Benny was clueless about how he could be so unlucky to be counted in the same party as Wendy and the rest of her gang. Not to mention, even Sammy was included with him.
Was this just a coincidence, or does Wendy hold so much influence in the school that she could even make a Hero Group of her choice?
"For the allotment, Wendy, Asamio, and Kevin were selected since they have great synergy. As for you and the other two, all of you were selected randomly. Worry not, Benny. I will be overseeing the group myself, so nothing will happen to you."
That's what Aizeck said to Benny. He couldn't argue more, so he naturally accepted the decision.
He was walking towards his home when Zoey suddenly jumped in front of him.
"Benny, what the hell you were thinking to accept today's party allotment?!"
"So you heard..."
"Yes, I damn heard! I heard that bitch Wendy and her dogs were selected with you! Come with me! I will ask the principal myself. That bald fuck is done for now!"
Zoey held Benny's hand and tried to move him, but Benny didn't budge. His head was down, but because of the bright reflection of his glasses, Zoey couldn't see his eyes.
"It's okay. Professor Aizeck is going with us. I believe in him."
Zoey gritted her teeth and lifted Benny by his collar.
"Benny, are you that dense you don't know what's happening here?" Zoey asked, but her anger faded as soon as she saw Benny's eyes devoid of emotion.
"Put me down, Zoey."
Zoey nodded lightly and released Benny.
"Zoey, do you know the myths about the Solomon Islands? The tribes on the island didn't cut trees. They would gather around the tree and curse the tree for several hours. Because of this, the tree dries and falls after a few weeks.
Just think about it. I am still a human. Do you know how I am living till now?"
At this point, tears begin to fall from Benny's eyes. Zoey was shocked since it was the first time Benny had shed tears in the last 6 years.
"N-not once a day passed where I wasn't given weird looks, get abused or assaulted, just because I am a Nap, and only to be saved by a super talented girl who I think is my friend. Do you know how humiliating it is for not being able to pay that friend?!"
"But Benny, we have been together since childhood. We-"
"A girl with great Origin and the blessing of goddess Athena is helping a nap. Tell me, does that make sense?"
"I..."
"And how long will you continue to do the same? Don't tell me you are actually considering protecting me until my last breath?"
Zoey didn't have words to describe her feelings. She wanted so hard to tell Benny something, but she just couldn't utter anything for the moment.
Benny stopped speaking and rubbed his tears. He adjusted his glasses
"Zoey, let's just respect each other as a friend. I am thankful for you sticking with me for so long, but I can't drag you down. I don't know what I am to you, but I still consider and respect you as a friend. So please just stop here. I am tired." Saying that Benny ran off.
Seeing Benny cry after so long also brought Zoey's eye to tear.
"Benny, I am sorry... Please, forgive me....!" Zoey said as she saw the running figure she dears more than even that person could ever imagine.
---
Benny was observing another test on whether or not a dung beetle can survive mana after being injected with his Ento Serum.
Benny chose his dung beetle instead of a caterpillar or ants for the test since his dung beetle was already 3 years old and would be dying soon.
He didn't want to kill the beetle, but Benny's last hope was.
But the beetle stopped moving after a few minutes of crawling around Mana Stone.
Benny dropped his head and sighed. It was a failure.
Carrying the dead beetle in his hands that he raised like a child, Benny came out of his house and buried the creature in soft soil.
"Rest well, buddy." Benny smiled and looked at the bright moon. "The moon looks beautiful even though it is now possessed by those greedy gods..."
It used to be a human observation and mining when moon travel became possible, but now it was possessed by gods and goddesses like Artemis, Máni, or Tsukuyomi, disallowing any average human to ever step foot on the moon except their beloved ones.
Unlike his basement, Benny wanted to stargaze the sky, so he went to his room with a simplistic design where he could gaze at the sky.
"Sigh* I shouldn't have talked with Zoey like that...."
He pent his anger on his friend, who had been with him since childhood. Zoey was also an orphan like Benny, but Zoey had an aunt caring for Zoey. Her aunt was also Benny's guardian.
