Sae Jaehyun was pacing around in the dorm room—his eyes focused on the ground. He didn't understand but but he was feeling a bit.. Down even though he had lit up a few scented candles he got from a vendor today.
"Lets light a few more.. The smell is a bit weak."
The candles were large pink ones. A sticker of a clown put onto them—but Ji Won didn't pay mind to them. The scent did kind of relax him after all, enough to make him lay onto the bed.
The clock ticked by, a reminder of the tournament getting closer, and closer. He was nearly healed from his injuries with the fight with Han Dae-sik.. But he didn't know why, his anxiety was at the peak of what it could be.
'Ji Won probably won't wake up the whole tournament—I'm all alone right now, can I even win?'
Doubts and fears filled his minds—seeing the unpolished talent and power that the other Club Leaders had, made him second guess himself.
'I'm stronger than them.. But.. I..'
He held his head in his hands. Taking a deep breath, trying to calm himself down—it did nothing though. He realized that he wasn't anxious or just worried.
He was scared of failure. Of disappointment. Of being embarrassed in front of the whole school after being so haughty and confident when Ji Won was at his side.
'Maybe I could pull out? It'll be a bit weird but I could just say that I want to give the Juniors a chance..'
He lifted himself off the bed—his body seeming so heavy that he couldn't even take a step forward. His breathing was a bit more erratic and shallow.
The window creaked open just a bit—wind coming inside, the whistle sounding strangely like a mocking whisper.
"Come on Jaehyun.. You always put on that mask of confidence and superiority right? Then go ahead—show your weakness. You don't deserve this."
Sae Jaehyun was petrified, he didn't know who or what uttered those words but the truth in them hurt, shook his very soul to the core—he really was putting on a mask.
His eyes flickered towards his bedside table on top of which was the registration form he filled with so much bravado that he might be mistaken for a celebrity.
He slowly reached out for the piece of paper—he didn't know why but he felt the urge to tear it up, leave the tournament. He had crafted a believable excuse after all, one that fit his facade.
Outside the dormitory—a bit far away. Sat the Clown, holding a Walkie-Talkie. It was staring at Sae Jaehyun's faint figure in the window. A sadistic grin on its face.
"Well.. That Sappie is really good at sneaking stuff in huh? Poor teen probably thinks he's hallucinating."
It put the Walkie-Talkie down besides it on the ledge of the rooftop it was sitting upon, a contemplative expression spreading across its pale face.
"The jewelry didn't do the job so i decided to harvest some more Chaotic Mana.. Lets see how much this kid produces through his teen angst."
Meanwhile—Sae Jaehyun was wallowing in the pits of his own doubts. The piece of paper shakily held in his hands, the edges crumpling up from how tightly he was gripping it.
"Damn it. Make a damn decision idiot.."
The teen muttered under his breath, eyes traveling between the door, and the registration form—but all of a sudden the door opened.
Sae Jaehyun let out a small yelp, a blood dagger instinctively forming in his hands—but when he saw that it was Byeon Min-ki, he calmed down just a bit. The dagger getting reabsorbed into his body.
"W-What's up?"
Sae Jaehyun's greeting was definitely a bit squirmy, not at all confident and arrogant like it was before while talking with the Archer Club's leader. The latter noticing it immediately.
"Nothing. Just wanted to tell you something—Only you're participating from the upper classes. Mostly First Years are in the tournament. You still wanna come?"
This was definitely a bit surprising to Sae Jaehyun—he wanted to say yes. Needed to agree. This opportunity wouldn't come again for a whole year, but...
"No.. It wouldn't be fair to juniors, I'm not coming. Tell the teachers for me would you?"
Byeon Min-ki's eyes widened—but he didn't say anything, not knowing what he could say anyway. It wasn't like Sae Jaehyun to straight up refuse an opportunity to fight, no matter the reason.
His gaze landed on the candles and their strange... Alcohol like smell, and the fact that there wasn't even a drop of wax on the ground or on the table they were set on... Was definitely suspicious.
"Alright.. Goodbye I guess.."
He muttered as he took a few steps back. Mentally noting that he would need to check the candles out, before ultimately closing the door.
Leaving the regreting Sae Jaehyun in his dorm once more. Alone.
"Shit.."
He fell to the ground, back resting against the bedframe—his hands holding his head. Lungs barely managing to fill themselves with air, heart heavy and regretful as well as angry at himself.
"Why'd I say that? What's going on?" He was annoyed with himself. Not having he energy to get up and stop Byeon Min-ki, and even if he did. He would probably be humiliated.
"You're just like this. Useless. Ji Won this, Ji Won that. Come on. Is Ji Won your dad or something? Can't Ji Won's little son do anything on his own?"
Again—that wispy whisper that came from outside the window.. It was definitely not him now... Especially that statement. It made Sae Jaehyun's blood boil.
"Shut up.." His jaw clenched, eyes flickered across the room, knowing that it wasn't his imagination. It was something else.
"What do you mean shut up? You can't seem to shut up when Ji Won's around. But when he's unconscious, you're suddenly quiet?-"
Sae Jaehyun's eyes narrowed in on a faint static or beeping noise outside the window-sill.
He immediately jumped up, punching the wall as hard as possible, the concrete crumbling and falling towards the ground.
Leaving a massive hole as the static noise stopped. Giving him enough closure to believe that he wasn't hallucinating.
"It wasn't me huh? I really am not going insane.."
His eyes landed on a far away rooftop of one of the training halls where a figure was waving at him, bathed in the bright sunlight—holding a Walkie-Talkie in its hands.
"Yo!! You're spicy huh?!"
The figure's voice was mocking—and even more taunting now that it was being its true self. The bright blue colored hair it sported was sticking out like a sore thumb.
The Clown had a broad smile on its face, but it also seemed a bit impressed by Sae Jaehyun's quick thinking.
"Ya know! You aren't depressed. We just pumped your candles full of a shit ton of gases. It didn't straight up make you depressed or anything! But uh.. Yeah, I think it worked. Thanks again Guinea Pig!!"
Sae Jaehyun clicked his tongue in annoyance—dashing forward trying to catch the Clown but just then, the Clown disappeared in a small pop of glitter that floated towards the ground.
"Damn it.."
He caught the glitter in his hands—but, the Clown had left its trace. The glitter exploded, not in a big boom. But like a small firework that burnt the teen's hand.
"Holy shit!"
He shook his hand wildly, the searing pain spreading across his whole body as he shakily turned around the hand. The words 'Guinea Pig' burnt onto the palm of his hand.
"I.. Sir Youngjae needs to know about this. What the hell is going on.."
He was right—but a bit too late. A small distortion in space occurred in his room, a small crack appearing before—a Dungeon Gate formed. The Clown had used a bit of the Chaotic Mana harvested to create that dungeon.
"Oh? An opportunity to level up.. That freakshow's an idiot. I need to cool off a bit anyway... This dungeon's mine."