NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 150: How could it be him?
"Sorry, excuse me. We are in a hurry." Ethan politely said and tried to walk around but the next second, the tall guy grabbed his wrist tightly. "I said you cannot leave."
Ethan's expression darkened.
He was already tired, his mana reserves were running low, and this little dungeon marathon had drained most of his patience. The last thing he needed was some academy brat acting like he owned the place.
The grip on his wrist was firm—too firm. This guy wasn't just any random student.
Ethan's eyes flicked up, taking in the guy's uniform—high-quality enchanted fabric, a crest embroidered in gold, and an air of entitlement thick enough to suffocate a dragon. Definitely some noble from one of the prestigious academies.
Great.
Just what he needed.
Ethan exhaled through his nose, keeping his voice calm and measured. "You're going to let go now."
The noble sneered. He ignored Ethan and looked towards his friend standing at the center of the grand hall. "Did it change?" He shouted.
Ethan was confused. "Did what change? Excuse me. I did not do anything. We need to get back to the academy. The professor asked us to bring something to him." He tried to throw out some excuse and get the hell out of there.
But the damned guy was still gripping him very tightly. From the looks of it, he was already in E-rank and their stats were comparable because he couldn't simply break free without making a scene.
Ethan clenched his jaw. His patience was already razor-thin, but now this was getting outright annoying. He also did not like the way how many heads were turned towards them. He noticed that the crowd inside the grand hall had become bigger and the place had become a lot busier since that morning.
Was something going on? Then suddenly Ethan noticed a big red flag. A few middle-aged men were standing in the crowd watching the commotion unfold with sharp, analytical eyes.
They weren't dressed like students. Their robes bore the insignia of different academies, and the sheer authority in their stance sent a clear message. These were teachers, possibly even slayers.
Ethan's pulse quickened.
Why were academy officials suddenly present in such large numbers? This wasn't normal. He hadn't seen any in the hall when they first arrived.
But now? There were at least half a dozen, all stationed around the dungeon portals, observing everyone with keen interest.
Something had changed. He could feel it. Something was wrong. His instincts screamed at him. It was time to leave. There was no point in risking things any longer.
The noble gripping his wrist hadn't noticed the shift in Ethan's expression. He was still focused on his companion at the Dungeon Records Board. "Well? Anything yet?" he demanded.
His friend checked the massive stone display, frowning. "No changes." But the next moment his eyes widened like saucers. "Wait! Wait! It is happening. There is a new dungeon record! Fucking shit! There is a new dungeon record!"
A hush fell over the crowd. Then, chaos. The once murmuring students erupted into an uproar as soon as the words left the student's mouth.
A new record.
The Dungeon Records Board, a massive stone slab standing tall in the heart of the Grand Hall, shimmered with golden light as fresh text burned itself onto its surface.
[Blue Portal Dungeon – Cloudborn Menace]
Fastest Clear Time: 41 Minutes
Previous Record Holder: Garnet Academy Raid Team – 1 Hour 09 Minutes
Current Record Holder: Unknown (Solo Clear)
A wave of shock rippled through the gathered students. Solo clear. Again.
Ethan felt his stomach drop. His brain instantly connected the dots. Perhaps because he was already worried something was off, he could immediately see what was going on. This damned place had some sort of records and his fast clears probably triggered some of it.
This was bad. This was more than bad. He was trying to not look suspicious but he had now hit the motherlode of red flags. There was no way they were now going to let him go without questioning him.
Even if the smallest spotlight fell on him then his class and secrets about Luna would be revealed. This was not going to end well and he did not want to get his on the back of his head once again to end up unconscious and at someone else's mercy. Twice was more than enough for him to learn his lesson.
Ethan's mind spun. There was the old hag's token he could use to return but activating that would take time. It took a total of 5 minutes to activate. 5 minutes that he did not have at the moment. As soon as he began activating the token everyone would know and his jig would be up.
Ethan's eyes then fell on the portal nearest to him. This was it. He needed the run and there was a 50-50 chance that he would be able to activate the token even from within. "Fuck. Fuck. Fuck." He cursed. He would have liked to have more than a 50-50 chance.
Who would have thought that there was a freaking record of dungeon clear times? Who would have thought he would make the record time when he was not even trying?!
Ethan forced himself to calm down. The annoying guy in front of him was shouting and more and more people were gathering. It looked like a couple of teachers were now paying attention to their group.
He shot a quick glance at Lia and Luna. Lia seemed to sense his urgency, while Luna stared around with wide eyes, clearly sensing the tension even if she didn't understand it.
The noble still held Ethan's wrist in an iron grip, his expression arrogant and dismissive. "You're going nowhere until we're done here. You're hiding something. How could it be him? You cannot solo clear these dungeons. You are clearly weak and stupid."
Ethan exhaled slowly, trying to suppress the surging anger and fear threatening to bubble over. He met the noble's gaze steadily, his voice low and firm. "I'm not going to warn you again. Let go."
Instead of complying, the noble tightened his grip, clearly confident Ethan wouldn't dare retaliate in public. "Or what, you'll—"
He never finished that sentence.
Ethan moved without hesitation. In a quick, sharp motion, he twisted his wrist inwards and drove his elbow directly into the noble's ribs. It wasn't elegant, it wasn't graceful, it was raw and brutal, fueled by desperation.
The noble grunted in surprise and pain, his grip loosening instantly. Ethan tore his wrist free.
The sudden violence stunned the nearby students into silence. Heads turned sharply toward Ethan, shock evident on their faces. Teachers' gazes narrowed, and Ethan felt a fresh wave of panic rising in him. He had mere seconds.
"Luna, Lia, now!" He didn't wait to see if they'd follow, he knew they would.
He lunged toward the nearest dungeon portal, practically dragging the two with him. Behind him, shouts erupted. Someone screamed for him to stop, but he wasn't about to risk turning back.
The portal was right there, shimmering with inviting blue energy, and Ethan dove in without hesitation, bringing the two along with him.
As soon as they stepped in, he did not even bother looking around. The first thing he did was check his teleportation token. He willed it to activate. Was it going to work or not?