After his parents' death, Zoey forced her aunt to take Benny under her care, or Benny would have been sent to a more horrible place like an orphanage where his life would become a living hell, and he wouldn't be able to live.
But that was the point of his suffering. He didn't want to receive more flavors from Zoey than he already had.
"Please let me just live..."
He wanted to live in calmness, but was peace ever an option for a mere insect in the den of predators?
He took a deep breath and exhaled before closing his eyes.
Unbeknown to Benny, a beetle emerged from the dirt he had just buried and started looking for food.
---
"I…I am Benny Olbion and… I will survive today's trial in Hell's Gate…." Benny said to himself, but his voice was shivering with fear; a sense of direness kept bothering him.
"Nah, Professor Aizeck will protect me. He is always nice to me and encourages me to move forward. I should trust him." Benny smiled, thinking he was worrying for nothing.
He was about to leave for school when his eyes fell on the memento locket on the table.
Benny didn't bring the locket to school for fear of losing it, but today, he wanted to use the good luck of this ladybug locket.
He picked the locket and set foot outside. Fear, anxiety, and excitement was his mixed feeling, but for some reason, he felt his life would be changed forever.
----
It was finally the day of Hell Gate exploration for Benny and his group.
A group of teens was standing opposite a man, explaining to the students their next task.
"So, I will start with a brief introduction. Listen well, students." Aizeck said, "Behind me is Ranked G Hell Gate, level 3. Although Hell Gates is categorized from Rank F, this rank G Gate is artificially made by the academy's top brass. Mors here is generally easy enough young students like you to fight easily."
Behind the man was a magical gate erected from the ground with a metallic frame.
"When killing a Mors, you might feel a surge of energy inside you. Don't fret, as it is the dying Mors energy that would be entering your body like Exp points in games. It is called Soul Energy."
'Just like in games, huh..." Benny thought as he was standing at the corner of the group.
Along with the rest of the bully group, he wore a silver-colored skintight suit with a belt on the waist and chest armor on his abdomen. He also had bracelets on both of his wrists.
One can measure his health condition, like whether the user is in good health, while the other can measure the user's physical parameters.
[Benny Olbion
Class: 2H
Level: 3
Strength- H
Mana-
Vitality- H
Agility- H.]
As you can see, Benny was pathetically weak. It was because Benny hardly paid any attention to his physique. He used to work out but gave up a year ago when he realized there was no point.
On the side of his belt hung a Japanese katana. At first, it seemed like an ordinary sword, but it was an enchanted sword crafted and gifted to Benny by a close Japanese friend.
He was also carrying a bag pack containing some appraising gadgets.
'She is reticent.' Benny thought, looking at Wendy in a similar skintight suit, making her curves more visible.
Wendy was Benny's nemesis who wouldn't miss a chance to punch or curse him, but she was quietly listening to the professor.
Wendy and the rest of the others were ignoring Benny like he didn't even exist, except for Sammy. He was glaring and smirking at Benny like an idiot.
It was probably a good sign since Benny won't be facing their bullying while they were in Hell Gate, but there was still a lingering feeling that something was off.
In addition to that, Benny didn't know why, but he could tell the strength level of each person present for some reason. Aizeck was higher, but Wendy and Asamio stood out the most. Benny could tell they were the strongest in the group, especially Wendy. She was on a whole different level than the rest of the group.
The group consisted of Wendy, Asamio, Kevin, Shiina, Sammy, and Benny.
Except for Shiina from the support department, Benny knew everyone in the group. Shiina was a hoodie girl, so Benny couldn't see her face. She was also holding a digital tab.
"Since the explanation has been provided, let's get in."
Saying that, Aizeck equipped himself in steel-plated mechanic armor. His Origin is called 'Nerve Command.' He could encode some digits from his limbs. For example, he could command a gun on his arm to fire when given a command if the weapon is sensory type.
Benny thought that Aizeck was overly cautious since Mors from this level of Hell Gate couldn't harm him, but he stopped judging him. He was the man who would be protecting Benny, after all.
With that thought, the group entered the Hell Gate, disappearing from the venue to an unknown place Benny would soon see for the first time.