"You brats just had to go around causing trouble, when all I told you to do was severe the head of a single lone orc" The mysterious man drawled, his voice chilling and his location still unknown.
Dylan and Klein, we're still afloat struggling to break free from what seemed to be the ability of the mysterious man.
Unlike Jeff and myself, the voice carried familiarity for them as Klein, in a timid tone, pleaded," I had no part in this Sir, It was all Dylan".
"Shut up moron, before I rip your tongue out," Dylan yelled.
"How tough of you after being humiliated by a bunch of kids from the slums, Hoho an awakened being trained by one of the most prestigious schools in century 11. Defeated by a brick, a needle, and two country boys Hoho." the man spoke as he chuckled.
Dylan hung his head in shame, concealing his embarrassment behind a curtain of disheveled hair."
Jeff tapped me and I looked over my shoulder. He whispered into my ear presumably not to draw too much attention. "let's quietly leave here while they chat."
He placed my arm over his shoulders and quietly picked me up from the ground. As we tried to make our escape. The voice spoke even in a more pitched tone.
" Uh. And where do you kids think you are going." The man spoke. "Quietly leave here, funny. I could hear you panting even if I was a mile from you."
I knew Jeff felt a little embarrassed and disappointed, nonetheless, he placed me down again and turned in the direction of the voice. "Please mister we were not trying to escape, it's just that my friend is severely hurt. He urgently needs a doctor. "
The man replied, " Your friend you say, the kid that beat up my student huh? Hey, albino what is your name."
To be frank I was a little offended by him calling me an albino however, there was something strange about the man that added to his mystery.
He felt affable but at the same time, his voice was revering, warning you not to take his leniency for a weakness.
I slowly squeezed up the little strength I had left and in a light tone, I answered him.
"My name is King Sir, King Kortezz. Not to offend you but having a conversation with us while you stay hidden isn't very polite."
Dylan who was hiding his face in shame and his rage in check due to this man's presence suddenly yelled.
"Who the hell are you to talk to Instructor Jin as such? A piece of shit like you should be cowering on your knees. You should be happy a man like him even wasted a breath on you."
Amid Dylan's unceasing squabbles instructor Jin cut him short.
" Shut up boy. I don't recall allowing you to speak. King, what an interesting name."
I knew my last sentence was unnecessary and could have put me in a whole new kind of trouble. However, his anonymity didn't sit right with me.
It was driving me insane.
What is with all this mystery?
It is not like we are in a fictional movie where an author makes a grand entrance of an overpowered character.
"My anonymity worries you, how strange because I've been in plain sight all this while. All you had to do was look up."
Strangely his last sentence felt clearer than his previous ones.
It sounded loud as if he was truly very close to us. "You've got to be kidding me," I murmured to myself. Both Jeff and I simultaneously looked up behind us on one of the walls near us.
The few remaining ones of which had escaped Dylan's punches.
Above us, a middle-aged man, presumably in his late thirties stood with an elegance so overwhelming that I was washed up with admiration.
His long tuxedo was polished black; a perfect complement to his dark hair, kept glistering as if an invisible hand kept wiping every speck of dust that fell on it.
As thick as his monocle was, I could still see his bright vermillion eyes looking down at mine.
It was when he jumped off the wall and walked toward me that I noticed how ridiculously tall he was.
His finesse was enviable with every movement he made and every step he took like the soft strings of an ethereal harp.
" An electric-type user with golden eyes, this is a first. If I may ask, which family do you belong to?" He asked, looking straight into my face while he stroked his mustache.
All this while I was dumbfounded as to how he was able to stand right above us without us noticing. What was even stranger was the position of his voice, and how it quickly changed when he decided to reveal himself.
"Does he have a teleportation type of skill," I deeply wondered. Suddenly Instructor Jin's, voice became a little louder and colder jolting me up from my deep thoughts," I asked you a question lad." I swear, if he were a little louder I would've pissed my pants.
Trickles of sweat ran down my face as I was unable to recall what he had just said.
If there was anyone who could salvage me from this awkward situation it would be my only best friend.
I looked at Jeff only to notice him staring at Mr. Jin as though he had seen a diamond in a pile of garbage.
His eyes were all stars and roses.
He never gets this amazed.
Usually, the few things that took his interest were monsters and some other thing that had slipped my mind. I tried to get his attention making every single gesture I could think of but was to no avail. " What family do you belong to dipshit. Do you have wax in your ears?" Dylan bawled. "Wow, you never know who your savior might be" I pondered. "It could even be someone who dislocated your wrist or even smashed you through a brick wall." Well, that one sentence he said knocked back my memory. " My lineage," I mulled. His curiosity was understandable.
It's almost impossible to find an awakened on this side of the world.
Usually, the ones that come here are criminals who are trying to find a hiding place.
Or like Klein and Dylan awakened students who come here train their skills due to the monsters over here being weaker than HR.
(TN; HR The abridged form of High Rise is the Precincts where the Awakened lives. Slums are the lower-level Precincts.)
But how does my lineage rope into this?
Confused I replied to him." I don't quite get your question. I told you my name and family name. If you are inquiring about my power sorry to disappoint you for not knowing much about it myself. I just awakened a few days ago"
He briefly stared at me while still stroking his mustache then said.
"Interesting, defeating my students a few days after awakening. You continue to surprise me.
What do you say, I ditch these two and make you my student." Dylan and Klein both exclaimed, " But Instructor Jin…"
With a wave of Mr. Jin's hand, both Dylan and Klein had their mouths forcefully shut. "Hush, am talking." He put on a ginormous smile while he stared at my face for an answer.
What is with Awakeneds and creepy smiles?
First Doctor Smallberies and now him. The funny thing is they all try to recruit me, me the most inept person to ever exist.
" Sorry to decline but learning under a teacher whose students dislocated my wrist doesn't look thrilling."
He looked at my dangling hand and bleeding wrist and said. " Oh my, I had forgotten all about that." Suddenly I felt a sharp pain in my wrist.
Mr. Jin used his ability to relocate my wrist. He tore a piece of clothing using his power that probably looked like telekinesis to rip a part of Dylan's cloth and tied it around my wrist. " Sorry if this is all I can do to fix your wrist.
Tell me would you reconsider my proposal if I grant you justice." He shifted his gaze to the floating oblivious Dylan. Who I think could no longer hear our conversation from the dumb look on his already dumb-looking face. "He broke a wrist of yours so how about break both of… " Without finishing his sentence he paused, backed off, and tapped his ear.
It looked as though he had received an important call. Seeing as to how his playfully cold demeanor had quickly changed to a stiff angry look.
After his brief call, he fixed his expression and approached me smiling. " It was nice meeting you, King, these little brats and I will be heading back to HR."
He took a few steps, then looked back at me yelling. " I have a feeling this isn't the last I'll be seeing you. Ciao, albino" Like a flash he disappeared. " Terrifying," I murmured.
I looked back at Jeff who still stood there dumbfounded and gave him a good smack on his head jolting him back to reality. "What the hell is wrong with you? You froze the moment Mr. Jin revealed himself."
Jeff moved toward a pile of debris from which he took his broken spectacle and wiped it with his uniform.
A whole lens was missing when he put it on and the other lens had a huge crack across it, at that stage just let it go, Jeff.
He asked. " Do you know of the Inheritors?" I replied truthfully, " No, and who are those."
He pushed the tip of his spectacles and said. " Descendants of the Great Five whose potential mimics theirs. Two people of whom was chosen from every one of the Five families. Ranker Jin you just spoke casually to also known as the Devine Maestro is an Inheritor. A pretty damn awesome one too."