NOVEL NEXT Chapter 113: First Test
It was just the morning, but Amber's class was already fired up for their lessons. They weren't scared of her devilish training any longer.
In fact, many of them were even looking forward to it.
This was the change mentality brings in a person.
After Amber killed the Abyssal Creatures, the students were given a few minutes of rest until Amber prepared for their first training class.
Leon's group sat together on the grass, but none of them were in their usual selves. It was clear Amber's words had hit them even harder because of what they had done last night.
"Say, Leon, do you think that woman survived?" Bella asked.
"I don't know," Leon shook his head and said. "But I did hear that the rate of her transformation had decreased. It has become stagnant. The rest depends on how much longer she can fight against the Corruption and win."
"Woah! Aren't you too awesome?" Bella said with a squeal. "What did you do? Wait! You can't tell us. But it doesn't matter. We know you're awesome to even achieve that."
Leon knew she was trying to lighten up the mood, so he played along since he also didn't like the current atmosphere.
"Hehe, you can praise me as much as you want, cuz it will never be enough to describe the awesome me," Leon grinned and said. "Also, can you all stop brooding like depressed people?"
"Even after seeing that?" Rani asked.
"Yes. The world is a sad place, Rani," Leon nodded. "My mother always told me to be happy even in the worst situations. Life is way too short to become depressed over everything."
"You're impossible," Rani shook her head, but if one paid attention, they would see a subtle smile on her face.
"Leon is right," Denver nodded in agreement. "This isn't even the worst that we are going to face. Are you going to become sad in every situation?"
"Oh my! The big teddy bear is learning to talk big," Bella exclaimed before she moved toward Denver and patted his head, earning a glare from the big guy.
But she just giggled and said, "Hehe, you can't even say 'Don't mess up my hair.' Haha!"
Denver raised his fist as if he was about to smack her head, but she quickly fled. Sadly, she forgot Denver wasn't alone.
Rani blocked her way and caught her from behind while Natasha looked at her with a sweet smile. "Denny, we will help you beat up this little rat."
"Hey! Aren't you my best friend?" Bella cried out and shivered when her eyes matched with Natasha's. "My dear charm caster, please have some mercy on me."
"Who told you to bully our friend?" Natasha said as she moved toward her.
"Stay back! I'm also a friend!"
"Don't make this difficult, Bella."
Denver stared at them before chuckling. He wasn't really angry at Bella, but she could be annoying at times, so he just wanted to smack her head. But clearly, it wasn't necessary because he had backup.
"Gather up!!"
Hearing the shout from Amber, they stopped playing around and went toward her along with the other students. They were still in the open field for some reason.
As everyone gathered near her, Amber clicked her fingers. A barrier formed around them like walls, making a makeshift transparent room for them.
"I'm sure all of you are fired up and can't wait to start your training, but I would suggest backing away if you think you can't handle this," Amber said. "But it also means you'll be withdrawing from my classes."
None of them said anything in response.
"What we're going to do today is help you to get used to Corruption," Amber said with a smile. "You already experienced the incident in the Flame Knight Dungeon, but things like Corrupted Miasma are common in the Primordial Expanse."
She brought out a vial filled with dark liquid and continued, "In fact, it gets worse in the Primordial Expanse. It's the home of Corruption, so the help you receive here on Earth from the world doesn't apply there. Many people couldn't even survive the first few minutes in the Primordial Expanse for this very reason."
Although Leon knew Amber was exaggerating a little, he also felt she was right since she was preparing them for the worst scenario.
She didn't want them just to survive there but also to explore the Corrupted lands and become the top guardians of humanity. It meant they would encounter worse situations than the Flame Knight Dungeon incident.
"So what we're going to do is a mock trial of entering the Primordial Expanse," she smiled and said. "I will release Corrupted Miasma in this room, which will simulate the environment of the Primordial Expanse."
She thought about something and added, "Just to be clear, this environment will just be the influence of Corruption even in safer human settlements. It isn't as dangerous as what you encountered in the Flame Knight Dungeon, but it is constant, and you need to survive under it."
She looked around and asked, "Any questions? Anyone want to back away?"
Everyone stayed in their place, but one girl raised her hand after a bit of hesitation.
"You want to leave?"
The girl shook her head.
"Then why did you raise your hand?"
"Umm, Professor, is it safe for them to experience this?" the girl asked while pointing toward Denver and Leon. "They are men, and their resistance toward the Corruption is very low compared to us, so…"
Amber raised an eyebrow and turned toward the duo. "You got any problems?"
Leon shook his head while Denver said, "It is as Professor once said. The Primordial Expanse doesn't discriminate against anyone. It is as cruel to men as it is to women."
"They chose this path knowing all of this, so they have to walk through the dangers," Amber said. "I won't give them any preferential treatment. Now, any more questions?"
Getting no response, Amber smiled and said, "Then we shall start your first training class. You need to survive one hour in this Corrupted Miasma without turning into an Abyssal Creature."
Some shivered as the memories of the Flame Knight Dungeon came back, but they still didn't back away.
Soon, the dark miasma spread in the room and began to stimulate the Corruption within them.
The fight between the Corruption and humanity once again began.