No scope
"Damn, isn't this way too scary?"
No scope
"Just hearing it gives me chills all over."
No scope
"@Pup dog, you're still alive, right?"
No scope
"Come on, man, reply to my chat."
Villain
"Kekeke, looks like one of our members has died."
No scope
"Come on, is this really real? I'm seriously scared right now."
Fraud
"Aren't you a hitman? How can you be scared of a story like this?"
No scope
"Hitmen are human too, you know. It's normal to be afraid."
King
"Doesn't this feel strange? Admin isn't typing anything either."
No scope
"No, no, please don't say something creepy like that. I'm seriously getting goosebumps now."
Lamp
"What's with this discussion? If you're done, I want to ask something."
No scope
"Man, you really need to learn how to read the mood. How could you ruin the tense atmosphere like that?"
Pup dog
"Sorry, I went to the bathroom."
No scope
"Damn it, where did that creepy atmosphere go?"
Fraud
"Weren't you just complaining that this was terrifying?"
No scope
"Shut up, clown."
Fraud
"Wait, what the hell is that?"
Admin
"By the way, who are you?"
No scope
"Huh?"
Fraud
"Huh?"
Pup dog
"Kekeke, so you finally noticed."
No scope
"Whaaa—what the hell is this?! Please stop this joke, it's not funny at all!"
Fraud
"Shut up, damn it."
Pup dog
"I'll warn you, Sigma. Don't interfere with my plan."
Admin
"Shouldn't that be my line?"
Admin
"Don't touch my member, Abingel."
Pup dog
"Kekeke, you think you can defeat me?"
Admin
"No."
No scope
"Wait, don't you have a better answer than that?"
Fraud
"You're really asking for death, aren't you?"
Admin
"I know I can defeat you."
No scope
"Damn, that's our Admin alright."
Fraud
"You're really not afraid of provoking a Rank 7?"
Admin
"Both of you, shut up. You're ruining my cool dialogue."
Pup dog
"Kekeke, fine then. If that's what you think, let's see who wins in the end."
Pup dog
"See you later, Sigma."
•••
Monday, July 12, 1740
Inside his room, Lyxander prepared to head to headquarters. He neatly folded his military uniform and placed it back into a small black suitcase.
He glanced at his beloved PC screen.
"Hm?" Lyxander tilted his head.
"It feels like I'm forgetting something."
The sensation was like a fish bone stuck in his throat—uncomfortable, yet ignorable.
He smiled faintly, trying to justify it to himself.
"But if I forgot it, then it must not be important."
A statement completely at odds with his personality, as if he had changed in an instant.
—
On the way to the train station, as usual, Lyxander arrived quite early and spent a long time listening to music until the train reached the final station.
He walked again along the edge of the rice fields, sheltered by white clouds beneath towering skyscrapers.
Upon arriving, he once again encountered Natanael. As usual, she was reading a book. It was strange how she wasn't sweating at all despite the scorching heat.
Lyxander approached her and sat down one seat away.
"Senior, do you always come early?" he asked.
"Just a habit," Natanael replied, ignoring him as she focused on her book.
'I thought we'd grown fairly close. Turns out that was just my imagination.'
Though no tears fell, the disappointment inside Lyxander was clearly visible.
The sound of an engine echoed from afar—the bus had arrived. Together, they boarded the bus toward headquarters. Upon reaching the dam, Lyxander went to search for Division 5's locker room to change clothes.
After getting lost several times, he finally found it. A sign for men hung at the door. Without hesitation, he entered and opened the black suitcase containing his military uniform.
After changing into it, he resumed his search—next was the Division 5 room.
"Ah, here it is."
He found it fairly quickly compared to the locker room, considering the distance between the two wasn't far.
Lyxander entered. The room was still pitch dark; no one had arrived yet to turn on the lights.
"Looks like I'm too early," he muttered.
He groped along the wall, hoping to find the light switch.
Click!
The sound of a switch echoed as he found it.
The room that had been completely dark was now brightly lit. Twelve desks were arranged in a U-shape, with a gap between every pair of desks to create space.
On each desk were nameplates and decorations that reflected the personality of each Division 5 member.
Lyxander examined the nameplates one by one until he found one labeled Lyxander. Beside it was another that read Quartz Andreas.
"My desk partner is Quartz?" He frowned slightly.
Lyxander had only met Quartz once and wasn't sure about his personality yet, but it was still better than sitting next to a complete stranger. Then he realized something.
"Wait… where's Natanael? We arrived together earlier, didn't we?" He looked around, trying to find any trace of her.
Creak!
The door opened.
Lyxander flinched, filled with hope that it would be someone he knew.
Unfortunately, what appeared was—
A man with curly black broccoli-like hair. He wore glasses and walked with a hunched posture. An odd smile spread across his face as he stared at Lyxander.
It was disappointing that it wasn't someone he knew, but life often doesn't go the way we want.
"Hehehe, so you're the new guy," the man said, extending his hand.
Lyxander shook it. "Lyxander. Just call me Lyxander."
"Hehe, Thomas Mercury. Just call me Thomas."
He leaned closer to Lyxander—
Then whispered.
"Hehe, I haven't told you yet, but the Captain is calling you to his office."
"The Captain?"
Lyxander was filled with questions. Without hesitation, he left the strange man behind and went to meet Simon.
Upon arriving at Simon's office, as usual, he had to wait for several minutes.
Twenty minutes later.
Perhaps not just several minutes.
Finally, footsteps could be heard, and a man in a military uniform carrying a black suitcase appeared—it was Simon.
Unlike before, this time Simon arrived in less than thirty minutes.
At the very least, Lyxander managed to restrain himself from getting angry until Simon arrived.
Simon didn't invite Lyxander into his office. Instead, he led him to the training arena. They walked through a curved corridor until reaching an elevator. After descending, Lyxander found himself in an enormous space—the training arena.
A massive room that looked more like an open field, frequently used by members of the Entity Corporation for training, true to its name.
Simon continued walking toward the center of the arena, with Lyxander following behind. Upon reaching the center, Simon placed the black suitcase he had been carrying on the ground.
"What's this?" Lyxander asked.
Simon chuckled. "The weapon you requested."
"You actually managed to make it!" Lyxander couldn't stop smiling. His dream weapon had finally been completed.
"Wait, you weren't even sure we could make it, yet you told us to do it anyway? You're a real bastard," Simon mocked.
"Haha, come on, don't say it like that. I've always trusted your abilities, Captain. So where's my weapon?" Lyxander replied.
"You damn bastard," Simon said. "Open it. Your weapon's inside the suitcase."
Lyxander opened it, his eyes shining brightly.