"Oi, can the four of you slow down? Seriously, eat your food properly, I'm not a demon who wouldn't let you rest. Just remember that this will be our schedule for the remainder of our suspension," The day slowly disappeared, and when the evening arrive they partake in supper where they are their stomachs fill
"Fuck! You're telling me this will be our daily routine? On second thought, knock yourself out. It's not like will be staying here, it's just a matter of time until a week has passed, and we already wasted two whole days," Tanya confidently ran her mouth, but the others remain silent and glared as sharp as a knife
"Tanya... Did you sleep in the middle of class...? The time inside the rifts is different compared to the outside world. The time here moves faster compared to the outside world, the Global rifts time is multiplied by seven. Now let me ask you this, what're seven times seven?" With Zane's remarks, her attitude became dreadful as it used to be, and her mood became bitter
"Forty-nine days, no wonder master has been pressuring you guys. It would've been a breather if we follow my normal training schedule but we don't have the time. It took me four whole months just to get this far, you guys are strong. I'm confident that you're strong, but in terms of combat, you guys are the ones who break after you graduated," Alex's words struck their ego to its core and penetrated all of the work they've made in their life
Anyone of them could easily smack him right here and there, but he wasn't wrong about their incompetence. Today was just their daily routine and yet their bodies crumbled from their training even though they were given an ample amount of breaks. Along the way, they've made countless mistakes, and even without Neon's interference they'd slowly realized their inability
"Way to go, Alex, you've just ruined the mood I've painstakingly tried to make... Don't listen to that idiot, he's a moron but he does have a point, you guys need to take this seriously. You guys are talented, that's a fact that everyone knows but you need to step up your game," He lightens their mood, and when he caught their attention, he showed the reason for their expedition
"No way, that's..." Olivia and the others were shocked after they read the letter he conveyed which contains their greatest concern
"Correction, what you read about in that paper is the undesirable truth... The Academy has all sorts of factions and most of them regarded us, outsiders as their main objective. Each team will have an average of three members and a maximum of five. I've just heard that once a month there will be an all-out war, it's an event they use to gauge our strengths," The academy possesses more than thousands of registered applicants
Neon was preparing them for this purpose, the ones who know of their talents became wary of their presence. Instead of turning a blind eye, all of them created an alliance with one another to antagonize a single group of people. When they realize this absurd and downright heinous plot, they fully realize the weight of their training
"Alex and I can handle ourselves, but what about the three of you? Can you guys fend for yourselves if you're faced with hundreds of thousands of people...? If you feel pressured then you can just wait for another year, but I think that wouldn't be the case. It's already late, im going to sleep, make sure you have a wonderful nap," An asshole, that's what the others thought of him at the time when he dropped a huge bomb
'Shit...! I didn't think will be at our wit's end even though it hasn't happened I can already envision the outcome. Why...? Who does he think he is? He spouts this whole shit and played it out as nothing more than a joke. Damn it all, I knew his nothing but trouble, I shouldn't have formed a team with that bastard in the first place,'
That fateful night these three were incapable of resting and before they knew it, they found themselves running. They joined Alex's nightly jog along with their pursuit of securing their meal for tomorrow. Their pride as geniuses were discarded and they slowly realize the meaning of their rigorous routine
6 days later
"Run faster!!! The monsters are catching up," Zane and the rest were continuing their daily routine and violent weather made their unforgiving terrain a living nightmare
The rain turned this rigorous mountain into a muddy and slippery slope, they were afraid to fall, and their only means of escape was foiled. Running was dangerous and the trees weren't big enough for them to escape the roaming beast. But they weren't the only ones who've been negatively impacted by this weather
"Look, the monsters are having a hard time finding us, it seems they heavily rely on their sense of smell. The raindrops made it harder for them to hear and the fog made it harder for them to see. Follow my lead, I'll draw them out, Zane and Alex assist me if things go south," They're nearly closing in their first week and now they've changed from a bunch of noobs
'Mana circulation training, that bastard was tiring our body's so we can easily circulate our mana. I have to admit, he's not that bad but I hate his way of teaching the most... I hate his way of teaching, but some of it rubbed off on me. It was a little confusing, but I realize it sooner than I thought, my posture and technique were too predictable,'
Their time here made her embrace death at every step she take, that feeling became her foundation and it bloomed her awakening. She threw a rock with such great force and the sound alerted the monsters and they gathered in front of a tree. She unsheathed her blade and within the muddy surface she performed a stance
"Sky-piercing thrust," She starts by sending a powerful surge of mana and forming a long-range attack with her thrust
The monster that perfectly aligned with her attack was jabbed and a huge gaping hole was placed into its chest. The other fiends caught on and they charged against her with no sense of direction and use nothing but their strength. Their limbs extended from all sides and she remain calm and unmoving im that kind of situation
[System: The guardian has triggered her unique race ability [Morp]
[Morph]: The caster will gain the dormant blood of her inner beast and in that state, her physical capabilities have temporarily improved]
Big or small the monsters all fell when they came close in her range. The rest were stunned and they saw her form for the very first time. It wasn't near close to its description but she possesses the qualities of her kind
"Wow, it's a Cat girl!!!"
