Pauli continued to explain, "Even if we get there first, we can't get away with it without others finding out at the end of the day. So unless you are ok with people knowing that you are nabbing kids that just awakened for research, I won't advise it."
Kelvin was disappointed. He knew it was going to be difficult, but he was still disappointed by it.
He was only partly dissapointed with Pauli though. It is the fact that he doesn't want to draw attention from other people looking for people who just awakened powerful abilities that made him mostly disappointed.
He can't compete with them and he can't bear to withstand their scrutiny and investigation even if he succeeds in snatching a target from them. But he wasn't going to make that last part known to Pauli. That will cut off his path of retreat, which is something he doesn't want.
He texted Pauli and put all the blame on him, "I am disappointed in your abilities. I will have to rethink joining your cabal with this level of competence."
Pauli asked for a meeting so that they could chat face-to-face, but he wasn't in the mood. A week went by, and he still refused to meet Pauli despite the daily request to meet.
But then Pauli stopped texting him after a week. Apparently, a lot of people had taken the bait he put up as a mission. He had a lot of tests to arrange, so he couldn't spend too much time trying to convince Kelvin anymore.
Plus, Thorin succeeded in convincing a talented super to join their cabal. This reduced Riptide's value to them. They stopped trying to convince him entirely.
Kelvin didn't know this. All he knew was that Pauli was not messaging him anymore. It made him a little regretful.
He was sitting on the couch in the afternoon, going through his terminal for any messages from Pauli, but he didn't see any.
He said to Wrath, "I actually wanted to join, but they were not trustworthy."
Wrath didn't care. "He is boring anyway. You can create your own cabal in the future. You can combine it with your narcos plan, so it will be far more interesting than some stinky weirdo who controls ants."
He nodded. "You are right. . I will have manpower, wealth, and information at my disposal that way. But I will need power. I have also learned an area I am lacking in.
I need a way to escape from danger and a way to hide myself from people looking for me like information brokers."
Wrath reminded him, "You will also need a way to control and keep your organization together. But that's for the future. You should be worried about your next game for now."
Kelvin didn't feel that there was anything to worry about. "I'm ready. There are very few things in the amateur league that can threaten me. And I have already prepared the face I will wear for the next game."
That reminded him of something. It made him grin and say, "I wonder how Alena is feeling currently."
He went to her social media and scrolled through it. Her recent video of her rant about the person disguising themselves as her was still the highest hit.
There was a new video, which he clicked on to watch. It was Alena challenging him to fight in real life. Both he and Wrath chuckled when they saw it.
He said, "You know what? I've changed my mind. I will go as Alena again. She is the fruit tree that just keeps on giving. It is best that I provide her with the fertilizer needed to make her grow."
"Are you sure it is a good idea? You are objectively better than her, so your feud will make her popular too. People especially hate villains and will take the side of a cute heroic girl more. I think you should highlight what makes you unique by copying other famous people."
He thought about it and said, "Fine. I'll just go with my original plan. It will draw a lot of attention to myself, not to her."
His game is supposed to be in a few minutes. Many people will be anxious and unable to calm down. But not him. He is more concerned with who he will pretend to look like to maximize his popularity.
It is something worth concerning himself with because it is working. He has already gained three more fans for a total of four. Those three fans have given him 72 more destiny and increased his total to 276. He is almost 30% of the way to the F-rank, thanks to their addition.
Those are just the people that have decided to support him after seeing two of his games. There are a lot more people who are paying attention to him and might be convinced to support him if he impresses them. So he has a lot to be concerned about regarding his image.
Eventually, time for his game came. He was transported to the tower of destiny. Then he had to pick ten balls to determine the type of game he would play.
It was not a new experience for him. He was still stunned by the flash of light when he was transported, but he knew it was coming, and he was able to adapt to it easily.
There was no danger to him during the game. He went through the motions of it and the six games too. That's what it felt like to him, but it didn't feel like that to those he played with and those who came to watch his games.
To those that were unlucky to be in the same game with him, he was a terror in their midst. Their game was probably the worst that they had ever participated in.
As for those who came to watch him, he was the hardcore flavor of violence and carnage that they craved. It was also fun to see popular heroes do despicable things that they wouldn't normally do.