"You should've just given that artifact from the start. We could've beaten them easily without making everything so damn complicated." Tyrone's tone carried a bit of complaint.
Especially after witnessing the power of Hector's artifact. That thing was a straight-up destructive weapon.
He added, "I an, you can't even use mana, right? This is just wasting our ti."
Hector stayed silent and walked into the safe zone, which had turned into flat ground after the devastation of the lightning columns.
"So, you'll have to kill if you really want it." Hector shrugged his shoulders.
Tyrone grimaced at how Hector was making this sound more serious than it should be. He said, trying to calm him down,
"Co on, I just wanna borrow it. I'll give it back after."
Bam also stepped into the safe zone, ignoring the back-and-forth between Hector and Tyrone.
Hector shook his head slightly.
"No, what I an is—high-rank artifacts choose their own masters first. If I die, then it'll be free to wait for a new one."
"Huh? Then why didn't you just say that in the first place instead of acting like you wanted to fight?"
Tyrone snapped in anger.
"You making fun of ?"
Hector glanced around, trying to spot signs of life through the smoke and dust, and said,
"If you want sothing like mine, just work harder. Kevin gave this artifact. You know he's rich and generous."
Tyrone's mouth dropped open in shock. He stamred,
"Is that for real?"
Hector scanned the place again and eventually sensed a few pressure points. He figured they belonged to Jeff and his team. So they were still alive after all.
He nodded.
"You should kiss his shoes if you want your wish to co true."
Hector and Bam walked over to Jeff, ignoring Tyrone, who was still daydreaming about the artifact—probably already planning how to kiss up to Kevin after this final exam was over.
Taking a quick glance at Jeff and his team, Hector asked,
"Still alive?"
Right now, Jeff and his team were in terrible shape. Their bodies were badly scorched by lightning, and their armor had been shattered into pieces, leaving raw, bleeding skin exposed.
Jeff looked a little better off—maybe thanks to his body being enhanced by a skill coin. He had turned into a lion man before, but now he was nothing more than a battered man, clothes burned and tattered, looking utterly miserable.
His comrades, of course, had already passed out, their bodies charred like burnt corpses.
Jeff struggled to breathe, trembling as he tried to sit up. His eyes shifted weakly toward Hector as he begged,
"U...h..n..."
The sounds were unclear—hoarse, broken, and full of pain.
Hector let out a sigh before tossing him a healing capsule. The action surprised both Bam and Tyrone. Tyrone crossed his arms, his tone filled with discomfort.
"What the hell are you doing? They're enemies, you idiot."
Hector didn't respond. He just stared off into nowhere, like always.
After a while, Jeff managed to move a little and force out words. The healing capsule wasn't high quality, so all he could get out was,
"P-Please... my friends..."
Tyrone shifted uneasily, while Hector spoke in a cold voice,
"Don't worry. Your friends won't die—at least not for the next five minutes."
He glanced briefly at Jeff's teammates. Their condition was dire, and the fading pressure points in their bodies confird his assumption. They didn't have much longer.
"My ti is precious. Don't waste it. Just answer what I ask."
He leaned closer, his eyes sharp.
"First—why should I help you?"
Tyrone clicked his tongue and muttered,
"You already know what he's gonna say."
He was certain Jeff would co out with sothing like, "Because I'm a noble," or "If you kill , my father will have your head,"—the usual noble threats.
But the words that followed shocked everyone.
Jeff whispered weakly, "Whatever you want... as long as we survive. You can even use a slave contract if you don't believe ... I'll accept it. However, I only... want a contract with you."
A chill ran down Hector's spine. A mont later, he exhaled deeply and gave a nod.
"As you want."
Then he gestured to Bam. He would leave this matter to him. Tyrone, after all... was not suited for this. With his deep hostility toward nobles, who knew what he'd pull during a slave contract.
Bam let out a tired sigh. "Great. I look like your lackey now. You'd better pay more for this."
Since ti was short, the slave contract was drawn up with just a few simple conditions. But overall, it was enough. From now on, Jeff and his team's actions would be bound. If they wanted freedom, the only way was through Hector's consent.
Ten minutes later, Hector said,
"They're gonna wake up soon. Rember what I told you. If even the slightest threat cos from your friends against or my boys, you must kill them imdiately. Whether you convince them... or kill them yourself, that's up to your ability."
He paused, then added flatly,
"And one more thing—I'm not gay. Rember that."
Jeff, powerless and trembling, nodded.
"As you wish, my lord."
Hector pointed at Bam and Tyrone.
"Give them so treasures. Not everything you've got, and not what belongs to your friends either. Hurry up—my boys are already pissed at how slow you are."
Once the arrangents were done, Jeff and his team quickly left. They had lost all their points, so now their only choice was to hunt for new enemies to climb the ranks before the exam ended.
Tyrone smirked.
"Brilliant plan! You've got a big brain. Now you've got yourself a noble slave—and that poor bastard has to kill his own friends to keep them quiet. He'll probably drown in guilt after doing your dirty work."
He sighed in boredom.
"What a sha he didn't choose as his master."
Hector didn't reply. He just leaned against a rock, sitting in silence, while Bam rubbed his temples, worn out by Tyrone's endless babbling.
"Do you ever shut up?"
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