Joni was sure he was going to die today in this dungeon. But he would have no regrets even if his life was to come to an end.
Horas was the same age as his younger sister and Joni could not leave him out in the danger like this. The kid needed protection and Joni was the only one who could protect him.
Or that was what Joni thought before he watched a whole giant disappear in front of their eyes in seconds. And it all happened because of Horas and his skills. He had not even hesitated to take a life.
“W-What happened?”
Joni could feel his body shaking as he tried to make sense of what had happened in front of his eyes.
“Joni, are you alright? Can you stand up?”
Horas asked as he made his way toward Joni. and Joni found himself flinching without knowing why. Horas had done nothing but save Joni’s life.
But Joni was not able to forget what Horas’s bullet had done to that giant and how soon it had disappeared. He was suddenly afraid of Horas, this seven-year-old boy who was the same age as his sister.
“Joni, are you-”
“Joni, Yohna, are you both alright? We saw a flash before the giant disappeared. Man, you have been holding back on us, haven’t you Joni? When did you gain such a powerful spell?”
Joni’s whole body shuddered as Alicia’s arms closed around his shoulder. He felt the tension drain away from his body and he could move again.
He also watched Horas take a step back, finally realizing that Joni was afraid of him. But Joni did not want that to happen.
Horas might have an amazing affinity for destruction but he did not seem like a bad child. After all, he had not used his powers until he had no other option to use them.
“I am alright, Alicia. Horas saved me with that last skill of his. But I think I am done hunting for today and would like to rest for now.”
Horas looked surprised at Joni’s reassurance and Joni tried to pass a reassuring smile to him. He was still afraid of the kid and his potential but he did not want to avoid the kid. It was not good for Horas’s mental development.
And that was also how people were pushed to become villains.
…………………….
“Wow, look at that explosion. Did we have someone in our grade who is that powerful? No one except the bloodhound comes to mind.”
Reed watched the explosion happen as well. But unlike everyone else, she had an inking of who it was that caused this explosion to occur. After all, she had watched Horas’s inventor and he had some ‘experimental’ shit in there.
“Hey, do you think we will lose our lead because of that explosion? We barely made it to the top 3. I think we should go there and check the situation out.”
“Yeah. If the explosion was that big then there is a solid chance that the team that caused it would have injuries as well. I say we capitalize on it and cause them to drop out of the test.”
Reed watched with a disgusted expression as his fellow teammates planned to take advantage of others’ misfortune and expand their lead.
Their team was on the verge of beating the second rank team but her teammates were not satisfied with that. They wanted to be no.1 at all costs, even if the method turned inhuman.
Did they even realize that the only reason their team had this rank was because of Reed? She had a monopoly on most of the hunting points and was the reason they had so many. Her teammates would be in for a shock when the individual ranking comes in.
“Alright, if we are all in agreement, then let’s do this. Now that we have secured quite a lot of points, let’s cause other teams to drop out of this competition. After all, we have the bloodhound on our side.”
Reed wanted to remind her team that this was not a competition but a test but she doubted that they would listen to her.
They ignored her presence anyway and they also pretended like they were superior to her in every way. The more time Reed spent with them, the more she came to dislike humanity.
“Is no one going to ask for my opinion before you use me? I am not going to attack other humans during this competition.”
Reed flat-out refused her team and hindered their plans. They knew as well that they were dependent on Reed for most of their firepower. But they were also spoilt little shits who felt entitled to her power.
“Reed, don’t be like that. We are a team and a team sticks together through its decisions. You have to help us out here.”
Reed looked at the girl who had just bad-mouthed her in the morning. Reed’s stare caused the speaker to look away in shame.
“I said that I will not participate in your shenanigans and I will not attack humans during this exam. So you all better behave. After all, I am not above quitting in the middle of our exam.”
“Y-You won’t dare to. Even you will suffer if you quit now.”
Another of Reed’s ‘teammates’ reminded her. Reed was unaffected by the threat since she did not care about rankings and such things.
The only reason Reed was in Esper’s academy was that she had nowhere else to go. As an orphan with exceptional mana capabilities, it had been a given that she would end up here.
“Yeah, try me if you don’t believe me. Now, leave me alone you spoilt brats.”
Reed’s teammates gritted their teeth as they watched her leave. She was an eyesore in everyone’s eyes but they could not get rid of her.
“Shit, what do we do now? Our whole plan revolves around using Reed as an attacker.”
The eldest female asked. She knew she was getting over-aged and she needed the best possible ranking to make the top cut. She could not afford to stay down in her current spot.
“Wait, I have an idea. I think my manipulation ability would be able to help us out. I can control Reed into following orders but we will need to weaken her first. Here, mix this potion into her next meal and I will take care of everything.”
The panicked female looked at her teammate and she could not help but frown at his words.
She eyes the small purple bottle in front of her with a surprised expression.
“Hey, where did you get this bottle from? And who are you? Were you on our team?”
Now that the eldest team member asked this question, the other two looked vigilant as well. The more they looked at this man, the more something seemed to be wrong.
They were sure they had never seen this man before in their lives. But he still looked somewhat familiar to them.
“Tsk, it broke already. I will need to correct my skill next time.”
The teen spoke before his eyes flashed white and the three people in front of him calmed down again. Their eyes went hazy and they looked somewhat drunk and dizzy all of a sudden.
“What are you all talking about? I am your teammate, remember?”
“Y-Yeah, I remember”
“That’s right. You are our teammate.”
“Silly me. How could forget my own classmate’s face? Darn that Reed Whinstone and her actions. She is stressing me out for real.”
The eldest member of the team cursed Reed out as she regained her composure. She was sure that her current state of memory loss was because of Reed.
“Alright, fine. Give me that potion and I will think of some way to make Reed take it. But you better keep up your end of the promise and make sure we rank well.”
In the end, the eldest member promised to fulfill her role. She was going to slip this potion into Reed’s food tonight.
“Yeah, that would be fantastic. Don’t worry leader, I won’t fail in my task. After all, we are both in the same boat.”
The leader finally relaxed and so did the other teammates. They trusted each other to help out in the situation. And they were also united when it came to Reed and her unethical ways.
The teen who had promised to ‘tame’ Reed smiled as he watched his other teammates relax and not question him. His control skill was strong but it was not invincible. Plus, he was saving all his strength to control the ‘blood hound’ of Esper’s academy.
After all, Reed Whinstone was the reason the villain called ‘Controller’ had slipped into this academy. That girl needed saving from these horrible humans who did not see her value.
Their leader had been right. Reed Whinstone was an unfortunate soul and Controller would make sure she was taken to her rightful place.
As for these spoilt brats, he could care less about what happened to them. They did not deserve to live after having plotted against the other teams. He would make sure to kill them all once he got of the dungeon.
‘But man, these suppressors are annoying as heck. I cannot break them or this whole place would come falling down around me.’
