Without saying anything, the mech rushed at me. I didn't move a muscle as I knew exactly what's about to happen.
The guy on the podium turned his head at the mech and shot it with an extremely powerful electric shock. The shot came from his hand in a pistol gesture. The tip of his index finger sparked electricity.
The mech flew back a few meters away before tumbling over the ground and stopped.
"You need some explanations." He turned his head to me.
"I don't know what's going on. I was just minding my own business before this thing attacked me because I'm an Honor." I explained before getting up slowly, patting myself to get rid of the dust.
"It's a summoned being, it has no emotions or intellect to hate Honor." He didn't believe in my explanation.
"You'll see it yourself." I walked towards the mech as I took a puff. I exuded a thick white cloud and changed its shape into Puffy.
I know it won't be enough to defeat it, but I could at least buy some time until backup arrives.
"Are you going to fight it alone?" The man on the podium pondered.
"If you're not gonna help me, then stay quiet." I said.
The mech slowly stood and stared at me with a huge hole in its chest. I frowned, a bit confused, and thought to myself, it could dodge my attacks, but why can't it dodge his?
I put these thoughts aside and assumed a fighting stance before going at him. However, I felt something was off. The mech stood silently as if it was dead, I also didn't feel any intense killing intent like earlier.
I slowed down and carefully observed it. I came to a conclusion, it turned off.
This rather bewildered me. Why did it turned off all of a sudden?
Just before I could speculate, the mech became darker before turning into a shadow. It slowly sunk to the ground and vanished.
I looked at it in silence before Puffy disappeared. I took a puff to calm myself and try to make sense of this.
It didn't take long to figure out the answer. I've fought with a few Honors with summoned powers. One of their weaknesses is...
"It went too far from its summoner. " I thought to myself and things started to make sense. The mech main capability also greatly reduced when it was too far from its summoner, hence why it didn't dodge the man's shot.
"That's it?" I heard one of my teammates wonder in disappointment. I turned my head to look at the source, a beautiful blond haired girl with clear silver eyes. Her appearance was enough to make any man fall in love.
"Sorry to disappoint you, Eve." I said sarcastically while going back to the room that looks no different than an ordinary class.
When the mech caused a ruckus earlier, everyone tumbled their desk as a barrier, but only one was still on its toes.
It was in the middle of the class. I took a seat while everyone fixed their desks.
After they were done, the man on the podium opened his mouth.
"Last night, we've received an intel of a strange device that can be used against an Honor." He said calmly, despite the fact it was a huge piece of intel.
"If it fell into the wrong hands, this city would be destroyed." Said a green haired youth and continued, "Could you tell us what we need to know?"
"I'm about to. This intel came from Sylph Squad. They're on a mission to take down a bunch of rebels in the slump district, but the rebels almost wiped out the squad. Only three members remained." He paused for a second and continued, "We believe the rebels worked together with the intelligent shadows to create this device and want to destroy us from the inside."
"Does that mean some shadows managed to infiltrate the city? Shouldn't our main concern lie there?" The same green haired boy pondered.
"Indeed, but that's not this team's job. The organization has appointed another squad to take care of that, while you lots have to find out more about the strange device and give it to the organization." He said.
"What's our reward? This mission is hard compared to the ones we've done before." Eve wondered.
"Promotion, bonus in salary, and the organization will acknowledge your capabilities. We will not be petty sharing our resources to a talented team." He said.
"... That's it?" Eve asked, rather disappointed.
The man looked at the beautiful girl's eyes for a few seconds before saying, "and a paid day off for two weeks."
"Nice!" The girl celebrated. It seems she's rather simple with her wishes, even though there are more things she could ask the organization, but I am honestly alright with it.
"What's the difficulty of this mission?" The green haired youth pondered.
"A+." The man responded briefly. The room fell into silence. The atmosphere became heavy.
A+ difficulty means 3 or more people are guaranteed to die.
"What if I don't want to participate in this mission?" Asked a pink haired girl. Her refusal was to be expected.
"If that's the case, feel free to meet Butcher. I'm sure he'll gladly help you." He smiled, which instilled anger in the youth.
"You think our lives are just a joke to you?!" The pink haired girl got up and glared. Her eyes glowed and almost immediately, two incorporeal tiny dragons revealed themselves, floating behind her.
"Or there's the third choice, you do this perfectly and no one will die."
"You know perfectly well that's impossible. It's an A+ mission for a reason." The pink haired argued.
"If it's done by average Honors, but you, all of you, are exceptions." He exclaimed as if it was a fact.
"Your flattery words won't change our mind. We know for a fact we're not different from everybody else. If we're like you said, why would we be here instead of on the surface, fighting the shadows?" The pink haired pondered.
"Sending the talented ones simultaneously is a waste, it's like moving the knights, rooks and bishops all together at the same time. Wouldn't that be a waste?" He paused, observing each and every youth before saying something when Eve interrupt by saying;
"So we're just a backup weapon to you?" Rather disappointed.
The man stood in silence, perhaps wondering what to say next. Every word he uttered could be used against him.
"Guys, let's just calm down. I'm sure he doesn't mean anything bad. I mean, he's right. We're not just anybody else." The green haired guy shifted his expression to Eve.
"Eve, at the age of 15, you take down thirty armed robbers with just a ruler. Your power just awakened at that moment.
"Dre, you take down five Honors that bullied your friend. You're incredibly injured at that time, right?
"What I'm trying to say is that, everyone has a moment an ordinary Honor will never imagine get themselves into." He wanted to bring confidence into the room.
"Then, if one of us dies, could you bring us to life?" The pink haired girl shifted her eyes to the youth.
While they're arguing...
"This will not have an end." I whispered to the guy next to me. A boy with fiery crimson hair. He carried a claymore behind him.
"Are you alright with this mission?" He pondered.
"It doesn't make any difference if I want to do it or not." I rested my back against the chair. The fight earlier really exhausted my body.
"Are you confident you're going to make it out alive?" He frowned at me.
Just before I could open my mouth, the tiny guy responded in my stead, he set just sitting left to me.
"He's been in a few S missions."
I looked at him, rather disappointed.
"What?"
I let out a sigh. This guy is terrible at taking hints.
"Really? You've been into S missions? Why do I only know it now?"
"Because I don't need to." I replied and looked at the small youth, or rather, my close friend, Goo Han and asked him, "You okay with this?"
"This will be my first A+ mission. I'm nervous, but hey, you'll be there with me."
"I would've been extremely happy if it was Eve that say it," I turned my head to Eve and asked Goo Han, "Why is she active today?"
She jump on Wo by saying that they're just a back up weapon.
"She's just like you. She has been complaining about receiving C missions lately. I guess this is her way of getting revenge to Wo because she kept getting low grade missions."
"What do you mean she's just like me?" I was surprised.
"You both has taken S grade missions previously." He cleared things up.
"Ah."
"Enough!" The man on the podium, or we called him Wo, increased his voice. The youths went silent. "If you don't want to do this then sit silently in your room and let your teammates do it for you.
"This team doesn't need this many people, only Eve and the top three are enough, but the director doesn't give me so much choice. So, make yourself useful or I'll send you to Butcher!" He stepped down the podium and left.
Mid way, he stopped and looked at me, "Sunny, Goo Han, Eve, and Ginto. Come with me."
All of us stood and followed him from behind. We walked in silence until after some distance away.
"You don't have to be strict towards them." I break the ice.