Chapter 48: Mad Wolf [2]

"From the expressions on some of your faces, it seems that a few of you already know who I am." Yuki chuckled. "In that case, I won’t waste any more of your precious time."

She walked towards the teacher’s desk, placed both hands on it, and leaned forward.

"Let me explain something before we begin. Your daily activities at this academy are largely at the discretion of your homeroom professor. Whether you introduce yourselves, attend ordinary lectures, or finish your classes early is entirely up to me."

She paused.

"And today, I’ve decided that introductions would be a complete waste of time."

I narrowed my eyes.

I knew that expression.

More importantly, I knew that gesture.

Yuki raised one hand and snapped her fingers.

Oh, that pose. Could it be...?

I sighed.

Having played enough games, I was familiar with the sort of scene that usually followed such a dramatic gesture.

And given the identity of the woman standing before us, I had a pretty good idea of what was coming.

"I believe that all of you understand why you’ve been admitted to Golden Dawn Academy," Yuki continued cheerfully. "You’re here to become Awakeners capable of fighting the monsters, beasts, and abominations that threaten humanity from the Spirit Realm."

She spread her arms.

"So why should we waste time on meaningless introductions when you could be doing something much more productive?"

Her grin widened.

"From this moment onward, you’ll be transported to Falcon Mountain in Antarctica!"

"...Huh?"

A bewildered voice escaped someone in the classroom.

Yuki ignored it.

"As some of you may already know, Falcon Mountain is an extremely dangerous region inhabited by Ice-born Yetis. Most of the monsters in that area are E-rank or E+ rank, so you should have plenty of opportunities to demonstrate your abilities."

Several students exchanged nervous glances.

Even among E-rank monsters, Ice-born Yetis were notoriously troublesome. Their enormous bodies, thick layers of ice-covered fur, and natural resistance to cold made them difficult opponents for inexperienced Awakeners.

And she was sending an entire class of first-year students there?

On their first day?

This woman is insane.

"Yesterday, each of you received a smartwatch from the academy," Yuki continued. "The device records the number of monsters you kill, along with their respective ranks. Your results will be evaluated based on that information."

She held up one finger.

"Your objective is simple. Kill as many Ice-born Yetis as you can, escape from Antarctica, and return to this classroom before four o’clock, when today’s classes end."

She tilted her head.

"Of course, if you don’t want to fight any monsters, that’s perfectly fine, too. You can simply focus on surviving and finding your way back. I’m not forcing anyone to kill."

For the first time since she had entered the room, I felt a little relieved.

At least she wasn’t forcing us to fight.

Then she laughed.

"Easy, right?"

No one thought it was easy.

I glanced at the clock above the blackboard.

It wasn’t even the middle of the morning.

We had several hours before four o’clock, which meant that the academy expected us to survive in a monster-infested region for the better part of the day.

And considering that we were first-year students, most of us had barely reached E-rank.

Some might not even have reached that level yet.

The difference between an examination conducted in a controlled environment and being dropped into a region filled with E+ rank monsters was enormous.

An inexperienced Awakener could easily die from a single mistake.

Yuki knew that.

She had to know that.

Yet she was standing there, smiling as if she had just announced a pleasant field trip.

"Professor," one student raised his hand, his voice trembling slightly. "Are you serious? We’re first-year students! Isn’t this too dangerous?"

"Too dangerous?" Yuki repeated.

She tilted her head, pretending to consider the question.

Then she smiled.

"Perhaps."

The student’s face paled.

"But don’t worry!" she added brightly. "I’ll make sure that you all get there safely."

That’s not what he was asking.

Before anyone could raise another objection, Yuki snapped her fingers again.

The space around us began to distort.

At first, it was subtle.

The edges of the desks blurred, and the walls seemed to ripple like the surface of a disturbed pond.

Then the distortion spread.

The classroom stretched unnaturally, as though an invisible force were pulling the entire room apart. The windows twisted, the ceiling warped, and the floor beneath my feet seemed to lose its shape.

An intense wave of nausea washed over me as the surrounding space folded in on itself.

Several students immediately bent forward, clutching their stomachs. Others grabbed their desks, desperately trying to maintain their balance.

Even I had difficulty keeping my composure.

Spatial transportation was certainly convenient, but that didn’t mean the process was pleasant.

In fact, I was beginning to suspect that Yuki deliberately made it as uncomfortable as possible.

Judging by the way she was laughing, I wouldn’t put it past her.

"What’s wrong?" she asked innocently. "Don’t tell me you’re already feeling sick?"

Her eyes swept across the classroom, taking in our miserable expressions.

Then she smiled even more brightly.

"Come on, everyone! You haven’t even started your first lesson yet!"

You absolute devil.

The last thing I saw before the classroom disappeared was Yuki Hayasaka standing beside the teacher’s desk, laughing as if she were enjoying the greatest joke in the world.

Then space tore open around us.

And everything went dark.

The next moment, I felt my feet touch the ground.

A freezing gust of wind struck my face.

I opened my eyes.

White.

That was the first thing I noticed.

White snow stretched endlessly in every direction, interrupted only by jagged mountains and towering cliffs. The sky above us was a pale, unforgiving gray, and the wind howled across the frozen landscape with enough force to make even standing still uncomfortable.

A few students stumbled as they regained their balance.

Others collapsed onto the snow, retching from the nausea caused by the teleportation.

I took a slow breath.

The air was painfully cold.

Fortunately, my body was considerably tougher than that of an ordinary human, and the clothes I wore were sufficient to keep me from freezing immediately.

Still, I wasn’t particularly fond of the weather.

I looked around.

There was no sign of Yuki Hayasaka.

Naturally.

That woman had transported us here and abandoned us without even bothering to offer a proper explanation.

I pulled out my smartwatch that was sent yesterday at home as welcome kit for joining the Golden Dawn Academy and checked the display.

The device was functioning normally.

A map appeared on the screen, along with our current coordinates and several other pieces of information.

Then a notification appeared.

\[Practical Lesson: Survival and Monster Hunting\]

\[Location: Falcon Mountain, Antarctica\]

\[Objective: Return to Golden Dawn Academy before 16:00.\]

\[Optional Objective: Eliminate Ice-born Yetis.\]

\[Evaluation: Based on survival, combat performance, and the number and rank of monsters eliminated.\]

I stared at the screen.

"Optional, huh?"

A faint smile appeared on my face.

....But fighting the monster was not optional here.

At least not if you want survive here.

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