64 – FUG

On the 21st Floor, in the residential area, Yihwa met up with her old friend Ryua, a playmate and servant of the same age from the Yeon family that was assigned to her when she was younger.

Ryua praised her beauty and suggested her teammates must all be from Great Families too, given how fast she climbed, but Yihwa tried to vaguely deflect and then spoke about how she blocked the enemies' plan and wasn't given any credit for it.

"You are so classy and noble! Helping your team without showing off!"

"No really, it's just the right thing to do…"

"By the way, did you hear the rumor? A new FUG slayer candidate has appeared…they say he's huge with monstrous powers, and the eyes hidden behind his long hair are so frightful they give you goosebumps! And they also say…he wanders around with nasty teammates who steal money and harass girls!"

"…is there such a rumor?" Yihwa asked, feigning ignorance. '…I'm one of those nasty teammates.'

"You haven't heard about it? Be careful Ms. Yihwa, that bad guy might be targeting you!" Ryua warned seriously.

"I should be careful…" Yihwa nodded helplessly.

"There's also another rumor going around…the Demon of Chromatic Calamity resurfaced recently…and he's been teaching people his dark arts! And his new students are so fanatical they use forbidden skills that destroy their own bodies!" Ryua made a horrified face.

"…"

"They say that something happened to the Witch, so the Demon's students are tricking virgin girls so that they can be used as sacrifices to restore her youth and beauty! You have to stay away from them, I heard they even went after a girl from the Great Families during a test!"

"…Thank you, Ryua, I will," said Yihwa with a sweat.

O O O

Yihwa returned to the house they were staying at, to find Goseng greeting her, with Prince and Miseng were doing some sort of singing dance routine. She went to the kitchen to get a glass of water.

Akraptor was sitting at the table and noticed her expression. "Why so gloomy? Did something happen?"

"Not at all. And where's Viole?"

"He went to see somebody, said he was going to the marketplace."

"And nobody followed after him?!"

"Why would we? He said he'd be back soon."

"Are you crazy? You know the rumors out there, what if they're true?!"

Wangnan came by with a yawn. "I don't think those rumors are true. He's not the kind of guy who does that stuff."

"You have any proof they aren't true?" Yihwa asked.

"He seems gentle…he lets us live in the house he rented! And even does an equal share of the housework! And you're such a bad cook that he even does your share of the cooking!" Wangnan said.

"But…he's an FUG member!"

"We like an FUG that can cook, over a Great Family member who burns toast!"

Yihwa angrily declared that she would keep an eye on Viole and stormed off.

O O O

'I registered a tracking device on you just in case…you can't get away from me Viole!' She thought to herself, even though it was just a mutual consent tracking feature on their Pockets that worked when they were on the public networks.

She tailed him to a Karaoke bar, even though it was daytime. 'Is he…a bagman?'

Suddenly there was a scream from inside as Viole was going downstairs and Yihwa was hidden around the corner.

"Give me money if you want to keep this place in one piece, before I, Jyu Viole Grace, get angry!" A loud male voice reached them.

At the bar, two female employees were being threatened by a big guy with a huge club and hair that went below his shoulders, wearing a shirt that said "FUG".

The blond employee pleaded tearfully with him, while the red haired employee looked at him and said, "I wasn't expecting the new slayer to be a smelly pig like you, is FUG this lame?"

"R-Ryun!" The other employee nudged her fearfully.

"Did you call me a pig?!"

Hwa Ryun continued to insult him.

Just as the fake Viole slammed down his club on the counter, the real Viole blasted him away with Shinsoo.

"Mr. Viole!" The fake's lackeys cried. "How dare you shoot Mr. Viole?!"

"…I'm Jyu Viole Grace," said Viole, creating a powerful wave of Shinsoo that circulated around him.

Everyone except Hwa Ryun screamed and ran away. "It's the real one!"

Yihwa rushed down. "Viole! What have you done?!"

