Chapter 14: Kidnapped By F.U.G
Kalon regained consciousness, and what greeted him was a hard floor.
"Agh... Who are you people?" Kalon asked as his eyes tried to adjust to the dim lighting. He directed his question toward the only silhouette he could make out.
"You have been chosen as a Slayer Candidate," the silhouette spoke, his voice echoing as if they were in some valley or cave.
"Slayer Candidate? What are you talking about?" Kalon wasn't acting; he was genuinely curious about the criteria they used to select Slayer Candidates.
"You have been chosen to make our wishes come true. And you have no right to refuse—unless you want your friends... What were their names again? Ah, Tryllo and Squidshark, right?" The voice carried a threatening tone this time.
"Like I would believe you. It might be possible that you've already killed them. Besides, I'm not close enough to them to become a Slayer Candidate for you shady people." Kalon spat a mouthful of saliva onto the hard rock ground.
"Well, you can see for yourself." The silhouette waved his hand, and two light cubes materialized out of thin air, displaying scenes outside the Tower. One cube showed Tryllo teaching his clansmen how to wield a curved sword, while the other showed Squidshark eating breakfast with his family.
"See? They are alive—for now."
"Alright, I'll become a Slayer Candidate." Kalon didn't argue further. He couldn't stand the thought of innocent people being harmed, even if they weren't close to him.
"Well, let me correct you. You are a Fake Slayer Candidate, so don't get arrogant when you grow stronger through training," the voice said, but this time it sounded more like advice from a senior.
"First a Slayer Candidate, now a Fake... Okay." Kalon sighed in relief, as the story was still progressing somewhat smoothly.
"Oh, you agreed so easily. If you had thrown a tantrum, I might have given you a few more benefits," the voice said, sounding amused, as if pleased that Kalon was smart enough to know when to advance and retreat.
"So, how will I make everyone believe I'm a Real Slayer Candidate?" Kalon asked with genuine curiosity.
"You'll have to perform tasks that a real Slayer Candidate would do. Additionally, you won't receive any of the benefits a real Slayer Candidate gets. Your main objective is to buy time for the real Slayer Candidate to grow."
"You guys won't kill me, right? Like, once your Slayer Candidate has grown and you don't need me, a 'Fake,' anymore?" Kalon asked calmly, as if discussing someone else's life and death.
"That's why we won't disclose any confidential information, like where our headquarters are or how many High Rankers we have. Consider it my last act of guilt toward your future life," the voice replied in a serene tone.
This gave Kalon some relief, but he still didn't trust them. Who knew when they might kill him in a moment of bad mood?
It had been a few months since Kalon was chosen as a Slayer Candidate. However, unlike Bam in the original story, he wasn't trained intensively. Instead, he was thrown back onto the 4th Floor after agreeing to become a Slayer Candidate.
Currently, Kalon was on the 6th Floor, where he had rented an apartment using the Points he had accumulated. It was a modest one-bedroom apartment, costing 10 Points per day, primarily due to its proximity to the testing site.
Walking around had become difficult for him because of a ridiculous request from FUG. He had to wear a coat emblazoned with their unmistakable symbol.
Whoever recognized his clothes and the symbol on it hurried away to their rooms.
'I haven't trained in the system space for a long time. Let's just go and train.' Kalon ignored the random glares from strangers and walked back to his room, humming a tune from his past life.
Just as he reached for the door of his room, the door of the room beside his opened, and someone he didn't expect to meet came out: Ja Wangnan.
"What is this wannabe King of the Tower doing here on this floor?" Kalon thought.
"Oh, hello! Cool clothes!" Ja Wangnan said, giving Kalon a thumbs up as if they were longtime friends.
"Are you my new neighbor? My name's Kalon." Kalon stretched out his hand for a handshake, and Ja Wangnan didn't disappoint, enthusiastically shaking it.
"My name is Ja Wangnan, and I'll become the King of this Tower one day!"
Kalon noticed the ring on Ja Wangnan's finger—a ring symbolizing a connection to Zahard.
"Nice ring, but don't wear it so openly. It might get you into trouble," Kalon advised.
"Oh, this? How does it look?" Ja Wangnan asked, swinging his hand with the ring around like a child showing off a toy.
Kalon slapped his forehead. "This fool is flaunting something that could get him killed. Even Karaka, a High Ranker and F.U.G. Slayer, hides his identity in metal armor from head to toe. And here this guy is, showing off his connection to Zahard!"
Kalon decided to teach him a lesson. He created a light cube barrier to ensure no sound escaped their conversation.
"You... Do you even know what this symbol on your ring signifies?"
"I'm an orphan. Who would tell me? Is the symbol on this ring something bad?" Ja Wangnan ruffled his hair.
"I'm also an orphan, but unlike you, I pay attention to my surroundings. On the previous floors, did you notice any odd expressions from Test Directors or others?" Kalon asked.
"Well, I did get some odd looks, but I thought it was because of my handsome appearance," Ja Wangnan replied, his tone smug.
Kalon sighed. "That ring has the symbol of Zahard—the King of the Tower. This symbol is carried only by Princesses of Zahard, members of Zahard's Army, or Zahard himself."
"What?" Ja Wangnan was shocked.
Kalon chose not to tell him that his appearance was eerily similar to the data version of Zahard. While Wangnan was still processing the revelation, Kalon shook his head. "This guy will have a rough journey if he doesn't smarten up."
A/N: 1 week's Worth of chapter coming up in Three Hours.