67 – Sweet and Sour

When we went back to Viole's house, it was already the next day and Jinsung was sitting beside Viole's bed with a frown.

"I didn't expect making friends would put him in danger," he said as we entered. "This plan doesn't seem to be working well. I told that Wangnan kid to remove Viole from the team so I could make a new one for him. I'm not sure if even your Yeon should stay with him…she was the one that Viole tried to protect, right?"

"Even if you make a new team, he's just as likely to do the same thing. He just can't help but make friends and desperately hold onto them," I said. "At least these teammates won't take advantage of his foolishness."

"He's right," said Hwa Ryun. "But you already knew that, didn't you? It just happened sooner than you expected."

"Yeah…this idiot was just that type…" Jinsung sighed and ran a hand up into his hair.

"Don't forget, he also survived because of that same foolishness…by winning Urek Mazino's respect," said Hwa Ryun.

I walked up to the bed and placed a hand over Viole's chest, analyzing his body for its injuries.

There seemed to be a great deal of residue from Urek Mazino's Shinsoo, and his "devil" was also dormant, seemingly exhausted. Although most of his body had physically healed, his Shinsoo was weak.

I used a basic healing spell on him to cure what was not yet healed. However, as soon as I did so, the magic fizzled out, and instead, Viole's body began healing faster on its own.

"…actual magic resistance? This isn't just Shinsoo resistance," I said. "But then, why is he healing on his own now?"

"His body absorbed your spell," Hwa Ryun said.

"Just like that? So he can use it too now?"

"He probably can't yet. Your spells need your special type of magic energy, which he can't generate. His body is just subconsciously using what it absorbed from you," said Hwa Ryun.

"Still…how unfair. If he ever learns how to refine mana like I do…"

"Then he'll be able to do it. But it's not that simple," said Hwa Ryun. "Only gods and demons can manipulate what you call mana directly, and usually they burn souls to generate it. If you don't teach that to anyone, it's almost impossible to learn naturally in the Tower."

"But not impossible?" I asked.

"There are a few people who might be able to figure it out," said Hwa Ryun. "Enryu. Macseth. Maybe Gustang too."

"Thanks for this, kid. I thought you were a fake doctor but you actually know some useful stuff huh…" Jinsung said.

"No problem, that's what I'm here for," I said.

After that, I went to check on Yihwa as well, but I already knew she was fine. Her flame protected her so she didn't take too much damage. At this point Viole's body was much less durable, easily susceptible to physical attacks, or any attacks that managed to get through his miraculous Shinsoo resistance.

O O O

[Interlude]

Yihwa sat up on the bed when Axion in his Dr. Dua persona entered her room.

"How are you feeling? Congratulations on another passed test, by the way," he said.

"Thanks…I feel a little weak, but I'm fine. What about Viole?" said Yihwa, now leaning against the headrest.

"He'll be fine too, I checked on him already."

"That's good…um…by the way…the team told me…"

The team, minus Viole, was gathered in her room when she awoke, and explained what happened.

"…right after we got back to the main test center area, the supervisor was suddenly attacked and taken out in one hit by a Compression weapon," said Wangnan. "The guy who attacked him just came out of nowhere, but he didn't attack us. He completely ignored us."

"But we couldn't do anything either," said Akraptor. "That guy somehow stopped everyone from using Shinsoo, even the Ranker. A Ranker helpless like that…that's not something you see everyday."

"It felt as though all of the Shinsoo in the area had turned hostile," Horyang added. "I've never felt anything like it. Like a terrible monster was pressing down on us from all sides."

"Everyone was too scared to move or ask any questions, so we just watched him step on the supervisor's face and start to say a bunch of things…he said the supervisor broke the rules of the Tower and deliberately sent us to die, in order to kill the FUG. The supervisor just brazenly admitted to it as if he did nothing wrong, until the guy started torturing him, then he said that it was an order from the Zahard Empire," said Wangnan with a deep scowl. "And that the Yeon Family's Ruler on this Floor agreed to it as well, even though they knew you were on the team."

Yihwa's mouth fell open. "So they didn't care if I died too?"

"They thought you were a fake," Prince said. "Cause a true daughter of the Yeon wouldn't be on a team with an FUG."

"That's…! I was just…!"

"It's okay, flame thrower, you don't need to give us any excuses, we're all in the same boat here," said Wangnan. "Viole's not the bad guy people think he is."

