Dark Magus Returns

Chapter 1356: Transfer Students Real Power (Part 2)

The attack from the thirty or so bird-like beasts had finally come to an end, and against all odds, the students and teachers had emerged victorious.

Strangely enough, despite the sheer number of enemies, there were actually fewer injuries this time than when they had faced just a single creature. It was almost unbelievable... until one considered the key difference this time around.

That difference was Safa.

Thanks to her powerful long-range healing abilities, even after such a chaotic battle, everyone was doing fine. Physically, at least. But now that the danger had passed, a strange awkwardness settled over the group.

The silence was heavy.

The fight had taken its toll, not just on the body, but on the mind. Everyone had exhausted nearly every last drop of their mana. Safa could heal physical wounds, but she couldn’t restore drained spirits or shattered nerves.

The adrenaline that had once fueled their every move had worn off. They were mentally and physically spent, and unsure if they had the strength to continue exploring the strange dimension. Many of them quietly hoped that the teachers would call for a retreat.

Diana was sitting among the students now. They had all huddled together on the soft grass, dirt clinging to their robes and clothes. For once, no one complained about the mess.

Even those who usually fretted over keeping their uniforms spotless just wanted to breathe.

"All right, everyone," Diana said gently, clapping her hands together. "We’ll rest here for now. I’m going to teach you all a few techniques to help you recover your mana, restore some energy, and stabilize your mental state. I’m sure we’ll be back on the move soon."

The students began murmuring to each other, sitting cross-legged and forming small circles as they tried their best to follow Diana’s guidance. But while their bodies practiced the techniques, their minds were elsewhere.

They were all thinking the same thing.

The transfer students.

No one had brought them up yet, not directly. But the topic hovered in the air like an invisible weight on everyone’s shoulders. It was clear they all wanted to talk about it, but no one knew how to begin. They were all skirting around it, waiting for someone else to break the silence.

Even the transfer students themselves said nothing. As if they didn’t want to be noticed. As if their sudden display of overwhelming power hadn’t happened at all.

Just a few meters away, Luka, Redrick, and Panla were deep in discussion, whispering behind a cluster of students.

"So it’s agreed," Panla said. "The best course of action now is to extract the beast crystals and head for the exit. There’s no reason for us to linger here any longer."

"Agreed," Luka nodded. "Honestly, I think we’ve seen enough from the students during this entire event. With how well they’ve done overall, I almost wish we could pass them all. And the beast crystals are far too valuable to leave behind. We can wrap this up quickly with the students’ help."

"I suppose we’re lucky, too," Redrick added. "Lucky that we killed those monsters when we did... and lucky that we met those transfer students when we did. The dimension boss hasn’t been summoned yet, and we still don’t know what triggers it."

He paused, frowning deeply.

"If it’s anything like those beasts, though, then none of us, not even us three, could handle it. Still... there’s one variable I can’t figure out."

All three teachers turned to glance at the transfer students huddled together a short distance away.

The moment the group noticed they were being watched, they looked away awkwardly. Some quickly placed their hands behind their backs. Others started whistling or mumbling about random things, like how the grass here seemed longer than in other places.

Redrick sighed, placing a hand on his forehead.

"They’re obviously hiding something," he muttered. "And I wouldn’t even know where to start asking. Each one of them demonstrated powers far beyond ours. Except maybe Raze."

Panla said nothing aloud, but she understood exactly what Redrick was hinting at. Everything about Raze was starting to make sense now, his lectures, his techniques, his flawless combat awareness.

Not just that. But she had a hunch about something else too.

She might’ve just figured out how Raze had managed to block that mysterious attack, just before they had entered the dimension.

In the end, Redrick stood up and walked toward the students, clapping his hands.

"All right, everyone. We’ll begin extracting the beast crystals from the corpses. Once that’s done, we’ll start making our way toward the exit. The faster we get through this, the quicker we can all return to the academy."

The students gave a collective sigh of relief and began rising to their feet.

"Oh, and transfer students," Redrick called out, his tone calm but firm. "Could you come with us? We’d like to speak with you for a moment."

Obediently, the transfer students stepped forward and walked ahead with the teachers. The rest of the class looked on with a mix of curiosity and concern.

"Hey... they’re not in trouble, right?" Yolden asked nervously.

"I doubt it," Chiba replied. "They saved our lives. But... there’s still the question that’s been on everyone’s minds."

She narrowed her eyes as the group walked off.

"Why are people that powerful here in the first place?"

When the transfer students arrived before them, the first thing the three teachers did took everyone by surprise.

They bowed.

"Thank you," Luka said sincerely, still holding his posture. "Thank you so much for helping us in that situation. Without you, I honestly don’t know what would have happened."

"Please," Raze replied calmly. "You don’t need to thank us. We just didn’t want to see anyone get hurt in here. If we have the power to help, then we should help."

As the teachers straightened up and looked toward Raze, there was a flicker of confusion on their faces. It wasn’t quite the answer they were expecting.

"It’s clear that none of you are ordinary students," Redrick said at last. "You all look so young, but your strength... it’s unreal. Frankly, it feels like you should already be well-known mages throughout Alterian."

"We know we don’t have the right to ask this," Panla added. "But for the sake of the students, we need to know, why are you here? Why would people as powerful as you enroll at our academy?"

All eyes turned to Raze.

They weren’t just curious. They were hopeful.

They needed his answer, to make sense of what they’d seen.

They needed it, especially if they were going to allow these powerful newcomers to continue on to the Central Academy.

****

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