Doggone Academy

In a corner of the Southern outskirts of Sodderton, adjacent to the Circulatory System, a safety barrier had been established.

Within the barrier, hastily erected tents huddled together, forming a makeshift village.

Students from Eternia who had failed to enter the Circulatory System were killing time there; more than half of them had been members of looting parties.

They faced little inconvenience in daily life, with pre-arranged supplies and the spoils of their pillaging.

In fact, they enjoyed luxuries unbecoming of their situation.

But not a single one of them could truly relish their circumstances.

Most of those within the safety barrier were students who had ranked in the upper-middle during the entrance examsprospects once dubbed the hopefuls but now finding themselves without any achievements, even past the halfway mark of the practical training.

Ample resources and an efficient team structure had bolstered their confidence in securing a top rank, believing themselves superior in every aspect compared to other groups.

Yet the Circulatory System played their ambitions like a fiddle, eventually rejecting and expelling them.

Theyre pathetic.

I wish theyd all fail.

Most of their days were spent blankly staring towards the Circulatory System.

Occasionally, they saw the Plantaras transporting students on the brink of death back into the safety barrier.

Someone pointed with a finger and exclaimed,

Here they come, here they come.

Newcomers!

A group of Plantaras returned to the safety barrier.

All eyes turned toward them, finding solace in welcoming fellow dropoutstheir sole source of amusement.

Contrary to expectations, the Plantaras had brought back only onea girl with lemon-hued hair, Elias, and no one else.

Ah, its just her.

Its about time for some of them to show up.

Who was she grouped with?

I dont know.

Although the specifics of her group were yet unknown, the chances were high that other members would soon follow, considering one had already dropped out.

They had come to realize that entrance exam results did not guarantee performance in the field, and they were secretly awaiting the fall of the top performers.

When Elias was placed upon the grass, those who recognized her approached to check her condition.

She was in a state of panic.

Huh-huh its terrifying so terrifying.

While her reaction mirrored the overwhelming emotions common among those ejected from the safety barrier, there was a subtle difference in nuance.

Tormented by spirits, experiencing illusions or auditory hallucinations, or suddenly feeling a draining of strengththe common denominator for those who had entered the Circulatory System was fear.

Many were scared, but none had shown a terror quite like Elias, who was now weeping uncontrollably.

Girls gathered around her, offering warm tea and blankets and giving comfort in front of a reassuring campfire. After a while, Elias regained some composure and began to recount what happened.

The devil the devil has awakened. Were all going to die We need to get out of the Circulatory System immediately

There was a dismissive attitude among those who thought she was simply stirring up unnecessary fear, but as they listened to the rest of the story, they accepted the gravity of the situation.

It wasnt an exaggeration.

We tried using all the Blue Spirit Grass we brought from Rigved, but nothing worked. So we decided to collect it directly from the Circulatory System Uh huh, an herb that blooms from the bodies of the dead So we searched the western region of the Circulatory System for animal carcasses.

In their search within the Circulatory System, Elias group stumbled upon unidentified obelisks.

There were six wooden obelisks, and two of them were already destroyed. They resembled tombstones We thought they were animal graves. Since two were already damaged, we figured others had come before us to take something So like we were bewitched, we destroyed one of them and dug underneath. I still dont know why. It felt like something was controlling us.

Elias covered her face with her hands, unable to continue speaking. Her hands were stained with dirt, and the nails were bloody, as if she had frantically been clawing at the earth.

After a long pause, she resumed her story.

And then something awakened.

When they broke one of the obelisks, the remaining three started to corrode as if in a domino effect. An incomprehensible entity broke its seal and assailed the group.

I cant remember much after that Magic didnt work and neither did sword skills. We kept running, and it continued to pursue us. Then then as everyones in danger, Victor Victor acted as a decoy on his own and split from us.

Elias had collapsed from exhaustion while fleeing alone and, luckily, was discovered by the Plantaras, but she did not know what happened to the rest of her group.

Victor? That Victor was in your group?

The fact that they were defenseless even with Victorwho was ranked among the top five combat studentsshocked everyone.

Soon, murmurs spread among those who had heard Elias tale.

Isnt that the Familiar?

Honestly, its hard to believe.

No wonder, the professors suddenly rushed off somewhere urgently.

Is that why they told us not to leave the barrier?

Thats where Sion went, to the Circulatory Systems west.

And someone asked Elias,

Who else was in your group?

Elias responded with a trembling voice,

Victor and and Matthiasias and

She took a deep breath before finally saying the last name,

Li Lilith.

Hearing that name, several male students turned pale. Unbeknownst to the others, they had harbored feelings for her.

***

It seems theyre spirits of the forest.

