School Transmigration: I, Chosen as the Saint by Dragons at the Start-Chapter 141 --Shattered Dreams, Awakening to the Truth
Owen had never felt so powerless.
After having tasted the limitless surge of energy, the agony he now faced was akin to the frenzied desperation of an addict stripped of their vice.
It was at this juncture that ominous news arrived.
The pace of the River Crossing Demon’s offspring’s attacks had abruptly intensified.
Initially, it hadn’t exerted its full strength, opting instead for a strategy of delay to wear down the group’s stamina.
It resembled a fisherman, and Owen and his companions were the fish, being reeled in after a vigorous struggle.
Despite its youth, the creature already possessed the instinct of a predator.
Now, Feldin’s slowing spell was proving ineffective against it.
Owen and his team fought with all their might, but two members, one from the Grand Magus Academy and another from Feldin’s squad, were caught off-guard by the River Crossing Demon’s offspring.
One was disemboweled, and the other had half their head gnawed away.
The scene was a massive shock to everyone except Owen.
The reality of the disembowelment was gruesomely vivid; intestines spilled out, and a blood-red liquid sprayed out as if juiced, staining the face of a female student who screamed in terror.
The sight of the man with half his head eaten away was even more horrifying to the onlookers.
Morale plummeted to rock bottom in an instant.
After all, they were students, not soldiers.
Witnessing the death of classmates right before their eyes was profoundly distressing.
Owen spoke in a grave tone, "Mourn now, and soon I’ll be collecting your corpses."
His own vision was blurred; comforting others was beyond him.
Yet, his blunt and straightforward words proved most effective.
The group’s spirits were lifted, and their morale was bolstered.
Indeed, they could not afford to die here.
The speed of the River Crossing Demon’s offspring increased, its form almost leaving afterimages in the air.
Its heavy armor added an aggressive allure to its swift movements.
Owen swung his blade again, deflecting a claw aimed at Willow’s back.
Entering this dreamscape, he was stripped of all possessions, every external aid left behind.
Even [Prophecy], under these circumstances, was rendered useless.
Activating [Prophecy] might inflict severe damage on the River Crossing Demon’s offspring, but it could regenerate.
Aiming for a fatal blow with just an ordinary longsword in hand was an impossibility.
This time, Owen truly found himself in dire straits, surrounded by enemies, alone and unsupported, fighting valiantly yet unable to see a glimmer of hope.
But his spirit remained unyielding, capable of delivering a forceful blow even when exhausted.
Monkey, panting heavily, said, "If any of you make it out, please deliver my years of study notes to my family, and the money I’ve saved..."
His left arm was severed, his right leg injured, making turning difficult.
Just moments before, a Skeletal Golem had pierced him with a spear, creating a gaping wound.
Blood had been flowing for so long that his vision began to blur.
This illusion was all too real.
It seemed like this challenge was insurmountable.
Owen knew Monkey was the eldest son of a minor family, burdened with heavy responsibilities.
Thus, he juggled his studies at the academy with various missions.
Without his family’s burdens, he could have reached farther.
But now, such thoughts were meaningless.
Willow said coldly, "Whatever you want to do, do it yourself."
Owen glanced at Willow and chuckled, "Why interrupt him? We know where he hides his money and the password to access it. Wouldn’t it be nice to split his earnings among us?"
Monkey pouted, muttering, "That’s the money I worked so hard to earn."
After this light-hearted exchange, the subject of last words was dropped.
Laughter broke out among them; the crucible of battle left no time for growth, yet each of them matured rapidly, and their morale was visibly lifted.
Owen spoke in a deliberately casual tone, "Just hold on a little longer. The teachers in the outside world are probably in over their heads by now."
An injured teammate couldn’t help asking, "Can the teachers really help us?"
Such chaos inevitably led to speculation about calamities in the outside world.
"Of course," Brawny confidently murmured, "If worse comes to worst, they’ll dig up the old relics from the academy. We’ll definitely be saved."
Feldin snorted, "After I get out, I’m going to hold the academy accountable."
Admission to one of the top four academies meant one was either wealthy, noble, or a prodigy.
Feldin clearly had an exceptional background.
Owen stated firmly, "Just two more hours. The academy’s teachers will surely provide us with an explanation."
