Marius's expression brimmed with restrained rage. Even the wind seemed to quiet in response.
Onilia took deliberate steps forward and bowed her head. Her voice was filled with confidence, deciding to trust Zane. "My name is Onilia," she said.
All eyes turned to Zane.
He looked up at Marius, then—without a care in the world—looked away and casually picked his nose.
Marius look up and took a deep breath as he held both hands together tightly. He was doing anything possible to restrain himself.
"Isn't it good manners to formally introduce yourself first if seeking another's identity?"
Laughter followed immediately.
"See? I told you! He's a total idiot. His fate's sealed!" someone said.
'Did I make a mistake in putting my trust in him?' Onilia thought, her conviction wavering.
"I already did that yesterday, now you will state your name this instant." The instructor spoke through gritted teeth, clearly holding back a devastating attack.
Zane didn't flinch. He finally dropped his hand and said in a plain voice, "Fine, if you have to know my name, it's Zane Walker, you don't have to get so mad. Honestly."
**
High above the clouds, the Master sat cross-legged on a floating platform with his arms folded. His eyes sparkled with amusement.
"Now this… is a new development," he muttered to himself, watching the scene unfold like a favorite drama.
**
Marius stepped forward with his fists clenched behind his back. His voice was calm, but his fury simmered just below the surface.
"Zane, tell me why I had to summon you here myself? Twice at that. I gave a clear instruction. Everyone was to report before sunrise."
The other trainees leaned in, practically trembling with excitement. This was the moment they had been waiting for—the strange loser was finally going to be eliminated, and there was nothing Onilia could do about that.
Onilia's hands tightened at her sides. She tried to hide the fear on her face, but her heart pounded like a war drum.
Zane met Marius's gaze at last and spoke in a calm, confident voice.
"If an orphan met a stranger who claimed to be his father without any proof, would he follow him blindly?" Zane asked with a calm voice.
"What?" The instructor's expression twist in confusion.
"The only instruction we received was to climb the mountain and wait. If the Master was able to welcome us on our arrival, surely, introducing our instructors to us or informing us of change in schedule shouldn't be that difficult either. No one told us training would start before the scheduled time. No one introduced any instructor either. And from what I've learned here, the Master's word is law. No one—not even someone as powerful as you—can change that. Isn't that right, Mr. Dazai?"
His words sliced through the crowd like a blade. The laughter died. The murmurs stopped.
Even the wind seemed paused, as if curious to see what would happen next.
'I see. So that was his assumption.' Onilia stared at Zane with a soft smile.
"What if you're wrong, and the Master really did send me?" the instructor asked.
Every ear perked up. The once-mocking crowd fell completely silent, their eyes locked on Zane.
The boy didn't flinch. His gaze was steady, confident, as if he had already seen this moment in a dream.
"If I were wrong," he said, folding his arms, "we wouldn't be having this conversation. You made it clear yesterday that a flick of your finger is enough to erase any an Alpha Ranker and below. I broke your rule. I came late. Yet here I am. All you did yesterday was to use fear to make us swallow all the question that truly mattered; who is he? Why didn't the Master inform us? Why are we starting training earlier than scheduled?"
A few gasps escaped the crowd. Even Marius tilted his head slightly, a small grin replacing his earlier fury.
'So he really did know. I thought it was the girl from Nanaly pulling the strings, guess I was wrong.'
"Haha," he chuckled. "You're the second person to pass this test since the Master began training people. Impressive. Tell me, Zane—how did you figure out that this was a test all along?"
Every trainee leaned in, hungry for answers. They had all stood like sheep in front of a wolf, never questioning anything. And now, they looked at Zane as if seeing him for the first time.
Zane took a moment, then answered with calm certainty.
"You gave us two clues." He held up one finger. "First, during your entire introduction yesterday, you never mentioned the Master. Not even once. If he really did send you, it would've been natural to introduce yourself as his subordinate or at least reference him. But you didn't."
He raised a second finger. "The second clue was more subtle—but louder. You killed someone, and that person didn't revive like the Master promised us. That meant you had the Master's permission. Only someone with his approval would dare do something like that. So I asked myself: if the Master really gave you permission to kill, why didn't you bring him up at all? Those two things couldn't both be true… unless this was all a test set by the Master himself."
Mouths dropped open. Eyes widened.
"Wait… was that scrawny bastard always this smart?" one trainee whispered.
"Don't ask me," another said, blinking in disbelief. "I thought his brain was filled with sand and leftover crumbs."
Nenis, burning with embarrassment, stepped forward and clenched her jaw "That still doesn't justify breaking the rules. You were just being reckless."
Zane looked at her, then gave a small shrug.
"You're right. It was a gamble. But the theory made sense to me, and I decided to test it." He paused, then glanced at Onilia for a second before continuing. "Besides, he never said he would kill us if we were late. He left the consequences to our imagination. But there was still a possibility that he might take the life of any late trainee. He did kill one of us yesterday after all."
Everyone stared, waiting.
