Wood Style And Sharingan

"I believe everyone knows by now that many of our squads were attacked during their missions by the beast tide."

Sun Shuyu stood at the front of the classroom, her voice calm but heavy with grief. Her gaze swept across the class as she began reading the casualty report.

"The worst losses were suffered by Special Team 1—twenty people dead, fifteen seriously injured. Only ten members remain."

She paused, letting the weight of her words sink in.

"Element Team 1 had eighteen deaths, thirteen severely wounded. Only fourteen came back."

"Special Team 3 lost seventeen, with thirteen critically injured. Only fifteen survived..."

As Sun Shuyu continued to list off the names and numbers, a grim silence took hold of the classroom. The air seemed to grow colder with every statistic. No one spoke. No one moved.

The battle between humans and monsters had always been a reality they lived with, a cruel constant of this world. But this was the first time many of them had truly felt it. Death wasn't just a story in a textbook or something seen from a distance.

Now, it had a name. A seat. A face they remembered laughing just the day before.

It was real.

"And this time... our Auxiliary Class lost a total of eleven students."

Sun Shuyu's voice cracked slightly as she said it. The entire class froze.

Eleven.

Smith slowly looked around the room and finally noticed the empty seats. They'd been vacant since the start of class, but it hadn't registered until now.

He had thought they'd just been late.

Now, he knew better.

And when he thought about it logically, it made sense. The auxiliary squad was the weakest in terms of raw strength. If any class were to suffer during an unexpected assault, it would be theirs.

Despite some support abilities having combat value, they couldn't match up to people like Smith, Yan Yue, or the other elites.

Even Smith and his team had barely made it out alive. If not for teamwork, quick thinking, and perhaps a little luck, they might have joined those empty seats as well.

"I know this is cruel," Sun Shuyu said firmly, snapping them back to the present. "But the enemy will not stop and wait for us to grieve. Remember this well—this is an eternal war between humans and monsters. This is a war of life and death!"

Her eyes, sharp and unwavering, bore into them.

"I'm not going to comfort you. I just want you to understand one thing: If you want to survive, you must grow stronger!"

She took a breath and then added, "You have one day to rest. Starting the day after tomorrow, missions will resume!"

With that, Sun Shuyu stepped down from the podium and began walking toward the door. Just before leaving, she turned around and called out:

"Yan Yue, Smith, both of you—come with me."

Smith, who had been whispering to Wei Lin, immediately snapped his head up.

"Oh. Coming."

Yan Yue also rose from her seat and quietly followed after their teacher. Smith quickly jogged to catch up, falling into step beside her.

---

They followed Sun Shuyu down the hallway in silence, each maintaining a one-meter distance behind her.

After a few steps, Smith spoke in a low voice. "Hey, how's your injury? Feeling alright?"

Yan Yue gave a faint smile. "I'm fine now. I recovered about a day earlier than you."

Smith raised his eyebrows in admiration. "The Saint System really is powerful, huh?"

He knew a little about the Holy-type ability Yan Yue possessed. It not only accelerated spiritual energy recovery but could also be used in battle. He still remembered how she had come through in the clutch—twice—during the beast tide. If not for her Holy System abilities, they wouldn't have lasted until reinforcements arrived.

Soon, they reached the fifth floor and stood in front of the principal's office.

"Come in," Sun Shuyu said, pushing the door open.

Smith and Yan Yue stepped inside—and immediately saw two familiar figures.

Principal Wang Daochuan was seated behind his desk. Across from him, sipping tea like he owned the place, was none other than Smith's father, Jiang Lei.

"Dad?" Smith blinked. "What are you doing here?"

Jiang Lei grinned without looking up. "Your principal invited me. Said he wanted to praise you in person."

Wang Daochuan rolled his eyes but said with a chuckle, "Can't I, as the principal, praise my students when they deserve it?"

He shifted to a more serious tone and looked at the two students standing before him.

"Smith, Yan Yue, both of you performed admirably during the recent beast tide. You not only protected your own squad but successfully rescued members of Special Class 3. The college has decided to recognize your contributions."

Yan Yue gave a small bow. "Helping classmates is only natural. It's what we're supposed to do."

Wang Daochuan smiled at her humility. "Even so, your actions went above and beyond. You've proven yourselves worthy of being double S-level students. The college is proud of you."

He then turned to Smith. "I've heard you developed a new Wood-based technique that's usable for both offense and defense. And that you even taught it to your teammate Wei Lin. That's impressive initiative."

Smith straightened slightly and replied modestly, "It was just a bit of good luck."

Jiang Lei put his cup down with a clink and scoffed. "Luck? What nonsense. That's the kind of skill you should be proud of. You're an S-level psychic. Stop selling yourself short."

He looked at Wang Daochuan and added, "Alright, Old Wang, enough small talk. Give them their reward already."

The principal scowled. "I am the principal here, you know. I'm allowed to say a few nice things before handing over the reward."

"Cut the chatter and give it to them."

Sun Shuyu sighed. Watching two of the most powerful psychics in Huaihai City bicker like teenagers was… exhausting.

Smith and Yan Yue exchanged amused glances.

Smith already knew his father was a bit of a character, but he hadn't realized how close he was with the principal.

Finally, Wang Daochuan gave in. "Alright, alright. You win."

He reached into a drawer and pulled out two small, translucent jade-like stones. They sparkled under the light like precious gems.

"Here. One each. Don't say I'm not generous. These are mid-grade spirit stones."

Smith's eyes widened.

Spiritual stones came in four grades: low, mid, high, and top. The higher the grade, the more rare and valuable the stone.

Mid-grade spirit stones were extremely rare. They could be directly absorbed to boost cultivation or used to power weapons and gear—much like demon cores.

For a First-Level psychic, a mid-grade spirit stone could even push them to the next stage of advancement.

And now... the two of them were being handed one each?

"Thank you, Principal!" Smith said immediately, reaching for the stone.

"Hold on," Wang Daochuan said, pulling it back slightly. "Don't thank me just yet. While you did perform well, a single act isn't normally enough to earn something like this."

He placed the stones on the table and continued, "These spirit stones come with a catch. You've been selected for a new assignment."

Smith grimaced. Of course. There had to be a catch.

Yan Yue, however, simply nodded. "Please give us the details, Principal."

Wang Daochuan leaned forward slightly, his voice serious.

"We've noticed something strange about this beast tide. It wasn't natural. It's very likely that some expelled students or traitors were involved in triggering it."

Smith's eyes narrowed. "Sabotage?"

Wang Daochuan nodded. "That's the working theory. Your task is to investigate. Of course, we're not sending you alone. A teacher from the Executive Department will accompany you. Treat it as both a mission and training."

Smith clenched the spirit stone in his hand. It was cold, solid, and humming with power.

He understood now.

This wasn't a reward—it was a tool. A stepping stone for something bigger. And probably more dangerous.

And yet, he wasn't afraid.

He felt ready.

pàtreøn (Gk31)