Observing from a distance, Ren and Andrei shifted uncomfortably. Franz’s guttural, heart-wrenching wails echoed in the forest like a twisted opera. They weren’t strangers to people getting killed or tortured, but the way Zeke was doing it made even them flinch in every scream.
This discomfort was even worse for Andrei, who knew more about the "pain" Franz was experiencing.
Physical pain was nothing, but spiritual pain?
It was hell.
As Franz’s screams continued, Ren and Andrei looked at Zeke with slight uneasiness.
Often, when people "tortured" or "humiliated" other people, they were usually doing it out of enjoyment or revenge. But Zeke... it didn’t feel that way at all. His actions were precise and surgical, like he was enacting a step-by-step process.
His indifferent gaze bore deeply on Franz’s wretched face, not a trace of emotion showing in them.
But despite feeling uncomfortable, none of them interfered.
Ren didn’t know Zeke, and he couldn’t care less about Franz, so why would he butt in?
Andrei recalled how much Franz humiliated Zeke during combat class back then, making him feel nothing for Franz’s plight. If anything, he might even be worse than Zeke if someone did that to him.
He let out a sigh.
’You brought this onto yourself...’
After a while, Franz finally fell unconscious from the pain.
Being a Brawler, his physical stats were superior to those of others. This included his durability and endurance, a major reason why he even lasted as long as he did. One could say that his very own power became the reason for his unending pain.
Zeke stood up and looked at Franz for a moment, seemingly deep in thought.
"..."
"Don’t do it."
At that moment, Ren spoke. He sensed Zeke’s gaze and immediately knew what he was thinking.
"The academy forbids killing among students. They have a way to track everyone’s actions, so if you kill him right now... well, you’d have to be prepared to die after this exam."
"... You’re Ren Hagen, right?"
Zeke raised a brow, looking at Ren. He recognized Ren from a picture he saw while browsing the academy forums the other day.
"Are you friends with Franz? Then, are you next?"
He asked calmly.
Andrei’s eyes twitched, as though restraining a laugh.
’This guy...’
Ren’s expression changed slightly. He glared at Zeke, and a hint of irritation erupted in him.
"Watch your words. Also, I’m not friends with that idiot."
Zeke paused, then nodded slightly.
"... I see. Then, if there’s nothing else, I’m leaving."
Hearing that, Andrei suddenly woke up from his "unconscious" state. He looked at Zeke and couldn’t help but complain.
"Oi, oi, wait a minute... aren’t you forgetting something?"
"Huh? Right."
Zeke suddenly stopped, realization dawning on him. But contrary to Andrei’s expectations, he crouched down and searched for Franz’s body. How could he forget about the treasures?
Ren and Andrei were both dumbfounded by his actions.
A moment later, Zeke managed to find dozens of trinkets in Franz’s pockets. He used his Herta ID to assess their treasure value, and he was startled when he saw their total value reaching up to 6,300 points, higher than what he currently had.
But with Franz’s personality, it was likely that most of these treasures came from robbing other students.
After hiding them, Zeke stood up again and gave a nod to Andrei. He turned around and was about to continue walking, but Andrei stopped him again.
"That’s not it! Damn it, Crimson!"
Andrei sighed, shaking his head.
"Aren’t you forgetting me? I’m stuck here with an evil bastard, you know? Didn’t you hear what Franz said earlier..."
Zeke and Ren stared at him wordlessly, making him pause on his words and feel some shame.
"Fine." Andrei quit acting and shrugged. He walked up to Zeke. "You forgot to invite me to join you! Well, no matter, you’re an awkward guy after all. Let’s go together, Crimson."
"No? Why should we?"
Zeke raised a brow, confused.
"Come on, stop dilly dallying." Andrei yawned, seemingly bored. "Don’t worry, I won’t steal any treasures you find. I already have enough anyway. Sides’ this class exam is boring, I got no one to talk to..."
"I assume that you’ll be following me even if I say no?"
Zeke asked lightly, and Andrei responded immediately.
"That’s right!"
"... Do whatever you want, ha."
Zeke shrugged and then walked away, leaving the area. Andrei followed him quickly as the two of them disappeared deep in the forest, leaving Ren alone with two bodies lying on the ground.
Completely ignored by the two 1-D students, Ren couldn’t care less. He looked at where they disappeared before turning his glance back at Franz’s unconscious body on the ground.
"Franz isn’t strong, but he isn’t weak either... That guy, Zeke Crimson, was it? He handled Franz like an adult teaching a child a lesson."
Ren muttered under his breath, slightly impressed. He recalled the match from earlier and couldn’t help but fall into deep thought.
’Looks like there’ll be another contender for the Top 10...’
But he wasn’t that worried yet.
Although he was at the bottom end of the Top 10, he wasn’t the weakest one. Ren held 8th rank on the first-year leaderboard. There were two other people below him, so he would only consider Zeke a threat if he managed to push those two down from their position.
The way to enter in the Top 10 in the academy wasn’t based on personal value alone, one also needed to challenge the current holder of the position and win against them. Personal value points were just an approximate value, but a personal duel was absolute.
"Top 10 is that frail guy from Class E... and Top 9 is Seralune. Although that frail guy doesn’t look like it, he’s probably hiding a lot of his strength."
Ren muttered under his breath.
If Zeke had any intention of entering the Top 10, he would inevitably have to challenge one of those two.
"I look forward to seeing that."
Ren chuckled, vanishing from the area quietly. Zeke’s performance truly piqued his interest. He wanted to see how far he could go, and if Zeke really managed to become a threat to his position, then Zeke was more than welcome to challenge him.
’I hope he doesn’t lose before that happens... that’ll be a shame.’
***
Deep in the forest, Andrei suddenly asked a question while they were walking.
"Hey, Zeke. You sounded confident earlier when you asked if Ren was next... You do know he’s a Top 10 student, right?"
"I do."
Zeke answered while walking.
"Then, if the two of you really did fight back there, can you win?" Andrei asked curiously. "Imagine if Franz’s delusional scenario was real for a moment, and Ren ended up being Franz’s ally, what would you do?"
Zeke stared at him flatly, like he was looking at a stupid person.
"What?" Andrei shrugged. "It’s called a thought experiment. Smart people do it all the time. Come on, just answer. Can you really win? Or will you run away? I won’t blame you if you do, though..."
Instead of ignoring him, Zeke actually thought deeply about the question. In that scenario, what would he do? He was already Rank 1.3, and with two limit-breaking skills like Heart Blade and Gamer Overload...
’...’
After giving it some thought, Zeke answered.
"It depends."
"So you think you’ll win."
Andrei deduced, making Zeke shake his head in exasperation.
’If it really came down to it, I’ll have no choice but to win.’