"So I decided to be late on purpose." He continued. "I was nervous, sure. But when he sent someone to come get us… that was when I knew I was right. Think about it—if he truly meant to kill those who were late, it wouldn't take him more than a minute to fly up the mountain and crush us. He's powerful enough to erase us with a flick, remember? Instead, he sent someone."
Onilia looked at Zane like he was a different person.
Zane didn't play by the textbook, but he still got perfect scores. He had a sharp eye and a photographic memory that made up for everything he lacked. He didn't need to study like the others—he only needed to see something once, and it stuck with him. He was quiet, always watching, always thinking. His sharp mind and keen sense of observation made him extremely perceptive, able to notice the tiniest details others missed.
Even back in school, he could see a hundred ways to get back at the bullies who made his life difficult without lifting a finger. But he never acted on them. In a world where money reigned supreme, someone like him—abandoned by his family—couldn't afford to get into trouble. It just wasn't worth the risk. Besides, he needed to keep a low profile for his plan to work, and he had also promised Ariel he wouldn't fight or cause problems.
"The second time the messenger came back," Zane continued, "he told us the test has ended.' No tricks or fancy speeches. That made it clear… you're not just some instructor. You were sent by the Master to test our minds."
The trainees whispered amongst themselves. The same people who had called Zane a joke were now staring at him like he had become a completely different person.
"Wait…"
"You mean this was a test all along?"
"Man, I just followed orders and almost peed my pants for nothing…"
Even Nenis looked stunned, blinking as if trying to rewind everything in her head.
The instructor smirked and nodded. "Exactly as you've said. Looks like you're not a complete idiot after all."
Then he turned to Onilia. "Now, another question. This one's for you, Onilia."
She stiffened, straightening her back. The pressure in his gaze was like a weight on her chest.
"It was obvious you had no idea what Zane was doing, but you chose to follow him anyway. Why? Do you trust him that much?" 'It is nearly impossible for a Ranker of the Tower to put this much trust in a person. A nay at that.'
Onilia hesitated. She couldn't just say she truly trusted him that much. It would sound too soft… too exposed. But the truth was, she'd seen him push himself to the brink of death—over and over again. He was reckless, but he wasn't stupid. Zane would never throw away all that suffering for nothing. That's why, even with her nerves fraying, she followed his lead without question.
"I know you're strong, instructor. But I doubt you would want to go to war with Nanaly." Onilia spoke.
"In other words, I can't kill you, is that it?" Marius rephrased but Zane interrupted.
He saw the struggle in Onilia's eyes.
"That was not what she meant. It's simple really. When you're as charming as me, people follow without question."
For a moment, silence hung in the air. Then—
"He's so infuriating?" someone muttered from the back.
A few trainees frowned, while others looked like they wanted to throw rocks at him.
"Arrogant bastard," one sneered.
Nenis looked like she was going to explode. "Delusional bastard!"
But even she couldn't deny the shift in the air. The once-dismissed fool was now the center of attention—and somehow, he wore it like a crown.
Zane didn't say it out loud, but honestly, he hadn't expected her to go through with it. It was an all-or-nothing bet. He also just wanted to see how far her trust would go. After all the talk about helping him become stronger. And the fact that she'd stayed by his side… that meant more to him than he could ever explain. Now, he was able to dismiss any doubt he had about her.
The instructor glanced briefly at Zane, then turned back to Onilia, but didn't push her further. It seemed he had his answer.
He then looked Zane dead in the eyes. "What about you, Zane? What if you were wrong?"
Zane didn't flinch. His expression didn't change.
"When I decide on something, I don't include the possibility of failure."
Then the instructor smiled.
It was the kind of smile that said this one's different.
"You will both receive a reward from the Master," the instructor announced. "Though… I don't know when that'll happen."
The moment those words left his mouth, a wave of murmurs rippled through the group. Every trainee's expression twisted—some with envy, others with disbelief. The guy they had all looked down on… was now about to be recognized by the Master himself?
"That can't be real…"
"The Master… giving him a reward?"
"Seriously? That idiot?"
Nenis clenched her fists tightly. Jealousy crept into the eyes of several others. The very idea that Zane—the latecomer, the one everyone thought would be eliminated first—was getting special treatment gnawed at their pride.
The instructor raised his hand, silencing the growing noise. "The qualification test is actually quite simple," he continued.
Zane's eye twitched.
'Simple, huh? Yesterday, you said a lot of us wouldn't make it with a straight face.' he thought bitterly, trying not to roll his eyes.
"But before that, let me inform you about our training. You'll go through three main stages. Each time you complete a stage, you'll be allowed to go on a vacation where you can go back home or do whatever. But, never let anyone know that you're a trainee from Zoic." Marius explained, pacing slowly in front of the group like a general before battle. His cloak swayed lightly with each step, the morning breeze stirring the dust at his feet.
Hs eyes swept over them all.
"You want to live? Then train like your life depends on it. Because it does. Now, back to the test. It's to weed out the chaff.
Zane's lips curled into a small grin. Finally, he thought, it's beginning.
He looked up at the sky as sunlight broke through the drifting clouds.
'Wait for me, Ariel,' he thought, his heart pounding with determination. 'I'm coming.'
All of this happened before anyone on Earth awakened