"And that person sounded really angry on your behalf. He said he would've killed that Ranker if you died. But you didn't, so he let the supervisor live to report that we passed the test. And then he said that you could climb with whoever you wanted as a Regular, without interference from Rankers," said Goseng while changing the wet towel on her forehead.

"You have any idea who that was? Maybe a Ranker from the Yeon Family? But it seemed like he didn't want to be known. All he wore was a cloak that had no symbols," said Wangnan. "It would make sense if he's not happy about the rest of the Family's attitude though."

"I don't know…I can't think of anyone that would do that for me," said Yihwa.

"And there's another thing." said Prince. "Not only did somebody record and upload that scene to the public Lighthouse networks, at the same time, somebody else uploaded all this information about Zygaena flower and babies. Apparently the babies need the flower's nutrients to survive when they're young, but the Yeon Family just kills them to keep the flower rare. This might be why that Mazino dude was after the Zygaena baby. To save it and bring it somewhere else where it could grow."

Prince showed her a screen with his Cube.

"Oh stop that, she doesn't need to read all about that now, we've explained the important parts, so we should let lady Yeon rest," said Goseng, pushing the Cube away. "Come on, everyone, let's go."

Goseng ushered everyone out, but Horyang stayed behind. "I'll watch over her for a bit, you should get some rest too, Goseng," he said to her.

After Goseng left, Yihwa sat silently on the bed looking down.

"Who's looking after Viole?" She asked.

"His teacher. He appeared suddenly after the supervisor ran off and that cloaked person left. Mr. Ha came back with us and has been with Viole ever since, not letting anyone else enter the room," said Horyang.

"I see…but Viole's okay?"

"He was hurt badly. There seems to be a limit to his mysterious ability to recover. But Mr. Ha said he would be fine. There's something I wanted to ask you though."

"Me?"

"It's about that thing you were talking to during the test. At first, when I saw it during the test on the 20th Floor, I wondered if it was similar to the devil inside me…or whatever Viole has in him. But you were able to talk to it, and it seemed intelligent," said Horyang.

"Oh, that…"

"You're not a Living Ignition Weapon, right? You didn't know about them when you asked me about it before."

"I'm not. That thing is…I'm not sure how to describe it. It's a sort of spirit given to me by someone else, to help me control my flame, because I'm so bad at it. He called it a living fragment of his will."

"So it has a mind of its own? Or were you communicating with the person who gave it to you?"

"It kind of has a mind of its own…but during the test I was communicating with the one who gave it to me."

"I thought so. That's the person who attacked the Ranker supervisor, isn't it?"

"What?" Yihwa asked with shock. "You think it was him? But…was he that strong?"

"That's the most obvious conclusion, isn't it? How else would somebody who cares for you have found out about the test and reacted so quickly?"

"That's…I knew he defeated a Ranker once before but he said they weren't fighting him seriously…I guess I'll ask him later," said Yihwa. "He'll probably visit soon anyways, if that FUG is also here. It's Dr. Dua, one of the three that came by the other day."

"I see. Wangnan and Akraptor told me about him. He is also one of Viole's old teammates, right? But that means he's a Regular like we are. For a Regular to possess such power…well, I suppose I should be glad that we have people like him and Viole's teacher on our side. Especially if we have to face the true darkness of the Tower."

"The true darkness of the Tower…" Yihwa whispered, remembering all the things that Axion had told her about the Empire and the Great Families. "Even my own family…"

"…was that you?" Yihwa asked.

"Yes, it was. I had some help and backup from Hwa Ryun and Mr. Ha Jinsung though," said Axion. He chuckled lightly as Yihwa's mouth was agape with shocked awe. "It's not what it seemed like though. I can't really defeat a Ranker in a fair fight, much less completely suppress them like I did with that test supervisor, but I have some unusual tricks that if they don't know how to deal with then I can take them by surprise. After that spar with Mr. Ha, he pointed out some things for me, and then Hwa Ryun used her Guide abilities to find the path with the best conditions for victory. So I can't take all the credit for it. It was only with their help and because that supervisor was too distracted by the encounter with Urek Mazino earlier that it worked."

"…still…that's amazing…" Yihwa said. "But why did you do it? It couldn't be just because of me? If it's like you said, wasn't it really risky?"

