Wings of Despair [2]

As both gazed at the nightmarish behemoth, Lucas's heart kept beating loudly against his chest.

After an entire minute of watching the colossal insect, Lucas finally snapped out of his daze as a bitter laugh escaped his mouth.

He was actually feeling nervous...

Hearing the laugh next to her, Sylviette also snapped out of it and looked at Lucas with worry.

"I have been trying to find the three great calamities for days, and the one day I decide not to search for them, one instead finds me..."

Lucas said as he gazed at the creature, which, with its massive, jagged legs ending in razor-sharp claws, dug into the crumbling concrete, causing the structure to groan under its immense weight.

"I am starting to see how this city fell..."

Sylviette spoke as she gazed back at the colossal moth as well.

'I was confident in fighting the three calamities before, but now... That thing is at least a B-ranked beast.'

The difference from C-rank to B-rank is immense, to the point that B-ranked dungeons are most of the time only allowed to be entered if you are at least a grandmaster and have the approval of the human government in the human domain.

Lucas was confident he could fight a B-ranked beast, even though he had never done it before or seen one. But seeing the stark difference now, he had to reconsider his remark about defeating the three calamities at the beginning of the exam.

'No... I can win by myself, but only if I don't limit myself against the thing. Though that would mean revealing too much to the public.'

As both were lost deeply in their own thoughts, they suddenly heard a bewildered voice behind them.

"What..."

Turning around, they could see Amaya, Leonne, Klaus, and the others on the rooftop with their weapons out, looking towards one of the calamities. Most could be seen trembling, their bodies shaking as their faces became pale.

Just a glance at it was enough for everyone to know that it is incredibly dangerous and harrowing to fight the grotesque creature. Even if they worked together, most wouldn't be able to survive the battle...

"So what is the plan to kill it?"

Suddenly, everyone heard a voice and snapped their heads towards it. The one who asked the question was none other than Leonne Velheim himself.

He didn't look pale or scared at all, watching the moth with his usual stoic face. Amaya could be seen shaking her head as if she was used to this...

"Y-you are crazy! Don't you see that thing? How are we supposed to fight something like that?"

Someone decided to voice out the thoughts of many present who were starting to despair.

"Yeah... I mean, come on, just how are we supposed to defeat that... and there are two more after."

"It's impossible to pass this exam..."

"Wait... do we really need to kill the calamities to pass? I mean, it did say that we should also survive and there is a time limit."

"Yeah, and didn't the teacher say that we would only fail if we die?"

"...No way, so if we just survive until the time limit ends, we can pass?"

As the realization hit them, they all started quietly arguing about leaving the three calamities and just surviving until the time ends.

Klaus, seeing all of this, decided to calmly intervene under the amused gaze of Lucas and Sylviette, who was annoyed yet hid it.

"Guys, I know this situation doesn't seem ideal, but we shouldn't run away from our problems."

'This guy...'

Everyone suddenly became quiet as they looked towards the hero who started calmly looking towards the behemoth with fiery determination in his eyes as he continued.

"We are here to become heroes, all of us. The whole point of becoming a hero is to protect the innocent. How can we do that if we start running away like cowards whenever we face a despairing situation?"

The hero spoke with such conviction, managing to actually change the opinions of quite a few surprisingly.

'I really feel like punching the guy...'

Though not everyone was convinced, another managed to speak up against the hero after resolving himself.

"T-that doesn't mean anything if we are guaranteed to fail this exam if we choose to fight that thing! Sure, what you say might be right, but we aren't as strong as you are currently!

The only way for some of us to become heroes is if we can enter the academy! I don't know about you guys, but I am leaving. There is no way I am giving up my future for some words of yours."

The boy said as he was starting to head out of there.

"Wait-"

Before Klaus could catch up to him and try to convince him, Lucas spoke for the first time, making everyone present freeze and turn to look at him.

"Let him go."

"What?" Klaus questioned, confused at what Lucas just told him.

"I said let him go. In fact, everyone here who wants to leave, just leave. The speculations you guys have about the three calamities not being needed to kill to pass the exams are probably true. No, I am certain it is true. But do remember that every action of ours is monitored; perhaps you might still pass though..."

"So for anyone who wants to leave, now is your chance, since I will be engaging in combat soon with the behemoth."

As Lucas calmly spoke, many were hesitating and deeply pondering what their next action should be.

"Do you have a plan to fight it? It is just sitting there, gazing at some random spot. Perhaps we could take it by surprise?" Leonne asked with his stoic face, as he intended to stay and fight the behemoth as well.

"I don't have a plan, since it is pointless because it isn't just sitting there doing nothing. It has been observing our every action since the very beginning and listening to what we are saying, though I doubt it understands what we are saying."

As they listened to his words, almost everyone here felt a chill run down their spine.

They were being observed...

Even though, as they glanced at the behemoth that wasn't looking at them with its dark red bulging eyes, they suddenly felt a wave of despair hit them.

They suddenly felt like they were being watched.

"N-no way... doesn't that mean that we can't even run away now?" Someone decided to ask Lucas as she was extremely pale.

"I don't know,"

Lucas said as he shook his head a little.

"But what I do know is that it is currently extremely interested in us—or better said, in me and the other champions here. It probably sensed the quality of our mana and thinks we are delicious food for it. So maybe you might have some luck as it deems you insignificant trash," Lucas remarked, his tone carrying an edge of grim humor.

The girl who asked the question wasn't offended in the slightest by Lucas's remark. Instead, she felt relief at hearing his words. In a way, they were quite reassuring to her and the others who wanted to get away from here.

"How is it observing us, though? I don't see its gross eyes watching us at all, but I still feel like it is watching us at the same time... It is strange," Amaya spoke up, voicing the unsettling feeling that had been gnawing at her.

"I'm not sure... but it probably has to do with those two antennae, I think? I'm not a genius when it comes to insects,"

Lucas replied, his own confusion evident. However, being a half-dragon and more experienced than the rest, he could easily tell that they were being intensely observed since the moment the behemoth landed.

The Shroud of Despair's antennae moved with a life of their own, undulating and twitching in the air. These sensory appendages were more than just physical extensions—they were the creature's primary means of perceiving its surroundings. They could detect the faintest traces of mana, the subtle shifts in the air, and the quiet whispers. Even without its eyes looking at them, the moth could 'see' them.

Every slight movement, every whisper, and every heartbeat within its vicinity was registered by the antennae, allowing it to observe them with an unnerving precision. This method of perception made the creature even more terrifying, as it didn't need to rely on sight to track its prey. It was an all-seeing harbinger of despair, its focus unwavering and its hunger insatiable.

'We shouldn't waste too much time and let it attack us first...'

"Okay, time is up."

Lucas suddenly spoke coldly again, making most straighten their backs as they heard his words.

"It probably won't sit there watching us calmly forever; it may attack us now at any moment, so I recommend for those who want to flee to do it now and fast before it is too late."