Xeno and the Students

 “This is just in, the famous school in Tokyo, Japan, the Knights Academy, - according to our sources - is now under attack by a Tier-B portal. And the entire Knights Academy became a dungeon! As you may know, Tier-B portals include Tier-C mobs of Xenos and a Tier-B boss. The only way for the portal to be destroyed is when someone defeats the boss from the inside.”

A news reporter sporting a formal vest announced with a microphone clip in her hands. Her hair danced with the wind as dozens of choppers landed on the scene.

“So you’re saying… the students and the professor of the Knights Academy are required to defeat the boss by themselves so they can be freed from the Tier-B portal?”

A concerned citizen asked as he threw the news anchor a sudden question.

Portals were classified by Tiers. The closer they were to the letter A, the stronger the monsters would become. Above Tier-A were the Tier-S, Abomination, and much more. A special tool that could detect magic surrounding the portal was used to gauge what kind of arcane level was circling inside the portal. Although letters had been used to describe the power levels of these shining portals with the help of the equipment, their difficulties remained uncertain. What was worse was that… these portals gave no warnings whenever they appeared. They could take shape anywhere on the planet. And their tiers… shared the same inconsistency with their appearance.

“Since this is a Tier-B portal, nobody from the outside can enter the dimension. We will have to rely on their powers as well as their wits to destroy the portal.”

“What happens when they can’t do it?”

The news reporter looked at the camera and answered, “Then humans are bound to be doomed. The Knights Academy is hailed as one of the strongest breeding grounds for adventurers to fend off these Xenos. If they lost, then… how can we win against those monsters?”

_______________________________

“R-RUN!”

‘W-WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT!?”

“C-CALL ANYONE! M-MY BROTHER’S AN ADVENTURER! HE SHOULD BE HERE SOON!”

A WHOOSHING sound echoed throughout the place as the portal continued spiralling in a clockwise motion. The moment these students gawked at the oval gate, they ran back inside their rooms and shut the door.

But it was too late. Xenos had already governed the place as they clustered themselves and found the students nestled in one place. There were goblins, dire wolves, haunted bats, frenzied rats, and other midgets included on the roster of Xenos, which were all Tier-D monsters. Basically, they were small-fries that even the weakest adventurer can handle. But not me. I could hardly defeat one of them with my own powers.

Moments later, screams of terror filled the hallways. And the students who had just sprinted inside went back whence they had come from, escaping their inevitable doom.

The same happened outside where I could be found. Actually, it was much worse than that. As we stretched our necks and gazed above, a western dragon, which was perfectly described by fantasy movies, appeared out of nowhere.

The beast had ruby scales made of god knows what. It had wings that could cover four trucks, and a body similar to the above-average building. That monster spewed lava-like liquid oozing from its mouth. As the dragon perched above the academy’s main building, a violent battle cry rang the entire school grounds.

Everyone covered their ears, including the Xenos, once they heard the cries of the magical dragon. Within seconds, the gigantic reptile spread its wings, opened its mouth, and released purple flames. If we squinted our eyes, magic circles of some sort covered the dragon’s face, indicating that what it was doing right now was a spell the dragon had activated.

It didn’t take long before the students wandering the park got caught by the flamethrower of the giant lizard. As soon as the flames died out, nothing was left of the students except their ashes kissing the ground. Even the cement melted from the embers the dragon had discharged.

The temperature also rose, evident from the heatwave disrupting our vision. The next thing we knew, a couple of students had already perished from both the dragon on top of the building and the Xenos patrolling the area.

Fortunately, I was found on the opposite side of the dragon. For now, the Xeno cannot see me. But it would be a matter of time before that bastard could sense that a human was still alive, hiding behind its shadow.

The dragon, after killing a few students, feasted for more. It flew above the clouds and eventually landed on its four feet on the ground. Its claws were sharp enough to leave a dent in the soil, marking it with its body. Luckily, it didn’t do anything just yet. This magical beast surveyed the area, as if waiting for something to happen, despite showing off its majestic body and power to the people like us.

“WHAT ARE YOU GUYS WAITING FOR?! THIS IS A PRESTIGIOUS SCHOOL CATERING TO SKILLFUL AND TALENTED PEOPLE LIKE US! WE NEED TO FIGHT IF WE WANT TO SURVIVE! I’M GUESSING THIS IS A TIER-C PORTAL! WE JUST HAVE TO WAIT FOR BACKUP TO ARRIVE AND BUY AS MUCH TIME AS POSSIBLE BEFORE THE ADVENTURERS OR EVEN THE SEVEN BLADES WOULD DEFEAT THESE XENOS!”

Amidst the chaos, one student shook the already anxious scholars. It was the school’s president, Toshiro Ito, the most powerful student of the Knights Academy.

