At a corner of the western border region, in front of the defensive wall, a horde of monsters was seething.
Amid the few people desperately trying to stop the monsters from climbing over the wall, shouts were exchanged.
"Hey, get your head in the game! If you make a mistake now, not only will you die, but your friends will die too!"
"S-Sorry, but I can't keep going... I have no more strength..."
"Ugh... For now, fall back and switch with the one who's recharging their mana! We'll try to hold them off with the rest of us!"
Due to the prolonged battle, a female student, exhausted and swaying, was being shouted at by a man who was smashing the heads of monsters trying to climb over the wall with a blunt weapon.
"Uncle! They're coming again!"
"Of course they are! Damn observation team! They said this place would be fine, but what the hell is going on here!"
As a student guarding the wall alongside him screamed, the man recalled the face of the observation team member who had confidently claimed that this area, with its low concentration of miasma, would never see many monsters. He grumbled in frustration.
The countless horde of monsters that had appeared along the western border.
Due to the shortage of personnel, the observation team had deemed this place relatively safe, so only four students and one adult, a current hero, were assigned here as the leader.
As a result, they were trying to hold off a horde of monsters that numbered well over a hundred with just five people.
They were short-handed.
Even with the wall, it was nearly impossible for the students, who were not yet seasoned, to hold off such a large number of monsters. Even a seasoned hero would struggle.
After switching places with the exhausted female student, another student who had been recharging his mana climbed up the wall, preparing to cast a wide-area spell.
Mages, while lacking in physical abilities and combat endurance compared to others, could excel on the battlefield if given enough mana and time to prepare their spells.
If he could cast a wide-area spell, he could deal significant damage to the monsters, but there were not enough people to buy him the time he needed.
"It... It seems there are more of them than before...! I don't think we can hold them off!"
The wall they had barely managed to defend with four people.
While one female student was taking a break and another was preparing a spell, a monster managed to squeeze through the gap and climb over the wall.
It was inevitable that they couldn't hold the wall if the monsters started to climb over it. They didn't have the time to deal with the monster that had climbed over while holding their current positions.
The student preparing the spell was left exposed, and the monster lunged at him.
"Damn it! Hey! It's coming for you! Quickly cancel that spell and block the one behind you!"
"Shi... If I cancel this, we can't stop them. I'll cast this and die, so please avenge me in the meantime."
Realizing that they would all die if the number of monsters wasn't reduced, the student ignored the monster charging from behind and stretched his hand over the wall to activate his spell.
The man, who had been watching, felt a pang of despair as he saw the student's resolve. Just as he was about to redden his eyes, a sword flew from somewhere and embedded itself next to the student, creating a protective barrier that blocked the monster's attack.
Taking advantage of the moment, the student's spell was activated, and a wall of flames shot up, incinerating the monsters gathered near the wall.
As the monsters that had clung to the wall fell away, the man saw a white-haired male student running towards them, having just smashed the head of a monster that had been trying to climb over the wall.
They were supposed to defend two walls.
The male student had noticed that monsters were also trying to climb over the other wall and had gone there alone, saying he would take care of it. The man had thought he had given up and returned, given the overwhelming number of monsters.
"Is that side breached? Then we have no choice but to retreat from here."
The male student replied, "No need for that."
Holding a sword that emitted a white light like his hair, he placed his hand on the wall.
"I just finished taking care of them all."
With that, the male student leaped over the wall and plunged into the horde of monsters.
"Hey, you crazy-!"
The man's shout of shock at the male student's extraordinary action stopped as he looked beyond the wall.
His mouth hung open for a while.
The boy, standing alone among the monsters, was swinging his sword.
The sword in his hand was not just one.
As soon as he let go of one sword, another appeared in his hand.
With a one-handed sword, he sliced through a monster's neck.
With a thin sword, he pierced and felled a monster.
With a large broadsword, he swept away the surrounding monsters.
He wielded various types of swords as freely as his own body.
He moved without hesitation, cutting through the horde.
The blood of the monsters, as if defying gravity, shot up into the sky and then rained down, but not a single drop touched the white-haired boy. He truly seemed to be the master of the sword.
These were all supposed to be first-year students.
"How can he be a student..."
The man, feeling a chill run down his spine, sighed in amazement.
Aegis had produced a monster.
*
After the situation was resolved, the leader who had escorted the first-year students of Group 1 back to the nearest transfer gate, designated as their return point, praised Yoon Siwoo, saying he was already incredible and would surely become a great hero in the future. He then sent them off.
Yoon Siwoo, who had greeted the man, returned with the half-fainted students through the transfer gate to the tent closest to the designated return point.
The transfer gates were designed to prevent movement between the inside and outside of the tent in case of emergencies, so they had to move inside on foot.
The area around the transfer gate was bustling with heroes returning from various missions, including the other students and their homeroom teacher, Eve.
"Aegis Academy, 1st Grade A Class, Group 1, all members have returned."
Since he was the only one in decent condition, Yoon Siwoo reported their return to Eve.
Eve let out a sigh upon hearing Yoon Siwoo's report.
It was because of the state of the other group members.
"Siwoo, what happened?"
"Hehe, the monsters attacked. There were quite a few..."
To be honest, it wasn't just "quite a few," but he smiled bitterly, knowing that everyone had returned safely despite the dire situation.
"Is that so? It must have been serious. Still, it's a relief that everyone is safe..."
Eve sighed in relief at Yoon Siwoo's response.
"I heard something happened at the school too. I hope everyone there is okay."
Yoon Siwoo's expression hardened at Eve's worried words.
"What happened at the school?"
"Eve doesn't know the details, but we received a signal that the gym doors were closed. The remaining students should have been able to handle most monsters, but the doors being closed suggests something they couldn't handle. I've asked the fastest person I know to check on the school, but I hope everything is fine..."
Yoon Siwoo's mind flashed back to Scarlett, who had said she would stay at the school that morning.
He wanted to check on her immediately, but since she had asked him not to worry about her, he knew she would be upset if he went to her house. So, he had to suppress his feelings.
[You're really serious about this.]
Lucy had also said as much.
He knew.
He knew that harboring these feelings was a burden to her.
But even if he tried to stop, the emotions that surged whenever he thought of her were impossible to suppress. For Yoon Siwoo, who had only Lucy to confide in, it was an addiction he couldn't break.
He was happy when she smiled and sad when she was sad.
She had become such a significant part of his life.
"Everyone, you've worked hard today. Go home and rest! See you all at school tomorrow!"
As the dismissal was announced, Yoon Siwoo thought to himself while heading home.
Yes, I'll see her at school tomorrow.
That night, Yoon Siwoo had a dream.
A dream of a red-haired girl smiling.
He wished she could live a life where she could smile like that, even though she was always expressionless in reality.
And he wished, even if it was just occasionally, that she would smile at him too. Yoon Siwoo wished this with all his heart.
*
The next day, her empty seat.
"Although we don't know the details, a mid-level monster attacked the school without weakening yesterday."
Eve announced this with a stiff face during the morning assembly.
"Because of that, Miss Evandé is seriously injured and has been hospitalized."
Yoon Siwoo didn't know what expression he had on his face.