With the Seeker being none other than the Scout Instructor, Shibisu, alongside the rest of the Scout candidates, were all in a depressive mood. They had witnessed Quant’s speed first-hand, so, while it wasn’t impossible to secure a victory, they understood just how slim their chances were.
Feeling understandably exasperated, Shibisu released a tired sigh before looking around at the rest of his team members, settling on Khun as he asked, “What do you think of this situation? It doesn’t seem all that fair to me.”
Showing none of the concern visible in the rest of his teammate’s countenances, Khun just smiled in response to Shibisu’s words before answering, “Well, it makes sense when you consider the fact we have two Princesses of Jahad in our group. Unless they made Anak and Endorsi the Seekers, there is no way to guarantee fairness other than selecting a Ranker for the position. Besides, even if we fail to reach the exit, there is a good chance we’ll pass so long as we work together. We just need to do our best to demonstrate our capabilities in each Position.”
Though Khun’s words weren’t very inspirational, they were more than enough to ease the tensions of the remaining Regulars in the group. This automatically elevated him to a higher position in their minds, so, taking advantage of the convenience of the situation, Khun adopted a confident smile as he said, “Rather than give in to despair, let’s focus on the positives. Our opponent may be a Ranker, but the rules prevent him from using any of the items typically associated with the Position. There is also the fact he can only use Shinsu once throughout the entire exam so there is a very real chance we can win if we play our cards right. To that end, I would argue the most important thing, at least for the time being, is designating a leader.”
Understanding Khun’s intentions, Shibisu had to resist the urge to roll his eyes as he stated, “I think you should be the leader. You have more than enough confidence and you’re also our team’s most qualified Light Bearer. No offense to you, Leon.”
Hearing Shibisu’s remark, Leon, a young man who could always be seen wearing a red beanie, just shrugged in response. As for Khun, he promptly took advantage of Shibisu’s words, musing, “That settles it, then, From now on, you should all refer to me as Leader.”
Though there were mixed responses and a few half-hearted complaints in response to Khun’s bold assertion, nobody tried to argue against him becoming the Leader. Because of this, Khun had all the attention gathered on him as he said, “I’m certain you all understand how impossible it would be to escape from a Ranker, much less one in the Scout Position. Thus, rather than focus on fleeing, shall we discuss methods to capture a certain fiery-tempered chibi…?”
—
With the half-hour allotted for preparations coming to an end, Vahn, alongside Phae, Gandr, Rak, Ghost, and the remaining Regulars from Team B, all observed Team A’s efforts from high in the sky via a large digital display. All of the Instructors were also present, but, for the sake of discussion, a membrane of Shinsu had been erected to block sound between the two sides. This was to prevent any of the remaining Regulars from gaining any insight into the criteria used to evaluate the current participants, but, as could be expected, it also caused them to feel extremely nervous.
Having already passed the exam, Vahn was completely relaxed as he watched Khun direct his team to split up into three separate groups. One group remained in the so-called ‘safe area’, the starting location which protected them during the thirty minutes allotted for preparations. The other, much larger group, moved to secure a massive spiral stairwell that led to the upper level, the location of one-of-two exits. It was much further away than the closet exit, but, considering Quant started from the closest one, it was by far the safest route.
Near the very center of the arena, a large single-shaft elevator that connected directly to the top floor could be found. On average, this elevator took ten minutes to reach the top, but, from there, you would only need to run ten kilometers to reach the further exit. This meant, so long as you got your ‘it’ into the elevator and managed to protect the stairwell, you could effectively guarantee your team’s victory.
As could be expected, Anak was the person chosen to be her team’s ‘it’, but, rather than making a break for the elevator, she teamed up with the first group to form a perimeter within a large area surrounded by tall pillars. This was an arena designed to emulate the section of the Middle Tower that Regulars in the past would have to navigate in between Floors. Thus, as could be expected, there were absolutely no light sources other than the Lighthouses belonging to the Light Bearers themselves.
Understanding that Team A was trying to set a trap, an amused smile spread across Vahn’s face as Shibisu, seemingly serving as bait, was left to stand in the center of the open area with a Lighthouse shining down on him from above…
—
In an effort to give the Regulars a sporting chance, Quant decided to limit his speed to around the same pace as Anak, the fastest person on the current team. He didn’t want to be accused of using his status as a Ranker to bully Regulars who had yet to even qualify to move up the Tower. Lero-Ro had also asked him to show a bit of restraint, so, out of respect for their centuries-long friendship, Quant decided to take it nice and easy.
Unfortunately, as if they weren’t taking him seriously at all, Quant quickly came upon the scene of Shibisu standing out in the open. This caused his blood pressure to immediately skyrocket, but, as a responsible adult, he did his best to control his temper as he stepped out into the light, remarking, “I have to say, this is probably the most obvious trap I’ve seen in my entire life…”
Hearing his Instructor’s comment, Shibisu rubbed the back of his head, an awkward laugh escaping his before saying, “Well…you know how it is, teach. You’re way too fast for us to escape so what else can we do other than buying time for our ‘it’ to reach the exit?”
Never shy in the face of compliments, Quant felt his tensions relax slightly, a smile spread across his face as he mused, “Well said! As expected of my second-best student. Now, out of consideration for your honesty, how about a bonus lesson? I have high expectations for your talent as a Scout so you consider this a parting gift before you climb the Tower.”
