A few minutes earlier, deep within the Inner Zone.
A group of three students—two boys and a girl—stood trembling before a pack of three Flayed Blood Stags. Just as they braced themselves for the charge, arrows whistled through the air, burying themselves in their thighs and backs. They collapsed, their bodies paralyzed and twitching. The monsters, seeing their prey fall, lowered their guard, their predatory eyes fixed on the helpless students.
From the shadows where the arrows had flown, four silhouettes emerged: two girls—one gripping a bow, the other a staff—and two boys—one wielding a greatsword, the other a massive tower shield.
As they drew close, the stags snapped their attention to the newcomers and charged immediately.
The swordsman stepped forward. Mid-way, the monsters vanished, leaving only streaks of black kinetic energy behind. The boy kept walking, his sword held casually. As the three blurs reached him, he shifted his weight, passing right through them in a single, fluid motion. The blurs stopped. The monsters reappeared, frozen.
He leveled his blade at chest height, then snapped his wrist down. Instantly, the three monsters behind him fell apart, butchered into silent pieces.
He turned to his team. "I told you, speed is everything."
His companions walked toward him. The archer rolled her eyes. "Why are you flexing? You're not the only one who can hit 50km/h, you know."
The swordsman scoffed. Then, a voice groaned from the ground. The boy with large, wide eyes—the one with arrows in his back—gasped for air. "I-Is that you? Why... why did you attack us?" He coughed, forcing the words out through the pain.
The swordsman looked down at him. "Oh? You're still conscious?" He crouched beside him. "It's quite simple. Since you refused our 'Premium Service' to help you leave the dungeon without injury, you'll just have to leave it with injuries instead. Isn't that obvious?"
The boy with wide eyes grit his teeth until they nearly cracked. "You... cough cough!" He spat blood onto the pink snow.
"I suggest you use your return scroll before the poison really kicks in," the swordsman added.
The archer stopped beside them. "Even if you can endure it, I don't think your friends will last much longer."
The boy with wide eyes glared at them with pure fury, trying to drag his body toward them. Suddenly, a hand caught his sleeve. He turned; his friend was in even worse shape. And their other friend, the smiling girl he had known for years, lay unconscious in a pool of blood.
He closed his eyes and took a shuddering breath. "We... we forfeit."
The moment he declared it, a notification flashed before the leader's eyes. "See? You should have done that from the start," the swordsman said, standing up. "Go home and get treated. Who knows what'll happen if you linger?"
He walked past his companions, and the three followed.
The second boy watched them go, while the one with wide eyes pushed himself into a sitting position, a return scroll in his hand. "Tear the group scroll," his friend urged. "We have to get back and heal..."
His eyes fell on a potion sitting in front of his friend. "Wait... Is that the healing potion from last night?"
Flashback: The night before.
The three of them were in a room. The two friends held out a vial, placing it in his hand. "This is the potion we bought with our shared savings. You're going to keep it."
Perplexed, he replied, "Why me? We should give it to whoever is most likely to get hurt."
The two looked at each other and smiled. "That's exactly why it's you," the boy said. "You're the one who always charges in head-first."
The girl added, "Plus, you're the most spiteful. Who knows what you'll do? You might start chasing monsters just because they annoyed you." They both burst into laughter, then placed their hands over his. "We're going to pass this exam."
"Yes, we have to. We're counting on you, Captain."
He looked at them, a determined smile appearing on his lips. "Yes... we'll make it."
Present day.
The second boy's eyes widened as he realized his friend's intent. "You?! Don't tell me—!"
The boy with wide eyes tore the scroll. The white light enveloped only the boy and the unconscious girl. "The two of you go first," he declared, his eyes bloodshot and pulsing with adrenaline. "I'm staying. I'm finishing this alone."
"You... why are you charging in again—?!" His friend's angry voice vanished as they disappeared into the light.
The boy with wide eyes uncorked the potion and downed it. His body mended like magic; the wounds closed, and the fatigue evaporated. His eyes locked onto the four silhouettes in the distance like a lone wolf stalking its prey.
"You're counting on me... so I can't let you down. I'll make us win. And I'll make them pay."
Present: Inner Zone.
The four silhouettes emerged from the shadows.
Remedy watched them, saying nothing. The archer declared: "No need to thank us for the help. That one was on the house."
Remedy's eyebrow twitched slightly, his eyes falling on the prey they had just stolen from him. On the house?
The leader with the greatsword unslung his blade and drove it into the pink earth, resting both hands on the pommel. "Do you need any more specific assistance? Because next time, we charge a fee."
Remedy's gaze slid from the monster's carcass to the boy.
"Paid in party points, of course."
For a split second, Remedy's expression froze. His eyes widened—just a fraction. Then, his face returned to its usual mask of indifference. He scanned the entire team, then closed his eyes. A faint, imperceptible smirk touched the corner of his mouth.
Well then. Welcome, indeed.
Benefactors.
Seeing Remedy's relaxed face and slight smile, the swordsman chuckled. "Relieved, are you? Looks like you really needed the help."
Remedy wiped the blood from his lips. "You helped me? That's... kind of you."
The swordsman raised a palm, as if telling him to stay back. "Oh, that was just the free sample. We can help you in other ways, you know?"
"Oh? I'm listening."
The boy gripped his sword, pulling it from the ground. He lifted the ring-shaped pommel to eye level, peering at Remedy through the hole. "For example... helping you get home without any new injuries?"
The archer reached behind her shoulder, her fingers grazing the fletching of an arrow. The boy on the other side adjusted his shield. The girl in the back tightened her grip on her staff.
The leader added: "But of course, for this VIP service, you have to pay with your party points."
Remedy watched them—the weapons being adjusted, the shifting stances. He began to walk toward them, his hands open and relaxed. "That's a very generous offer. I have one for you, too."
He measured the distance between them with a cold gaze. "I can help you take a little trip to the hospital. What do you think?"
He stopped, having closed the gap just enough. "It's probably been a while since your last visit, hasn't it?"
His eyes flared with a predatory light, a villainous grin spreading across his face. "How about a free all-inclusive ticket to the emergency room?"
He dropped into a low, explosive stance. The archer instantly drew her bow to full tension. Remedy let out a breath—a sound of pure, dark joy. The smile of a manipulator who had just led his enemies right into the trap.
Hehe. Manifestation...
End of chapter 19