《Accelerating Magnum Bullet》 Chapter 000. Prologue Ahhh, what a beautiful day. As I stared at the orange sunset barely bathing me in warmth. The sun that fell from the sky was covered by the old buildings that surrounded us with shadows at the dead end of an wide alleyway. Listening as the Cicada made their singing noises from the summer, a shivering sensation ran through my body. Why am I doing this? Lowering my gaze from the twilight at the trembling girl with her back against a tall wooden fence. I stared at the schoolgirl with my cold eyes... Did I lose to jealousy? Am I so inhuman that I would hurt my childhood friend? How did this even start in the first place? Lowering myself towards the helpless girl that laid there with her green and black sailor school uniform. I seized her soft and silky black hair with my burning hand, raised her beautiful and dirtied face that stared on the ground towards my black eyes. ¡°Noah¡­ It hurts¡± she said, as glittering tears rolled down from her blue eyes and covered the stone road in darkness. Why¡­ I don¡¯t understand... And those eyes¡­ Stop gazing into my blackened soul, Ayumi¡­ Avoiding her eyes, I released my once beloved friend, stood up with my heavy legs that dragged me towards the ground as I could hear groans nearby. Holding my aching left arm that could barely lift, I walked towards one of the boys laying on the ground barely conscious. Kicking the supposed boyfriend at the stomach that lightly wettened the road with his drool, I checked the other two that followed him here. Even though I used to be a bully, at least you could come here alone after all that bragging and mocking towards the tolerant me at school¡­ I even quit long ago or did you still bear a grudge against me? Taking a last breath of the stale air of rustic blood, I took out a gift from my pocket that I had gotten this year with a platinum chain attached to the platinum object and checked the time. Tch¡­ It¡¯s 7¡­ 1 hour left until lockdown... Putting back the first and probably the last gift from Ayumi. The pocket watch now laid gently inside my pocket of the black sweater, I took a last glance behind me towards her who sat there crying as she held her knees against the wooden fence. I am sorry¡­ I don¡¯t even know how it ended this way¡­ A cold drop of a single tear rolled down my slightly swollen cheek. ¡°I guess this is it¡­¡± I muttered, "Where we part and take our different paths..." Taking the first step towards the street from the shrouded alleyway, a cold breeze together with a sudden darkness filled my vision, stretching endlessly to the end of nothingness. What''s going on? Where am I? I... I can''t even see my hands... It was as if I was blind, I could see nothing other than reach out my hand to feel around me. "Hehehehe" An eerie tone of a girl made a shiver run down my spine. My heart started to race filling my palms with sweat. A stench of decomposition crept closer to me through the total darkness. I picked up pace, walking towards what I believe was once a street but now only pitch black. Am I even walking straight?! "Hello?!" I screamed, looking around, hoping for some answers as my sense of direction have been scrambled. "..." This... Uneasy feeling¡­ No¡­ Not her. As I kept walking the sound of bones crushing and tissues being ripped apart could be heard from behind me. With a tremble I turned around but found nothing but an endless darkness. The stench of rotten flesh and blood sent desperation after me. My fingers started to shake¡­ Wave pulses was created starting from my feet with each step I took on the black floor. I ran as the dripping rustic liquid echoed through my ears. "Hehehe" Shit! Have I finally lost my sanity!? I need something to calm myself... "Tick... Tick..." The Pocket watch? Feeling around the pocket in my sweater I took out the clock and opened the lid. 19:06:14. 19:06:15. 19:12:17 20:42:53. 22:11:32. What the hell?! I have lost it now... Either the pocket watch just skipped time itself or I ain''t even self aware anymore, shiit!! Wait... Why can I only see this? "Noah..." The tone of Ayumi stopped me on my run... No, what felt like chains and hands with icy cold fingers that held me down while draining the warmth from my feets did... My heart shrinked, the ache on my left arm took hold as I struggled to get lose to no avail. "Noah..." Hah... I get it now... What was it? The recent brutal murders in the news... No wonder the bright guy I usually avoid in school suddenly wanted to meet me on my last day¡­ The manipulative type? Trembling I took a deep breath and turned around towards the sound that kept creeping closer. As I stood there in the pitch black darkness with my visible watch that echoed its ticking music, I gazed upon the humanoid like