I'm back with another chapter~ This chapter will contain the result for Team A. Did they pass or lose? Read and find out! Hope you enjoy~
Khun's P.O.V
"I said, open the bag," Quant order with a smug grin.
"You think… I hid the tag in this bag?" Khun asked. Quant nodded.
Khun grinned. "Sorry, but This test's badge can't be compressed with my bag. According to the rules, there's no way I can hide the tag in this Manbarondena. Right, supervisor?"
"He's right, Mr. Quant. The tag must have the badge with her so he can't hide her inside the Manbarondena," Hansung answered from Mr. Lero-Ro's lighthouse.
"Hear that? She's not here," Khun said.
"Not here? Ok, so she's not in there! But she must be somewhere around here! I didn't miscalculate anything!" Quant shouted at Khun, impatiently.
"Well… That's true. The tag was on this bridge a while ago. But before you came- She went down there," Khun pointed down the bridge.
Quant walked over the edge of the bridge and looked down as he said, "Went down? Down there? Stop lying! A jump from this height any regular would die," Quant said.
"Our tag is Jahad. She knows how to strengthen her body using Shinsu. Do you really think she can't jump from this height? She jumped down and she's running to the exit down there. Just below this bridge is the staircase to another exit. It's just a straight line so she doesn't need a light to run," Khun explained with a smile.
"But you can't jump down to catch her. You already used one bang of Shinsu on something else. And you can't strengthen your body with Shinsu. That ordinary body,... Not even from a great family… Would be broken by jumping down this height without using Shinsu wouldn't it?" Khun said in a tone as if he's looking down on Quant with a smirk.
Flashback
"What are you doing?" Anaak asked .
"Just come up here, Anaak. Quick!" Khun said offering his hand.
"What?! The ranker is right behind me. There's no time to play with…" Anaak started but was cut off by Khun as he grabbed Annak's hand.
"Stop talking! Come quick! This is the way to trick the ranker," Khun said annoyed.
"What? What trick? What are you doing?!" Anaak asked surprised.
"What you need to do is simple. Just stay down there riding this. And when the Ranker jumps from the bridge, I will help you come up again. There's no time to explain. Just stay quiet and I'll get him to jump. Once he's gone, run to the exit!" Khun hurriedly and explained.
Flashback~
Quant let out a laugh. "Are you trying to provoke me? You want me to get upset and jump down to prove that 'I can jump without Shinsu'? And then after I jump, The tag, who's hiding somewhere will come up again and run for the exit! Right? Quant said proudly.
Khun rolled his eyes and said, "Think whatever you want- The tag is running towards the exit down there anyway. Just tell me that you're afraid to jump. Aren't you embarrassed as a ranker?"
"Oh- Then, where's your other lighthouse?" Quant asked, smirking. "You have two lighthouses under our control. Where is the other one?"
"What are you talking about? I'm all alone. Why would I need two lighthouses?" Khun asked, confused. Did he notice…?
"You do. You're using two lighthouses right now," Quant said walking towards Khun.
"What nonsense… What do you mean by my other lighthouse?" Khun asked.
"Why did you, the Light-Bearer, come here with her in the first place? It's easy. To hide the tag. And what is the only way for a Light-Bearers to hide the tag? Only one answer. To use the lighthouse. Your other lighthouse is hidden below the bridge. With the light off- And with the tag on it- Right?" Quant asked with a smirk.
He noticed...
Quant leaned towards Khun. "In some cases, you can use the lighthouse as an object. That's written in the textbook for Light-Bearers. Isn't it," Quant grinned, knowing he was right.
"Now- For a regular who doesn't know the basics, I'll give a brief lecture on Light-Bearers!" Quant said.
"...No thanks." Khun replied coldly.
"Haha- don't get pouty. The lighthouses that Light-Bearers use are made of a metal called float rock. This float rock is a special material that can float in Shinsu. Its purity determines how will it floats. The pocket and inventories are also made from float rock. But pure float rock is very expensive and hard to process. So most of the lighthouses are constructed with just small percentage of float rock. Therefore, the Light-Bearer must keep the lighthouse within his Shinsu control and keep the lighthouse afloat." Quant explained walking back and forth.
Quant finally turned back to Khun. "If the lighthouse gets far away or if the Light-Bearer loses control, the lighthouse will fall. In short- A lighthouse outside the control area of a Light-Bearer falls down."
"...Everyone knows all this." Khun replied back.
"Then there a special question!" Quant exclaimed as he grabbed onto Khun's arm. "What happens to your lighthouse and the tag… If I jump and take you with me?
"What…! Fall down together? Are you nuts? What are you doing!: Khun shouted at Quant with disbelief.
"The answer is- 'We all fall down you b*stard. With the sudden fall, you'll lose control and as the lighthouse moves beyond our control… The lighthouse will fall with the tag on it. Were'nt you just talking about Jahd and the Great Families? Well, I'm looking forward to seeing who the dead man down there will be. Me or you guys!" Quant said with an evil grin as he giggled.
