Read The Adventures of a Powerless Mage :: Incoming

Brennan woke up to the morning sun shining into his eyes. He covered the sun with his arm, turning around so that his back was facing the window. Everyone was slowly awakening, either by the sounds of others or by themselves. The tension in the air was high as everyone tidied their blankets and sat down at the center of the room.

"Today's the day, huh." Lawrence said with the most serious face anyone had seen on him before.

"Yup. But before that," Angela looked at Brennan with an intimidating and curious gaze. "What did it feel like awakening an element?" Most people awaken when they are born, so they can't remember what it's like without magic, as well as when you awaken.

"Hm, I don't really think it felt different. I was just suddenly able to use more fire magic. I guess it would be different if it was another element, but since fire is an element everyone already has, it didn't feel different."

Oliver stood up and walked to the bathroom, teeth gritted.

Everyone got their things together and prepared to leave. They all had their own set of armor that their families had bought them. Some, like Jackson, had only bought equipment for this trip. Brennan put his chestplate on and hung the sheaths at his waist. After everyone finished getting ready, they left for the plaza to meet with the others in their group.

There were considerably less people this time, because the teachers and hunters were trying to gather equipment. Everyone split into the grade groups, where they further separated into teams of roommates. They handed out basic food and water supplies to last 2 meals. Other food and water supplies would be gathered in the wild. 2 people in each group were also given first aid kits.

Everyone gathered at a big board at the center of the plaza, where all routes for the expedition were written out. The older students would face the charging stampede, pushing them back. They would then join the lower grade students circling around the stampede and clean up as many of the escaping beasts as possible. At the same time, the teachers and hunters would come and defeat the stronger beasts from the front.

After going over the plans to reinforce that memory in everyone, they ate lunch, double checked all their supplies, and set off. The groups slowly left the city, leaving behind their history and family's, which they may never see again.

The reason why humanity is trapped inside cities and are unable to expand outwards are because they can only live in "safe spaces." Anything outside of these spaces are constantly changing, whether that's the season or biome. One big goal of hunting trips is to identify any unused safe spaces. The limited safe spaces are also why communication between civilizations are less common than within the city. It also makes the term "world famous" very big.

Since Brennan was in the youngest group, they were part of the ones going around the back. The difference between 12th and 9th graders was big enough that the 12th graders on their own could hold off the stampede for everyone else to attack. But naturally, that would not last long, which was why they would switch out once the teachers and hunters were finished preparing.

Because the size of the stampede was so big, circling around would take a long time. They would split up with the other grades and ventured through the varied lands.

The city was surrounded by dirt plains almost as far as the eye could see. In the far distance there was a forest blurred by all the dust in the air. Brennan's groups trudged towards what they could see of the forest, as that was where the stampede was coming from.

Most of the students were not used to traveling in this kind of terrain, as seen by the various incidents that occured throughout all 28 groups. Until recently, after Brennan had started school, the city was surrounded by 3 different biomes. A lush plains, filled with grassy land and greenery, a mountain range, and a swamp. That was why for the past few months, materials like Silver-Horned Bulls, which lived in the plains, and Crying Rodents, which thrived in the swamps, were so easily accessible.

But now, with such an open and dry terrain, the common types of beasts would be different too. As they crossed the fields, they came across a variety of never-before-seen animals. Since they had a mission, they couldn't take anything with them, but Brennan managed to place a few things in his backpack without anyone seeing.

Most of the beasts they encountered were wiped out instantly. Some took a bit longer if they attacked students that were not as good at magic, but overall the trip was simple. After multiple breaks and 2 hours, Brennan's group reached the forest.

They were soon surrounded by straight and tall redwood trees. The rest of the groups slowly entered the forest as well, and they were all encompassed by the sounds of nature. The rippling sound of rivers and chirping of birds. But of course, they were also welcomed by the growling of demonic beasts.