Though he had a bad feeling hearing his Instructor’s words, Shibisu managed a wry smile as he put his hand down and answered, “Looks like I’ll be in your care, once again…”
Amused by Shibisu’s reaction, Quant issued a light-hearted laugh before placing his hands behind his back and saying, “Let’s see…if I had to guess, you have between four and five teammates nearby, probably two Spear Bearers, a Wave Controller, a Lightbearer, and a Fisherman. If I include you, that makes this a five-to-one situation, at the very least…now, tell me, what do you think a Scout should do in this situation, my dear pupil?”
Since his main focus was buying time, Shibisu adopted a contemplative look, remaining silent for several long seconds before tilting his head to the side and replying, “Dance…?”
Losing his good mood, Quant deadpanned at Shibisu’s response, his tone deepening as he asked, “Are you being serious…?”
Offering an awkward laugh in response, Shibisu repeated his action of scratching the back of his head as he answered, “Sorry, I thought the atmosphere was getting pretty tense. I thought it might save me some pain if I lighten the mood a bit…hahahaha…”
Finding Shibisu’s answer amusing, the smile returned to Quant’s face, a light chuckle escaping his lips as he remarked, “Commendable effort…unfortunately, we both know I’m not the type to hold back when it comes to disciplining naughty students. Now, let me show you the real answer…”
The moment Quant finished speaking, his body instantaneously turned into a blur as he dashed toward Shibisu. This caused the latter to backpedal as quickly as he could, but, as someone with a relatively ‘normal’ physique, there was no way for Shibisu to outrun even a restrained Quant. As a result, he was instantly caught up to, but, before the fiery red-head could teach his precious student a lesson, a red spear entered the periphery of his vision, intersecting his trajectory.
With his hands still neatly tucked behind his back, Quant easily arrested his momentum, stopping in an instant before kicking the spear away without any effort. In the exact same motion, he vaulted high enough to surpass the Lighthouse floating above, smiling as he said, “Let’s see how well your team fights in the dark.”
Immediately following Quant’s words, he kicked the Lighthouse with enough force to crack one of the surfaces. Then, like a meteor descending from the heavens, it crashed into the ground next to Shibisu, shrapnel erupted from both the Lighthouse and the stone ground. A few of these pieces hit Shibisu directly, but, other than a few small scrapes and bruises, he was more shaken than anything else.
Without a Lighthouse to illuminate the battlefield, the surroundings immediately descended into pitch-black darkness. From within the darkness, soft footsteps could be heard, not from just a single direction, but all directions simultaneously, This caused another dry laugh to escape Shibisu’s lips, a sound that seemed to echo around him before an eerie voice seemed to speak directly into his ear, stating, “In a situation where a Scout is outnumbered, one of the best things you can do is take out the enemy’s eyes. Without a Lighthouse, numbers mean very little. Rather, due to the increased risk of hitting an ally, the enemy has little choice but to regroup…”
As it was never pleasant to hear a voice directly in your ear, Shibisu’s body momentarily tensed up before attempting a roundhouse kick towards the darkness. Unfortunately, his attack his empty air, followed by another laugh as Quant remarked, “This is why you were only second-best. Not being able to see in the dark is an extreme weakness in circumstances like this. Since you lack the inherent ability, make sure you pick up an item that covers for this weakness in the future.”
Finished with his advice, Quant appeared within Shibisu’s blind spot, specifically behind him, while playfully muttering, “Checkmate~.” What he never would have expected was for Shibisu to utter the exact same words as a blinding light erupted from one of the surrounding pillars. This momentarily disoriented him, not because of the light itself, but because he was certain the final Lighthouse was with the ‘it’.
Shifting his attention to the light source, Quant discovered that his intuition wasn’t actually wrong. He simply overlooked the possibility that the team’s ‘it’ had never even left. Instead, he could see Anak standing at the top of the pillar with a massive grin on her face as she shouted, “Sorry, but the one who is ‘it’ is right here…!”
Following her outburst, Anak threw a green hook with meteoric force towards Quant. This wasn’t her Green April, but she still had more than enough finesse and control with her Reel Inventory to manipulate the line and grasp objects at a distance. As a result, she was nearly able to snatch the badge directly from Quant’s chest, effectively ending the game then and there. Unfortunately, she had underestimated the Ranker’s pettiness, as, the moment he realized what was happening, Quant muttered, “Black Fish…” before soundlessly fading into the shadows at supersonic speeds.
Black Fish was a technique that allowed a Scout to veil their body in Shinsu, effectively becoming invisible in areas with low visibility. This, combined with his Ranker-levels of speed allowed him to easily evade Anak’s hook, reappearing to grab it the moment she attempted to reel it in. Then, with an expression that could only be described as ‘absolutely livid’, a crazed smile spread across his face as he looked at Shibisu and asked, “You’re really looking down on me, aren’t you? It seems I didn’t give you enough love during our classes…hahahahahahahahaha…!”
(A/N: Alternate Titles: ‘I’m the Captain now’,’Quant be like: “I’m such a good teacher!”‘,’Also Quant: “I’m going to f**cking murder you~!”‘)
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