"Gather up everyone! I saw that flaming man in a black suit. He has nowhere left to go; this trap of ours is foolproof-" A flaming spear skewered the examinee's abdomen the moment they turned their backs.
"You sure about that?" The examinee's comrades slowly walk to face his ire, only to be revealed this was never a betrayal in the first place.
"Don't worry nobody betrayed you. The whole story about an insider? All a ruse to result in an infighting,"
The comrade that the examinees so willingly trusted his back had their faces deformed, revealing the bitter truth. A man in black, a flame of blue, and dried blood from the victims he mercilessly had scorched down to their ashes. Once Sei Jun sealed the killing blow, his appearance then shifted to his freshly slaughtered prey.
"Leader! There you are! What happened to Christ? And the man in black?"
"Christ is dead... but his sacrifice had led us to trap that damn freak. I spent most of my energy. Go on without me,"
The tone, pitch, and even the sense of familiarity were what kept him acting perfectly as though he was the person himself. The examinees, blindly trusting his words, moved onward in the trap they so carefully prepared for the reason for his elimination. Instead of the man in a black suit, they saw the head of their second-in-command skewered in their makeshift trap. A loud thud seemingly set as they set foot had triggered an alarm, alerting any beast in sleep at their very location. It didn't take long before they were mangled, but what made it worse was the appearance of the blue flame.
[I knew this book would've come in handy. The best is that your disguise remains intact unless they suspect you. But that was impossible. Seeing as these teams were made to eliminate you and get the prize pool.]
[Status: You've canceled the Immersion of the book
Durability: Having canceled the Immersion before it expires, the book returns to your possession, having its durability deteriorated.
Repair: You can repair one book of your choosing with the use of both Ether and Mental strength to recover their former quality]
'After that whole escapade of killing the Elite Nightcrawler, I suddenly got branded as a primary target. Killing examinees wasn't forbidden, so taking their points for yourself was no problem as long as you kill them. Still, I'm suspicious of the Test administrators; there are dozens of big fishes, but why are they so intended on having me killed?'
[Jun Jun...]
'Sigh... I know,'
"Show yourself. You know how destructive my flames can be. I'll burn you to ashes on a count of three-"
[Motherfuck!!!]
Even after he hid his tracks very well, this blonde-haired maiden unknowingly finds her way by his side. From the ashes and flames of the path he walked, she was the only one unharmed and alive a second longer than most. Sei Jun didn't even strike a confrontation, he sighed and walked at his own pace in the grassy terrain.
"You're so incredible Mister! I guess what happened that night wasn't some sort of dream? Also what's your name, don't you think it unfair to know mine but I don't know yours-"
"I don't know which floor you came from but it's quite common no one wants to associate with you when they are quiet," Sei Jun's flames flared up as he stared directly at Maple's eyes to scare her, and yet she smiled in his silly act
"Of course I know, but Mr. haven't you killed people for less? What is it about me that you can't force yourself to kill?" Maple wasn't mindlessly following Sei Jun, and she herself knew of his power and brutality, and yet she remained the same.
"Don't think for the slightest that I hadn't seen what you've done. I saw you kill an examinee just because they cussed at you. Something so small, yet you killed them," As Sei Jun heard her statement, he found out how petty he'd become for the past few days with Ace by his side.
'Now that I've thought about it, I wasn't this crazy before? Or is this my true nature? Remaining hidden since I'm powerless?'