"Not really, Mr. Ha was also there, just in case. As for the why, you were definitely one reason. But you're right, that wasn't all. When I told them what happened during the test, the other two wanted to send a message. To make sure they don't try that again with FUG's Slayer candidate, and leave the tests alone. We couldn't make it an issue between Zahard Empire and FUG, so instead a person who seems to have a mysterious authority over Shinsoo appeared, to warn about the rules of the Tower."

"So, that was actually your power? Why didn't you use it during the spar?"

Axion made a gesture, altering the Shinsoo flows around them for privacy before answering this question.

"That ability only works on Shinsoo while it resembles water, so it's very easy to disrup. It would have been useless against a physical fighter like Mr. Ha that doesn't need Shinsoo to fight, and it doesn't work on something like your flames either. That's why I couldn't just suppress your flames when we were experimenting before. That Ranker was just mentally exhausted and conveniently gave up before figuring out how to get out of it."

"Oh…"

"So it's just a gimmick, but as long as people don't know how it works and its weaknesses, it can be quite useful. If we ever get into a bad spot, don't overestimate me, haha. The line between victory and defeat can be just a hair's breadth. I'm not truly as strong as I appear sometimes, I'm simply good at pretending otherwise."

"I understand. Then, thanks for telling me," said Yihwa. "And for going to bat for me."

Axion nodded, then released the privacy barrier.

"How are you feeling…not physically, but about everything that happened?" He asked.

Yihwa thought for a moment before answering.

"I don't know…this test…it was much worse than what that other supervisor did on the last Floor. At least he never tried to kill anyone. Even now, although the Ruler my family appointed was forced to resign, the family as a whole seems more concerned with getting the Zygaena baby back, putting a bounty on it. Nobody even thought to apologize to me…Ms. Ryua was the only one to send me a message…and she told me everyone is actually suspicious that I've betrayed the family siding with an FUG, so I should find a new team. I can't believe…no, I already suspected, with what you told me before…it's just…" She said, trailing off.

"…this is just how the Tower is. And why there are those that are desperate to change it."

Axion placed his hand over hers and squeezed it. "But you don't need to worry about that for a while. Just get some rest. If you need me, I'll be around for a while."

She nodded, and was soon left to her own thoughts.

O O O

While Wangnan was out with the guys to buy groceries, he raised the issue of removing Viole from the team. But he was shot down by the rest after a heated argument, and they all decided that they would stay on the team with Viole.

When he returned, he informed Jinsung of their choice, that they would find their own path, and offered for him to join them for dinner, which the old master merely sighed at.

Then, still sitting on the water tanker at the top of the house alone, Jinsung said, "Come out, Karaka."

"It's been a while, master," the person named Karaka slunk out of the shadow of the nearby building. He wore a dark robe coat over tight martial arts robes underneath, with a red and black pattern on its edges. His head was fully encased in a round and skeletal grey armor, leaving only yellow eyes visible. It made him look a bit like a mummy.

"Taking care of a kid isn't easier," said Jinsung.

"You should have just left it to me," said Karaka.

"I can't let a kid take care of a kid. Anyways, let's move somewhere else. The Administrator is watching us," said Jinsung. The skies above rumbled and the clouds shifted as if there was an enormous hidden eye there.

After they moved to another spot underneath a tunnel formed of post and lintel frames.

Jinsung congratulated Karaka on climbing the Rankings, while Karaka humbly said it was too early because he wanted to reach higher.

Then he asked why Jinsung hesitated to have blood on his hands.

"…why don't you kill those beside Viole right now, and make him a team with people we can trust to watch him?"

"I told you to leave Viole to me, don't you trust me, Karaka?"

"…I'm just worried that the believers are doubting you. Rumors are spreading among the Elders…that your affection for the Slayer candidate might ruin things."

"Those senile jerks…how dare they doubt me? I betrayed my family for FUG…since that day…I've spent so many dark nights waiting for the right time to come. As if I would ruin it for something like affection. Viole having more friends just means that we have more hostages."

"…"

"And besides, I already arranged for someone I can trust to watch him," said Jinsung.

"That quack researcher from the 20th Floor…who is not even on his team…?" Karaka asked. "You think he's enough to watch the boy?"

"Oh but he is on Viole's team…or at least his puppet is," said Jinsung. "Don't underestimate him. He's much more than he appears."

Karaka asked. "Pri Dua Liti…he suddenly appeared two years ago, setting up an illegal lab with FUG's help. I asked Augusgus, but he only said that it was recommended by the Guide and the Deep Sea Fish to cooperate, but he knew nothing about the man himself…other than his work in creating some weak enhancement drugs for Regulars. Who is he?"

