School Transmigration: I, Chosen as the Saint by Dragons at the Start-Chapter 135 --Death and Alliance

Jonathan’s face took on an unpleasant expression: "What happened to the rest of your team?"

Feldin’s face was grave, and he remained silent.

A team member sobbed from behind him, "They’re dead, truly dead. We couldn’t even retrieve their bodies."

A chill went through the group.

"For some reason, our souls were all sucked into an illusion.

If you die in that illusion, you’re truly dead," Feldin said, his voice low and lips barely moving, the shock evident on his face.

"You probably haven’t heard this news yet; it was bought with the life of my brother."

His face was stricken, lips turned white, clearly deeply traumatized.

Jonathan let out a deep sigh, "We’ve known about it for a while."

Owen spoke up, "Now’s not the time for reminiscing. Tell us about the teams you’ve encountered."

Feldin glanced at Owen, realizing that the trial had taken a deadly turn and that survival now depended on banding together.

"We encountered a Skeletal Golem Legion, quite formidable."

Monkey thought he had misheard, "What did you say?"

"Creatures made of bones and rocks, seemingly endless in number," Feldin said, his gaze flitting around nervously, still haunted by the encounter with the Skeletal Golem Legion.

"They also have ranged units capable of using arcanergy, bows and arrows, making them nearly impossible to defend against in the narrow passages."

Owen asked again, "So, you’ve only passed through this corridor and haven’t been elsewhere?"

"We entered a stone cave, much larger than this one, symmetrical in shape, with a spiraling passage on both sides," Feldin explained, now seeing no point in withholding information from the group.

Surviving was the only thing that mattered.

"The Skeletal Golem emerged from there. We fought wave after wave, but there seemed to be no end. We had no choice but to retreat. It’s during such retreats that disasters strike. We lost four people in the process, and it was then we realized something was wrong with our souls. As we were reeling from the confusion, a River Crossing Demon appeared and killed two more of us."

The ordeal sounded like a nightmare.

The four survivors were still visibly shaken, Feldin’s voice trembling as he spoke.

Especially upon realizing something was amiss with their souls, he felt his mind nearly implode with one haunting question, "Why? What exactly is happening outside?"

Owen pressed on, "What was the River Crossing Demon’s special ability?"

"We don’t know," Feldin shook his head, his teammates exchanging bewildered looks, clearly at a loss.

Willow was unsparing, "You lost six people and didn’t manage to discern its movements?"

"It was too fast, beyond the catch of the naked eye," Feldin admitted his oversight.

"All I know is that Skeletal Golems would cling to it, forming a solid armor that could even resist arcanergy.

And yes, it seemed to only excel in combat techniques, having no understanding of arcanergy at all."

He watched helplessly as the monster dragged his teammates into the stone walls, the taste of powerlessness bitter in his mouth.

A deep sorrow lingered in his heart.

Owen questioned, "If it had the upper hand, why did it leave you behind? Pursuing you seems like the logical move."

"Initially, the Skeletal Golems surged towards us like a tide, intent on wiping us out," Feldin looked up slightly, his face etched with confusion.

"But then, just as suddenly, they receded, granting us a moment to breathe. As for the reason, I’m as clueless as you are."

Owen and the others exchanged glances, wondering if their turmoil within the stomach had caused the Skeletal Golems to withdraw for defense.

Jonathan speculated, "The teachers in the outside world must have noticed something by now. It’s likely that instructors from all four academies are mobilizing, so we need to buy some time."

Owen, however, was brimming with a combative spirit, intriguingly suggesting, "Or, we could kill all the River Crossing Demon spawns, and that might allow us to get out as well."

He showed no concern for his own safety, believing that flirting with death’s edge was the way to foster rapid growth.

The group stiffly turned their heads towards Owen, their expressions clearly conveying, "Don’t drag us into your death wish."

Owen, somewhat sheepishly, touched his nose and coughed, "Actually, this flesh fortress is meant to simulate a human body..."

He shifted the conversation, sharing everything they had encountered along the way.

Upon hearing "simulate a human body," a complex look crossed Feldin’s face.

"Then, the place we were just in... was it the bladder, or the ovaries..." mumbled a teammate from behind Feldin.

