Chapter 43
Everyone was shocked.
Teron had declared the demotion of Godner and Zepa.
With this, Godner fell to the seventh rank and Zepa to the eighth.
"T-Teron? Why..."
"Do I really need to explain every little thing? You really are hopeless."
Only then did Zepa firmly shut his mouth.
He realized that saying another word would not just drop him a single digit but push him into the double digits.
"Tch."
Teron clicked his tongue.
The ranking system was devised to create a synergistic effect where everyone grows by challenging each other.
But at some point, it degraded into a tool for belittling others.
'Waiting for a member of the same faction to make a mistake. They don't even know what's important right now...'
But that wasn't the only problem.
"If we recruit that guy, what rank should we give him?"
"Rank five should be enough. His caliber is more than sufficient."
"At best, rank four. He definitely can't go higher than that."
Teron was incredulous.
Do these guys have holes for eyes? Or is there something wrong with their heads?
'They don't realize he's hiding his true abilities. These guys hold single-digit ranks? Unbelievable.'
He thought they were skilled, but they turned out to be mediocrities?
It was a situation that was bound to infuriate anyone.
And this wasn't just an issue with Teron's faction.
"Yuridia, this confirms it completely."
"What does?"
"That Teron's faction is pathetic, and that Zero's abilities are even more pathetic."
"..."
Watching her right-hand man smile happily, Yuridia thought.
They were even more pathetic than the miserable Teron faction.
'Really driving me crazy.'
'Really driving me mad.'
Yuridia and Teron exchanged glances in the air.
The only person who sympathized with her thoughts was the leader of the opposing faction.
There couldn't be a more ridiculous situation.
"Let's give him rank four!"
"Rank five!"
Even factions were split in half, starting a battle of egos.
But Teron had no interest in them.
What mattered now was Zero's ability and his worth.
"Daike, what do you think?"
Teron muttered quietly.
His voice was so soft it was as if he wondered if anyone heard him.
But the answer came back clear.
"He's strong. He's deliberately hiding his skills."
"Thought so. This is troubling. His type is not easy to handle..."
An atmosphere that seemed unwelcoming.
His ominous appearance was one thing, but he would run away pretending not to hear even if shown interest.
He seemed uninterested in Yuridia's side as well.
'That type is hard to control.'
The girl named Luna by his side was the same.
Not only was she temperamental, but she also overstepped her bounds without knowing her place.
He didn't want such a person by his side.
"But we can't just hand him over to Yuridia... Daike, what about you? Can you beat those two in a fight?"
Daike looked at Zero and Luna.
They were definitely strong. It was hard to find their match among their peers.
But.
"I will win."
"That's the answer I wanted."
Teron's mouth split into a wide grin.
The effort to recruit wouldn't stop.
If he demanded to include the temperamental cat in the deal, he would agree to that too.
'But what if I can't have them?'
Then, of course.
Destroying them is the right choice.
* * *
Sweat droplets the size of grains trickled down the neck in the hot and humid temperature.
Glowstones embedded at intervals emitted light, but only enough for visibility.
It was to be expected.
We were inside a cave, and we were continually descending.
Yes, we were inside a dungeon.
Under the instructor's escort, we were delving deep into the dungeon.
Screech!
Scratch!
A decapitated ant gushed green blood from its neck.
The severed head of the ant rolled and reached in front of us.
"Ugh... Horrible."
"Ugh!"
The children screamed again.
This was the fifth time they had encountered ant-like monsters.
However, the number of children who had not adapted was much greater than those who had.
'Black ants.'
Low-tier among the low-tier monsters.
Other than their tough shell, they lacked any notable abilities.
But their intimidating presence was immense, considering they were as big as 2 meters.
'If you get bitten, it's a minimum of an amputation.'
That's when it happened.
As the ant climbed the wall, two of them snuck up beside the instructors.
Several children turned to run away.
A group trying to stand their ground and a group trying to escape.
Chaos erupted between them for a moment.
Crack-!
At that moment, someone burst forward.
It was Daike.
A kid who hadn't spoken a word since entering the game, but I knew him better than anyone else.
Crack! Crunch!
His heavy greatsword swung mightily.
In an instant, the heads of two ants flew off.
The movement was barely visible.
It looked as if the ants had simply collapsed at the same time the sword flashed.
"Tch, I told them, and they still run."
The sound of Caron clicking his tongue was heard.
From class time to before entering the dungeon.
And even after entering, Caron had emphasized the importance of order.
"Those who just tried to run will receive penalty points."
The children hung their heads.
No matter how elite the class, fear is still fear.
Especially for these fifteen-year-old children.
If I didn't have the power of 'Mental Defense', I might have been among them.
"Keke, I knew this would happen."
"Exactly. It's always the ones with no skill who put on airs like that."
Teron's faction swelled with pride.
This was because the two children who ran away belonged to Yuridia's faction.