As I stepped back, those strange forest spirits reappeared around Luna.

She seemed not to dislike them either, smiling gently as she held and caressed them.

Back when I lived in the orphanage, little kids would often flock to the beautiful nuns, clinging and making demands in a childlike mannersomehow, Lunas situation reminded me of that.

Noticing my gaze was perhaps a little embarrassing for her, she subtly asked,

Should I ask these guys where the domain of the Familiar is?

Thats a good idea.

Luna addressed the spirits in an unknowable language.

The spirits suddenly started hopping about, seemingly trying to communicate something.

The spirit says the Familiar is currently in a weakened state. Apparently, these periods come once every few years.

If it cant be helped then, we should start moving again.

As she made to get up, the spirits clung to her en masse, seemingly pleading for her not to leave.

With a look of perplexity, Luna sat back down and continued her conversation.

Yes dangerous? Something dark is capturing spirits and its dangerous to go further.

The word dangerous immediately put me on edge.

Can you figure out what it is in more detail?

Luna shook her head.

They dont know either.

The notion of something preying on spirits was troublesome, especially as I had never heard of such a creature inhabiting the Soderton Circulatory System.

Does it also prey on people?

After asking the spirits, Lunas expression hardened momentarily, then she nodded at me.

It doesnt discriminate against humans either.

Trishas image flashed through my mind.

Cecils group didnt have anyone proficient in combat; would they be alright?

I wondered if this was how a brother felt when leaving a sister behind in a distant land. Usually, it wasnt a big deal, but the moment danger loomed, my worries would gravitate towards Trisha.

Tell them if its a giant lizard, we can deal with it. Of course, thats if they guide us to the center of the Circulatory System.

As Luna translated my words to the forest spirits, her expression gradually grew more serious.

Its an entity that is alien to the lifeforms of the Circulatory System, she translated.

A sense of foreboding crept over me.

Can you find out where these things came from?

Luna nodded.

The spirits will show us the way. They just cautioned against going too deep.

I took out Cecils dedicated Stitch. Jotting down the information we had just learned, I sent it off.

Whatever it was, better I deal with it before it causes trouble for Trisha.

Lets go.

***

Matthiasias and Lilith concealed their battered bodies within a cave.

Liliths face was wrapped in her hands, and she was despondent.

Victor Victors gone

She had witnessed with her own eyes how Victor, who had stopped to protect the group, was attacked by the dark shadows.

Matthiasias looked on at Lilith and said,

Hell be okay. Hes a strong guy

She responded in a tearful voice tinged with contempt.

I told him not to do it.

Lilith was the only one who had insisted they should not touch the obelisks.

However, the rest of the group, as if possessed, dug the ground mindlessly.

I still dont understand why I did it. Something something was calling. It must have been the Blue Spirit Grass we got from Rigved that possessed us.

Only Lilith, who had not ingested the herb, had kept her sanity. Something had surely manipulated their minds, making it difficult to blame anyone.

She buried her face in her knees and sobbed.

Matthiasias moved to embrace her, attempting to offer comfort.

That was when Lilith, sensing his intention, pushed him away.

Dont come any closer.

Frustrated by the rejection, Matthiasias temporarily clenched his teeth.

Cant I even offer some consolation?

His outburst came despite the danger they were init was the possibility of imminent death that made him reckless and furious.

We might be dead before the professors find us anyway, and youre still being so sensitive about everything? Huh?

Lilith eyed Matthiasias with eyes red with anger.

I wont die. And after this exercise, whatever was between us is over for good.

Matthiasiass neck veins bulged with frustration.

Dont act like that. Are you going to ignore all the effort Ive put in and just end things unilaterally?

You promised. That after this last team-up, you wont approach me anymore, she sniffed.

Matthiasias had persistently tried to get on the team with Lilith but was resolutely rejected. Eventually, he had demanded compensation for the gifts and favors he had provided over time and, under the condition that they settle things and cease contact after this, lured Lilith to join him.

You agreed to it because you liked the sound of bringing Victor on board. Didnt you? Did you expect me to get jealous if that masked weirdo said something?

You brought him on your own. I never asked for it.

Ah, damn it all!

Matthiasias shouted, pacing around the cave for a while. After a moment, he closed his eyes tight, then reopened them, calming his agitation.

Ha, Im sorry. I lost my temper for a bit. We should be pulling together now. If we overcome this ordeal together maybe our relationship can get better, I believe.

Only then did Lilith realize shed been deceived. Matthiasias had never intended to cut ties.

I dont want that at all.

Matthiasias rested his hand on her shoulder.

Ignoring her rejection, he continued to speak his piece.

Ill protect you

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