creature that was a total abomination... "Noah... " she said, staring at me with those bright red eyes that lit the darkness together with blood dripping from her decayed mouth. Draining my strength until I fell on my knees onto the colourless floor, the bodies of my classmates ripped to shreds laid there behind her. Urgh¡­ I want to puke... ¡°Ayumi... That new look doesn¡¯t suit you¡­¡± I said, putting back the watch inside of what felt like my soft sweater while holding in the uneasy feeling in my stomach that could burst out in any seconds. "Noah... " She said, walking closer to me as her gigantic arm made her unbalanced body stumble a few times. ¡°... When did it start? Was it at that rainy day? If only I noticed it sooner¡­ I could have prevented this...¡± I muttered, staring at the black floor that reflected a teen from the asiatic regions. It¡¯s strange¡­ Why can¡¯t I see what I want to see? The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Noah¡­¡± She said, grabbing my collar with her gigantic arm and lifted my weightless body to the stale air. Closing my eyelids, tears rolled down my cheek, ¡°...Sorry Ayumi¡­ I didn¡¯t join the Order after that bloody incident 5 years ago for nothing...¡± ¡°Noah.... Food¡­ I like, I love...¡± She said, bringing my neck closer to her mouth filled with drool and pieces of flesh, while tears dripped from her eyes to the floor creating waves as if we stood on a puddle of water disturbing the smooth surface. Those red tears definitely doesn¡¯t suit you¡­ I gently caressed her cheek from the blood as she pulled me closer. ¡°Aaaaah¡± She moaned, gaping her mouth open with thousands of bloodied teeth. Bound by a contract and oath, I call for you, come forth¡­ At my command a crimson black customized desert eagle appeared from thin air. Grabbing it with my right hand I aimed the handgun inside her throat filled with sticky drool. Starting from where I was, the once colourless world of darkness started to be filled with colours, revealing the hidden alley with the full white moon shining its light at the bloodied scene. So this is how it feels to have all your senses scrambled without the weapon¡­ Master, I forgot about the rules you gave me¡­ Ayumi¡­ ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I couldn¡¯t fulfill my promise...¡± I muttered, with my finger trembling on the cold trigger¡­ Why you of all people? Tch... Never falter against your enemies... even if they were once your soulmate. ¡°Click¡± ¡°BANG!¡± echoed throughout the city, the sound left the night Cicadas flying instead of singing their music. Blood scattered on the wooden fence and the stone alley. A tiny smoke left the wet gun barrel, as the now struggling creature released my collar and fell to the ground. Wiping my face, I aimed the gun stained with drool at the body of the creature. ¡°BANG!¡± ¡°BANG!¡± ¡°BANG!¡± ¡°BANG!¡± ¡°BANG!¡± ¡°BANG!¡± ¡°Reload¡± ¡°N¡­¡± ¡°BANG!¡± With each gunfire the creature got shredded to pieces, blood scattered to the ground and walls, some even onto the shredded leftover bones and flesh of my classmates that laid nearby. Gazing upon the scattered stars, cold liquid fell onto my cheek. Rain drops started to sting my vision as the streetlamps tried to illuminate the dark city. The water that fell onto the ground, cleaned the scene from the bloody mess¡­ Running like a tiny red river to the hole in the ground to the systems. Tch¡­ Once again a rainy day... Closing my eyelids I waited as the raindrops drenched my clothes in heavy water that shattered into tiny pieces as they collided with my wet face¡­ Waiting for hours that passed by I could hear those related to my classmates, mourn at front of the four coffins as rain fell heavily from the cloudy sky. Opening my heavy eyelids in dire need of rest, I checked the time... 13:13¡­ Lowering the platinum pocket watch, I stood at front of the coffin with the remains of Ayumi. Kneeling, I sullied my pants with wet mud while I gently placed my flowers to pay my respect. Standing up I went back to the sidelines for the next person presumably one of her relatives. I stared at the coffins that the murky clouds above passed by one by one. A pat on my right shoulder removed my trance of silence, a tall and broad man with a wet black suit like mine stood beside me and said ¡°You are lucky, it could have been worse¡­ Especially since you are a recruit in training. ¡± Master¡­ I would definitely have died if she didn¡¯t¡­ ¡°She held back, more than I could ask for¡­¡± I answered with my burning fist clenching the gift while gazing at the handsome black haired man around his twenties with brown iris and a scar across his nose. Patting my wet and messy black hair with his warm hands, he said ¡°Even after standing here all day out of guilt without sleeping, know that this isn''t your fault Noah Akatsuki¡­ That anger should be directed to the mutated virus that clad themselves in human skin¡± ¡°I know¡­ But, to think it was that easy to manipulate me¡­¡± I said, grinding my teeth soon after as I avoided his eyes, gazing down onto the wet green grass. ¡°That happens when you haven''t summoned the Magic Gun for a while. Remember this lesson¡­ Never trust anyone unless they are a user, actually not even them and not even your closest friend, as you can see...