She burst onto the scene as Viole stood in front of the counter behind which sat Hwa Ryun, momentarily stunned upon seeing the latter.

"Hello," said Hwa Ryun.

'Who's that creepy girl? Is she close to Viole?' Yihwa wondered, noting Hwa Ryun's unusually deep blood red hair and eyes, which under the shadow of the room and her slight, unconcerned smile, gave off a creepy vibe.

"Huh? Who's this girl?" An older, almost middle-aged man with brown hair appeared behind Yihwa, one hand in his pocket, and the other holding a jacket over his shoulder. After Yihwa turned around, he continued. "Hey Ryun, didn't you say your guest was a man? Or is she a new member?"

"You're from…FUG!" Yihwa finally realized.

"That hairpin…it's from the Yeon family. Are you their spy?" The older man asked with a dangerous tone.

"Mr. Jinsung, stop! She's my teammate, she's not a spy!" Viole said urgently.

"Oh? Viole's teammate? I apologize," said Jinsung with an apologetic smile.

"Who's your teammate? Don't lie! You fooled your teammates by coming here secretly to meet with the FUG! What are you planning with them, huh?! You trick us like this and call us teammates?! How ridiculous! You're worse than dirt! You pretended you were so nice and…!"

"Hey girl, isn't that enough?" Jinsung said darkly, throwing his jacket away.

"It's none of your business, you jerk with a cheap perm!"

"Stop Ms. Yihwa, he's a High Ranker!" Viole shouted.

Suddenly the door on the other side of the bar from the stairs opened.

"You should listen to Viole, Yihwa. Mr. Ha Jinsung is not someone you want to anger," said the newcomer.

"H-huh?!" Yihwa looked at him dumbfounded. "…Dr. Dua?"

"And aren't you jumping to conclusions again, Yihwa? You shouldn't be so harsh before you understand the circumstances," said Dr. Dua.

"But…were you also an FUG member?!" Yihwa asked with shock.

"He's my guest," said Hwa Ryun, while putting some empty glasses on the counter away.

"Your guest?!" Yihwa turned to Hwa Ryun, who smirked at her while sitting back down to grab the one unfinished glass of red wine that was her own.

"He was supposed to bring me a flower…"

"Huh?! B-bring you a flower?!" Yihwa turned back to Dr. Dua. "Why?!"

"I think you got the wrong flower…but this one is pretty cute too, so maybe I'll keep her…" said Hwa Ryun to Dr. Dua.

"W-what?! What are you saying?!"

"You didn't know? I'm the Witch. The real one." said Hwa Ryun, leaning forward, licking her lips. "And you look delicious."

Yihwa suddenly had a flashback to her conversation with Ryua.

"N-no way…! You can't use me as your virgin sacrifice!" She shouted, shaking her head vigorously. "And I'm not delicious! If you try to eat me I'll just burn your tongue off!"

"But I like my BBQ steak well done and sizzling hot," said Hwa Ryun, eyeing her up and down. "Then I'll enjoy it with some fine wine, just like this." She twirled the glass in her hand a bit, then drank it down in a single breath.

"Noooooo!" Yihwa backed away and held her arms around herself.

Ha Jinsung started laughing.

"Why are you laughing all of a sudden? This isn't funny!"

"It is funny, rude girl!" Jinsung said, laughing even harder.

Then Viole and Dr. Dua laughed as well.

"H-hey! Stop that…!"

"So…what's the plan, Ryun?" Jinsung asked, noticing that Hwa Ryun had stood up.

"Let's go to Viole's house, we can meet the rest of his teammates," said Hwa Ryun.

"That's…" Viole started hesitantly.

"Oh, what a great idea! What should we buy as a housewarming gift?" Jinsung asked cheerfully as Hwa Ryun began leading the way back outside.

"By the way, your hair really is ridiculous," said Hwa Ryun.

"Hey you guys can't just decide that on your own!" Yihwa shouted after them as they turned the corner. "And you're just going to act like nothing happened?"

Viole followed after them helplessly. "It's just how they are, Ms. Yihwa. Let's go back home."