Moreover, Daike, who had swiftly cut down the ants, was a member of Teron's faction.
Their morale was bound to soar.
"Clean skills. Daike, I will award you one point. But don't step forward again. I need to see the other children's response capabilities too."
"Understood."
Although Daike received points, no one harbored any complaints.
No, they couldn't.
'He perfectly exploited the weakness.'
The weakness of the black ants lies in the relatively thin connecting part between their head, chest, and abdomen.
There are only two such weak points.
The standard approach is to target the connection between the head and the chest.
If you cut between the chest and abdomen, it still moves for a while.
"...Impressive."
As Luna passed by the corpses of the two ants, she murmured.
"Keke, do you think so?"
"You're lucky you don't understand. This level of skill... probably only Rodelin could do it."
Luna's eyes darkened.
The gap with Rodelin was something she accepted.
Born into a prestigious family with natural talent, plus being a year senior.
But to have such a skill gap with a peer like Daike was depressing.
Luna, who dreamed of revenge, couldn't help but feel gloomy.
'I've caught the Invisible Slime and the Demon's Shard, but the gap is still this big?'
Currently, the Luna of right now was much stronger than the Luna from the game.
Yet she still saw Daike as a high wall.
This was not good. Daike was...
'The one who cuts off Luna's arm.'
Alex, Rodelin, Raymon, one of the main characters, and one of the top five of the academy.
And.
'Teron's hunting dog and slave.'
Being Teron's slave, he was one of the kids who clashed the most with the protagonist's group.
'After several events, he ends his own life...'
One of those 'several events' is Luna losing an arm.
That was the problem.
'Is it too soon to confront Daike?'
Not just for Luna, but for me as well.
I couldn't use the A-grade active skills mimicked by 'Divine Imitation' in front of others.
Given its importance in the early story, it couldn't be handled carelessly.
So, I decided to prepare in advance.
In the simplest and safest way possible.
"Luna, don't get involved with Teron's faction."
"Huh? What do you mean by that all of a sudden?"
"Just as I said, don't get close to them, whether for good or bad."
"Well, okay. I didn't like them from the start anyway, so that's fine..."
Luna scratched her head.
This thick-headed... no, this child didn't fully understand what I was saying.
"You must also refrain from rescuing the weak from bullying."
Only then did Luna look at me with a start.
You're finally looking this way?
"What kind of nonsense is that?"
"You once fought them while trying to save Aywin, right? Avoid such incidents. No, don't do it at all."
"..."
Luna said nothing.
I knew the truth.
That Luna truly detested Teron's gang.
'But Teron feels the same way about her.'
It might be partly because she rejected his recruitment offer, but mostly due to Luna's aggressive nature and her belief in standing up for the weak.
These two were likely to clash soon, just as they did in the game.
'And the cost will be one of Luna's arms.'
Luna's mouth jutted out stubbornly.
"No way. I can't tolerate nobles forming gangs and bullying the weak!"
"Still, please endure it."
"Why should I?"
"Because it's dangerous."
"I can run away if it's dangerous. Nobles are people too. But running away from wrongdoing right before my eyes is not what a noble should do."
How can a child be so righteous?
Good. Very good.
'Perfect to be broken.'
Conviction is a word permitted only to those who are prepared.
The conviction of the unprepared is no different from nonsense and can lead to the worst outcomes.
And Luna was on the brink of that.
Luna's eyes sparkled. She seemed to ask if there was more to say.
Eventually, I decided to use the last resort.
"Luna, let's make a promise. Never to interfere."
"But why should I do that?"
"Because I don't want my friend to be in danger."
Suddenly, the corners of Luna's mouth twitched.
Luna, who is particularly fixated on the word 'friend'.
This was a request as a friend, so it would be hard for her to refuse.
She desperately tried to lower her rising lips, but was it impossible?
She turned her head to the side and coughed.
"Ahem, don't worry about unnecessary things. Fine, I'll be generous. Let's make a promise!"
Luna extended her pinky finger.
Was she suggesting a pinky promise? That's a bit embarrassing.
"What is this? We're not children..."
"Huh? In my family, we always did it this way when making promises?"
"A pinky promise symbolizes a firm commitment to keep one's word. It reflects your family's value on the importance of promises. Something that people these days, who make promises lightly, should reflect on."
I blurted out the response without a pause.
Luna smiled brightly, saying that's how promises should be made.
I was busy catching my breath.
"You probably said that for a reason, right? Isn't that so?"
"Keke, yes, it is."
"Hmm~ I don't like them, but I'll endure it for a friend. Rejecting a friend's request is not what a friend does. Because we're friends, I have no choice, no choice at all!"
Luna laughed heartily while thumping my back.
Her childlike, innocent smile.
'Because she treasures promises with friends...'
She will keep her promise not to get involved with Teron's faction.
...Right?
--TL Notes--
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