¡± He said, patting my head once again with a gentle smile that eased my mind. I nodded, ¡°Yes, master¡­¡± Though it was you who forbid me from summoning it¡­ And what a cruel method to train me¡­ Bastard... "Noah, do you remember the Oath we made a few years ago?" he asked, even though he knew that I wrote it inside my heart. Heh..."Never falter against your enemies even if they were once your soulmate; Never waver against the world even if you are alone; Believe in your heart and never give up" I said simultaneously together with my master who joined midways. He grinned and added, ¡°The car is waiting for you outside. You had your last days¡­ It¡¯s time for you to move on to your new environment provided by the Order and train to become a stronger hunter¡± I bowed, ¡®Master... Thank you for taking care of me all those years.¡± ¡°Heh¡± He gently laid the black fedora on his wet hair and turned towards the gate, bright red, ¡°Lets go, shall we?¡± I smiled as the sky cleared, revealing the blue sea together with the sun that happily bathed everyone at the ceremony with warmth, ¡°Yeah, I forgot that you were the one driving¡± ¡°Heh, lets go¡­ To your new home.¡± The Order¡­ The organization worldwide known that revealed themselves around 15 years ago to fight the new mutated strains of virus called Human Virus or in short H virus. It only affect humans and is capable to transform those affected into monsters disguised as the host. Not only that, they blend in within the society of humans, eating the non infected whenever they could¡­ It¡¯s the Orders job, No¡­ Ours to find and hunt those that threaten the humanity with our new weapon. The Magic Guns. Chapter 001. My new home ¡°Tick... Tick¡­ Tick¡­¡±... 14:41:21 16:26:17 17:17:26 18:53:48 ¡°Noah, aren''t you tired?¡± The driver asked, as the lushing trees outside the window passed by one by one together with the clouds that covered the orange sky. Relaxing on the back seat, I closed the lid of the pocket watch and answered ¡°I¡¯ll rest when I get into my dorm.¡± ¡°...¡± The man with his black fedora replied with silence, as he glanced at me through the rear-view mirror with his brown pupils. Oh¡­ He meant the pocket watch... ¡°That¡¯s a nice expensive looking heirloom you have there, is it from her?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ She gave it to me even though I insisted not to. Something passed from generations should stay with the family¡­¡± I answered, putting it back into my black suit that has dry dirt on the pants. He glanced at me again and said ¡°Noah, let go of the past and concentrate on the future. You have done it before, you can do it again...¡± "Right..." I said, resting my chin on my hand and gazed upon the glittering sea with the orange sunset outside the window. Heh, damn seagulls... Hmm? Is that a western castle? Staring to the distant mountain surrounded by the sea, a large gothic castle filled with towers and bridges connecting everything from structure to structure and a stone bridge that connected the large artificial like island to the continent. Seriously, that''s really large for a castle...And the amount of bridges and towers... Is this Hogwarts? Nah, much larger... With a grin on the rear mirror, he said "Welcome to the Eastern Branch, the largest out of the seven out there" Heh, If it wasn''t thanks to the dim lights illuminating everywhere, I would have thought that this was a ghost prison¡­ Master. "This is your new home, Noah" he said, turning to the left and drove through the half rough and smooth stone bridge that made the car jump a few times. I didn''t really mind though, since I was more into the master pieces on top of the carved out pillars that held the large structure above sea. Damn... That''s some statues we got here... "Master, when did The Order build this castle?" I asked, palm and fingers resting on the cold window. "Actually, we announced ourselves around 15 years ago, but this castle was built around 10 years before that. Are you impressed?" He answered, playing with his black hair with one hand while the other steered the wheel. "Yeah, but the H Virus existed long before then?" "That''s right, the organisation kept ourselves hidden behind the scenes, until the bloody