"Hwa Ryun was just joking earlier. Have some patience, Yihwa, and they're not really bad guys either," said Dr. Dua, walking to Yihwa and patting her on the back gesturing for them to go with Viole.

"Not bad guys…?" Yihwa asked hesitantly.

"Not everyone in FUG is a terrible criminal. Trust me, if you met one of the bad ones, you wouldn't have gotten off like that. That man Ha Jinsung really is a High Ranker…although his reputation isn't great either. But he seems a little different than he used to be," said Dr. Dua.

"Oh, were you friends with Mr. Jinsung, Dr. Dua?" Viole asked.

"No, no, I just know of his reputation. He's famous in the Tower…or infamous I should say," said Dr. Dua.

"What for?" asked Viole.

"Well, he used to slaughter members of the Ten Families on sight. His sobriquet is Slaughterer of the Ha Family," said Dr. Dua.

"He did that?" Viole asked, looking shocked.

"S-someone like that isn't a bad guy?!" Yihwa asked.

"He was definitely a bad guy before," said Dr. Dua. "But maybe he changed? He didn't kill you back there, Yihwa, and was almost friendly."

The group found Ryun and Jinsung waiting for them outside the Karaoke place entrance, and quieted back down.

They moved together again with Hwa Ryun and Jinsung leading ahead talking about random things, while Viole, Yihwa, and Dr. Dua trailed behind.

There was an awkward silence between the three as they moved, until Viole spoke up.

"It's nice to meet you, by the way, Dr. Dua. That's what Ms. Yihwa called you, right?" Viole asked.

"Yes, it's nice to meet you as well, Mr. Viole," said Dr. Dua.

"So you're a doctor?" asked Viole.

"Sort of. It's more of a nickname, really. But yes, I do heal people. I'm also a researcher. But unfortunately I don't have a proper license for it, it's very difficult to get one without being part of the Workshop, you see. So that's why I work with FUG. In exchange for some favors, they can pull some strings for me, keep the authorities looking the other way."

Viole nodded. "So how do you know each other, Dr. Dua, Ms. Yihwa?"

"We met on the 20th Floor while I was doing my research, she helped me out a bit, so I helped her a bit too," said Dr. Dua.

"He…he gave me the healing wand," said Yihwa. "And my Shinheuh..."

"I see," said Viole, nodding again.

"Dr. Dua, what about your relationship with that girl?" Yihwa asked.

"She's my main contact with FUG. She's a very powerful Guide. But she also likes to mess with people. Don't mind her antics," said Dr. Dua.

"A Guide…?"

"A Red Witch."

"Oh. That's what she meant," said Yihwa.

"Haha yeah. She's the real deal. Although she can be troublesome and often plays the villain, I think she is not a bad person at heart either. So you should give her a chance," said Dr. Dua. "If it weren't for her, things might be much more difficult for me."

"Right…" Yihwa said reluctantly.

Eventually after buying some fruits, they got back to the house, and allowed Viole and Yihwa to take the lead opening the door.

O O O

Wangnan, Goseng and Miseng faced the trio of Hwa Ryun, Viole, and Ha Jinsung.

"I'm an FUG member but I'm not a bad guy," Jinsung said cheerfully.

Goseng trembled while peeling another apple, Miseng had a stiff expression on herself, while Wangnan laughed nervously and tried to engage in light conversation.

While Ha Jinsung introduced himself as Viole's teacher and asked whether the team was bullying Viole, Yihwa was in the kitchen with Akraptor and Dr. Dua.

"…they are more talkative than I thought. They aren't what I imagined," said Akraptor, while eating an apple slice himself. "And you say you've been working with them for a while?

Dr Dua nodded. "There are definitely worse people in FUG."

"Can we really trust them?" Yihwa asked.

"Trust is probably too strong a word," Dr. Dua admitted. "But you can't really afford to get on their bad side either, and as long as they don't have any conflict with you, it should be alright."