"Well, I don't know about all that. But he's my new student," said Jinsung.

Karaka gave him a doubtful look. "You only teach Slayers. Are you saying that you're nominating him to be a Slayer too?"

"Not yet. Since Viole is going off on his own now, it might get boring, so I decided to teach another promising student. Maybe it'll pay off later."

"Not…yet? Master…perhaps at your age you no longer feel the same urgency to act…but it will not look that way to the others. For you to spend your time teaching someone who is not a Slayer candidate…it might seem as if you now have priorities other than our goal."

"We can't always take the frontal approach. Technique and finesse allow us to handle more complex challenges. Haven't I taught you that long ago?"

"Perhaps as his senior, I should evaluate if your new student is truly 'promising'," said Karaka.

"Don't be reckless, Karaka. My student may still be a Regular and not even a Slayer candidate yet…but I accepted him as my student for a reason. Yesterday, I saw with my own eyes a Ranker at his mercy, defeated in a single strike."

"That's preposterous. No Regular can defeat a Ranker, no matter how talented. Even Adori Zahard was A-Rank and almost a Ranker, before she performed the feat," said Karaka.

Ha Jinsung smiled. "And yet he is the one that made the Zahard Empire to back off from trying to kill our Slayer candidate's team, forcing them acknowledge that the tests must be administered fairly, and the Yeon family to remove their appointed Ruler on this Floor out of disgrace for a new one."

"…that was him?" Karaka was taken aback. "It was a mere Regular, not a messenger sent by the Administrator?"

"Is that what people are saying? Well, that might not be inaccurate, either. Who knows what the Administrator is thinking? Everything that happens on this Floor happens with his permission."

"But how could he have such power over Shinsoo? Does he have something similar to that man on the 43rd Floor? Or the thing we extracted? Was that the true nature of his research?"

Jinsung shrugged. "That's not even the most interesting part about him. Anyways, my decision has already been made, and I've got my plans. I'm going to teach him for a while, and we've got a bunch more hostages, with Dua Liti's agent watching Viole. Relay what I've told you to the Slayers and Elders."

"…Yes sir. I'll return for now then," said Karaka, bowing.

"Ok, why don't you dine with me? It's been a while," said Jinsung. "The Guide told me there's an extraordinary restaurant nearby."

"I'm sorry master. You know I don't take off my mask…in front of someone I can't trust," said Karaka. "See you next time, master."

His former student walked away, leaving Jinsung to sigh, before putting the 'cigarette' in his mouth, that Wangnan bought for him. The lollipop tasted sour. "I shouldn't have refused Wangnan…" He said to himself, thinking about the Regular's offer earlier for him to join them at dinner where they'd be having sweet and sour pork.

Eventually Jinsung went on his own over to the restaurant Hwa Ryun had told him about.

"Oh, you kids were still here…?" He said, approaching the table where Hwa Ryun and Axion sat. He looked at their plates which were already mostly finished. "Am I interrupting your date?"

"Not at all. We reserved a seat for you, teacher," said Axion.

"Don't mind me then," said Jinsung, sitting down beside Hwa Ryun, facing Axion.

"How did your talk go with your old student?" asked Hwa Ryun.

"Well…since you guys were expecting me to join you, you must have some guesses," said Jinsung.

"Not well, then?"

"The damn kid basically said he didn't trust me anymore! Can you believe it?" Jinsung said while taking a bite.

"We'll have to be careful," said Hwa Ryun.

"You don't think he'd actually try anything?" Jinsung asked in between swallowing. "He's gotten arrogant."

"If not him, then someone else who doesn't think Viole deserves our support," said Hwa Ryun.

"I told him bout you too, kid," said Jinsung with his mouth full, pointing a fork at Axion. "Had to, since there'd be questions, bout why I'm teaching somebody else all of a sudden. I told him you were the one who took down that supervisor yesterday. That should be enough to keep him off your back and mine, A Regular that can defeat a Ranker is no joke. Even the Elders shouldn't have any objections this way. But Karaka might still try to test you eventually."

"I understand, whatever you feel is best, teacher," said Axion.

"Unlike the rumors from the Floor of Tests which we never confirmed, they will treat this case seriously, because Mr. Jinsung is the one saying it. They will become interested in you now, but since it's your disguise, they still won't know your true identity. And they can't do anything while you're with Mr. Jinsung," said Hwa Ryun.

