Daily Rewards! Transmigrating into a novel as a side-character!-Chapter 199: Looking for other students

It was like trying to fill a lake with an eyedropper.

I needed stronger prey. Mid-Transcendent minimum, ideally high-Transcendent or Commander-rank if I wanted actual advancement rather than imperceptible incremental gains.

The 1st Key of Endra suddenly became much more relevant to my near-term plans. A dimensional hunting ground filled with mid-tier and high-tier Transcendent beasts, plus Commander-rank specimens, was exactly what I needed for efficient soul power accumulation.

But first—survival and rescue took priority over personal advancement.

I turned back to the terrified students who'd been watching the brief slaughter with expressions mixing awe, fear, and profound relief.

Adrian and the others stood in somber silence, surveying the bodies of the slaughtered students scattered across the blood-soaked clearing. The brutal reality of Dawn Break's plan was impossible to ignore—these were young people with families, futures, aspirations, all cut short by coordinated terrorism and calculated massacre.

"We need to bury them," I said quietly, breaking the heavy silence. "They deserve at least that much dignity."

The students with me nodded solemnly, though several looked uncomfortable with the prospect of handling corpses. It was grim work, but necessary.

"Before we do," I continued, my tone becoming more practical, "we're taking their storage rings and any useful equipment. I know it seems disrespectful, but resources matter for survival right now."

One of the students—a nervous boy whose name I thought was Thomas—looked uncomfortable. "Isn't that... isn't that grave robbing?"

"It's a necessity," I corrected firmly. "These supplies could mean the difference between life and death for you or other survivors we find. The dead don't need them anymore. Besides, these ain't for me, these are for you. I don't need them, you do."

Of course, I personally didn't need to scavenge bodies—my own resources were more than adequate. But the students with me were poorly equipped, and practical survival required using every available advantage.

"However," I added with clear authority, "you're only taking useful items. Storage rings, weapons, defensive equipment, healing supplies—things that improve our combat effectiveness and survival chances. You are NOT taking gold coins, personal jewelry, family keepsakes, or anything else that belongs with their families."

I made direct eye contact with each student to emphasize the seriousness. "Once we return to the city, everything we collect goes to the academy administration. They'll catalog it and return personal effects to families alongside the other items and any remains we can recover. I'm taking note of everything for the time being, so don't even think about pocketing valuables."

The students nodded understanding, clearly recognizing that I'd notice and respond harshly to any theft.

We spent the next twenty minutes performing the grim work. Storage rings were carefully removed from fingers—twelve in total from the slaughtered group. I checked each one briefly to inventory contents: basic academy supplies, some healing potions, a few decent weapons, nothing extraordinary but all useful for poorly-equipped survivors.

Several students had carried backup daggers or defensive talismans that we redistributed among my group. One girl found a rare-quality healing potion that I designated for emergency use only.

Through it all, I maintained careful records in a small notebook I'd retrieved from one of the storage rings—which student each item came from, what was taken, condition of remains. Documentation that would be critical for proper handling once this crisis resolved.

The burial itself was crude but respectful. We used earth manipulation from one of the students—a weak talent but sufficient for digging—to create a collective grave deep enough to protect from scavengers. The bodies were arranged with as much dignity as circumstances allowed, and we marked the location carefully so recovery teams could find it later.

No ceremonies—we didn't have time, and none of us knew these students' religious preferences anyway. Just quiet acknowledgment of lives lost and grim determination to prevent more deaths.

When we finished, I turned to face the eight students following me, my expression hard and uncompromising.

"If you don't get your act together, you will become like them."

The blunt statement hit like physical impact, several students flinching at the harsh truth.

"I can't keep protecting you forever," I continued without softening. "We're in unknown territory. There might be beasts that are too powerful even for me to handle, and I will not be able to help you escape if that happens. You need to fight."

I gestured toward the forest around us. "I won't ask you to fight Transcendent beasts—that's suicide for your current capabilities. But you must fight at least mid-Elite or peak-Elite level prey. Learn to defend yourselves, contribute to combat, and stop being completely dependent on my protection."

The students nodded solemnly, understanding the logic even if fear made acceptance difficult. They knew I was right—passive dependence would get them killed when circumstances inevitably separated us or exceeded my capacity to protect everyone simultaneously.

But knowing and doing were different things entirely.

Action was louder than words, and talk meant nothing without willingness to execute when danger arrived.

One student—a stocky boy with earth affinity who'd helped with the burial—stepped forward with visible effort to overcome his fear.

"Alright. The next beast encounter is mine," he declared, his voice carrying more determination than confidence. "I'll fight it."

I looked at him appraisingly, recognizing the courage required to volunteer despite obvious terror. This was someone choosing to act rather than just agreeing passively.

I patted him on the shoulder with genuine approval. "Good man. I'll support if things go badly, but the fight is yours to win or learn from."

He nodded, looking simultaneously terrified and grimly resolved.

"Everyone else," I addressed the remaining students, "start thinking about how you'll contribute when we encounter our next threat. Combat roles, positioning, support functions—figure out where you fit and prepare mentally."

With that settled, we resumed moving through the forest. I took point, using Blood Trail detection and enhanced senses to navigate toward where I sensed potential survivor groups while simultaneously watching for beast presence.

Most importantly, I needed to find Kael, Emmet, Elen, and the other genuinely capable fighters. They were scattered somewhere in this unknown territory, possibly fighting for survival against odds they couldn't handle alone.

Time wasn't on our side, and I had no clue what was happening in the city at the moment. For all I knew, the academy was under full assault while we were trapped here unable to help or receive assistance.

The Headmaster was strong—royal rank meant he could handle most threats. But if Dawn Break had planned this carefully, they'd have contingencies for his power level too.

Everything depended on how quickly we could regroup, establish defensive positions, and figure out extraction before this scattered massacre claimed more victims.

The forest stretched endlessly ahead, and somewhere within it, my allies were fighting their own desperate battles for survival.

We needed to find them before it was too late.

The hunt continued, now with slightly better-equipped and marginally more motivated survivors following behind me.

It wasn't much, but it was progress toward transforming victims into combatants. Every small improvement mattered when survival margins were this thin.

I wasn't going to let them depend on me, I wasn't their baby sitter after all. They needed to become strong enough to at least escape when things went south, that's all I could do for them.