Park Seo says, "He won''t apologize. I''m sure he hasn''t done anything wrong, so we won''t back down."


    Park Seo turned around, looked at Min-Jun, and smiled faintly.


    Aniket, trying unsuccessfully to suppress the anger rising within him, says, "What nonsense are you talking about? The evidence is right in front of you, and yet! First the theft, and now this arrogance!"


    A screen appeared in front of Park Seo. Seeing it, Aniket noticed a new system-type ability.


    Park Seo saw that Min-Jun''s trust had increased by 25%. And with that trust, he put this on speed which increased by 25%.


    Then, swiftly snatching the gun from Aniket''s hand, Park Seo moved forward and said, "Now what? Without this weapon, you''re powerless."


    Park Seo thought to himself, "My ability is such that when I gain others'' trust as a leader, I can merge their stats with my own based on their trust percentage. It''s like a buff, but if their trust decreases, I weaken as well.


    This ability rapidly drains mana but boosts stats


    significantly. After a certain trust amount, I can even share my mana with them if trust so high. However, its low rank keeps it from becoming an absolute cheat ability."


    Aniket, irritated, says, "Stop with these dramatic dialogues. And by the way, I still have my ability."


    Saying this, Aniket summoned sharp, double-edged ice spikes and hurled them toward him.


    Park Seo saw the incoming ice spike and destroyed it with a kick.


    Internally frustrated, he thought, "Why is everyone standing around silently? Do something!"


    Aniket laughed and said, "Fool, that was an artifact."


    After this, the shards of ice on the ground began forming spikes one by one, floating in the air and targeting Park Seo directly.


    Behind him, Min-Jun was running toward Aniket to punch him. Aniket noticed him and said, "Create."


    Suddenly, numerous ice spike formed on the ground.


    Min-Jun slowed down and leaped into the air, trying to attack from above. In response, Aniket extended one hand and calmly said, "Wind Burst."


    A strong pressure of wind sent Min-Jun crashing into the wall. However, he wasn''t seriously injured.


    Groaning in pain, Min-Jun said, "Everyone attack! Quickly, his mana will run out soon. Without his ability, he''s nothing!"


    Aniket replied, "Wanna bet? Let''s see who runs out of mana first."


    Aniket thought to himself, "My ability consumes mana to create things. But if the material already exists, the mana consumption decreases significantly.


    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    I need to focus on wind or water-type attacks since these elements are present in the environment. Ground-type attacks could also be a good option."


    With full attitude, Aniket gestured for everyone to come at him.


    On the other hand, Park Seo was barely floating in the air, dodging the spikes. He was breaking every spike he could to drain Aniket''s mana faster. However, with every shattered piece, the ice spikes only seemed to multiply.


    "Where did he even get this artifact from?" Park Seo wondered.


    Seeing Park Seo''s strength, the trust level of his teammates was rising and his power also. But with it, his mana consumption was increasing rapidly, leaving him with only a short amount of time before it ran out.


    Aniket noticed the broken So many spikes piling up behind Park Seo, and the sight startled him. Without hesitation, he deactivated his artifact.


    Now, Aniket was truly in trouble. He had no weapons left. While he could create a gun, the problem was that the fight had escalated from one-on-one to one-on-nine.


    Taking a deep breath, Aniket thought, "Well, I''ve already stuck my hand into the snake''s den. Let''s see what happens now."


    With that, he created two taser guns and smiled.


    "Bye-bye, everyone!" he said.


    Bubbles Of Water formed over everyone''s heads and popped, soaking them and spreading water all over the floor.


    Park Seo and his team quickly realized what was coming. They yelled, "Run!"


    With a ruthless smile, Aniket fired the taser guns at the floor. The water ensured that three of them got a powerful electric shock.


    Just then, Aniket felt someone standing next to him.


    Li Mei said, "Your game is over now!"


    She swung a punch toward Aniket''s face.


    Aniket immediately created wind pressure, pushing her back. The good thing about his ability was that he only needed to imagine something to create it—he didn''t even need to speak.


    Park Seo yelled, "Get away from the wet area!"


    But Aniket wasn''t going to give them the chance. He fired the taser gun again, sending shocks through everyone.


    Turning around, Aniket said, "Two against one now? That also doesn''t seem fair."


    Park Seo, furious, charged toward Aniket to punch him.


    Someone shouted, "Stop!"


    But Park Seo ignored them.


    Suddenly, a gunshot froze them both in their tracks.


    Alice said, "What mess have you gotten into now?"


    Aniket smiled innocently and said, "It''s not my fault. They were bullying me."


    Alice smirked and replied, "Oh, really? You? That''s impossible."


    Park Seo stepped forward and said, "You won''t shoot me."


    Alice threatened, "Stay where you are!"


    But Park Seo didn''t listen. She fired, and the bullet struck Park Seo''s forehead, causing him to feel a stinging pain.


    Alice said, "That wasn''t a real bullet, but the next one will be. Now don''t move."


    Li Mei, furious, said, "Who do you think you are to give us orders? He started it!"


    Victoria, in a calm tone, said, "It seems like it''s time for the heroes to stop. But all of you need to stand down right now."


    Everyone''s attention shifted to Victoria.


    Aniket sarcastically remarked, "I think there''s something more important here—those people are still writhing from the electric shocks.Mis. or Mr. What ever you are?"


    Victoria extended strings from her hands and, with a single move, flung both taser guns far away.


    The others had already passed out.


    Victoria looked at Aniket and said, "I must congratulate you. You''re the first hero to reach +E."


    Park Seo was shocked. He thought to himself, "So quickly? How did he climb to ready D rank so fast?"


    Victoria stepped between Aniket and Park Seo and said, "If you both enjoy fighting so much, you can settle this in the training grounds. But such fights will not be tolerated outside. I hope this is your first and last mistake."


    Akira was heading towards his room when someone suddenly called out, "You''re about to get into trouble, buddy."


    Akira turned around and saw a boy standing there. The boy said, "My name is Kang Dong-won. Quite the nasty plan you had—pitting Aniket and Park Seo against each other. But why did you do it?"


    Akira stammered nervously, "I didn''t do anything like that. Actually, they were the ones who..."


    The boy interrupted him, "Did you really think they were fools? That they wouldn''t see through your little trick? You didn''t expect him to handle things so well, did you? You thought that after the attack, many people would turn against Park Seo and his team—or maybe you''d do it yourself."


    Sweat trickled down Akira''s forehead. He stammered, "What are you trying to say?"


    Dong-won replied seriously, "You pretended to be the victim. But now you''re in big trouble because you''ve landed yourself on Park Seo''s target list."


    Akira yelled, "Speak clearly! Or else..."


    Dong-won coldly replied, "Fine, listen. Both of them know exactly what you tried to do.


    Park Seo needed to prove himself as a good leader. In return, he offered something to Aniket. Both of them were waiting for an opportunity, and you gave them that chance. Now, Park Seo stands as a leader in his team''s eyes, and you...you''re just a enemy.


    You are cooked, buddy."


    With that, Dong-won walked away.


    Akira fell to his knees. He had seen Park Seo staring at his status and had been terrified ever since, fearing that his fate here might mirror what had happened before.


    He had planned to eliminate Park Seo and his group from his path. He knew very well how furious Aniket had been that day because of Karan. That''s why he staged this drama, hoping to spark a conflict between the two.


    My goal was to break Park Seo''s group before it could even fully form, ensuring it wouldn''t become a threat in the future. But now...