Khun gulped. Quant was about to jump off the bridge as he shouted, "Now! Show it to me! The amazing power of a Great Family!"
"You… You crazy b*stard!" Khun shouted as they began to fall off the bridge.
"You made me go mad! What are you afraid? You are! You can't even say a word! The son of the Great Khun has something to be afraid of? Ask me for mercy! 'Great ranker! I'm sorry! Please save me!' If you ask me while crying I might save you!" Quant exclaimed mockingly.
Khun pulled away his arm from Quant's hand. Quant's eyes widen. "What are you doing? Do you really want to die-"
"Manbaroncoupe Visible Mode," Khun said.
"Here…?!" Quant finished as his eyes widen. Then a blue lighthouse with Anaak on top of it went up and another lighthouse appeared underneath Khun's feet.
"What happens if I fall with you when I'm connected to the lighthouse and the tag… Using this pulley made of pure float rock? The answer is-?" Khun started.
"You cheating b*stard! I will really kill you!" Quant yelled at the top of his lungs as he falls down.
"'You're the only one who falls,'" Khun answered with a smile.
"Sneaky b*stard! Hiding something like that?! Waaagh! What an embarrassment! Even I can't make it back up there without using Shinsu. Damn! I can't lose this test…" Quant said to himself.
"Seems like you need some help," A tired voice said.
Quant turned towards the voice. "Who's are you?"
A ale with black hair, wrapped around with blanket yawned. "Me? I'm the wave. I have enough power to push you up the bridge.
Anaak was running towards the exit. The exit was finally in her sight. Suddenly a black figure ran past Anaak and touched the badge.
Anaak's eyes widened. "The tag of Team A got caught! Test is over. Team A failed the test!" A voice announced.
Khun's P.O.V
Waiting Room
"Aaaaarrrrggghhhhh! How did he get up?! That's not fair! It's impossible to beat such monster!" Shibisu exclaimed.
Khun who sat in the corner of the room looked down at the floor. "Damn! I was stupid! I underestimated his ability… I was too cocky as a leader! I didn't understand his abilities! Everything is my fault! I shouldn't have come up with a stupid thought as to catch the ranker… We could've tricked him and run away… I'm really… Sorry..." Khun exclaimed bitterly.
"Khun... No Khun! You don't have to apologize! Your plans were perfect! The ranker was just too monstrous!" Shibisu said encouragingly.
"No… It's all my fault! You failed because of me…" Khun said as he shook his head.
"No! Khun! Don't say that! You were great!" Rozeal said.
"Y...Yes! What's wrong? This isn't like you!" Dede said.
"Yes! Cheer up!" Narae said.
Lauroe said a sign saying 'Shut up. Let me sleep.'
"You b*stard!" Shibisu shouted at Lauroe.
"Besides we did have that monstrous ranker in trouble twice! Do you think Team B can take the test as well as we did?" Rozeal asked.
"No way! They're gonna get creamed," Narae said confidently.
"Yeah! There is no way Team B can beat that monster toad! Although the result wasn't good, the context of it was great! I don't think Team B can do better than us!" Shibisu exclaimed happily.
Shibisu turned to Khun. "Don't be upset. We practically beat the test!"
"Shibisu… Yeah, Thanks" Khun said with a faint smile.
"Khun…: Shibisu said happily. Then two sign popped up from behind Shibisu. 'Can I call you' 'My son from now on?' was what it was written.
Shibisu turned towards Lauroe and shouted, "You Snorlax! You didn't even appear when we needed you! You can't even muster the energy to talk? Do you call yourself Owen Lauroe!?"
"Yeah! There is no need for us to be down!" Someone said happily.
"Yes! Let's go watch Team B fail the test!" Another person said.
While everyone else was chatting, the corner of Khun's lip curled up.
I built the ladder for you-
Climb up, Bam.
"So they failed. Too bad. They almost made it… But isn't Quant good? He climbed up without using Shinsu. Even I wouldn't be able to do that," Hex said.
"True. If it weren't for Quant, Team A would have won. That Light-Bearer was especially great. Although the Wave-Controller did nothing..." Yuga said.
"And the Spear-Bearers didn't do much either… They were average. Then how about the score?" The ranker of the Spear-Bearer position asked.
"Wow, the same scores," Hansung said.
"We already knew who was talented…" Yuga said.
"Wouldn't it be weird if the scored were given differently?" Hex asked,
"That's true. I think anyone would give the same scores based on this test," The ranker of the Spear-Bearers said.
"You still haven't made up our mind, Mr. Lero-Ro? Everyone else barely hesitated…" Hansung said as he turned to Mr. Lero-Ro.
"It's not easy for me." Mr. Lero-Ro replied with an awkward smile.
"I think this test was pretty obvious to grade. You saw it. You saw it with your lighthouse, right? That Mr. Khun… Helped Mr. Quant go up…" Hansung said quietly.
Mr. Lero-Ro nodded. "I don't understand why Mr. Khun did that. He betrayed his team," Mr. Lero-Ro said.