“IF YOU CAN’T DO THIS MUCH, THEN YOU’RE NO BETTER THAN A LIABILITY WITH NO POWERS AT ALL!” As soon as the school president said those words, he met my eyes and broke our gaze.

He knew I was useless in these sorts of situations. Then again, our school president wasn’t wrong either, since I could do nothing but distort a chair less than its normal size.

Then again, the school chose us to be a part of the defence force for the people… it was saddening that the status and prestige the academy had to offer was getting inside their heads… the people they swore to protect were now a “liability” to these assholes.

After the gallant speech, every student seemed to be on board with Toshiro’s idea. Indeed, we were students nitpicked by the academy’s director. Nobody here was enrolled based on “Luck” since each of us had an arcane enough to defeat a Xeno or move forward with a certain research. We… they were the chosen ones that would eventually help the world from the beasts, not me.

Toshiro led the charge as he brought out his sword - not a wooden stick or any of the like. It was a blade sharp enough to cut human flesh like butter. It wasn’t just that. His sword was coated with red flames, hinting that it had a fiery effect every time Toshiro would use his sword against his enemies. He was a fearsome opponent not to be messed with.

I deduced Toshiro had been fighting against Xenos before he could even enrol in this academy, making him the most suitable person to lead us students.

Since Toshiro was an outstanding individual, the student’s terrors slowly lessened. Upon realising we had a chance of winning, the majority of the students fought back and revealed their prized weapons.

“OUR ENEMIES ARE TIER-C XENOS! WE CAN DEFEAT THEM BEFORE BACKUP CAN ARRIVE!”

After Toshiro shouted those words, a deafening war cry covered the school grounds. The next thing we knew, students engaged themselves in battle.

Mixed in our group were archers, swordsmen and women, and other wizards and warlocks. They launched their attacks, feeling confident enough to kill those goblins and whatnot. And they did.

Everyone believed that help would be coming from the outside sooner or later. It should be. Despite the cockiness these students had, they knew their limits. They couldn’t defeat the Tier-B dragon, which was the boss of this place. Seeing that the mobs of monsters that had appeared were only Tier-C strong, the students knew they could handle this much. And the portal would be destroyed soon.

The students who didn’t wish to fight were escorted back to the classroom, behind the ones who could. Nevertheless, it was a one-sided battle. The goblins stood no chance against the student’s magical prowess. Within seconds, the Xenos would either be sliced like garlic on a tray or burned into crisps.

As for me, because I didn’t have any special gifts like the rest of them, the best I could do was…

“Over here! Hurry!”

I waved my hand and led the panicking students far away from the battlefield. But where could that be when every place was infested with Xenos like these?

I checked every room. But alas, the classrooms were filled with goblins and whatnot. It was not a safe place for the students to take shelter, especially with the commotion outside.

Fortunately, Toshiro was quick-witted as he steered the students to a safer place, which was the garage. It became our base. The students who could fight surrounded the isolated site, while the rest of the students unpacked their bags and found whatever nutrients they could share and distribute.

We didn’t know how long we had to wait before the adventurers from the outside could save us… Then again, the tiniest hope we had diminished as time passed by.

As the battle progressed, the students realised the Xenos’ numbers weren’t decreasing at all. And the fatigue had been catching up to them.

“W-When will this end? How long have we been fighting?” asked one student.

As they simultaneously checked for the time, the magicians and fighters noticed the duration of their battle. “T-Two hours?! We’ve been fighting for two hours straight without taking a break!”

“F-FUCK! MY PHONE’S NOT WORKING!?”

“CHECK THE BATTERY, YOU DUMB FUCK! MAYBE YOUR BATTERY DIED!”

“NO! I SWEAR TO GOD I CHARGED THIS A WHILE AGO!”

“MINE’S NOT WORKING TOO! IT SAYS HERE I DON’T HAVE A SIGNAL TO SEND MY MESSAGE!”

“I CAN’T POST THIS ON THE INTERNET!”

“W-What does this mean… we’re trapped here?”

When everyone heard the student’s cries, they began to worry. Cold sweat dripped from their faces as they soon recognised the grave of the situation. This was not fun and games anymore.

Nobody would come to save us.

But that didn’t stop me from focusing on what I could do to lessen the damage. I couldn’t fight or stand on the front line. So the best thing I could do was the little things that the vanguard couldn’t do.

After performing a head count, we noticed some of the students were still missing. This wasn’t everyone. Instead of shuddering in fear, I pulled myself out of the garage and asked for any volunteers.

Unfortunately, not a single soul met my gaze. They too had fear in their eyes, telling me they wouldn’t risk anything for anyone.