The Villain Professor's Second Chance

Chapter 173: We Need to Save Them!

"Okay," Amberine began, her voice trembling slightly, though she quickly regained her composure. "Draven said we need to make a safe place. And if he says the safest place is his office, then that's where we need to stay."

Elara, her expression as cold and distant as ever, nodded curtly. "It's logical. This office is probably the most fortified place in the tower."

Maris, ever calm and steady, surveyed the room with a critical eye. "We should secure the area before doing anything else. Make sure we're truly safe here."

Ramia, still visibly shaken and clutching her arms as if trying to hold herself together, managed a weak nod. "Right… secure… okay."

Amberine, trying to lighten the mood despite the gravity of the situation, offered a small smile. "Don't worry, Ramia. We'll be fine. We just need to stick to the plan."

Elara, however, wasn't ready to relax just yet. Something was nagging at the back of her mind, something Draven had mentioned during one of his lectures. She frowned, tapping her fingers against her arm as she tried to recall the details.

"There's something we're forgetting," Elara said, her voice cutting through the brief silence. "Draven mentioned a specific procedure for emergencies like this. Something about turning on a certain magic crystal."

Amberine blinked, turning her attention to Elara. "A magic crystal? You mean besides the one we just used?"

Elara nodded slowly. "Yes. He said it was supposed to be turned on in emergencies to activate certain defenses or… protections, I think."

Amberine's eyes lit up as she remembered something. "Wait a minute… is it this one?" She reached into her robe and pulled out a small, unassuming crystal that had been sitting on the professor's desk beside his notes. Without waiting for confirmation, she pressed her thumb against it.

The effect was immediate and startling. The room, which had been filled with various magical items, artifacts, and books just moments before, suddenly seemed to shimmer as if caught in a heatwave. Then, in the blink of an eye, everything of value—every artifact, every magical item, every scrap of enchanted paper—vanished without a trace.

Even the magic crystal Amberine had used to contact Draven disappeared from her grasp.

Amberine stared at the now-bare room in shock, her mouth hanging open. "What… what just happened?" she demanded, her voice rising in pitch. "Did I just make everything disappear?"

Elara's gaze was as cold as ice as she looked around the now-empty office. "It seems you activated a failsafe mechanism. One designed to prevent anything valuable from being stolen."

Amberine's shock quickly turned into outrage. "A failsafe?! Does Draven really think we're thieves? Even in a situation like this?!"

Maris, ever the voice of reason, placed a calming hand on Amberine's shoulder. "It's not about us, Amberine. Draven likely set this up to protect his possessions from anyone who might take advantage of the chaos. Considering how much his items are worth, it's only natural."

Amberine huffed, crossing her arms as she tried to cool her temper. "How much could they possibly be worth? We're in the middle of a dungeonified tower; who's thinking about stealing right now?"

Maris hesitated for a moment before answering. "As far as I know, each of Draven's artifacts is worth at least a million elnes."

Amberine's jaw dropped, her eyes widening in disbelief. "A million?! For one item?!"

Maris nodded, her expression calm but serious. "He doesn't collect just anything, Amberine. Each of his items is rare and powerful, and most are irreplaceable. It makes sense that he'd have a mechanism in place to protect them."

Amberine groaned, rubbing her temples in frustration. "I wasn't trying to steal anything… I just thought it was part of the emergency protocol!"

Elara, who had been silently observing Amberine's reaction, allowed herself a small smirk. "It's people like you who made him implement that kind of failsafe."

Amberine glared at her, but she knew Elara had a point. Still, it didn't make the situation any less irritating. "Well, now what? We've just lost our best chance of defending ourselves with those artifacts."

Elara's smirk faded, and she turned back to the now-empty room. "It's done. We can't change it. We need to focus on what we can do now."

Maris nodded in agreement. "We should consider evacuating the people on this floor. There's a chance they're still alive, and if we can get them to safety, they could help us."

Amberine sighed, her frustration slowly ebbing away as she considered Maris's suggestion. "Right. You're right. We can't stay here and wait for Draven to rescue us. We have to help ourselves and anyone else we can find."

Elara's expression turned serious, her gaze narrowing as she assessed their options. "The Magic Combat Club's training area should be on this floor, near the corner of the tower. If anyone's still alive and capable of fighting, they'll be there."

Amberine nodded, the fire in her eyes reigniting. "Then let's go. We'll evacuate them and bring them here. If Draven does show up, we'll need all the help we can get."

Ramia, still visibly shaken, managed to stand a little straighter. "I… I'll do my best to help."

Elara shot her a glance, her expression softening ever so slightly. "Just don't get in the way."

With their plan set, the group made their way out of Draven's office and into the darkened corridor. The air felt thicker here, more oppressive, as if the very atmosphere was trying to suffocate them. The torches along the walls flickered weakly, casting long, wavering shadows that danced eerily in the gloom.

As they moved, Amberine took point, her hands glowing faintly with Ifrit's fire, ready to strike at a moment's notice. Elara followed close behind, her gaze sharp and alert, while Maris took up the rear, her calm demeanor helping to keep Ramia from spiraling into panic again.

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They navigated the twisting corridors with a sense of urgency, knowing that every second they spent in this cursed place was another second closer to danger. The sounds of distant battles and the occasional monstrous roar echoed through the halls, a constant reminder of the peril that surrounded them.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, they reached the door to the Magic Combat Club's training area. The heavy wooden door was partially ajar, the faint sound of movement coming from within. Amberine motioned for the group to stay back as she cautiously approached the door, peeking inside.

What she saw made her heart skip a beat. Inside the training area, a group of students, battered and bruised but still standing, were engaged in a desperate battle against a horde of twisted creatures. The students fought with everything they had—magic, swords, and whatever else they could use—but they were clearly outnumbered and outmatched.

Amberine could feel the heat of Ifrit's presence stirring within her robe, a warm pulse that contrasted sharply with the chill of the dungeonified tower. His voice, a low, urgent rumble, echoed in her mind, "Amberine, they need our help—now!"

There was no hesitation, no time to think. Amberine's instincts kicked in, her body moving before her mind could fully catch up. She surged forward, her hands already beginning to glow with the familiar warmth of Ifrit's fire. The flames licked at her fingers, hungry and eager for release.

"Elara, Maris—move!" she shouted, her voice carrying over the distant sounds of battle from inside the training area.

Without waiting for a response, Amberine pushed the door open with her shoulder and charged into the room, her heart pounding in her chest. The sight that greeted her was chaotic: students—her peers—were fighting for their lives against a horde of twisted, nightmarish creatures that seemed to ooze out of the very walls.

The monsters were grotesque, their forms barely recognizable as anything that might have once been human or animal. Some had the elongated limbs of spiders, others the warped bodies of wolves, but all shared the same sickly green glow in their eyes and the dark, corrupted aura that seeped from their skin.

Amberine's mind raced as she assessed the situation, her training kicking in. The creatures were fast, moving with an unnatural agility that made them difficult targets. But they were also uncoordinated, driven by a mindless hunger rather than any tactical awareness. Amberine knew that their only advantage was to strike quickly and decisively before the creatures could overwhelm them.

The voice of the cold and ruthless professor Draven rung out inside her.

"I know, I know. You really won't shut up aren't you,"