"But what if they're planning something horrible?" Yihwa asked.

Akraptor looked between the two in front of him as they conversed for a while longer as if he wasn't there and then Yihwa finally relented with a sigh.

"So…that guy came to check on Viole…and you came to check on Yihwa?" Akraptor asked.

"Eh?! No, we just ran into each other suddenly! I didn't know Dr. Dua would be there," said Yihwa.

"You're pretty observant," Dr. Dua said. "That's right. Of course, I also had some other business with FUG, so it was convenient for me to check on my Yihwa at the same time."

"…kya?" Yihwa squeaked while Dr. Dua patted her head.

"She hasn't been causing trouble with her flames, has she?" Dr. Dua asked.

"No. And Viole can stop her, anyways, so it's not a big deal. As long as she doesn't cook, we're fine," said Akraptor.

"That's good to hear. I was a little worried, but I'm happy she found a team that can accept her," said Dr. Dua.

"To be honest, she's the least of the problem members on this team. She's great in comparison," said Akraptor, glancing at the apple slice which seemed deformed and wondering who cut it.

"Sounds like it's going to be a fun team for you, Yihwa, haha!" Dr. Dua said, no longer patting Yihwa, but she was still red-faced and too embarrassed to say anything.

O O O

After Viole went up to the roof because Jinsung kept bragging about him, and Ha Jinsung followed once he noticed Viole was missing, then Goseng took Miseng to take a nap, the living room was left with just Hwa Ryun and Wangnan.

The other members of the team had all left to do other things before the group had arrived.

"You're lucky. He decided to let you live," said Hwa Ryun, to Wangnan's shock.

"The heads of FUG want Viole to go up with a worthy team, not a team full of defects like this. He didn't come here just to see Viole. He came to eliminate you all…and make another team for him," said Hwa Ryun. "He respects Viole's opinion, so he let you live for now. But don't be too relieved. There are many in FUG who don't like this situation. They need Viole to keep improving and make their dream come true."

After a while, Wangnan asked quietly if she thought Viole could really kill Zahard, in spite of the contract Zahard has that makes him invulnerable to any resident of the Tower.

And then Hwa Ryun revealed that Viole was an Irregular.

"…why did he become a slayer? Does he have a vendetta?" Wangnan asked.

"He didn't do it because he wanted to kill Zahard, but because he must…" Hwa Ryun began to explain how Viole's old friends were made hostages through tracking rings, whom Viole wanted to protect. That if he refused to climb or failed, they would be killed one by one. At Wangnan's disbelieving face, Hwa Ryun smiled and added, "Surprised? Did you think we were nice people?"

O O O

The three in the kitchen overheard this part of the conversation, and of Wangnan yelling profanities at Hwa Ryun for forcing him to become a Slayer and committing such cruelty.

"How could you do that to him?!" Wangnan's voice raged on through the door.

"Then what should we do? Just leave him alone? Then who will make our wish come true?" Hwa Ryun's voice calmly answered. "Will you? I'm sorry, but it doesn't look like you can. Just like we can't."

Yihwa looked horrified at the truth. "So it was…like that?"

"And you believed the rumors about him," said Akraptor.

"I…"

"Sympathy and justice aren't always the answer. Anyone can talk about justice. We don't think it's right either, that god gave him such a destiny."

There was a long silence in both rooms.

"Six years ago on the Floor of Tests…for the sake of a friend, a boy demanded a test directly from the Guardian, by the right of being an Irregular. There was an undercover Ranker assassin from the Zahard Empire at the time…he sent a Shinheuh to kill the Irregular when he was in a place nobody else could reach. After the test, the boy didn't come back…and it was revealed that he made a deal with the Guardian to let the rest of his friends all pass if he died," Dr. Dua said in a whisper.

"…!" Yihwa looked at Dr. Dua with newfound shock, an expression which was shared by Akraptor.

