A second ago, everyone had been about to leave and do their own thing, worried that staying there might get them in trouble with the top rankers. However, when they heard Gary being shouted at, they couldn’t help to turn around to satisfy their own curiosity.
“You think that guy has a death wish?” One of the students murmured to the one standing next to him. “When’s the last time someone dared to go up against anyone in the top ten?”
“I dunno about that death wish part, but that fresh blood’s stay is destined to be miserable now. The poor idiot probably doesn’t even have an idea what kind of mistake he just committed.“ Another replied.
“I feel bad for him. He’s going to get killed if someone doesn’t pull him out.” A third one chimed in.
“You’re a Cat Altered, aren’t you? If you want to play the good Samaritan, go sacrifice one of your nine lives to save him. I’ll make sure to pray for the both of you after they’ve sent you to the other side.” Another one ridiculed the notion.
At the same time, watching from the third floor, there was a trio of students that were watching things unravel from above. Because if something did occur then in the end they would probably have to step in.
——
“Hey, Snow, Appolo, did Sty tell any of you that he would be doing this?” A topless student questioned. Scratching his short hard hair, at an incredible speed, one would think he was trying to start a fire or had nits. Even while talking he seemed to be doing this action. His jacket was tied around his waist, and the badge that all the students wore was pinned on it, showing the number 3. This student was called Wu Chen, and there were many that knew his name, as he was the most often seen top ranker. Spending most of his time training in the standard training rooms that anyone could use.
Wu was scowling since he was in the middle of training when he had been called. “Didn’t we all agree to sit still for one week? Ha, didn’t you guys even bet that I would be the first one to break the pact? Looks like you’ll have to treat me once we’re in the AFA!”
“No, he didn’t warn any of us, Wu. He better have a good explanation why he did that. Otherwise, I say, we should punish him by reducing his rank.” The tallest student among them replied. Seeing the scene in front of them, his hands tightened around the bar, and he was starting to grind his teeth.
Seeing how Snow Light, the currently second-strongest student, reacted like that, the person to his left handed him a carrot. Not even looking up, Snow grabbed the treat and started chomping down on it aggressively, his overly long ears whipping up and down while all the tension in his body began to disappear.
Seeing this sight, Wu couldn't help but pull a face.
‘ I don’t think you should be saying anything, Snow! With enough carrots, he could easily bribe you into pretending like you hadn’t seen anything.’
“I don’t mind him taking action, to be honest. There are already rumours going around that those in the top 20 intended to challenge us all on the last day to stop us from advancing.
“I’m not sure how reliable those rumours are, but given that their background isn’t too far off from ours, we can’t just ignore that possibility. Besides, I'm sure our actions have caused us to make some enemies inside here.” He let out a big sigh, almost tired of the situation.
“I was the one that proposed the idea of no fighting, so I guess I will also need to be the one that enforces the rules.” Stopping there, the student began to stare at the green haired student. “I prefer honest people like that guy. At least you know what to expect from his type since they express their feelings openly.”
Apollo Zorian was looking at Gary specifically when saying these words. Underneath his dark clothes was a chest bigger than anyone else’s in the facility. What also stood out was his incredibly pale skin that looked like it would be burnt just from the lights in the room alone. On top of that, there were visible scars on his knuckles and a few on his chin as well.
Usually just seeing such a person most would avoid them. For altered there weren’t many with scars, because their bodies would heal them. This meant, at first glance, it was obvious that he wasn’t someone unfamiliar with the world of fighting, as he was someone who had fought before he was an Altered even at this age. Yet in here there was another reason to avoid him. He was the one whose badge showed the number 1 right now.
‘I wonder what type of surprises the rest of this one week still holds for us.’ He thought to himself with a mild grin.
——
On the first floor, Gary continued walking toward the high-ranking individuals. He showed no fear and others had already coined him a dead man walking, though they were also looking forward to witnessing a one-sided beating.
It was then that the two high rankers looked at each other as well wondering what to do, or perhaps suggest which one would fight the person in front of them because at the moment, Gary’s number indicated he was one of the weakest people in this place.
That was until Gary stopped around 30 centimetres away from the student's hand, that was still up in the air.
“You don’t have a problem with me just standing here? Don’t worry, I won’t interrupt you guys.” Gary said.
‘I have no idea what he’s thinking.’ Izzy shook her head in disbelief. ‘Does he plan to annoy them into attacking him first? Or is he just hoping that if he shows off his confidence that they might not attack him, fearing the kind of backing he might have?’
In the end, the two high rankers simply nodded, unwilling to call the Werewolf’s bluff. They didn’t wish to act before they were sure about who this newcomer was, and as long as he behaved they were willing to tolerate his antics.
As for the reason why Gary had stopped just short of them, it was simple. From that position, he was able to hear everything happening to Numba. A normal person wouldn't have been able to hear from this distance, but then again, the green haired teenager was anything but normal.
——
Inside his newly earned room, Numba sat down while surrounded by a bunch of uninvited guests.
“What do you want? Given her ranking, I doubt the one I defeated was a friend of yours, so you shouldn’t be here for revenge.” The Goat Altered came right to the point.
“Oh that? No, you’re correct, I don’t know who she is and she is nowhere near my type. I'm not focused on that aspect for now. As I’ve said, I’ve just come here to talk to you.” Sty, the number 4 student answered. “You see, I heard that TS services plans to expand. They’re the ones backing you, correct?”
Hearing this name, Numba’s attitude changed from nonchalance to actual interest. Even a smidgen of respect could be found on his face.
“You see, your father, or I guess adoptive father, recently came over to my family asking to do business with us. I thought since the two of us are the ones who will represent our companies in the future it would be in our mutual interest to get to know each other. Besides, I have some influence in here, so I can make sure that your stay will be more comfortable sooner rather than later.” Sty smiled.
Numba thought about it for some while, because his number one rule was not to trust people, and he didn't understand what exactly Sty would get out of all of this.
“What’s exactly in it for you? For the time being, I have nothing to give you, least of all in this place. My rank is far below yours, not to mention, you will soon be leaving this place as well.” Numba replied.
“That’s where you’re wrong. There is one thing you have in here that I desire, yourself. I’m always in need of loyal people. I wish to build up my own group, you see, and what better place than the AFA? Agree and will tell my folks to treat yours nicely. All you need to do is do as I say.”
——
A short while later and the conversation ended. Sty was leaving the room, followed by his goons, and eventually Numba. The Goal Altered looked unhurt, which led the onlookers to speculate as to what they might have been talking about.
Sty headed to the other high ranking members and that's when he saw Gary standing there.
“What are you looking at?” He asked the green haired teenager.
Gary looked him up and down, before smiling. “Nothing, I just didn’t know shit could stack so high.”
*****
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