"Oh, shit~" Alex's remarks on her appearance came to be her undoing. She couldn't hide her embarrassment and before she fully erase every single monster her body was hurled by a towering beast. Everything was perfectly set and yet the worst-case scenario unknowingly appears
"Are you taking this seriously?" When Tanya was about to have her body touch the surface of the ground, a figure emerges from the fog and caught in one fell swoop
"Tanya are you okay~" When Zane arrived at the crater he saw her safe and secure in Neon's hands
"You're out, Wilmers. I thought you'd guys could function as a proper team, but I guess six days' worth of suffering isn't enough. Since one of your allies is now disqualified, you'll have to deal with the monster by yourself... Good luck you three," He said so whilst he carries her away from the scene and behind their backs, she hears the screams of her allies
A few hours later
"Looks like your body didn't suffer any major injuries, congrats! This is the first time you've fully manifested and controlled your transformation even if it's for a moment. You sure are a talent, oh shit... Sorry about that, old habits die hard," When he finished treating her wounds, he didn't notice that his hand extended and patted her head
"It's fine, im not disturbed by what you did. Can you tell me why you're pushing them to this extent...? I'm not as smart as you are but I know for a fact that you can't keep using the same reason over and over again. You give off a cold and uncaring aura, but I know that's just a front and you care for their well-being," He paused on her question but even though he tries to brush it off her glare kept on meeting his view
"You sure are putting me on the spot... You might not believe it, but im way older than the four of you. I've seen so many deaths in my life, must be the reason why I care so much to give a helping hand. But I know that I can't do anything if im soft, that's why I change, and for what's worth noting you guys are easy to use," He openly told her about his ulterior motives and it was a surprise that he can't yet felt her sword near his neck
"Sigh... So you're using us, huh? Bastard! You shoulda said so, it ain't my business to know your life story but lemme tell you this, there's no such thing as a selfless person. No matter how unnecessary it is, a person is not a person if they aren't selfish. You're no different, you're so selfish that you want to butt in everyone's problems," He felt a slight tap on his back and he gazes as she rises from the ground and gave a warm smile
"Don't you even dare tell this to Olivia and that knucklehead! I ain't one to convey my feelings and shit, but hey you gotta have someone to count on when you're down in the dumps. Come on, let's get going, I bet those idiots are tearing up since they lost their vanguard, im not going to push myself so it's fine," She left him alone in their tent where he silently thought about her word of advice
'What a sad life this truly is... If only I met you so earlier before I became the person I am now, there might be a chance I'd recover my hope. But hearing your words now doesn't change the decision I made so long ago... I guess I won't be needing this,'
He threw away what might be the only way for him to fully recover his brain to its rightful functionality. With his body slowly rejecting any form of nonessential medicine, this was his last chance to fully recover himself. But in the end, he tossed the most potent vial of the potion he brewed with the equipment of the workshop
'If I revert back to Ernest then what would be the reason for all of my accomplishments so far? As much as I hate to deny it, during the time that I was Ernest Quelt I never once chose the logical conclusion... I always try to save others and in the end, I'll only antagonize myself whether the outcome is in my favor or not,'
"Heroes, now that I've thought carefully about their truest nature, their nothing but fakes and illogical. They have no greed, and they were nothing but a pawn for those who'd call for their name. Rejecting my greed, brushing off the anger I felt, and always trying to find a way to save everyone. My life is nothing but fiction, there's no sense of logic and filled with all sorts of bullshit," He finally had enough of the lies and false beliefs he clung to in the entirety of Ernest's life
'Villains, no matter if they're the antagonist or the evildoer are always the ones who caught the eye of the world. They're labeled as murderers, sinners, maniacs, and all sorts of names to tarnish their reputations. But in truth, the people relate to the villains, not because they're secretly evil, the reason being their realism. If I'll be called a villain for the things I've done then so be it, I'll become the greatest villain in the world,'