Chapter 21: Ruined Kingdom (3)

Disclaimer: I own nothing. This fanfic is purely for enjoyment.

This is fanfiction, so the familiar characters you see belong to their respected authors and owners.

"Speech"

'Thought,'

—Line Breaker—

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Volume 1 - Chapter 21: Ruined Kingdom (3)

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"Everyone is here? Then let's continue. We are not that far from the mission, and be prepared to encounter some Grimms and don't think of them as the usual Grimm, you know. They are far stronger than you could think of." Said Glynda as she reminded them of their situation.

Her wake-up call was compelling as some students' faces changed in understanding while some didn't take her word seriously.

Those students thought that she was purposely scaring them, and Glynda naturally noticed those students as she lightly shook her head. Those types of first-year students weren't rare, even at Beacon Academy. They must have been praised for their talent since they walked toward the path of a huntsman.

Not everyone can stand up in the face of adversity; reality is usually ruthless for those people. Let's hope they can keep their arrogance when they meet those Grimm in the inner region of the kingdom.

Fortunately, Sora's team received Glynda's word well, and their vigilance increased in return. It was their first outside after they entered Beacon and on one of the forbidden grounds in today's Remnant.

The group walked in silence toward their destination as some students dispatched Grimms that blocked their way. Atalanta also took some action since her archery mastery is compelling in this batch of the first year.

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The groups encountered a lot of Grimm as they walked closer to the ruined kingdom. They were more robust than the norm as some seniors had to save some first year from a fatal wound.

The arrogant students finally became obedient as they noticed the difficulty of their journey. The outskirt gave them so much trouble, and they couldn't fathom those Grimms inside the kingdom who were feeding on the pure malice inside.

This mission isn't exactly a walk into the park as some students hoped. They weren't the only ones as Gran and Lancelot's group became face became a little dignified.

"Hey, Gran, those Grimms… They were much stronger than last year, right?" whispered Lancelot as he came beside Gran.

"Hey, you thought so too? When we did it last year, they weren't that much stronger…" responded Gran as he scratched his chin in deep thought.

"Let's talk with professor Goodwitch. Something must have happened inside the kingdom because this is not normal." Said Katalina as she heard her leader and friend's conversation.

Gran and Lancelot are the strongest second year at Beacon right now; if they can say something like that, then something must be happening.

"I don't think you guys need to mention it since our three teachers are having a conversation now." Pointed Percival as the rest of the party followed Percival's gesture.

And as Percival said, the three professors were having a lively conversation with professor Goodwitch on the scroll while professor Port and doctor Oobleck were fiercely whispering.

"Let's join them since it concerns the well-being of the group. We can't let our junior be in danger, can't we?" said Lancelot as he walked toward the professor with Gran following him. The rest didn't follow as they still had their responsibility, so they could only leave it to their leader.

"Hey, professors! We are here to report about a situation." Said Lancelot as his voice interrupted the professor's conversation.

"…"

They were silent at Lancelot's declaration as they exchanged glances between them. Glynda sighed in resignation as she held her forehead in pain.

"You must be talking about those Grimms, mister Lancelot?" said Glynda as she understood those two leaders coming at them.

"Yes, professor. We wanted to know the situation as I don't want to implicate our team and the first years." Said Gran with a severe face as his usual easygoing face disappeared.

"…"

The professors were speechless and a bit annoyed at this forceful declaration.

They knew Gran's personality, and he was pretending in front of them. Lancelot was the same as his lips twitched.

"Don't get us wrong; we are also surprised by the situation, okay? We are not here for a suicide mission either. This is indeed a mistake from the Beacon Academy, and Glynda is trying to reach headmaster Ozpin." Said doctor Oobleck as he explained their difficulty.

"Oh! I see. Sorry teacher." Said Gran with a sheepish smile as he scratched his head in understanding.

"So? What should we do now?" asked Lancelot as he understood their current situation. The situation of the Grimm is something that Beacon Academy didn't expect, as they were also flustered.

"Sigh. We can only temporally take a break as we try to contact Ozpin and report our situation. So don't expect too much from it, okay? We might receive more reinforcement from the school or retreat from this mission." Said professor Port as he played with his moustache in annoyance.

"Yes, it will all depend on headmaster Ozpin's decision." Said Glynda as she was still trying to reach Ozpin's scroll.

"I see… then should I inform you about the break now?" said Lancelot in understanding. The professor nodded at his word.

"Please do, student Lancelot." Said Oobleck.

"Affirmative."

"…"

"Let's hope nothing goes wrong…."

"Shut up, Port, don't jinx us."

"Ah, my fault…."

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"So we are taking a break, uh," Sora said as he sat on a nearby rock and thought about this sudden break.

"It must be about those Grimms. They were stronger than your usual." Said Jean as she also thought about their current situation.

"Yeah, no kidding. That Beowulf almost killed that poor kid, and luckily for him, senior Rackam killed it before he got impaled." Said Tifa as she drank water on the side.

"The Grimms here are scary." Said Atalanta as she cleaned her bow with care.

"I can't imagine the Grimms inside the kingdom…" muttered Sora with a complicated face.

The rest of Sora's team's faces worsened as they heard Sora muttering. Those Grimms near the outskirt of the kingdom would not pose any of them a threat, but the rest inside was a different story.

While they might not be a threat to Sora and his team, that might not be the case for the others. God forbids some of those Grimms decided to leave the ruined kingdom and attack some poor village.

Fortunately, the current kingdom is far from any life, but they can't pin their hope on this factor alone. They can wait patiently for the professor's next order, and a break is not bad since they are walking from early into the morning.

"Here, I have some food left in my bag. Do you guys want some?" asked Sora as he took out some snacks from his bag. He was feeling a little peckish from all this walking.

"Oh? Did you bring some snacks too? That's good, Sora. I feel a little hungry too." Said Tifa as she took her favourite one from Sora's back. She liked eating those small fruit snacks.

"Oh, thank you, Sora. I'll take the same as Tifa." Said Jean as she took her own.

"Thank you." Said Atalanta as she took the same one as Jean and Tifa.

Sora smiled as he took out his sketchbook once more. They will be staying there for a long time, so he might as well continue to grind for more points. He is also very impatient to unlock his next character card.

*Drawing* *Drawing* *Drawing*

Sora ended up drawing a portrait of his fight with Nord Snow.

Perfect!

[+5% Acting progress!!!]

[Current Progress: 75% → 80%]

[Rewards: Wings of Azure Wind]

[Function: Tool that host use for gliding in mid-air through open terrain in Remnant]

[Description: Stylized wind glider. Gifted to you as a mark of Mondstadt's acknowledgement and recognition.]

"Huh, that's not bad, but how should I use that glider?" murmured Sora as to how he should explain about that glider if he used them in the open.

Sora was confused, so he might as well summon it and explore on his own. He mentally called for its existence to be brought into Remnant. The system acknowledged Sora's will as the glider appeared on his back silently.

"…Well, this is indeed convenient. I can't fault the system; it also thought about it." Said Sora, a little embarrassed.

He really shouldn't doubt this system's power. After all, the system had kept him going since he entered this world.

Moreover, he discovered that he could easily use the glider as he only needed to jump and think about them as they would automatically deploy on their own.

Technology is cool!