Murmurs could be heard outside as students gathered around since the soul beast was dead. They were waiting for Shun to come out from the exit.
"Are you sure about this?" Shun whispered as he carried Yami in bridal style.
"Yes, although this hurts my pride as a man. I will do it to keep my identity," Yami muttered while acting like he was injured. He didn't have trouble with the acting skills since he had been doing it for years as a spy.
Shun nodded his head and started walking to the exit. His classmates cheered and greeted him upon his arrival. Shun put Yami down, and Ms. Kong Jie assisted them.
"Woah, you really work as a Combatant!"
"Amazing! You are powerful!"
"Thank you, Shun!"
Multiple praises were thrown toward Shun, making him feel embarrassed since it wasn't him that defeated the soul beast alone, it was Yami. Cold sweat formed on his forehead as he didn't know what to say.
"Shun is so powerful that he killed the Raider in one strike!" Yami's loud voice attracted his classmates and other students interested in what happened during the battle.
"Please, tell us more about how Shun defeated the Raider!" One of the students exclaimed.
The students gathered around Yami as they were excited to hear the story of Shun's greatness.
Shun ran towards Yami and pulled him back. He already felt bad for lying about the truth, and Yami adding fire to the fake story increased his distress.
"Ying, don't make it big," Shun whispered. He tried to act calmly to continue the act, but he couldn't help but worry about the outcome.
Yami patted Shun's shoulders and proceeded to tell the made-up tale of Shun's battle. Lying was one of his talents as a spy, and nobody had been suspicious about his words before.
"I was scared and hiding in one of the empty rooms when the Raider approached me. I thought I was gonna die, but then Shun arrived. He landed massive damage using his gigantic hammer and smashed the Raider's head. It was awesome!" Yami exclaimed. He felt pleased seeing the students believing his words.
"Ying, stop it," Shun facepalmed and pulled Yami again to stop him from blabbering more lies.
"What a humble Combatant!" Yami patted Shun's back which irritated him more.
As they were busy conversing, a group of Combatants arrived at the location. Their eyes immediately darted towards the dead soul beast lying on the ground.
"Huh? It's already over. What happened?" a man stated while looking around in confusion.
"The Guardian Squad!" The crowd erupted with awe upon seeing a familiar Combatant squad in front of them.
Shun flinched upon seeing the squad. His heart raced with anxiousness since he needed to face them.
"We apologize for being late, but who killed the Raiders?" Ma Song, Guardian Squad leader, stepped forward with open arms.
"Hurry, Shun, you might get promoted," Yami pushed Shun slightly, but he remained on his spot.
"You're wrong, Yin Ying. I'm not a Combatant yet, but a trainee. I'm not allowed to use my rookie vessel outside the base," Shun explained. He clenched his fist to gather some strength to face the consequences of his actions.
"So, you violated the rules. You might get a punishment," Yami stated upon understanding Shun's side.
Shun nodded his head and walked toward Ma Song.
"Warrior Rank, Cai Shun. I wasn't able to wait for the Combatants to arrive. So, I acted on my own," Shun stated and swallowed his nervousness. He saw the shocked faces of the Guardian Squad and couldn't help but feel bad about himself.
Ma Song coughed and patted Shun's shoulders. "So it's you! Good work!"
Shun was stunned at Ma Song's reaction since he expected to be scolded for violating the rules.
"Thanks for taking the initiative and defending those students, or else many could have died," Ma Song winked at Shun and resumed patting his shoulders. "Using a rookie vessel to kill a Raider is an achievement. Nobody had ever done it."
"I'm not really that strong; it's just pure luck," Shun stepped back and controlled the urge to blurt out the truth. Getting praised for something he didn't do made him feel guilty.
"Oh," Ma Song sighed and looked back at Sun Ting, the Squad's Ice Mage. "Ting, can you do it?"
"Hmph!" Sun Ting extended her arms and aimed toward the soul beast's dead body. "Ice Spear!"
Five spears appeared and penetrated through the soul beast's body, tearing it to pieces. The students were in awe of the power they had seen.
"Yes, I can do it," Sun Ting stated and glared at Shun.
Yami was astonished at what he had seen. He never considered magic would be part of the Combatant's vessel. Yami thought the soul vessels only contained weapons for combat.
The teachers talked to the Guardian Squad for a while before announcing the suspension of classes since they needed to start repairing the damages and for the Defender's workers to clean up the soul beast's body.
Shun was called to stay behind, and Yami remained with him. The Guardian Squad talked among themselves for some time before facing both of them.
Sun Ting stepped forward with arms crossed over her chest. She looked at Shun from top to bottom with distaste. She didn't like how Shun got the spotlight when he was only a trainee and a rule violator.
"Warrior rank, Cai Shun. You understand that you are still a trainee with a rookie vessel. It's stup*d to use it against a Raider when it's not made for a real battle," Sun Ting spoked firmly. Making sure that her words would get through Shun's head.
Shun nodded while trying to keep eye contact with her. To show that he isn't afraid of the consequences.
"Rookie vessels aren't allowed to use outside the base. Your actions clearly violated the Defender's rules and regulations. To maintain the order and equality between the Combatants, you shall be punished according to the regulations."