With the notification from the system, Apollo concluded that he was indeed right. Perhaps when his skill, Oppressor, activated during his intense battle against the two colossal monsters, the holder of the other artifact—the one which the system had been tirelessly trying to locate—amplified the power of the Third Gospel.

    This unknown individual likely copied the current power influencing the battle. That power, as it turned out, was the skill Oppressor itself.

    "To think even skills can be copied by that spell," Apollo mused, paying close attention to the last notification that had flashed before him.

    [Notification Alert!

    The system has detected a group reaching this clearing, and they aren''t the professors!]

    "Now I can feel them as well," he thought, a surge of clarity washing over him. With the stone artifact hidden safely away inside his inventory, he was no longer burdened the same way as before. His senses expanded widely once again, just as Alicia''s did, feeling the approaching presence of the unknown group.

    "It seems that they are going to reveal themselves now," he noted, a mix of anticipation and caution coursing through him.

    "Finally! I was already getting bored burning nothing," Alicia replied, her tone deceptively casual. Yet, there was an underlying menace in her voice—like a hungry predator craving prey. Apollo noticed her cold expression shift, veering towards something more murderous.

    Removing the effects of Oppressor must have allowed Alicia to feel what was happening, and her irritation boiled over at being influenced by something that dulled one''s senses. All her anger was funneled into the torrent of raging flames surrounding her.

    The burning sensation intensified as her will infuse more power into the fire, and Apollo, watching everything unfold, silently prayed he wouldn''t end up angering her in the future.

    The flames encircling them danced according to Alicia''s will, erupting violently through the forest. Suddenly, ten silhouettes broke through the wall of heat, stepping into the clearing.

    However, before the silhouettes could make any significant moves, three figures emerged first, weapons drawn. With a loud bang, a rain of bullets flew through the air. Apollo recognized them instantly—these were the same cloaked figures they had encountered during the time he was sensing the pull from the depths of the forest.

    Apollo couldn''t comprehend why they suddenly opted for firearms when their bodies were built for a fighter. This seemed incredibly out of place for individuals who had shown such prowess before.

    [Creator, my scanners have picked up multiple damaged ki circuits. It seems Miss Alicia broke them during the earlier encounter.]

    Apollo went pale upon hearing Jeremiah''s report. "Alicia damaged a ki circuit?" He was left feeling baffled and terrified at the caliber of skill his classmates possessed.

    A ki circuit is the pathway ki takes while circulating through the body. Once damaged, it could cause immense pain, effectively crippling any fighter or weapon user. For one to damage or destroy someone''s ki circuit requires an extraordinary degree of precision and skill to locate the veins.

    Alicia''s ability made Apollo wonder if she could only damage a mage''s mana vein, or if she could reach even further.

    [Notification Alert! The system has detected that the bullets contain anti-magic properties and damage immunity. Miss Alicia''s flames won''t be able to stop them.]

    Breaking free from the shock, Apollo gathered himself and made his move. "Gravity!" he commanded, this time without specifying how many folds it would increase. He simply commanded gravity to pull all his enemies towards the ground.

    Alicia fell silent, her expression deep in thought. Noticing her intense focus, Apollo immediately asked, "Something wrong?"

    "I think we need to return to the camp now!" Her expression shifted abruptly from cold determination to one of panic, prompting Apollo to teleport with her instantly.

    "What''s going on? I didn''t even sense anything!" He screamed in his mind, then remembered Jeremiah''s existence. "Anything you''ve got in there?"

    [Creator, the wielder of the other artifact has gone missing. I''ve been attempting to locate that person ever since you started attacking. However, after you used gravity, I could no longer pinpoint their location.]

    "And you''re just telling me this now!" Apollo exclaimed, his frustration boiling over.

    [I''ve already marked all the lower-class students, and I can assure you they are safe since I attached the skill Light of Aegis to them. However, I''m not entirely certain about the other students, as I didn''t monitor them closely. I only followed your previous instruction to prioritize your friends above the others.]

    "Right, I did order that." Apollo suddenly felt foolish for not considering the implications of his own commands. He had instructed Jeremiah to prioritize his friends over the other students, so it made sense that he didn''t feel compelled to notify him while Apollo was engaged in battling their enemies.

    "Where did you last spot the wielder of the artifact?" he asked, forcing himself to focus.

    [That person was with the group of priests from the Monastery. I''ve recorded his mana signature, so if I sense him again, I can locate him.]

    "Alright. Let''s hurry!"

    Then they arrived at the camp, but everything appeared deceptively normal.

    "Alicia, nothing seems strange," he said, scanning the area for any signs of disturbance.

    "Some of the students is missing," she replied, rushing towards the professors, her urgency palpable.

    "Jeremiah?" he called out, hoping for answers.

    [Calculating... Creator, there are three missing students from the High class.]

    "What? Those high aristocratic bastards!" Apollo exclaimed, bewildered and infuriated by their reckless behavior.

    "They already knew our situation, and they dared to walk away from the camp!" he added, his voice rising in frustration.

    Apollo''s calm demeanor shattered, overwhelmed by the reckless behavior of the other students. They weren''t helping the situation; they were complicating matters even further, putting everyone at risk.

    "There''s no way I''m looking for them." He decided firmly, intent on leaving Alicia to head straight to his friends.