**Chapter 98: Relentless Rescue**
Upon arriving at the location where the distress signal had been sent, Rest found a trio of upperclassmen from the Magic Department—two males and one female—being attacked by a Horned Bear with jet-black fur. Without waiting for his companions, Rest immediately sprang into action, unleashing a spell aimed at the beast.
“**Wind Cutter!**”
“Gyaaaah!”
The blade of wind sliced across the bear’s face. However, the damage was minimal; its thick fur had absorbed most of the impact. The Horned Bear, previously focused on the female student, turned its attention toward Rest, glaring at him with its glowing red eyes.
“Come at me.”
“GAAAAAAAH!”
Though it likely didn’t comprehend human speech, the Horned Bear charged at Rest. This creature was no ordinary monster; it was among the stronger varieties, far beyond what a student on the brink of graduation should be facing.
(Were they just incredibly unlucky to encounter such a powerful beast, or have the monsters this year been particularly formidable?)
The faculty must have conducted their own investigations, so it was probably the former. Rest pushed aside these thoughts and focused on the battle.
“Gah!”
“**High Accelerator!**”
He dodged the bear’s claw swipe with a burst of speed, circling around to deliver a counterattack.
(This isn’t a monster I can take down with low-level magic. I’ll need to use advanced magic, or perhaps…)
“**Wind Cutter!**”
This time, he cast the same **Wind Cutter** spell, but it was enhanced through a **Quartet** of spells—**Amplification**, **Compression**, and **Acceleration**. The blade of wind, now significantly more powerful, decapitated the Horned Bear from nearly point-blank range.
“Alright, that should do it.”
“GAAAAAAAH!”
Just as Rest celebrated his victory, another Horned Bear emerged from the nearby forest, lunging at his back.
“Watch out!”
The female student shouted in alarm. However, Rest remained calm; there was no time for panic.
“I knew it would happen.”
“Gyan!?”
The bear that had attempted to ambush Rest suddenly collapsed. One of its legs had fallen into a pit he had created using **Earth Control**, throwing it off balance. Rest had been continuously activating **Life Search**, rendering any surprise attack futile.
“**Fireball!**”
He unleashed another spell, enhanced through the same **Quartet**, striking the second Horned Bear squarely on the head. Its upper body exploded, sending the remains flying.
“Well, that should be that.”
With the presence of monsters dissipated, Rest turned to the three students who had been in peril.
“Are you all alright?”
“Y-yes… and you?”
“I’m Rest from the Executive Committee. I saw the distress signal and came to help.”
Upon introducing himself, the trio exchanged surprised glances.
“Um… you’re a first-year, right? To take down that monster all by yourself…”
“Wow, so students in the Executive Committee are really impressive, even if they’re first-years… We couldn’t even handle it as a group of three…”
The three looked somewhat dejected. Rest shrugged off their compliments modestly before casting **Healing Magic** on them. They had sustained a few injuries, but nothing Rest couldn’t handle.
“More importantly… how did you end up being attacked by that monster? There shouldn’t be creatures like that near the entrance of the plains…”
The Subnock Plains were known as a monster-infested area, often referred to as a “demon realm.” The further one ventured into the plains, the stronger the monsters became, while only weaker creatures lingered near the outskirts. The Horned Bear they had just faced was typically found deeper within.
“I don’t know… We didn’t intend to fight such a strong monster, but it just appeared out of nowhere.”
“I thought we were going to die… Thank you so much…”
“Don’t mention it. Now, I need to check on another location…”
“Rest, you bastard…!”
At that moment, Danira finally arrived, followed shortly by another companion, Thomas.
“Damn, you’re fast… Don’t leave us behind…”
“You were the one who suggested a race… Anyway, we need to regroup with Yuglut-senpai quickly…”
Rest halted mid-sentence as he noticed more distress signals rising into the sky. The smoke trails were not just one; two, three, and more were appearing in rapid succession.
“Hey, there are more distress signals…!”
“They keep going up!? From deeper in the plains!”
Danira and Thomas exclaimed in shock. Rest furrowed his brow, staring up at the sky with concern.
“This is clearly not normal. What’s happening…?”
No matter how dangerous the Magic Hunt Festival was, this was an abnormal situation.
“Danira, Thomas. You two stay with these three and escort them back to the entrance of the plains.”
“Wait, you’re not…”
“I’m going to regroup with Yuglut-senpai and seek further instructions… Since I lost the race, you better follow my orders without complaint.”
Rest shot a warning glance at Danira, who looked dissatisfied, before enhancing his physical abilities with magic and sprinting off.