Now, facing an enemy they seemingly couldn’t defeat, they needed one chance, and also—
Some hope.
...
She was immersed in a beautiful dream.
The sky here was so blue, the grass so green, and a cherry tree had just been planted in the yard.
As a viscountess’s daughter, she had the luxury of washing her face with freshly drawn spring water and moisturizing her skin with rose oil mixed with milk.
Her personal maid would comb her hair and tend to her locks, and the greatest trouble in life was but a few harsh words spoken behind her back by a cousin.
When the cherries ripened, bearing bright red fruits, she also reached the age of marriage.
That year, she found a match of equal social standing, and the cherry tree became part of her dowry.
She married a gentle man and led a life of blissful contentment.
And then...
The cherry tree reverted to its newly planted state, and she was once again that girl with bright eyes and white teeth, growing up carefree, getting married, and living happily ever after...
Then it repeated, and repeated, and repeated...
She never felt anything amiss; everything seemed so natural.
Happiness was always the same, wasn’t it? She just needed to immerse herself in it.
Until one day, when she went to pick cherries, she was startled by a smear of blood on a leaf.
Who had accidentally cut their finger?
Then she turned around, only to see her kind and considerate husband lying in a pool of blood, his eyes fixed on her, wide with the terror of his last moments. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂
She covered her eyes and fell to her knees.
From the moment she lowered her hands, the world changed.
Cities fell to enemies, homes were destroyed by war, her family shattered, and loved ones dispersed and lost.
Even the cherry tree didn’t survive; she watched it turn to charcoal in the flames, all for a moment’s warmth in the cold of winter.
The days that followed were dark and filled with sorrow.
She fought with stray dogs for food; to have a place to stay, she shared a bed with a family of three men.
Later, she became a concubine to a merchant who used her as a bargaining chip in his dealings.
One drunken man caused her to lose the child she carried.
She spent her days in tears, seeking solace.
Fortunately, the gods were merciful, blessing her with a lovely child.
Plump and cheerful, never crying, always smiling at her - this child became her everything, revitalizing her life.
Then, red rain began to fall from the sky, stinging her face.
She opened her hands to see them stained with the color of fresh blood.
The child beside her cried and ran away, but out of the darkness, a figure emerged, pushing her into the rain despite the children’s protests, with a cold voice echoing in her heart, commanding, "Wash your eyes well and see what you have brought into this world."
The red rain felt like needles piercing her eyeballs.
She covered her eyes, shaking her head frantically.
When she opened them again, her vision was suddenly clear.
Under the cleansing of the rain, the child’s appearance transformed completely.
The plump and cheerful baby turned into a ghastly figure, emaciated as if it had crawled out from the depths of hell itself.
Such demons, only ever encountered in the deepest of nightmares, were now surrounding her in reality.
They circled her, calling her "mother," sucking her blood, consuming her flesh, each bite piercing her soul with agony.
They burrowed out of her abdomen, devouring one human after another.
Each one cursed her vehemently, every person casting ruthless condemnations.
And she had thought such experiences were sweet?
Was this the reality then? All that she had experienced, was it all false?
A wave of terror overwhelmed her, unbearable, leading her to scream at the top of her lungs.
...
Deep within a mine, there lay a secluded stone chamber with nothing else inside.
On a natural stone platform rested a woman, her eyes shut tight, her expression peaceful.
Yet, tendrils thick as tendons stretched from her limbs and temples, anchoring her to the four corners of the chamber, as if they were originally part of her.
A single tremor from her occasionally caused the entire mine to shudder.
The chamber was exceptionally quiet, the air dry, devoid of any sound.
But in the next second, she suddenly opened her eyes and screamed.
She was awake and instantly understood her predicament.
Her fear, far from subsiding, intensified.
Where was she? Why was her body in such excruciating pain?
She was acutely aware of the abnormalities on her temples and limbs, struggling fiercely against them.
These fleshly tendrils, whose origin from some creature was unknown, were disgustingly sticky.
Fortunately, with effort, she was able to tear them off.
As she pulled at the last three tendrils, she thought she heard a terrifying roar from the depths of the mine.
More horrifying still was her realization that she could understand it.
