Chapter 554: Backstabbers!
Chapter 554
"Fi...fifteen?!" Liam exploded in shock, his mouth hanging wide open.
"Impossible." Albed muttered as she stared at the sheet in her hands, then back at Grey.
"Aren’t you a stage 2 warrior?" she asked with a deep frown on her face.
’She’s part of the Midnight Sun, and I don’t know if it’s true, but I feel like she’s the one sent to hunt me down. I need to be careful. Oh crap! Who asked me to flex like the main character of a novel just now?!’ Grey almost felt like facepalming himself at this realization but forced himself to stay calm.
"Yes, I am. Why?" he asked with a raised brow.
Albed was about to reply when something in her pocket buzzed. Almost at the same time, Grey’s pants buzzed too, making her stare at him with furrowed brows.
’Oh! He’s the one I connected to earlier. After that, I went to confirm from the clan, and they specifically told me no agent was undercover as a student. So who the hell is he? When did he join, and what is he doing here? Most importantly, who the fuck is the student the clan deems a terrorist?!’
"Were you the one who hunted these?" Albed asked with a small frown on her face.
"Yes, I did. Any problem?" Grey asked, glaring back at the instructor.
Mada, on the other hand, was fuming, veins bulging across his face as his teeth ground back and forth in anger.
"Really? There’s no freaking way he hunted these himself! I’m sure as hell he stole them!" the direct descendant roared furiously.
"I mean, I kind of agree with Mada here," Noelle chimed in with a frown. "Because tell me how a stage 2 yellow band warrior is able to hunt the same amount of beast cores as we— the direct descendants. That’s totally absurd."
’If only you all knew that he hunted more than he’s letting on. If we don’t all tread carefully, he could wipe us out,’ Jared thought, shuddering in fright as he recalled the dead beasts he had seen.
’Grey, what secrets are you hiding from us?’ Ray thought weakly, staring at the scene unfolding before him. ’How strong are you? How did you manage to hunt fifteen beasts alone? Is that why you went off alone, saying you wanted to be a lone wolf?! What are you hiding?’
"Honestly, if my memory is correct, which it certainly is," Grey finally spoke up with a smug smile on his face, "I don’t recall the instructor asking any of you for your opinions, or did she?"
"So, you want to tell me that you hunted these yourself? Nah, that’s absurd because I kind of agree with the direct descendants here. There’s no way a stage 2 yellow band warrior like you can hunt the same amount of beasts as the direct descendants— the pinnacle of your class," Albed said with a small frown.
’If the clan didn’t send an agent under the guise of a student here, then who is he? How did he get the comm device meant only for field agents?
Also, how did he hunt this amount of beasts alone? Something doesn’t add up. O... or is he the one? The one I’m here to hunt? Is he part of the Red Brigade Association? But he doesn’t have red hair though. The one I’m ordered to take in has red hair.’
"I hunted these myself. I don’t know how else you all want me to prove it to you," Grey shouted in anger and frustration as he glared at everyone there. "Or do you think these injuries are for show? I worked for these cores, shedding both sweat and blood."
’No! If he gets passed to join the tournament, we won’t stand a chance. Based on what I saw... what I felt back there, he would overshadow us completely. And I want to be in the spotlight that day,’ Jared thought with clenched fists, watching anxiously as he waited for Albed’s verdict.
"Should I remind you that those beasts are of the Sky Rank? They aren’t Earth-ranked but Sky, and you said you defeated one? Prove it," Rivock chimed in with a deep frown on his face.
"I... I fucking hunted these myself!" Grey retorted angrily, his fists trembling with suppressed fury.
"No, you didn’t." Jared’s voice finally cut through the tension in the air.
Hearing that familiar voice, Grey spun around with a raised brow, confusion written all over his face.
"Huh?"
"Yes. Instructor Albed," Jared said as he stepped forward hesitantly, his tone shaky but calculated. "I... I saw him going around stealing beast cores from the blue and weaker yellow band students."
"What?!" The whole room erupted in shock.
Even Grey couldn’t believe his ears. For a moment, his mind went blank as he tried to process the absurd accusation being thrown his way.
"In fact," Jared continued, "when he came to us demanding our cores, we refused. In the process, we got into a brawl where he decided to design our bodies with his sword. Here, take a look."
Jared signaled his group members, and they pulled down the sleeves of their clothes, revealing sword cuts they had deliberately carved onto their own skin earlier to sell the lie.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk." Mada clicked his tongue and shook his head. "I knew you were a defiant pauper, but a liar and a betrayer too? Tch! That’s bad, dude."
"The hell is this bullshit?!" Ray thundered in anger, his voice echoing through the hall as he glared at everyone around him. "There’s no way in hell Grey would bully anybody. That’s more like your own damn department!"
"Watch your tongue when you speak our names, you loser," Noelle growled loudly, her aura flaring slightly.
"That’s right!" Liam stepped forward, his voice sharp. "Although I don’t know him for that long, Grey isn’t that kind of person. There’s no way he would do something so low."
"So what? Do you mean we did this to ourselves?!" Jared shouted, pointing at the bleeding sword cuts on his body as fake pain contorted his face.
"That’s the point. You did this to yourself!" Grey thundered, his patience snapping. His glare alone made some of the other students flinch.
"Oh really?" Jared asked with a mocking smirk. "Tell me then, why would we?"
"Because!" Grey shouted, but the words caught in his throat. He hesitated.
’There’s no way I can tell the truth that these backstabbers came begging me for help to pass this assessment. I hunted seventy beasts while they followed me like cowards, then they did this to themselves just to make their story believable. No one would believe me. They’d think I’ve lost it or I’m just trying to save face.’
"Go on. Because?" another male from Jared’s group asked mockingly, but Grey just shook his head in frustration, his jaw tightening.
"If you had truthfully hunted like I asked you to, I would have considered trying something," Albed began, her tone cold. "Because based on your records here, you, your group, and the direct descendants managed to contain a portal break."
Her expression hardened as she continued. "But now that you’ve decided to lie to me, I have no option but to do this."
Albed sighed in disappointment, but her words carried authority that silenced the entire hall.
"By the power vested in me as the substitute instructor for Kent, I hereby declare that Grey has failed this assessment. He is hereby disqualified from participating in any further assessments. For bullying and injuring his fellow comrades, he will not be allowed to take part in this tournament!"
"What?!" Ray, Finral, and Liam shouted in unison, disbelief painted across their faces as chaos broke out around them.