I Refuse the Tragic Ending

Earlier, the group made a decision. A decision to search for survivors. They knew there were other students scattered throughout Emerald Forest. Some might have been in a bad situation and others could have been separated from their teammates or cornered by undead.

However, searching the forest as a group would have limited their chances of finding anyone, so Kael suggested they should split up. Everyone agreed immediately with him.

But before everyone could proceed to their tasks, Kael reminded them one thing.

”We don’t know what’s causing this, and we don’t know what else might be lurking in the forest. So, before either of you gets any heroic ideas, there’s one rule I want you to remember,” he said.

The group listened to him carefully.

Kael said, ”It isn’t complicated. Our safety comes first. If you encounter something you can’t handle, retreat. If you’re injured, return to the safe zone. And if continuing the search looks like a good way to get yourself killed, abandon the mission and come back.”

Kael continued before either of them could misunderstand his intentions.

”I’m not telling you to leave an injured student behind when you can safely help them. I’m telling you not to get yourselves killed trying to save someone. If you die, you won’t be rescuing anybody.”

He also added. ”Mark your routes whenever possible. If you find injured students, assess the situation before approaching. And don’t rush into an ambush just because someone is screaming for help.”

Kael paused a little then said, ”Don’t worry about returning quickly. Worry about returning alive.”

He looked at them one by one before asking whether they understood.

Darius considered the statement before nodding.

”I understand.”

”So do I,” Elias added.

Rinha also nodded.

And thus, the group began their search for survivors.

With their instructions settled, the four prepared to leave. Everyone chose their route. Darius said he would take the northern route, Elias chose the western region, Rinha preferred the southern area, and Kael was left with the eastern part.

Mira had been listening to the conversation from nearby. When she realized they were about to depart, she hurried over.

”Wait. I want to come with you.”

Kael turned toward her.

”No.”

Mira stopped.

”Why not? I can help if someone is injured.”

”That’s precisely why you need to stay here.”

She looked confused.

Kael gestured toward the makeshift shelter.

”If all four of us leave, there won’t be anyone here who can provide immediate medical assistance once we bring some injured survivors. If we find someone who’s badly hurt, we’ll need you to stabilize them as soon as we return.”

Mira finally understood.

”I see. All right, I’ll wait here and good luck to all of you. Also, be careful everyone,” Mira said.

She still disliked the idea of remaining behind while her teammates entered the forest, however, Kael had a point.

The group gave her a brief nod in return before they continued.

Mira remained at the entrance to the safe zone, watching until the trees swallowed the four figures from view.

Only then did she return to check the injured students. That was how their current situation had begun.

...

Meanwhile, after killing the three undead, Kael stepped over a fallen branch and continued along the narrow path.

He had been searching for survivors for some time, but the forest offered little encouragement. Occasionally, he discovered footprints or broken branches that suggested someone had passed through recently. Most trails ended abruptly, however, leaving him with no clear direction to follow.

The crimson sky above the canopy only made the search more unsettling. Without the usual sounds of birds and insects, even the rustling leaves seemed unnaturally loud.

Then a scream echoed through the forest.

”Help!”

Kael stopped.

”Those are...”

”Please help us!”

Another scream followed, accompanied by several panicked shouts.

He immediately changed direction and rushed toward the noise, weaving between trees and leaping over exposed roots. Quinn clung tightly to his shoulder as Kael accelerated, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword.

As he approached, he heard the sounds of battle: desperate shouting, the clash of weapons, and the occasional crash of something striking wood. Kael pushed through a thicket and emerged into a small clearing.

A large tree stood at its center, its thick trunk splitting into a network of sturdy branches several meters above the ground. A group of students had taken refuge among them, clinging to the branches or crouching against the trunk.

There were at least a dozen of them.

Unfortunately, their temporary sanctuary was surrounded.

