After class ended, I bolted out of the room, desperately trying to evade the students eager to pin down. My heart raced as I sprinted towards my dorm, hoping to slip away unnoticed. But as soon as I stepped onto my floor, dread washed over . They were already there, crowded around my door like hunters surrounding their prey.
Quickly, I ducked behind a nearby pillar and frantically pressed the elevator button, willing it to open. ’Co on, please open, open, OPEN!’
Ding!
The sound echoed through the hallway, and all eyes turned in my direction. It was silent, waiting to see if which of us will move first.
"Get that witch! I an Remillia!" soone shouted, finally breaking the silence.
My instincts kicked in. I bolted towards the ergency stairs, shouting over my shoulder, "I’m not a witch! So why are you treating this like a real Witch Hunt?!"
"Sorry, but we need you in our squad!" a distant voice called after as I raced down the steps.
"I already joined a squad with Ezekiel!" I replied, still running.
"Well, it’s not finalized yet, so just give up!" another voice chid in, echoing in the stairwell.
"Why am I the only one being chased?! Go chase the other top 10’s!" I cried out, already panting from exertion.
"Cause you’re a witch!" A girl shouted, her laughter ringing out.
"What the hell?! I swear if I find out your na, I’ll turn you into a frog!" I retorted, my frustration bubbling over.
"She’s just kidding! You and Ezekiel are the only ones who still haven’t passed their nas yet!" soone reassured from the back of the pack.
"I’m not kidding! See? She’s really a witch! " That sa girl yelled again, and I could almost hear the smirk in her voice.
The hotel hallway filled with the sounds of our shouts and laughter as they chased down the stairs, but I was faster and more agile. I burst through the door and into the cool evening air, dashing toward the forest beside the building.
Once I was deep within the trees, I finally slowed down, panting heavily. I found a sturdy branch and hoisted myself up, settling down on a high perch. The sounds of the chase faded into the background, and the only noise left was the rustling of leaves and the distant chirping of crickets.
I looked at the ti on my phone. It was still 8:30 in the evening—way too early for the chase to be over. I glanced around, taking in my surroundings in the dim light. Branches swayed gently above , casting silhouettes against the darkening sky.
Deciding that hiding here was my best bet for now, I slumped back against the tree trunk, allowing my eyelids to grow heavy. Exhaustion washed over as I closed my eyes, waiting for the "witch hunt" to finish and I wouldn’t have to face a mob of strangers-turned-foes when I returned to my dorm.
~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~
Wiing!
Slash!
Paak!
The sounds of sothing slicing through the air broke the silence of the night, jolting awake. I rubbed the sleep from my eyes, checking the ti on my smartwatch. 10:30 PM. I stretched my limbs, yawned, and jumped down from the branch, my feet making barely a sound as I landed on the forest floor.
Curiosity getting the better of , I crept towards the source of the noise, my senses on high alert. The moon cast an ethereal glow over the forest, illuminating a lone figure in the distance. He was shirtless, his muscles rippling with each movent as he trained with a sword. ’What’s Cypher doing here?’
I leaned against a nearby tree, observing him as my thoughts drifted to his physical form. ’D@mn he’s really a fine piece of specin I created.’ The thought slipped into my mind, and I couldn’t help but feel a pang... not exactly pride, but perhaps a sense of satisfaction?
As I gazed at him, my eyes wandering from his face to his Adam’s apple, and then down to his chiseled abs, I felt a twinge of jealousy. ’I also train hard but why is it that I don’t even have abs?’ I sighed, pulling at my own shirt to examine my stomach. Flat, but not quite as toned as Cypher’s.
I sighed as I pulled my shirt and stared at my stomach. It was flat. ’I wish I also have abs. I’m jealous of that abs of his.’
Lost in my thoughts, I forgot about the ti and the reason I was hiding in the forest. What was Cypher doing out here so late? Was he preparing for sothing?
It was late, and I wondered what driven him to train at this hour. Did he have sothing important going on? Unable to contain my curiosity, I stepped towards him. But just then, I realized I may have miscalculated my approach.
The mont I stepped on a branch, Cypher’s head snapped towards , his sword flashing in the moonlight as he charged towards .
I stood there, frozen in surprise, as Cypher’s eyes snapped towards , his sword pointed accusingly at my neck. I held up both hands in a gesture of surrender. "I should have spoken first," I said, trying to calm him down.
The mont he recognized , his face relaxed, and he lowered his sword, looking sheepish. "Remi?" he called out, his voice tinged with worry.
I smiled sheepishly, feeling a bit guilty for startling him. "Heh, did I disturb you? Sorry."
Kairos took a deep breath, still looking a bit perplexed. "How did you end up here?" he asked.
I chuckled, feeling a bit more at ease. "Oh, and our classmates were role-playing, and I was the witch being chased by angry mobs. That’s how I ended up here."
He looked at , his expression puzzled, as if trying to understand the context. "You’re shooting a drama right now?"
I winced inwardly, rembering that Kairos often took things a bit too seriously. "What I an is, my classmates want to join their group, but I said no, and now they’re chasing . I guess this counts as my escape strategy."
Kairos nodded slowly, his face clearing up as understanding dawned on him. "Oh..."
As we stood there, I glanced at Cypher, noticing that he seed...off. His eyes were gleaming with an intensity that made wonder if sothing was bothering him.
"Why are you training so hard right now?" I asked, curiosity getting the better of .
"I-It’s nothing." He evaded my gaze but I followed his gaze and stared at him.
"Are you hiding sothing from ?" I took a step closer, trying to et his gaze.
He shook his head, but his blush deepened. "...No."
"Really?" My gaze lingered on his face, and I couldn’t help but tease him so I tiptoed and poked his cheek with a finger. "Why are you blushing then?"
Cypher jolted from my touch, his eyes sparkling with a mix of embarrassnt and... sothing else. He took a deep breath before answering, his voice laced with a hint of determination. "I’m planning to raid a dungeon by myself."
"Really? Where?" I asked, my heart racing at the thought. Is it that ti already?
"Stormfire Mountain," he replied, his tone surprisingly casual.
Most dungeons couldn’t be soloed unless the combatant was strong or the dungeon itself was weak. But the dungeon Cypher was planning to conquer was an exception.
While it had small, weak monsters scattered throughout, the real threat was the powerful boss lurking at the end: Tenebris, a swordsman monster who even Elite Heroes would find difficult to handle.
When he managed to kill the boss, it would drop a plain-looking weapon — Fendral. I had crafted Fendral with care, designing it to be a legendary weapon. Its unawakened form, however, would appear as nothing more than a rusty old cane. It was intended to transform, to beco more sword-like as it unlocked its true potential. But because of its ordinary appearance, Cypher wouldn’t realize its value at first.
In any case, I had to join this conquest of his. After all, I was the only one who knew how to activate it. But that wasn’t the only reason. Frankly, I was worried. I wasn’t sure Cypher could beat the dungeon by himself. This world wasn’t as easy and sloppy as the one I wrote.
"If you really plan on conquering a Dungeon, let join. You know how capable I am, right?" I said, my voice steady but my heart racing.
"..." He fell silent.
"C’mon, Cypher," I pressed, inching closer, my eyes wide in faux innocence. "I promise I won’t take any of your loot. I just want to do a little sightseeing and experience what a dungeon actually looks like," I tried to make my voice sound vulnerable, adding a slight pout for effect.
Finally, he relented, breaking the silence. "Okay."
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