incidents occurred around the world. No way we can hide that with today''s technology..." He said, and suddenly stepped on the brakes. Ouch¡­ my forehead... "What''s wrong? Why you stop at the middle of the bridge?" He let out a sigh and stared through the front window that reflected his silhouette, "Noah, usually we have successors join The Order, but times have changed... There will be great challenges ahead of you..." He shuddered... " Your dear friend was just the beginning..." Is it that scary inside? "Heh... Master, we have trained this past few years for this reason, no?" I said with a shrug. Taking speed once again, he said "I guess... Just remember our Oath we made that day we first met" With a nod and smile, I answered "Yes, master" As we passed the bridge filled with statues with the black car, the gates at the other end raised to the air, revealing the inner square that was just a tiny part of the inner castle walls with a fountain at the middle and a few benches nearby. Whoa beautiful... Though it is a bit empty... Maybe it''s the wrong time? Staring at the passing gigantic structures with bright lit windows and vines covering the walls as my master parked the car somewhere, I then opened the door and went outside. A cold breeze passed by me, shivering a tingling feeling rose to my nose... "Achoo!" I should have changed for something else before I entered the car... While standing there, the sound of the front window rolling down could be heard. "You''re not coming, master?" I asked as he beckoned me to the window. Grabbing my collar, he pulled my upper body toward him and glared at me with burning eyes, "Don''t die and don¡¯t trust anyone" "..." He drove away as silence took hold and another wind passed me together with a green leaf. Right... I will... Turning around, I walked past the small stone steps and opened the wooden door with a gothic like rainbow window at head height and a notice board to the right that said "Male Dormitory" "Hello?" I said, peeking my head inside through the bright lit gap. Heading inside the entrance, there was an empty counter at front of me with a staircase towards the next floor to the right. Hmm, everything looks more modern than I thought. Walking towards the counter with a wooden shelf behind, I sweeped my warm hand across the smooth and cold wooden table. There was a few objects like pencils in a cup above, but I looked around the vicinity instead... No one is here? "Zzzzz..." A cute sleeping sound was made behind the counter... Taking a peek across the counter, I saw a petite long haired blonde girl on the wooden floor filled with drool that leaked from those glossy lips. At first glance you would think that it was a child, but the expensive clothings together with a green apron that said "Mama" told a different story. "..." Noah, get a hold of yourself! They might be super rare, but they exist. Don''t pounce a undefended sleeping beauty! Resist the urge! Taking a pencil from the cup, I walked around the table and crouched down. Gazing upon the undefended rear I prepared the pencil. Heh... Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!"Poke..." She let out a cute moan... "Poke..." Another cute moan... "Poke..." "Eeh, a few more minutes..." Putting away the pencil I poked the puffy red cheek once again with my finger and her glittering blue eyes was revealed. "Huh? Oh my... I dozed off..." she said, gasping from tiredness while scrubbing her eyes and soon after looked around. Though, she forgot the dry drool... Heh, let me help you with that... Licking the tip of my finger I brushed off the dry drool next to her attractive lips. Burning she turned around and took out her handkerchief instead... Rejected... At least I can give her a hand. Taking my hand with her soft fingers she stood up while avoiding my eyes. With a "Ahem" she took out a white paper form from the shelf and put it on the table. Rotating it towards me who now stood at front of the counter, she tilted her head with a smile that shattered my heart and said "My apologies, you must be the new guy that the marshall recruited... Please fill the form, please" "Oh, right..." Noah... Akatsuki, 17 years old, Osaka, height 177 centimeters... Wait a minute, I thought that they had tools that filled in everything for you? Meh... While I filled the form, she searched around the drawer and took out a crystal orb. Hmm, it looks like one of those the fortune tellers have... Resting the pencil to the side, she took the form and said "Please hold the orb" Reaching forward to the orb that fit both of my hands, a reflection of my black iris and messy black hair could be seen. A light started to embrace my hand and then soon after extinguish into thin air. Blue windows started to appear inside the orb.
