Heaven's Greatest Professor

Please tell me you didn't have any hand in that candidate's supposed emergency, Jenni, Warden almost swore. Because it was the kind of thing he would do if he was under similar duress. And their thinking was very much alike.

Thankfully, Jenni wouldn't stoop low to give a low blow to some unfortunate iron ranker. Perhaps she bought the spot with credits or equipment.

"I just thought this opportunity was too enticing to be missed before I advance to Silver," Jenni said, flashing her pretty smile.

Many of the young men present coughed.

"Of course, the heaven-blessed Lady Jenni with talent that she made it to Adept in merely Iron rank. Your participation is most welcome…"

"An Adept in Iron rank," Cole, the resident Runesmith of Marcus's crew, spoke up to May, his eyes glinting with interest. "Is this the woman you spoke of?"

"Yeah," May said. "Why are you interested, Cole? I'm giving a warning, though. She's the type of woman who'd chew you up even without noticing herself, so tread carefully."

Cole snorted. "My interest isn't in the body."

"I meant what I said."

The Azalea group entered first, followed by theirs. Some even tried to mitigate the teleportation issue by joining their hands together, linking their energy. Their group attempted that in a team of six as well. All interlocked in physical touch and energy. Unfortunately, the link between their energies was so shallow that it was broken by the immaculate pressure of the pulsating teleporting force.

Warden felt the current passing through him for a moment, and then he was elsewhere. None of his companions were close.

The first thing he noticed was how cold it was here. There wasn't any snow or ice, but the natural temperature was definitely below the freezing point. Towering trees stood all around him, each one seeming to touch the replaced sky of the subspace. He couldn't see much with the dimming light, but it sure wasn't a relaxing place.

Thankfully, he had worn [Maya's Protection] under his Janitor clothing. While he was missing the [Cloak of Void Radiance] now, he didn't know if it was necessary for the current situation.

The space had a similar vibe to a dungeon, but it was much more stable. The natural aura of the place wasn't chaotic either; it was filled with thick ambient energy. Perhaps that was the reason why the trees grew so high.

With caution on his mind, Warden crept, choosing a direction. Within a couple of minutes, he figured out the cold wasn't anything but normal. It seemed to be mutated like the ambient energy of the front lines. It bit into his system, suppressing more of his power.

But Warden had the [Void Vanquishing Physique], which could technically withstand the tear of the void; thick, biting cold could only scratch his surface.

"I guess this is going to be a good place to train my physique," Warden thought out loud. "It has been standing at 7% for a while. If only he could find some creature to fight, that would be…"

A loud screech echoed throughout the space, shaking it somewhat. Warden perked up, a grin spreading across his lips. Just what he needed. Even the aura of the creature seemed familiar.

His legs moved as he shot through the thick forest towards the centre of all the disturbance. He employed Anti Gravity scripts to lift him higher as he literally flew there. The aura of the creature only grew as Warden moved. It was a sickening aura of power, too much of it, so that whatever the creature was, it was unable to control itself.

And it was huge. It broke through huge trunks of the trees, shoving aside the humans who fought against it. It was a massive wolf-like hound, standing over half a dozen meters tall, black tar-like energy oozing out of its being. Its eyes glowed red as it howled.

"Just run!" A familiar voice shouted, flying atop the creature. "You're only making it difficult for me."

Warden found the familiar figure of Agnes. Black wings spread behind her like a dark phoenix, as she rose in the air, obstructing the path of the hound. She could barely contended against its superior force. But Captain Agnes wasn't short on her tenacity, nor in control of her essence power. She created a thick wall of wards and thrust it in the path of the creature.

It broke through them with no problem, but it did give them a split second to recover themself.

"I can't find Waoren!" shouted back an unfamiliar voice.

"He's probably dead, RUN!"

The dark hound twisted its neck to take a bite at Agnes. She tried to fly away, but its overwhelming aura froze her in place for a split second. Other than its massive body, it was agile as well. It sank its teeth into her tangible wings made of pure darkness essence and tore them apart. The captain's face soured, but she manifested another pair of wings, saving herself from a certain crash.

But the dark hound was onto her, ready to pounce and devour her whole.

Warden landed on top of the rampaging beast, focusing all his power to stop its advance. The beast let out a low wail. Warden lifted the [Bane of the Calamity] from his back and grinned at Agnes as she flew up.

"It must be fate, Captain, to meet you so early in the game."

"I thought you didn't believe in fate," she replied, but then her expression turned grim. "Quick, dodge…"

Warden was thoroughly prepared for his expedition. He released a tier-3 antigravity rune script, which he had prepared the previous night. His figure flew straight up at the speed of an aerial predator. The dark claws of the beast missed their mark as Warden manipulated the runes to make his way to Agnes.

She didn't have time to study his new magic, as her focus was on the people who were fleeing on their feet.

"I didn't know you're the type of person who'd stir up trouble so early," Warden said offhandedly, not pointing a finger at her, at all. "Its barely been a few minutes."

"The time dilation is shrewd here if you have forgotten. Sometimes it's less, sometimes it's more," her voice came hard. "Anyway, it wasn't me."

Warden narrowed his eyes, focusing back to the howling creature. "What is this thing?" he asked. "It's not like any corrupted creatures I've fought, nor like fiends either, even though it is weaker than some powerful fiends."

"Moon spawn," Agnes said, flying before the beast to form a wall of obstruction before it could catch the rankers fleeing ahead. It collided against the wall of darkness, sundering through it like it was mere scraps of paper.

Agnes formed a large spear of darkness and shot it towards its eyes. She succeeded in her aim. The dark spear burst through its eyes like an arrow penetrating through an apple, barely meeting any obstruction.

Warden thought this was the endgame for the creature. But a couple of seconds later, its eyes grew back, its regeneration speed far beyond even that of a Troll.

"Mere logic is not enough to describe it," Agnes said, flying back, drawing its aggression away from the fleeing men. "After all, it's the splintered manifestation of the Calamity known as the Traitor Wolf."