Axion nodded. "That's fine then. And I don't mind that much anymore even if they came after me, they won't find me easily unless I want them to."

O O O

Back at Viole's house, Viole was still out cold, but the rest of the team finished a rowdy and cheerful dinner together.

Late in the evening, after both Yihwa and Miseng had gone to sleep, the team sat around the living room resting.

Akraptor spoke to Wangnan. "You said you want to help Viole, but do you have any idea how?"

"I heard about the situation," said Goseng. "But what can we do? We're too weak compared to FUG. We might just be a burden…"

"There has to be a way…" said Wangnan. "I don't know yet, but there must be one. If we have the guts to do it."

Akraptor noticed Horyang's shoulder devil light turning into a brain.

"You're thinking really hard, teddy bear. You got an idea?"

The living ignition weapon looked up, surprised. "No. I was just thinking about what lady Yeon told me."

"Huh? What'd she say? By the way…you never told us how you met the flame thrower," said Wangnan.

"It's a long story. Maybe I'll tell you some other day. As for what she said, I asked her about the 'power' she used during the test. Did you guys see it? That spirit which floats around her shoulder," said Horyang.

"Yeah I remember that," said Prince. "What about it? Isn't that just a Yeon family ability? It kinda looks like a flame."

"No, it's something that Dr. Dua gave her to help her control her flames. With it, she can communicate with him, even during a test," said Horyang.

"So that's why we didn't all get barbequed this time?" Wangnan asked.

"But there's more to it, right?" Akraptor asked.

"Not that thing specifically…but the fact that Dua knew what was happening in the test. And then he attacked the supervisor. Earlier today, after Dua came over to check up on her and Viole, they talked, and lady Yeon confirmed to me that it was him," said Horyang.

Wangnan and Akraptor looked far more shocked than the others. They looked at each other for a moment.

"It's just like I said…aren't we too weak compared to FUG?" Goseng asked. "Even that gentle-looking doctor was somebody so strong. They can even retaliate against the test supervisors."

"There's something you guys should know…" said Wangnan. "Maybe that's how we can do it…"

"What?" Goseng asked.

"This is a big secret. So make sure you guys don't say anything about it if we meet other FUGs. That Dr. Dua isn't a real FUG member. He's a double agent," said Wangnan.

"Huh? A double agent? Like a spy?" Prince asked.

"He seems to be one of Viole's old teammates. But we don't know for sure if he's just a spy or if FUG already knows and is holding Viole and the rest of their friends hostage against him too," said Akraptor.

"Whaaat? That's crazy," said Prince.

"And don't say anything in front of Viole either," said Akraptor. "He doesn't know about Dua."

"Wait, why can't we tell Viole?" Goseng asked. "Don't we want him to meet his friends?"

"Because Viole's an Irregular that the Zahard Empire tried to kill on the 2nd Floor, and they think he's dead. If he blows his own cover and it gets out that he's still alive and getting stronger…they'll try to kill him again," said Akraptor.

"But they're also trying to kill him for being a Slayer candidate," said Goseng.

"Yes but he has FUG to protect him for now—as long as he acts like a proper Slayer candidate and doesn't meet his old friends," said Akraptor.

"Damn, so he's screwed if he meets his friends too? How exactly do we help him then?" Prince asked.

"Dua said that Viole should become strong enough to survive without FUG first, but if Dua himself is already that strong…"

"He might be the key," said Wangnan. "But how is that even possible? Isn't it he also a Regular that entered the Tower at the same time as Viole?"

"Lady Yeon did say that he's not as strong as he appeared to be. There was some sort of trickery involved during the attack and he had the Guide's help…he can't defeat a Ranker on his own in a straight fight," said Horyang.

Akraptor nodded. "That would explain it. He still isn't strong enough on his own, so he's working with FUG as the lesser evil."

"I've got it. This is what we'll do. Akraptor, you go talk to Dua tomorrow. I'll talk to that Guide…I don't fully understand it yet…but I think they're both on Viole's side. They must have told us about Viole's secrets for a reason…there must be something they want us to do. And if that's the case, there might just be a chance," said Wangnan.

O O O

The next day, Wangnan met Hwa Ryun in the living room, while Akraptor met Dr. Dua in the kitchen.

"…I heard you're a Guide," said Wangnan, sitting across the coffee table.

"What about it? Have you got anywhere you wanna go?" Hwa Ryun asked.

