The counselor shot them a tired, annoyed look before sighing.
"If you all want to fight so badly, then I'll give you a real taste of it."
A wicked smirk tugged at her lips, a devious plan already forming.
"We're skipping counseling—and going straight to discipline."
At her words, the ground beneath them glowed, revealing a massive rune inscribed with symbols of space and destination.
With a snap of her fingers, the rune activated—and in a flash, the entire group was teleported deep into a dense forest, far from civilization.
"Welcome to the Forest of Trials," she said, crossing her arms with a wicked gleam in her eyes.
"And trust me... you won't miss this place."
The counselor flashed a sweet—yet somehow terrifying—smile.
Silas let out a breathless laugh, wondering why someone like her was ever hired as a guidance counselor.
"Are you even allowed to do this?" Silas asked, raising his arms in mock surrender.
The counselor just laughed, then snapped her fingers again—vanishing without another word.
Well…
That's definitely not an appropriate answer to a student's question.
Before Silas could fully process what was happening, Dwayne and the other delinquents sprang into action.
Walls of fire rose into the air, earthen barricades shot from the ground, and holes were dug like traps. They were fortifying their position like their lives depended on it.
"What the hell are you all—" Silas started, but was immediately cut off.
"Goddamn witch!" someone cursed.
"Ugh! I'm gonna starve out here again!" another shouted, frantically carving defensive trenches with earth magic.
Silas stared in disbelief, a bead of sweat trickling down his cheek.
...It doesn't take a genius to figure out what's happening.
This isn't just survival. It's a full-blown tower defense.
Except instead of a base... we're defending ourselves.
A sudden wave of bloodlust washed over him. Silas spun around, instinctively slipping into a martial arts stance.
"This definitely doesn't comply with child protection laws!" he laughed nervously—just as dozens of red eyes blinked open in the shadows of the trees.
Wolves.
A whole pack of them, bounding straight toward the students.
Silas gritted his teeth.
Hand-to-hand combat wasn't going to cut it.
Just then, a glowing system panel popped up:
[Tip: Yell a rune aloud to activate it!]
Silas laughed in relief.
"Well, thank god for that!"
Without hesitation, he shouted:
"Combustion Rune!"
Mana surged into his palm, swirling the air into a tight, glowing sphere.
"Get inside the defenses, idiot!" Dwayne barked from behind him. "I might hate you, but none of us want a body count!"
Silas grinned wide.
Ah, there it is—the classic tough guy who's secretly a softie.
"I'm fine!" Silas yelled back, his eyes flashing white at the center once again.
"I just wanna test something out!"
He spread his palms wide, feeling a rush of giddy excitement.
Time to give my moves some cool names...!
"Twin Dynamite!"
With a roar, two blasts of compressed air shot from his hands, kicking him backward from the sheer force.
The twin projectiles slammed into a charging wolf's chest—exploding with a thunderous crack.
The beast was obliterated instantly.
[50 EXP]
Silas stared at the floating notification, then burst out laughing.
"Now that's what I call a blessing in disguise!"
This wasn't a death trap at all.
It was the perfect grinding zone.
A student's voice rang out from behind him.
"Holy crap! That's combustion magic!"
Silas just laughed it off, turning his focus back to the wolves closing in—now only a few feet away.
One lunged.
Silas moved faster, ducking low and letting the wolf sail over him.
Another came at him from the side, but he weaved past it effortlessly, his body fluid and fast.
"Fire Rune!"
He shouted the spell, and the swirling air sphere in his palm instantly ignited into blazing flames.
Another wolf lunged—but Silas was ready.
"Flash Fire!"
Grinning wildly, he stretched his arms wide, brushing his hands along the wolf's flanks as it flew past.
In the same instant, he fired a concentrated blast of flames from his palms—blowing a hole straight through the wolf's chest.
[50 EXP]
Silas whooped in excitement.
"Now this is living!"
His eyes gleamed with bloodlust—the eyes of a true assassin unleashed.
In the background, Dwayne stared at the scene, disbelief etched across his face—then a slow smile tugged at his lips.
"Maybe... we won't suffer out here after all," Dwayne muttered, flames blooming in his fists once more.
"We're going in!"
Without waiting for a reply, he launched himself forward, using bursts of fire from his palms to propel through the air like a human rocket straight toward Silas.
"Agghh, fine!" another student shouted, exasperated. He slammed his hands against the ground—and pillars of stone erupted around Silas, forming moving shields that kept pace with him.
Silas laughed, utterly delighted.
Now this is what I call teamwork.