"Well, the boy survived and FUG took him away while covering it up, then his friends went up. But the problem is…if Zahard Empire finds out he's still alive…they'll try to kill him again. So in a way…FUG is the reason he's still alive. For his own sake…Viole must not return to his old friends, at least until he's strong enough to survive on his own. As long as they think he's serious about being Slayer candidate, FUG will protect him."

"You…you're one of his friends, aren't you?" Akraptor asked, also whispering. "That's the only way you'd know so much, if you're not part of FUG yourself."

"So that's the real reason you were there? You were checking on him…because he's your friend," said Yihwa, in an equally quiet whisper.

Dr. Dua nodded. "More specifically…I came to see what kind of person his teacher was. But it seems like that man genuinely cares for him. There are people in FUG that are much worse…"

"What a complicated situation…" said Akraptor.

"Anyways, don't say anything about me. I already had someone deliver him a message during the test on the last Floor, so that he knows everyone is still safe. For now, he should just focus on climbing and getting stronger."

"I got it…" said Yihwa.

Akraptor nodded. "Fine with me."

"And remember Yihwa…things are often not what they seem at first glance," said Dr. Dua. "Sometimes…we have to do things we don't like, because they're necessary."

"Ah…I'll…apologize to Viole…"

O O O

Yihwa and Akraptor were in the kitchen by themselves, sitting in silence, thinking about everything they'd just learned.

"So you were into that type of older man?" Akraptor asked.

"W-what? That's not it…! He's not actually much older!"

"That's the part you're objecting to?" Akraptor asked with a slight smirk.

"N-no! You're misunderstanding! It's not like that!" She shook her head frantically.

"No? I was just surprised how different you acted with him around," Akraptor said with a light chuckle. 'My daughter should also be at a similar age now…I wonder if she's found anybody…if it's also an older man I'll have to beat him up twice as hard.'

"He already has someone else…even though he said they weren't dating…I think it's just because of their circumstances," said Yihwa, now in a much smaller, slightly depressed voice. "Especially now that he explained about what happened with their team and their problems with the Zahard Empire. And just when I thought I started to understand him a little…"

Akraptor raised an eyebrow, but Yihwa did not elaborate further.

Then Wangnan came in.

"Hey guys…they left," he said. "But they said they might be back later."

"Not what you'd think when you hear FUG right?" Akraptor asked casually.

Wangnan did not immediately respond, seemingly in an internal struggle.

"You don't have to think so hard about what to say. We heard most of your conversation from here," said Akraptor. "We know. About Viole's friends."

"Ah? Were we that loud?" Wangnan asked.

"Yup. Especially the part where you were shouting at the girl," said Akraptor.

"Haha…" Wangnan laughed awkwardly, hand on the back of his head. "Then…what about the other guy? He was with you guys right? What did he want?"

"He came to check up on her." Akraptor pointed to Yihwa with a thumb.

"On flame thrower?"

"Stop calling me that!"

Akraptor nodded.

"So you had FUG connections too? Why have you been acting so outraged about Viole then? Did you just use that as an excuse to sneak off with him and look for your own friend in FUG?" Wangnan asked.

"Dr. Dua's not an FUG member!" Yihwa asked vehemently. "And I didn't know he would be there!"

"So you just randomly bumped into him with FUG…?" Wangnan asked skeptically.

"He…he works with them sometimes," Yihwa said stubbornly. "But he's not one of them."

Wangnan turned to Akraptor with a questioning gaze.

"Well, he did tell us some interesting things. It's complicated but…he seems to be one of Viole's old friends, working undercover."

"What? Really?" Wangnan asked.

"I'm not completely sure what's going on but…either he infiltrated FUG to keep an eye on Viole, or the hostage situation actually goes both ways. I'm thinking it might be both," said Akraptor.

"Wait, you mean…FUG is also using Viole as a hostage, to force him to work for them?" Wangnan asked.

"W-what?!" Yihwa asked, shocked.

"You didn't realize? Wasn't it obvious? Unless they don't know who he really is. That's what I'm not sure about. But if they do, that means you're also a hostage now," said Akraptor.

