Creation - The Path of a God

Chapter 8

Selestra found herself sitting on top of fallen column, enjoying the cool breeze that brushed against her cheek. The scenery of the forest, sky, and ruins brought about a striking image. When she was growing up at her family's home, there would be plenty of artwork on display. She remembered running through her family's garden, hiding behind the statues as she hid from the servants. That kind of upbringing was very insulated, giving her the feeling that everything in the world could someday belong to her. With Selestra's father being a Duke, there was no end to those who tried to curry favors with their family. Princes would visit her home, and dance with her at the various balls. Going to the palace wasn't something unusual for her.

Thinking about these memories also brought up recent memories, where she was almost eaten by a monster. Her wet undergarments reminded her about how frightened she was. Before being eaten, a dashing hero, like those inside fairy tales, appeared and slew the beast. Then, with the power of a god, her hero vanquished the creatures and kissed her passionately. Before that moment, Selestra didn't know she had such a great classmate, the way his eyes seemed to draw her into their bottomless depths. His strong arms that held her dearly, not allowing anything to harm her.

She felt her face heat up, thinking about how his body felt against hers. It was such a perfect image, her being in danger and then being rescued. This pleasant memory also made her remember how arrogant she sounded, as she accused him of being a coward and leading her to show off. If she weren't so arrogant, there would not have been as many deaths as there were. At least four nobles were killed during the event. Thinking about those who were killed, made her realize how close to dying she was. Hunting monsters here wasn't like how it was with her father's guards and adventurers there to protect her.

After Yi had killed the remaining monsters, they had headed back to the junction to meet with the primary force. Yi had carried her in a princess carry, cause her legs were shaking so much from experience. She had tried to walk on her own, but when her legs gave out, Yi had quickly grabbed her, before she hit the ground. Without a word, he lifted her up into his arms and carried her the entire time.

When they returned to the junction, their teacher asked them what they were doing back, so soon. Yi had explained that they encountered thousands of monsters, deep in the tunnel, and how the creatures were stronger than what they were led to believe. This was especially true, considering how magic thrown by her students seemed not to affect them. Ha Yoon had then ordered them to head back to where they camped earlier. Upon returning, they were told to rest while their teacher tried to figure out what they should do. She invited Yi and some of the upper nobility to discuss what they were going to do. Selestra could understand why their teacher looked so distressed about these events. Monsters in these woods were not supposed to be above E-rank. This meant that all of them should have been easily able to kill these monsters. The fact that such high-level monsters were located here meant that something was wrong. With such a large number of monsters inside a nest said that they were breeding faster, and developing their strength. This usually only happened right before an Overflow, which still had several years to occur.

As a kid, Selestra had witnessed what happens during an Overflow. The city that her house ruled had reinforced all entrances and brought in all the farmers that were living outside the city walls. Each city was always prepared for siege or Overflow, so there was sufficient amount of provisions. When all preparations were finished, the sky had looked as if it was drenched in blood. During this time there were waves of monsters that roamed beyond the city walls. If you looked outside of the walls, it appeared as if the city existed in an ocean. City guards had to fight off monsters day and night, never knowing when it would all end. Each Overflow was never the same as the past event, so such an occurrence could last days or months. Eventually, they were able to fend off the creatures and make it to the end of the Overflow.