Chapter 95

At that moment, a student’s hand shot up eagerly. “Then, teacher, do we have a definitive answer regarding the specific situation of the Rift Worlds now? Where do the monsters actually come from?”

The teacher gestured for the student to put his hand down, her expression becoming more somber. “Regarding that, there are several theories. Some say the Rift Worlds are another collection of life-bearing planets, far away in the universe. That their own races, seeking to expand their territory, somehow tore open a spatial rift to invade our Earth, but only partially succeeded.”

“Has that theory been confirmed?” another student asked, a hopeful note in her voice.

“It’s a pity,” the teacher said with a shake of her head, “but no. Since the Aura Resurgence, Earth itself has expanded by tens of times, and the protective atmosphere of our planet has also thickened a great deal. Our exploration of the universe, compared to the achievements of the pre-Resurgence era, has become many times more difficult. Historical records show that before the Aura Resurgence, humanity’s farthest probes had already traveled twenty billion kilometers. We could land on the moon with ease. But now? The dense Aura in our expanded atmosphere interferes with everything. Even our most advanced psionic communication instruments lose their signal beyond five hundred thousand kilometers from Earth. At present, we have no reliable means to explore the distant universe, let alone find their home planets.”

The teacher then adjusted her glasses, her gaze sweeping across the classroom. “In short, students, the soldiers will hold the line, the water will be dammed by the earth. No matter how powerful the monsters are, we must rise up to resist. For this planet, for the homeland on which we rely for our very survival, we will absolutely not allow them to occupy even a single inch of our land!”

Hearing her passionate words, the students were all fired up, their hearts burning with a patriotic fervor. Little did they know, in a little while, they would be as obedient and terrified as quails.

Just then, the bell for the end of class rang.

“Class dismissed.”

Iris Thorne, as the class president, stood. “Stand up!”

“Goodbye, teacher!” the class chorused.

See you never, Ethan thought with a private grin.

After the teacher left, a series of groans and stretching sounds filled the room.

“Finally, that class is over.”

“Let's go get some snacks!”

“The next class… wait, isn't it physical education?”

“There’s no ‘physical education’ in third year, you idiot; it’s all practical combat and advanced combat now. Next up is practical combat.”

“What’s the difference?”

“I heard they bring in real mutated creatures for us to fight!” a student whispered, and a chill went through the room.

“No way! My brother at university said their practical combat class just taught them how to release their psionic abilities better. They never had to fight real monsters.”

“This is completely nuts! Why are they changing the curriculum for us now?”

“I heard it’s related to changes in the university entrance exams…”

While they were gossiping, the bell for the next class was about to ring. Marcus, as a member of the class committee, began to organize everyone. They lined up and arrived at Training Ground Number Two, a massive, enclosed arena specially prepared for them.

Mr. Gordon was already waiting, his arms crossed, his expression uncharacteristically stern. In the very center of the training ground, a large white cloth was draped over something massive.

“Looks like everyone is here,” Mr. Gordon said, his voice flat. “Then let’s get ready to start.” He strode forward, grabbed the edge of the white cloth, and with a dramatic flourish, yanked it away.

A large, reinforced iron cage came into view.

Inside, a majestic, powerful Direwolf was lying there. Its fur was the color of slate, its muscles coiled like thick ropes beneath its hide. A heavy iron collar was clasped around its neck, shackled to the floor by an equally thick iron chain. As the bright lights of the training hall hit its eyes, the dozing Direwolf stirred. It opened its sinister, green, glowing eyes and fixed them on the crowd of students. A low, guttural sound rumbled in its chest, and with a terrifying snarl, it lunged, straining against the chains that held it back.

The sheer, untamed wildness released by the beast in that single instant slammed into the students like a physical blow. A wave of collective fear washed over them.

Having grown so old, the most these students had ever done was have a scuffle with a classmate. They hadn't even killed a chicken, let alone faced a real, snarling monster. Even Iris Thorne, whose family had let her attack a weak mutated creature from a safe distance to train her courage, felt her face turn a little pale, though she held her ground. In the entire class, only Ethan, Marcus, and Seraphina could still maintain their composure.

Ethan discovered he really did have some strange fate with Direwolves. His first encounter in the wild, the potion the Evolution Cult wanted to inject him with, and now this. It was truly fate. Having faced far more terrifying scenes, a small, caged Direwolf like this was not enough to scare them.

Mr. Gordon looked at the composed few and nodded with satisfaction. But when his gaze fell upon the other students—their pale faces and trembling legs—his own face darkened. He looked at the group with a furious expression and shouted, his voice booming through the hall, “Look at each and every one of you! You are the most outstanding students in the entire third year, yet a single, small, Rank One, Level One Direwolf has scared the courage right out of you! How can I count on you to resist the monsters, to protect our home, to reclaim our lost lands!”

A student weakly raised his hand. “But, teacher… isn't fighting monsters something we learn at university? This isn’t something we should be exposed to now, right?”

Mr. Gordon glared at him, his tone becoming even more stern. “Your lives are too good, too sheltered! You think that before university, none of this has anything to do with you? I'm telling you, right now on Earth, at every single moment of every single day, people are facing the threat of monsters. In some of the more remote safe zones, even newborn children are in constant danger! Do you understand?”

Hearing this, the students' faces showed expressions of shock and fear. They had never thought the reality of their world was actually so cruel.

Mr. Gordon continued, his voice ringing with passion, “I'm telling you now, from this day on, all third-year high school students across the Global Concord will be exposed to fighting real monsters ahead of schedule! As for the reason…” He then gave a rousing, powerful speech about fighting back, for their planet, for their home, and for their very survival.