Yihwa looked aghast.

"Call me crazy, but I think the last test…and our team, was engineered by FUG somehow," said Akraptor.

"What do you mean?" Wangnan asked. "Didn't we choose our own teammates in the Trustworthy Room game?"

"Yes, but we only played that game because Viole didn't want any teammates, and because that test administrator had a grudge against FUG. If it weren't for that, the top eight would have formed a team, guaranteeing that Viole and Yihwa would be put together. If Prince's dad could bribe the supervisors to change the groupings, couldn't FUG have done the same?"

"That's true…" Wangnan nodded.

"But that's not all. That Dr. Dua guy said that he had somebody deliver a message to Viole during the last test, to tell him that all their friends were safe. So he must have known that Viole would be in that test, and somehow got a person to be placed in the same test section too."

"A message…? Wait, that crazy guy who destroyed his own arm! He went up the elevator with Viole!" Wangnan said with realization dawning on his face.

"Oh, you're right. I almost forgot about that."

"And they were talking for a while in the stage room before the second test started, that must be when the message was delivered!"

Suddenly Akraptor had a strange expression on his face. "…if that Dr. Dua sent him, he was taught by Chromatic, and Viole seemed to know his teacher personally, even though he didn't know who the Chromatic Calamity was…"

"You think maybe that guy was Chromatic?" Wangnan asked. "But it sounded like that Canjon guy only met Chromatic once a long time ago and didn't see him again after. So how could he have known which test he'd find Viole in?"

"That's true…well either way, Chromatic has to be one of Viole's old friends too. Probably Andora as well. That means we know now the identity of at least two of his old friends, maybe three if Dr. Dua is a different person," said Akraptor.

Wangnan turned to Yihwa. "Hey, flame thrower, you're friends with him or something? You must know the truth, right? Was that guy earlier the Chromatic Calamity?"

"Eh? I…I…"

"Give her a break, Wangnan. If it's a secret, it wouldn't be right for us to make her answer," said Akraptor.

"Oh, fine, whatever! I'll let you off this time," said Wangnan "I'm gonna go check on Miseng and Goseng, they must have been pretty scared."

After Wangnan left, Akraptor turned back to Yihwa. "So that's what you meant by he has someone already, huh? And if the rumors are true, that means your rival must be princess Androssi. As a princess of Zahard, she can't have a lover, much less be associated with FUG. Yes, those would be difficult circumstances to be in…you have some really tough competition."

"Guh?! I don't know what you mean!"

O O O

The FUG trio were back at the karaoke bar.

"Mirchea shouldn't be a problem if I talk to him…It's the others that might have complaints about this," said Ha Jinsung, hands in his pockets again. "But…"

"But not right away," said Hwa Ryun. "If they can climb quickly, it will be difficult for the malcontents to act for some time."

"You read my mind. They don't look like much, but if Viole gets along with them, it's better than having a team he doesn't like creating problems," said Jinsung.

"And in the meantime, Dr. Dua will monitor them through the Yeon girl, providing assistance along their climb. If there's trouble, whether it's from the others, or Viole's old friends…he can respond quickly," said Hwa Ryun.

Jinsung looked towards Dr. Dua. "Are you really one of Viole's old friends? I heard your conversation earlier, but all of his teammates that we're tracking are already accounted for…so who are you exactly?"

Dr. Dua smiled. "That's because I knew about the tracking rings from the beginning. The Deep Sea Fish told me himself. I have another body still climbing with the ring as we speak."

"Hansung told you? Oh, I see…you must be the 'wildcard' he mentioned, who defeated the RED. So that thing the princess calls Axion is a second body? Ahh…now I'm curious. That's a neat trick. So am I talking to the real one right now?" Jinsung asked.

"Who says that only one of them is real?"

Jinsung got a strange glint in his eyes.

Suddenly he was behind Axion with a hand on the latter's back.

Nothing seemed to happen.

