.

He couldn’t think of any other explanation that fit the evidence. Whatever had passed through this area, it had dealt with its opponent so quickly that there had been little opportunity for a prolonged struggle.

But what kind of creature could do that?

Jackson didn’t know.

And that uncertainty was precisely what worried him.

His gaze swept across the surrounding forest, scrutinizing every shadow between the trees. His shoulders stiffened, and his grip tightened around his knife. He adjusted his movements, keeping his body ready to react in any direction.

From that moment onward, he proceeded as though an attack could come at any second.

Then, without warning, the forest fell silent.

The faint rustling of leaves disappeared. The distant cries of birds and the occasional sounds of movement in the undergrowth vanished as well. Even the ordinary noises of the forest seemed to have been swallowed by an invisible force.

Jackson stopped.

A chill crawled down his spine.

Something was watching him.

The sensation was unmistakable. A terrifying gaze, heavy with bloodlust, had locked onto his body. It felt as though an invisible predator had fixed its eyes on him, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

Jackson’s face turned grim.

Before he could determine the source of the threat, his vision suddenly wavered.

For an instant, the trees seemed to twist out of shape. The ground beneath his feet blurred, and the surrounding scenery dissolved into a shifting haze.

When his vision finally stabilized, the forest had disappeared behind a wall of thick white fog.

Jackson looked around sharply.

The mist stretched in every direction, swallowing the trees and undergrowth until he could barely make out anything beyond a short distance. Its dense, unnatural appearance made it difficult to distinguish the ground from the shadows beyond it.

"What is this fog...?"

The question escaped his lips as alarm bells rang in his head.

This sudden change was completely beyond his expectations.

Inside the academy’s observation room, numerous screens displayed the students’ progress throughout the forest. Teachers monitored their movements, keeping an eye on potential dangers while recording their performances.

Because of Professor Niom’s unusual wager, several teachers had been paying particular attention to Jackson’s screen. They were curious about what the professor had seen in an otherwise unremarkable student.

Unfortunately, Jackson’s performance had offered little to justify their interest.

As time passed, most of them gradually lost interest and returned their attention to the more promising candidates.

Then something unusual happened.

White smoke suddenly began spreading across Jackson’s screen, obscuring the surrounding forest. Within moments, the familiar scenery had vanished behind a thick layer of mist.

Several teachers glanced toward the screen.

Before anyone could comment, a terrifying presence began to emerge from within the fog.

Its powerful aura disturbed the surrounding mist, sending waves of white vapor rolling away from its approaching figure. The air itself seemed to grow heavier as the creature advanced.

Then, with startling speed, a massive figure burst through the fog.

It was a goblin, but unlike the ordinary monsters wandering through the forest, this creature stood nearly twice their size. Its body was covered in bloodstains, and its hideous face twisted into an expression of unmistakable cruelty.

In one hand, it carried a gigantic wooden staff covered in strange markings.

Jackson’s heart had begun pounding the moment he saw it.

This was no ordinary goblin.

It was a fully fledged Peak Third Sequence monster.

A goblin shaman.

Jackson narrowed his eyes, forcing down the fear rising in his chest. He stared directly at the creature, attempting to bring up its status window.

Before he could learn anything about his opponent, the goblin shaman raised its enormous wooden staff and slammed it into the earth.

BOOM!

A violent shockwave erupted from the point of impact.

The ground beneath Jackson’s feet trembled violently, and cracks spread through the soil in a spiderweb pattern. Loose stones jumped into the air as the shockwave swept through the clearing, while the surrounding fog churned from the force of the impact.

The goblin shaman let out a thunderous roar.

Without giving Jackson any time to react, it tore its staff free from the earth and charged straight toward him.

Its enormous frame moved with shocking speed, rapidly closing the distance between them.

Jackson’s pupils contracted as the creature bore down on him.

The real assessment had finally begun.

"This fog..."

Professor Niom’s eyes narrowed as he recognized the phenomenon spreading across Jackson’s screen.

"Goblin shaman magic!"

He had barely finished speaking when several professors who had been watching the same screen reacted with alarm.

"That’s right! This hallucination-inducing smoke... There’s no mistaking it. It’s goblin shaman magic!"

"How is this possible? Weren’t all the Peak Third Sequence goblin shamans slaughtered before the trial began? How could one still be alive?"

The observation room erupted into discussion.

The appearance of a goblin shaman was terrible news.

Every goblin shaman possessed strength at the Peak Third Sequence, and the most exceptional among them could even reach the Fourth Sequence after undergoing Life Transformation. Their magic made them especially dangerous, allowing them to distort their opponents’ perception and turn an ordinary encounter into a deadly trap.

The students participating in the assessment were first-years. Even the most talented among them had little chance of surviving a direct confrontation with such a monster.

Not a single student should have been expected to deal with it.

Dean Maxwell’s attention shifted toward Jackson’s screen.

Unlike the other teachers, however, his expression showed no obvious alarm. Instead, a strange glint appeared in his eyes as he watched the goblin shaman emerge from the fog.

"It finally appeared...!"

The words escaped him in a low voice.

His reaction did not go unnoticed.

Once the other teachers realized that the dean seemed to know something about the situation, their initial panic eased slightly. Perhaps there was more to this than they had first assumed.

Even so, one of the professors couldn’t remain silent.

He was a haughty man responsible for overseeing the students with high-grade talents, and his expression was now unusually grave.

"Dean Maxwell, I’m sure you must have a plan of your own, but we need to intervene. A goblin shaman is no ordinary opponent. Any student who encounters it could face a tragic death."

The other professors quickly voiced their agreement.

Their concerns were entirely justified.

Many of the students participating in this trial came from influential families. Some possessed extraordinary talents, while others carried the expectations of powerful organizations that had invested heavily in their growth.

Losing a student during an academy assessment would already be a serious matter. Losing several would damage the academy’s reputation and strain its relationships with the forces supporting it.

But the situation could become far worse if the students died because the academy had failed to account for an obvious danger.

There was a fundamental difference between a student dying because they lacked the strength to overcome a challenge and a student dying because the academy had carelessly exposed them to a threat they had never been meant to face.

If the goblin shaman had been hiding inside the portal all along, how had they failed to discover it before the trial began?

The longer the teachers considered the implications, the more uneasy they became.

One of them finally proposed terminating the assessment immediately.

Professor Niom understood their reasoning.

The purpose of the trial was to evaluate the students’ abilities, test their judgment, and give them experience in life-or-death situations. It was not meant to expose them to an enemy far beyond their capabilities.

The academy had already promised to intervene when a student’s life was in danger. If they could prevent unnecessary deaths, why wait until the situation became irreversible?

Still, Professor Niom kept his thoughts to himself.

From the beginning, his attention had remained fixed on Dean Maxwell. He wanted to hear the dean’s explanation before drawing any conclusions.

At last, Dean Maxwell spoke.

"What are you worried about? Don’t forget that these students aren’t simply the young masters and young ladies of powerful families. They’re also the future pillars of humanity."

He glanced around the observation room, his expression calm.

"Have some faith in them."

His words failed to convince the teachers.

They understood the importance of tempering the next generation. Humanity faced threats far more terrifying than a goblin shaman, and the students would eventually have to confront enemies capable of killing them without a second thought.

But that did not mean every battle was worth fighting.