The sudden Monster Wave was enough to dampen the festive mood of the Academy.
"The Empire side is holding up well, but the Kingdom side seems to be struggling more than expected."
"They're facing an estimated 10,000 spirit creatures and monsters, so it's understandable. That's a staggering number, isn't it?"
"But are they really spirit creatures? Haven't they been absent for the past thousand years?"
"Not quite a thousand years. After King Colomo fell to the first Emperor, the remaining spirit creatures were hunted down over the course of a hundred years."
"That's not what I meant."
Students talked about the war whenever they met.
"I heard we might be sent to the battlefield."
"What are you talking about? Why would we?"
"It's just something I heard—they're considering deploying some students to the battlefield for practical experience."
Perhaps because many came from influential families, the rumors passed from mouth to mouth were quite accurate.