"So that's the perfected version of Viole's technique," said Axion. "This level of control, to avoid hitting any of my vital organs, and cause so much damage yet leave no sign of the attack on the outside…it's truly remarkable."

"I could say the same to you…I can't tell if this is really just a puppet body or not. It seems like a normal body on the outside, but you're missing a lot of those vital organs…for a moment I wondered if you actually negated my attack and tricked my senses somehow…but it seems that this level of damage simply isn't a hindrance to you," said Jinsung, finally pulling back his hand.

"Are you satisfied, then?" Axion asked, turning his head backwards.

"I can't use a lethal attack just to test you, so I suppose this body is real enough that I'll accept talking to you like this. And you'd certainly be strong enough to be of assistance to Viole's team in case there's trouble," Jinsung said.

Then he walked back around to face Axion properly. "Now what about you? Are you satisfied with me? You wanted to see what kind of person I was, right? What if I told you that I did this to Viole too? Still think I genuinely care for him?"

"Knowing him, he probably asked you to do it so he could learn it faster and make sure nobody else has to suffer instead, right?"

"Damn. You really know him well." Jinsung sighed. "It's true. He asked me to do it. And I've never felt so creeped out attacking someone before. Because of him, I've remembered things I thought I'd forgotten for a long time. Even though it really was incredible how he learned it that way, I could never shake that feeling."

"It felt much better to hit this guy because he could take it, right?" Hwa Ryun asked.

"Haha…that's true. I wouldn't have any issues training this guy that way," said Jinsung.

"That's good," Hwa Ryun said, nodding. "So you can train him next."

"…huh?" Jinsung looked taken aback.

"If you could spare the time, I'd be interested in learning under you for a bit," said Axion.

The High Ranker waved him off. "I don't just teach anyone, you know? Even if it's Ryun asking…I only teach Slayers, and last I checked, we didn't have any other new Slayer candidates," said Jinsung.

"How about just the signature FUG technique? Floral Butterfly Piercing?"

"Nope."

"How can I convince you?"

"Just become a Slayer candidate," Jinsung said, grinning. "I'll nominate you. You're supposed to be some kind of demon that got summoned into the body of a Regular, right? After defeating a Ranker on the Floor of Test, I'm sure the Elders would be happy to agree. Not many people know this, but sufficiently powerful magic sourced from divinity and demons beyond the Tower is one of the things thought to be capable of harming Zahard as well, though it's never been proven in practice."

"But if I did that, I'd have a hard time moving around and keeping an eye on Viole."

"We don't need another Slayer candidate to draw attention," said Hwa Ryun. "One is enough."

"If he doesn't become a Slayer candidate then I need to know that I won't be wasting my time. I'm an important high ranking member of FUG and very busy…"

"You weren't planning on doing anything except spy on Viole and freeload in his house," said Hwa Ryun. "And you don't go on missions anymore either."

"…you're ruining my image, Ryun," Jinsung said, one hand palming his forehead.

"You do that all by yourself."

"Fine, listen kid, I'll consider teaching you a bit. But you need to pass my test first," said Jinsung.

"Sure. What kind of test?" asked Axion.

"I don't want to teach a coward that only uses puppet bodies to fight. I want to see you in action for real. Hansung talked you up quite a bit, but I want to see your strength first hand."

"You mean, you want a spar against me?"

"I'll go easy on you. There's a limit to what I can do in this Regular area anyways. It'll also be a good way to see what your skill level is and what you need to work on."

After looking to Hwa Ryun, who nodded, Axion agreed.

"Then we'll do it tomorrow," said Jinsung.

O O O

At night, Ha Jinsung went back to Viole's house to sleep over, occupying the couch with heavy snores. Then Wangnan found Viole on the roof, before declaring that Viole was a good person and his friend, that Wangnan would be ready to die for him, so they should pass the test.

Yihwa also found them on the roof, and apologized to Viole for her remarks earlier in the day, and she was easily forgiven.

Jinsung watched secretly from the top of the rooftop water tank, and smiled.

O O O