"Show me the way to get to Viole's friends."

"…why should I? I'm an FUG member. A Guide only shows the path to those who can take it," said Hwa Ryun.

"You told me Viole's secrets because I can take that path, right? Then I'll take it," said Wangnan.

"Is it out of sympathy? Or is it to achieve your goals…prince of the red-light district?"

Wangnan didn't answer. Hwa Ryun held up the lollipop he bought. "Well, it doesn't matter to me. I'll tell you…"

Meanwhile, with Akraptor…

"…we've all decided, we want to help Viole," said Akraptor. "You must also have a plan right? How do we get Viole back to where he belongs?"

"Our old team split up a couple of years ago. The circumstances are complicated, but the important part is…everyone is going to meet up on the 30th Floor," said Dr. Dua. "That's because…"

"…the Workshop has a branch on every Floor but there are only seven main branches. One of them is on the 30th Floor. Every five years, an event is hosted there called the Workshop Battle, for E-Rank Regulars to compete to win great prizes from the Workshop…" said both Hwa Ryun and Dr. Dua.

"…but FUG has also been working with the Workshop to research the ultimate weapon and how to merge it with a living person…" said Dr. Dua.

"…but you only have two years until the next Workshop Battle…" said Hwa Ryun. "It might be difficult for this team full of defects…"

"…if we can find out where they're hiding the weapon and get the data, then we can give it to Viole…"

"…if you can get there in two years, and join the battle, you can meet Viole's friends," said Hwa Ryun.

"…and with that power, he might become strong enough to forge a new path," said Dua.

"…it's in our interest for Viole to climb fast, so if you're willing to do it, then I'll Guide the way," said Hwa Ryun. "And Dr. Dua will help you recover faster after every test, so there will be no excuse for slacking."

O O O

Wangnan, Akraptor, and the whole team got together after, reporting the results of their discussions.

"So they're basically telling us to do the same thing. We need to head for the Workshop on the 30th Floor," said Wangnan. "Both his friends and the weapon will be there."

"Nine floors in two years," said Akraptor. "That's going to be tough. Are you guys up for it?"

"Of course! I'll definitely get stronger, so you can rely on me!" Yihwa exclaimed.

"No way we're relying on you, I'll become stronger so everyone can rely on me!" Prince said.

"No, I'll become stronger than either of you!" said Wangnan.

"Don't overestimate yourself," said Akraptor. "There's no way you can do it."

"What? You're supposed to be encouraging me!"

"You're the leader, you're supposed to encourage everyone else, while we use you as our punching bag to feel better about ourselves," said Akraptor.

"Ugh! Why me?" Wangnan cried crocodile tears.

"Hah! Face reality, you monkey!" Yihwa said. "Just be glad that Viole isn't the only strong person on this team."

"Aren't you the one overestimating yourself? You can't even do your share of the cooking!" Wangnan said.

"Settle down," said Horyang. "Even if we climb that fast, there's still the Workshop Battle itself…and getting to the weapon. If the researchers are who I think they are…that will be the hardest part."

"Hm? You know something about it?" Akraptor asked.

"The Acorn Workshop. It's where the 'Devil' in my right arm was implanted into me. Where they research Living Ignition Weapons," said Horyang. "That ultimate weapon must be the true reason for all the experiments they did."

"I'm sensing a story here…" said Wangnan.

"Lady Yeon, when we first met, Dr. Dua was also the one who sent you to me to ask about Living Ignition Weapons, wasn't he?" Horyang asked Yihwa. "It makes sense now. He must have found out about the experiments after infiltrating FUG."

She nodded. "Yeah…that must be it."

"What are you guys talking about?" Wangnan asked. "Come on, fill the rest of us in!"

And so Horyang told them about his history with the Workshop, and the first time he met Yihwa.

"That's terrible…" said Goseng. "How could there be such horrible people?"

"That's all the more reason we have to help Viole get away from these people," said Yihwa.

"But for now, all we can do is get stronger and focus on the next test," said Wangnan. "Two years…we can definitely make it if we work hard."

O O O

A/N: This is kind of an arc epilogue chapter, just showing how MC is making subtle changes, how it's perceived, but also stay under the radar of more dangerous entities. There's going to be at least one more smaller arc in ToG, then we might do a short break to another plane, but probably come back for the big events at the end of ToG's season 2, since that's got a lot of interesting stuff with higher stakes.