Undead crowded around the base of the tree, blocking every easy route down. Some clawed at the bark while others reached for the students whenever they moved too close to the edge. Several had already begun climbing, forcing those on the lower branches to retreat farther up.

The students were running out of room.

”Get it off! Get it off me!”

A boy near the lower branches kicked at an undead hand gripping his ankle. Two classmates rushed to help him. One struck the creature with a short sword while the other pulled the boy upward by his collar.

Their combined effort finally freed him, but another undead was already reaching for the branch.

Kael surveyed the clearing, searching for an opening.

The tree had given the students a temporary advantage, but it wouldn’t last. Their enemies kept coming, and the students had little space to maneuver. All it would take was one person losing their grip or being pulled from a branch for the entire group to fall into chaos.

The students themselves looked close to their limits. Their faces were pale with exhaustion, their hands trembled around their weapons, and several had visible small injuries. The magical glow that had once surrounded some of their weapons was gone.

They had probably spent most of their mana fighting before escaping into the tree. With nowhere else to go, they probably decided to climb the tree as their last resort.

Unfortunately, hope was a rather poor defensive strategy against enemies that didn’t understand the concept of giving up.

Kael’s gaze moved across the group, checking their positions and the surrounding terrain.

He noticed two older people among them.

’Those two are probably the overseers of their group like Senior Student Rinha,’ Kael thought to himself.

Then his eyes landed on a familiar figure among them.

A girl with long dark golden hair crouched on a thick branch near the trunk, one hand gripping the bark while the other held a weapon that no longer possessed any magical glow. Her clothes were torn, and exhaustion had drained much of the usual composure from her face.

Even from a distance, Kael recognized her.

”Isn’t that Jeannette?”

The marquis’s daughter who she met at the library. She looked no better than the other students. She shifted her weight unsteadily, as though even sitting upright had become difficult.

Kael watched as she helped another student climb onto a higher branch. Once the student was secure, Jeannette leaned against the trunk and closed her eyes for a moment, struggling to catch her breath.

Whatever had happened before they ended up on the tree, it had pushed her close to her limit. Kael couldn’t simply walk away. Leaving a group of exhausted students surrounded by undead would be tantamount to abandoning them to their deaths.

However, charging into the clearing without a plan would be foolish.

He counted their enemies, estimating their positions and movements. There were too many to defeat quickly with his current strength, especially if more appeared during the fight. He could handle a few at a time, but fighting an entire group while protecting a dozen students was a different problem altogether.

Should he draw their attention away from the tree?

The idea came naturally. If he made enough noise, some of the undead might abandon the students and chase him into the forest. He could then lead them away and return once the group had an opportunity to escape.

But there was no guarantee the plan would work.

Some might follow him while the rest continued climbing. Those already near the upper branches could reach the students before he managed to draw the others away.

And if he attracted too many, he would be the one surrounded.

It was a risk with too many variables and no reliable fallback.

”Come on, think.”

Kael studied the clearing again.

The tree was too large for him to climb quickly while fighting off the undead. Even if he reached the students, getting everyone down safely would take time. The branches were crowded, and the injured students would struggle to move without help.

He needed a way to control the situation without fighting every enemy himself.

His gaze shifted from the crowded trunk to the branches stretching above the clearing. Then he glanced at the white spider resting on his shoulder.

”Qiu!”

Quinn suddenly raised its front legs and pointed toward the tree.

Kael looked at it.

The spider’s bluish lightning markings flickered as it extended a strand of silk from the small magic circle it created. The thin thread caught the crimson light before Quinn pulled it back and released another.

Kael stared at the silk. For a moment, he said nothing. Then his eyes moved toward the spaces between the branches, and an idea began to take shape.

”Wait a second.”

He crouched beside a fallen tree trunk and gently lifted Quinn from his shoulder, setting it on the bark.

”How much webbing can you produce right now?”

”Qiu!”

Quinn raised its front legs proudly.

”That much, huh?”