The Academy's teachers were teachers, not heroes.
There were some who had been heroes, but most were retired and their skills had diminished. While there might be a few who could match active heroes, the Academy generally needed protection from heroes.
Being the massive institution that produced all heroes, heroes didn't hesitate to offer their assistance.
We received protection according to Mrs. Lucia's guidance.
The one protecting us wasn't Mrs. Lucia but another hero, Asrad. He was apparently well-known enough that the moment we knew he was protecting us, we felt reassured.
With navy blue hair and dark black eyes, Asrad gripped a medium-length sword and pushed back the monsters invading the Academy.
Since they'd been attacked once before, the Academy had established some defensive measures, but even those couldn't last long when monsters charged in with suicidal determination.
When the first line of defense was breached, the heroes scrambled to establish another defensive line.
In the end, they desperately unleashed their powers against monsters that had penetrated to the innermost grounds of the Academy.
"Mrs. Lucia! Have you instructed the students who've left to return?!"
Several teachers and heroes dealt with approaching monsters.
The students who remained at the Academy followed behind them, looking around fearfully but keeping up diligently.
Lucia, who was running at the front, answered Asrad's question.
"I've sent out a general broadcast, but not everyone has responded yet!"
"Other heroes will escort the students who are coming back, but for now... ugh!"
As he spoke, Asrad blocked a bird-like monster that was charging toward us with its head lowered.
Watching him join the other heroes in repelling monsters with swords and spears made me flinch involuntarily.
Having nearly lost my limbs to a bird monster before, fear crept in even as we fled.
"Wait over there on the lawn for now! Hiding inside buildings like last time could be... dangerous...!"
Lucia seemed frustrated about having gathered students in the gymnasium last time, only to lose control when panic broke out.
Honestly, since monsters could easily find our location, it wasn't particularly comforting. But the students who needed protection weren't ordinary civilians—they were Academy students.
It seemed she wanted to keep us ready to move locations if necessary while also letting us observe the heroes fighting.
Despite having field training, there was a limit to how many students could be deployed directly to combat, so this was an unavoidable situation.
Providing both protection and education at once—even Sparta wasn't this harsh.
With the monsters' intimidating presence reaching us and heroes fighting right before our eyes, I felt goosebumps all over my body.
Asrad used air waves to push back the monsters.
When the air exploded with a "pung" sound, the monster was pushed back slightly, but that only bought about a second—nothing more, nothing less.
But as if to demonstrate how valuable that one second is to a skilled fighter, he swiftly swung his sword.
The blade traced beautiful arcs as he swung it three times in that single second.
Monsters continued to appear and multiply.
"Where are all these monsters coming from...! We haven't heard anything from the guards at the entrance!"
One hero, seemingly frustrated to the point of madness, gritted his teeth and shattered a monster's head with a massive hammer.
Despite eliminating one, the situation didn't improve.
Asrad pushed away another monster that came from behind with a thud.
"We've had monsters suddenly appearing before. Nothing we can do about it!"
Everyone knew this was the work of an intelligent Strange One.
I suppose these incomprehensible events were to be expected after the Wall collapsed.
Asrad and the other heroes dealt with the monsters one by one as they swarmed around.
And at the end of each encounter, more monsters would appear.
"Teacher...! Is, um, is this going to be okay?!"
A second-year student who had escaped with us urgently pointed to the distance, asking Mrs. Lucia to look.
The scene showed the heroes gradually becoming exhausted.
Other students gathered with us under the protection of different heroes.
Not many students came, as some seemed to have gone straight into combat.
Lucia looked at the situation briefly before groaning painfully.
"Re-reinforcements are on the way, so please stay calm!"
Everyone stirred at her words.
But soon enough, as if to prove that "calm" was not a word suited for us, a wolf-like monster sent a hero flying through the air.
"Kuhek!"
The hero, who bounced across the ground like a skipping stone, collapsed powerlessly.
Whether unconscious or worse, the head drooping to the ground was enough to cause panic among everyone.
Lucia's lips trembled in shock.
"...No, more importantly... this is... Mr. Dante! What should we—!"
"It seems there's a Strange One nearby. We need to find and deal with it first—"
KWANG! KOONG!
A monkey-like Strange One revealed its unpleasant teeth as it climbed up a building.
In an instant, it leaped to the rooftop and jumped down, attempting to pounce on another hero.
With a thud, the monkey descended like a meteor. Other heroes tried to stop it with their abilities, but with the momentum gained from gravity, stopping it was nearly impossible.
Another hero was pinned down.
And then died right before our eyes.
Though monkeys might be less intelligent than humans, their muscle density is higher, and as a monster, the difference in strength was overwhelming.
Not satisfied with crushing the human it had pinned, it pounded the person with its black fists repeatedly.
The sight of the completely black, 3-meter tall monkey with red eyes made it hard to breathe.
"Hiiik!"
Not just students but even the teachers panicked at the sight of a seasoned professional hero dying before their eyes, their trembling gazes wandering aimlessly.
Thump, thump—skin was crushed, bones shattered, and internal organs burst.
Under normal circumstances, such a sight would be incredibly gruesome, but under the massive hand, the hero simply burst like a balloon, turning into a bloody mass.
With the body mangled beyond recognition, several students collapsed, trembling uncontrollably.
And I was no different.
Until just moments ago, I thought we might be safe.
They had built defensive lines, saying they wouldn't be caught off guard twice—I had to believe that.
I used to think that way. But seeing a hero die right before my eyes made my legs go weak.
"Ah, aah..."
This shouldn't have happened.
Was it because I kept provoking the Strange One that this was happening?
Perhaps it would have been best not to touch the totem, and my attempts to change the future only hastened our doom.
I was afraid. I worried that all my choices might have been wrong.
If I did nothing out of fear, I knew I would slowly be consumed and face the predetermined future—the inevitable misfortune. So I tried to escape that reality.
But the more I tried, the more it felt like all my efforts were hollow and meaningless, like I was falling deeper into hell.
It felt like the more I struggled, the deeper I sank into the abyss, just as the Strange One had said.
No, perhaps the Strange One was making it that way.
I was so frustrated that tears welled up.
I couldn't figure out how to overcome this situation.
Maybe Yoon Ha-min should have been by my side.
Perhaps instead of going somewhere to help, Ha-min should have stayed here to find the Strange One—that might have been the best choice.
Seeing someone die right before my eyes made my heart shrink.
It felt like fear was swallowing me whole.
It was dizzying to see a life that had been there just moments ago extinguished so easily, as if it were nothing.
Was it all my fault?
Was it my mistake for hastily trying to change what couldn't be changed?
I was lost in thought among the terrified students.
The teachers also seemed at a loss as they watched heroes die one after another.
The heroes were losing strength due to the endless appearance of monsters.
Monkeys, wolf packs, dogs, eagles—all sorts of monsters roamed the Academy grounds, targeting, devouring, or killing humans.
With morale plummeting, the Academy was becoming like an isolated island.
And through this chaos, a voice pierced through, making everyone's skin crawl.
"—Hello?"
Black hair, red eyes gleaming from a face shrouded in shadows—this figure now dominated the scene.