"Betray? He never betrayed his Team, Mr. Ro," Hansung said. This left Mr. Lero-Ro confused.
Hansung gave Mr. Lero-Ro a sheet of paper as he said, "Mr. Khun's real team is here."
"The friends list we gave out. Did he… Ensure Team A's loss so that Team B could pass…?" Mr. Lero-Ro asked.
"Yeah. I think so. To allow the people on this list to continue, Team A had to lose. Don't you think it's ironic?" Hansung said.
"The people who came here to attain something precious- Are giving up on their dreams… Just to move up the tower. That's how we are. Just like when you want to climb a higher mountain… You have to leave behind heavy burdens and move on- We have to give up things as we get higher in the tower. Mr. Khun knows this very well. So maybe he thought this way? At least- I can decide 'What to give up' and 'What to take with me'. So he 'chose'. Hels such a brilliant boy. That pride, courage, talent, cunningness, and arrogance… I just want to break him into pieces." Hansung said with a smile.
"Just joking! He did his best for his team! 100 points. Alright let's go and get something to eat before the next round," Hansung said happily.
While this discussion was happening, at the test spot Quant was sitting on the floor waiting for Team B's test to start,
"Damn… You regulars are toying with me? Things won't go so smoothly you cocky punks…"
Team B's Test Start.
Bam's P.O.V
Test Spot
Flashback
After the failure of Team A, the start for Team B wasn't very good. There was no leader like Khun.
People on Team B threw out different ideas. But no one would listen to anyone else. Time kept passing and everyone became nervous. But nothing was getting resolved. Everybody was shouting. But at that moment...
"Gosh! You guys are frustrating! I'll be the tag, so just do what I say," Endoris shouted, irritated.
Someone powerful took control of the situation. And just like that, things sorted themselves out. Endoris laid out her plan and everyone agreed. Because… What else were they going to do?
Her plan was that all the fisherman are going to move together.
Linen's P.O.V
A female with short black hair sighed. "Ms. Linen. You seem to be a but upset." Hoh said with a smile.
"No, it's just…," Linen started.
"Are you worrying about something?" Hoh asked.
"Hey- Ho-" Lilen said.
"Yes?" Hoh asked.
"I was singing~ Hey~ Ho~! Gotcha!" Linen said as she let out a laugh. Linen continued to laugh and finally stop to take some deep breath and asked, "Hey, Hoh. Why are you trying to go up the tower? Do you really have to?"
"What's this all of a sudden?" Hoh asked confused and slightly worry.
"Not it's just… Watching Team ! taking the test, It made me think a lot… I feel… So down… Hoh, you know… I was just an ordinary girl. I stole goods being shipped from the middle area to the outer tower… I was a thief. One day I snuck onto a merchant's boat. Unfortunately, a ranker was there. I watched in horror. I heard rankers were strong but I never imagined they would be that strong," Linen said in a very depress voice.
"My partner died and I was barely able to stay hidden and I prayed. I didn't want to die there. My whole life has been crap! Then- A real 'God' appeared. I didn't hesitate one bit to take his hand and enter the tower," Linen explained.
(Felina: The 'God' Linen is referring to is Headon.)
"I want to become a ranker. I wanted to kill everyone who got in my way. I wanted to reach the top of the tower. During the first test, I didn't hesitate to kill other because I had so much anger. 'Everyone was an enemy'. When that test was over I was so happy. I was luck the next round. The fact that I was getting closer to the next floor made me happy, very happy. But while I was watching Team A, I found myself cheering for the." Linen said as he sat down on the floor and hugged her knees.
"All of them… Were taking the test so earnestly… And… They are such nice guys… I imagined myself using them as stepping stones to the next floor and that when I realize what was holding me up and I thought 'Wow… This sucks…" Linen said, her voice slightly trembled.
"Everyone had to prepare for that moment when they came into the tower. They all understand so don't worry." Hoh said.
"Then, Hoh! If I use you as a stepping stone. If I cause your fall… Are you sure that you won't blame me?" Linen asked.
Hoh smiled, it wasn't shown but Linen could tell it was a bitter smile. "I won't. I'm prepared. Isn't that… How it is from day one here… So let's not- Blame each other."
After a moment of silence, a loud shout was heard from a pocket. "Ranker found!"
"Finally! Where?" Linen shouted.
"The swordsman and the two idiot made contact!" The voice from the pocket answered.
"Let's go!" Linen shouted. Hoh then suddenly turned around and ran the opposite direction they were supposed to run. "Hoh! Where are you! Hoh~!" Linen shouted
8/26/16
Yes, I manage to finish it in time. Now I need to sleep. Team A failed. Khun is such a good actor, fooling his teammates by blaming himself. He's such a nice friend too, building the ladder for Bam. Also, where's Hoh going?! What's gonna happen? Read the next chapter to find chapter contains chapters 40, 41, 42 and 43 of the webtoon. Reviews and feedbacks would be lovely. Hope you enjoyed and thanks for reading ;)