Chapter 148 The Looming Threat . . .

"Y-you . . . why are you doing this?" player one screamed, scrambling to his feet to get away from me.

"What did I ever do to you?! Help!" he yelled.

While he was screaming, I was checking the map for my next target. After I killed this guy, I could finally buy that [Evil Pocket Dimension]. So there was no way that I would let him off.

I saw him running a good distance already as soon as I redirected my attention back to him. Too bad that their [Teleport] and [Blink] covered short distances that I could easily caught up using only my speed. I could also easily spot them using [Evil Eyes], so there was nowhere to hide.

I applauded for his attempt to cling to what little life he had, at least. Unfortunately for him, I needed those points.

With one swift, the guy fell down with half his body sliced off and his guts and blood spilling out.

<Congratulations, Host. You have enough points to buy that [Evil Pocket Dimension] now!>

Finally!

It's going to get six in the evening soon, and I still wanted to take advantage of this situation and kidnap dozens of players as a gift for Dementia.

Now that was out of the way. It was time to search for my new victims. Based on [Evil Eyes], I picked the nearest group. There was also a large red dot slowly coming from the mountains, but I didn't give it any thought and went on my way.

----

While Cross was busy hunting players, the teachers from the Academy were wondering why the students' names were crossing out and at a fast rate at that.

They had expected that a lot would lose their lives in the forest, but they hadn't expected this great of a number. More than half of the players had already lost their lives, and no one knew why.

"What's going on?" Teacher Fey asked.

"Did they encounter a god?" Teacher Darwin muttered.

Teacher Mariel shook her head. "The God is sleeping deep in the forest. Every player knew not to venture deeper into those parts."

"Then . . . could they have encountered a group of beasts that they couldn't get away?"

"Who cares?" another teacher shrugged. "It's going to be six in two hours. Those brats would come out of the forest by then."

"That's right. As long as the BUG players are alive, then all is well," another teacher added.

Teacher Fey threw the stone tablet to teacher Darwin, and the latter flinched, and he almost dropped the stone tablet from shock.

"I'll go and take a look. If this keeps up, we don't have any more students left."

Before anyone could react, Teacher Fey entered the forest.

At the side, Edward was waiting for Amara to come out of the woodlands when one of his retinues came rushing in his direction.

His servant leaned in and whispered in Edward's ears, which immediately made the latter's handsome face warped in dread.

"Are you sure?" Edward hissed, voice low as a sweat rolled on the side of his cheeks.

The servant nodded. "Yes, my Lord. We have to get out of here right now."

Edward shook his head. "Not without Amara."

"My Lord . . . it's your father's command, order from the king himself."

Edward frowned. "The King? Then did he mean to abandon all these people?"

"Hush, my Lord. Keep your voice down. We don't want to cause a panic."

Edward stared down at the one who spoke, and the servant shrunk from where he stood.

"The King is gathering soldiers to eliminate this sudden threat as we speak, my Lord. While the kingdom is preparing, Castle Rock will hold down the threat first."

"You mean to use them as bait," Edward snapped.

No one answered for a short while before another servant spoke.

"We have no choice in this matter, my Lord. I'm sure that others got hold of this information as well."

Edward threw a glance at Brighid and Demeter's way. They were huddled with their servants as well.

Demeter was the first to pull off, and Brighid followed next.

Edward even heard the demoness saying.

"What a shame. Off to the next Academy then," she said without a care.

"We have to leave here, my Lord. The [Teleportation Gate] of Castle Rock isn't working. The nearest one is in a town half a day's travel from here. We have to leave now."

"But what about the BUG players?" Edward didn't want to leave Amara here alone.

"These players are only noobs. There will be BUG players in the future, but you, my Lord, have only one life."

Edward bit his lips and fisted his hands before he took a deep breath and sighed over the horizon.

Without a word, Edward turned and went back to town in a hurry, promising to himself to return immediately with thousands of soldiers and rescue Amara.

'Don't worry, my love. I will come for you. I promise.'

"Where are they going?" Teacher Darwin asked when they saw the major representatives leaving.

"Back in town, I guess."

The other teachers didn't care. The representatives must have been tired from waiting and went ahead into the town first.

Back in Castle Rock Town, Demeter, and her servants rode in carriages and hurried out from the city. This kingdom wasn't their business, and as much as she wanted to help the players, she also didn't want to start a war by getting in the way of national affairs.

Too bad about the BUG players, but her life was more important right now. And she couldn't just kidnap them, for it would be a breach of international laws.

Demeter took a deep breath. "Let's go."

Meanwhile, Brighid didn't care about the BUG players at all. She didn't care if this kingdom was destroyed, but oddly . . . that player she saw in town kept appearing in her mind.

His name was Cross, if she was not mistaken. Brighid licked her red lips. "I hope you survive for our next meeting."

As Brighid and Demeter were leaving town, Edward was already riding his horse and racing against time. He needed to get back to his fief and raised an army to retrieve Amara at all cost!

The wind violently splashed against Edward's face, pushing his hair back. "Hang on, Amara. I will come for you soon."

----

[Cross's POV]

"Agh! Help!"

The player's scream went unheard as soon as I stretched my hand and patted them. They turned into pixels and appeared in my pocket dimension next.

As long as my ATP was higher than theirs, I could freely trap them inside this pocket with a single tap of their shoulder.

<Dementia will be so happy>

I hadn't given her anything, so I hope these players would suffice.

Hmm . . .

<What is it, Host?>

It looked like Teacher Fey is here. I mused as I checked the map brought by [Evil Eyes].

<She must have noticed the players missing>

Her ATP was in the five hundred, so I wasn't going to mess with her.

<She's on her way to you now, though>

The moment that the System said that Teacher Fey appeared before me.

And before I could step forward, I felt a ripple in the air, and a sharp blade zoomed on my face. It was too fast that I couldn't move to evade it.

I could feel its intent to kill, and there was no doubt that I would die if it hit me. However, it stopped just inches away from my neck, the force ruffling my hair back.

Looking at my side, I saw a dagger glaringly staring at me that came from none other than the hands of Teacher Fey herself.

"You. Are you the one killing the players here?" she asked straight to the point.

I rearranged my expression and pleaded for her help instead. "Teacher! Thank god you're here! You have to help me! My group . . . my group has been killed by a ferocious Scarebear!"

"A Scarebear?"

I felt the teacher's blade loosening against my throat. When she checked me, her expression changed to one of recognition.

"Aren't you that gil guy?" Teacher Fey asked, surprised.

Gil guy?

"Yes."

Teacher Fey frowned, and my acting must have been believable, for she put down her weapon and said, "Did you hear a scream around here? I was so sure that I heard screaming around these parts."

Her hearing must have been so good. She was still a few hundred meters away from me, so how come she still heard those screams?

Was it an innate Elven skill?

I didn't read it in her stats.

So it must be it.

"I heard those screams too. That's why I'm here to take a look, and that's how you found me."

Teacher Fey was still looking around for any signs of players before she finally spared me her glance.

"Can you teleport back near the entrance?"

I nodded.

"Good. Go back. The practical had ended."

As soon as she said those words, she disappeared from my sight in a flash, and my face reverted back to its usual stoic expression.

She believed me just like that all because she was convinced that my low ATP was real. She didn't even question me how I survived while my group got annihilated.

Not that I was complaining.

The whole situation worked in my favour.

( . . . continuation on NOTES)