Feldin quickly raised his hand, saying, "Shut it. We’re joining Jonathan’s team now. Only through sincere cooperation do we have a shot at the only way out."

Jonathan, not to be outdone, declared loudly, "It would be best if we could rendezvous with the other teams. There’s truth in the old saying, ’strength in numbers.’"

"Indeed," Feldin agreed wholeheartedly.

Willow suddenly activated her arcanergy, tossing a light green, seed-like object onto Feldin and his group.

After waiting three to four seconds, the seeds remained unchanged in color.

"They’re our own," Willow said, looking towards Jonathan.

These magic seeds were a simple means to detect illusions or curses; if they encountered arcanergy different from the original, they would change color.

Willow was testing whether they were under the influence of dark magic.

Feldin rubbed his wrists, finally allowing himself a moment of relief.

With more people, the chances of survival increased: "Let’s move. I see your team is still intact."

He glanced at Bryce, noting just a minor injury on one of the team members.

"Lucky, not having encountered any tough opponents. From your description, it seems you faced the strongest of the lot, with a high difficulty level," Jonathan pointed to the wall.

"Beyond this wall is the flesh fortress’s stomach, the main battleground of the River Crossing Demon spawn. That thing spits acid, heals wounds at an alarming speed, but isn’t too bright. It tried to push us into the pool, but Owen managed to turn the tables."

"And then?" Feldin inquired.

"Killed it, what else? Were we supposed to keep it around and invite trouble?"

Seeing the sorry state of Feldin’s team, Jonathan felt a bit better.

The two parties exchanged information, then took a moment to organize their gear.

Since they couldn’t bring their own equipment, they relied on what they had in their patrol packs.

With glow worms in hand, they proceeded forward, hoping to rendezvous with the third and fourth teams.

Willow tugged at Brawny’s sleeve, whispering, "I’ve got this feeling we’re being watched, gives me the chills."

Women’s intuition is often sharper than men’s.

Brawny tightened his grip on his axe, "From the front or back?"

"Unclear, it appears sporadically, then vanishes," Willow scanned their surroundings, "Now it feels like it’s behind us."

Owen’s keenness didn’t stem from intuition but from the exceptional strength of his soul, enhanced by the essence of a stellar blessing, which acted directly upon his spirit.

He stated confidently, "We’re being targeted. These creatures move through the rock walls with ease. Guess who they’ll attack first?"

Feldin, looking stunned, said, "The rope always breaks at its weakest point."

Hearing this, everyone turned to look at Bryce, who was bandaged up like a mummy, with only one eye visible.

Realizing everyone’s gaze was on him, he halted abruptly, a clear sign of vulnerability.

A pair of claws emerged from the ground, grabbing his ankle and yanking him downwards with force.

As Bryce screamed, the ground beneath him seemed to soften like a marsh, swallowing half his body with a single claw’s pull.

Before his cry fully escaped, Owen had already acted, plunging his knife down towards Bryce’s foot.

The blade entered smoothly, as if a hot knife through butter, meeting no resistance.

The monster, taken aback like a fish biting a hook, exhibited terrifying strength.

In the blink of an eye, Owen alternated his strikes, slashing once on each side of Bryce’s leg.

When he lifted his blade, its tip was covered in green blood—a sure hit.

Feldin’s eyes widened in surprise, taken aback that a student from a magus academy could possess such high-level combat technique skills.

In these circumstances, combat techniques proved to be the most effective means of confronting the enemy.

Bryce managed to pull his leg free, though two of his toes remained embedded in the ground.

As the creature retreated, the ground solidified once more.

Owen, seeing the task through, used his knife to dig out Bryce’s toes.

Onlookers saw a ghostly claw clinging to Bryce’s ankle, broken off at the wrist, dripping green blood.

This sudden attack left him shocked and unsettled, but he had no time to catch his breath.

Shadows churned ahead, as multiple figures charged towards them, their footsteps in unison, the clatter of their scale armor audible.

Seeing one’s enemy brought a surge of animosity.

Feldin’s cheeks puffed out in anger as he roared, "Skeletal Golems, it’s these bastards."

Finally, Owen came face to face with the so-called Skeletal Golems.

They resembled dolls crafted from bone and mud, varying in size and shape, their exteriors uneven like stone, with sinister white bones protruding in places.

Their main bodies were not entirely human.