[Don't tell me you haven't figured it out? You've synchronized with me. The last time our emotions were so in sync that you unleashed my Black flames. All Pyronite users have their very own unique fire. Even the Lau family affiliate we met before had a unique flame, thats something you impossible in itself. Yet you made it possible, maybe due to synchronizing with me you grew to be cold and merciless, kinda like me]
Sei Jun would've scoffed and ignored this like he did with Ace's unrelenting insults but he realized it too. His increased pettiness like Ace, psychopathic tendencies to kill like the Formless Murderer, and his intense craving for Chicken. He wasn't sure if that craving hailed from Sung Jei Hyun or if he was just incredibly starved, on the second day
'I did find it odd how I could sustain myself without eating for half a day with no food, so this is Ether? What others call Soul power is an energy formed the moment you're born, but to use it, however, is quite difficult. Awakening this dormant power resting in every resident was no ordinary feat and most techniques locked away from clans or families,'
[Ether isn't that amazing. It's similar to your blood veins, but the difference is that it encompasses your existence. Running out means fatal, and replenishing takes more than sleeping, but for Pyronites, it's easy. The Ether inside gets replenished as soon as we eat something poisonous, it both replenishes Ether and makes it easier to flow]
"Why isn't that Ironic. I've grown to use fire and to restore it by eating. My existence had become equivalent to a furnace,"
He takes out a lot of Mud Gator meat, and eats it without the need for heating; the spiciness he intakes is immense. The difference from when he cooked it and ate it raw was comparing a slope and a towering hill yet he enjoyed it. His tongue had a knack for spice, and as the poison subsided, he felt his energy had been rejuvenated in a flash.
"Yummy... wait no! That can kill me!" Maple's drooling mug changes from envious to horrified the moment she recalls the lethality that meat posed
[Jun Jun... I may be synched with your mind but I can only talk to you. I can't do anything past that. So whatever thats keeping her alive, I won't judge you, nor ask for your reasons. That's a personal matter-]
'Who the fuck are you and what have you done to Ace?'
[For fucks sake just do whatever you want. I'm not in the mood for our daily banter. Wake me up when it's over]
'Wait... is it possible to burn away all the poison in this meat?'
[... heh, so that's your type- it's a joke, Sei Jun. Put the knife down. Just heat it up till the surface is similar to charcoal]
"Don't worry, I know a way to take the poison off," He poured and concentrated a small chunk of Ether, scorching a handful of meat till it turned black as coal.
"Here... it this," As Sei Jun urges her to eat her face full of gratitude upon hearing she could eat turned sour the moment she saw the product
"On second thought I'll just stick to starving- Can I really eat this?" The charcoal crust of the meat broke apart in one snap, revealing a pleasant-smelling, plump, and rich juicy meat.
"Knock yourself out-"
He barely realized the meat's disappearance from his hand as Maple snatched the meat at record speed, gorging it down in no time. From the first bite, she tore up; the second, her eyes glimmered; and the third, and so on, she was no different from a savage. The black charcoal-like crust was no burns; it was the poisonous fluids evaporated by his flames till it took the shape of a crust, further sealing the rich and savory flavor.
"If I didn't see it up close and personal... I would've believed that you're my dead sister. Your face and personality, are so alike, it's like she never even left,"
His cold and unfazed expression breaks as she pats Maple's head reminiscing about her dead sister. "My sister Eri was fucking annoying. She clung to me like she was a part of me. Seriously I had to smack her head before she let go of me,"
The wholesome moment turned sideways as Sei Jun mentioned her faults and how irritating she was to be with. "It's the little things that stick as you grow old... seeing your face makes me realize how pissed I truly am. Like the time she kicked my balls when I was asleep-"
This slow and uneventful second day, except for Sei Jun's previous run-ins, took a twisted turn for the worst. The next disaster came the moment the time had struck noon and the duration of this test went below half. A large tremor of tectonic shake broke through the solid ground they once stood, and every contender was dragged to the pits.
[Oh shit... this is one of the reasons why the test never ends with the last day. This surprise attack takes you to the environment of the Moles. And let's just say that even if you're a genius, there's no chance of winning when you're on their turf. Even if you're strong this place is their home, their habitat, for this is the only place where all hell could break loose]
"Damn it... I can sense them everywhere!!!" The tremors stop, and dozens of bipedal moles burst from everywhere, all at the same time.
[Do you know that the power of friendship is real? Extra people means extra hands to catch. Let the game of whack-a-mole begin!!!]