NOVEL NEXT Chapter 40: Already
Zach had been through a tremendous amount of suffering these past two weeks and a half, more than he had ever been. He was starting to feel done with it and just wanted to go home. He wasn't alone.
His classmates were even more done since they knew how easy it could have been if they hadn't allowed Zach to join. It hadn't been a breeze before Zach's misfortune spread to them, especially not at first.
But it was manageable and almost enjoyable as soon as they got the hang of setting up camp, finding food, and keeping guard in shifts.
Then, monsters appeared around, under, above, and among them almost around the clock.
It wasn't supposed to be this difficult. No other group of students would have made it this far without dying, much less arrived at the camp before the deadline. They had only survived until now thanks to Zach and Yanael, even if it was Zach's fault.
It didn't make sense to many of the students.
This was a field trip, exam, or practical lesson that was supposed to be a culmination and test of all the things they had learned back at the campus ever since they first started at the Academy. They had learned more things during the field trip than all other classes combined. They had been in more danger, gotten hurt more, and almost died more times than all the other classes combined.
It wasn't a test of all they had learned as the instructors claimed. It was a crash course in survival and monster hunting with their lives on the line.
However, suddenly, as if to taunt the students for preparing to spend the rest of their would-be short lives in the forest, the camp spread out in front of them.
"A mirage?"
"Wouldn't it be a hallucination since we're not in a desert?"
"If you can also see it, it's a mirage. Hallucinations are personal."
"Doesn't it mean it's neither. Isn't it the camp?"
"Don't talk nonsense. There's no way it's the camp. The camp doesn't exist. It's a fairytale."
"I think it's the camp."
"The camp! We're here!"
The students had arrived at the camp after almost three weeks. It was one week after the deadline, so they had failed the exam part of the field trip.
But not a single student cared. They were overjoyed and filled with relief at finding and arriving at the camp, as sudden as it was.
Zach looked around with narrowed eyes before jogging up to Anerias and Violina.
"Anerias. Violina." Zach grabbed their attention,c careful not to alarm the other students in case he was just overly suspicious.
The two turned around and looked at Zach. They noticed his watchful attitude as he glanced around the camp.
"You noticed it, too?" Anerias wasn't as surprised as he thought he would be. He had been forced to admit over the last week and a half that Zach wasn't as incompetent as he appeared.
Zach nodded.
"The camp is empty. Too empty." Zach spoke with a grave expression.
"Yes. Aside from all the tents and fire pits, there's nothing else. It also doesn't look like there's been anything or anyone else here, which is odd. Is it a trap? Or a monster disguised as a camp to lure us in?" Violina grabbed a sword she had made from the fang of one of the monsters they had killed. Frost slowly crept over its surface as she prepared for battle.
"...I don't think so." Anerias shook his head. "I mean, we're all already inside the camp's perimeter. Wouldn't we have sprung the trap by now? Would the monster have swallowed us up by now?" questioned Anerias.
"...Maybe it's waiting for us to let down our guard?" Violina's counterpoint was sound until Anerias pointed at their classmates kissing tents, cuddling tentpoles, worshipping sleeping cots, and bathing in the firepits.
"It's safe to say we already let down our guard," Anerias said with some reproach, but he couldn't blame his fellow students.
"...What if something happened to the instructors?" Zach's question made the others go from suspicious to concerned.
"...Don't you fucking dare jinx it." Anerias glared at Zach to hide his fear.
"If that's the case, isn't it more likely they are out in the forest looking for us since we're late?" Violina's very reasonable suggestion was much better than Zach's.
"Shouldn't they have someone here in case we arrive when they're out, though?"
"A familiar or a skill could do that."
"True. Still, let's take a look around and make sure there's nothing dangerous. Try poking the ground a bit and the trees around here. Zach, use your talents." Violina's final command made Zach sigh, but he obeyed.
If anyone in the class could verify whether it was a trap, a monster's disguise, or any other kind of trouble, it was him. After all, he just needed to be near it for it to activate or attack them. If nothing happened, it was safe to say they didn't have anything to worry about.
However, Anerias' Hound had barely started digging a hole in the center before Jarron walked out of a fancier tent on the other side of the camp, still drowsy and in pajamas.
"Huh? You guys are here already?"
Jarron's presence and words cut through the student's clamoring instantly, silencing the camp. Slowly, the students turned to look at Jarron.
Even as an instructor of the Empire's very prestigious Academy of Summoners, Jarron got chills from the combined stares.
'Already?'
No one had missed the word Jarron used to note their arrival.
What was so already about them being late?
What was so already about them spending three weeks fighting with their lives on the line?
What was so already about them being unable to relax even after arriving due to the absence of instructors and lack of supplies in the camp?
And why the fuck was Instructor Jarron wearing heart-print pajamas in the middle of the day?