User registered
Noah Akatsuki
Magic Gun
Customized Crimson Black Deagle
Level 4
Range Damage:45
Melee Damage:15
Speed:16
Capacity:7
Accuracy:20
Weight:7 KG
Penetration:5
Defense:5
Bullet type:Mana Bullets
Rank F
Eh? What was the form I wrote a second ago for then? Glancing at the girl who stood there with the paper and a grin... I died inside of me. Kawaii... Turning away before my nose would start to dye the floor in red, I asked "Can you show me the way to my room?" "Sure, call me Alicia the dorm manager" She said, walking towards the wooden stairs whereas I followed. Nerf that wiggling tight blue jeans... Argh! It''s blinding me... Climbing the stairs with silence together with Alicia, we stopped at the fifth floor. "This way, Noah" She said with a smile, tilting her head once again with her hands welcoming me towards the hallway filled with doors and a red carpet with golden decorations. No, I can feel it... The liquid... Must hold! Following Alicia, we passed so many doors that I finally lost count as we walked through the empty hallway filled with bright light, statues, pillars, paintings and the air of cologne. Finally we stood at front of a door that said "Noah Akatsuki". Ah, separate rooms, hehehe... That explains the amount of doors. The pale blonde girl stepped to the side with her hands resting near her small chest, as if she was praying and said "Your baggages are inside, swipe this lock over here with your palm to unlock the door" Alicia... Were you a model before this? "Thanks Alicia, I''ll take over from here... And when should I be up for tomorrow?" I asked, unlocking the door and petted her smooth hair... "..." Silence broke out. Hmm? "Noah..." she muttered, taking her handkerchief out and tried her best to plug my nose with her height, "You''re bleeding..." she said, struggling with her warm palm resting on my chest together with her soft chest. What a pleasant fragrance and feeling... Oh, shit... "Uh, sorry it''s just that you are so cute..." I said, scrubbing my hair. Crap... I slipped... "Eh" She turned away after a good push and held her red cheeks. "Please wake up at 7 O''clock for my breakfast..." She said, walking back towards the stairs. Heh, "Good night..." I said, waving with a smile. Sigh... Now I gotta clean the handkerchief... It smells nice though. Locking the wooden door before I went inside the dark room, I switched the lights on which revealed a small room, fit with everything you need for a single person in a tiny house. Kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, loungeroom, everything you need... I shouldn''t judge the inside from the outside, it''s larger than I thought and more well equipped than normal dorms... After having a good walk around my room I found a new set of clothings hanging on the wall, ignoring them I couldn¡¯t help but wonder where all the other students are¡­ Meh, I should take a bath before sleeping¡­ Sleeping soundly with my soft bed¡­ Never would I have thought that I have fallen into a trap at my first minutes at my new school¡­ Master¡­ I should have listened to you... Chapter 001-5. Alicia My name is Alicia, successor of my family at the age of 15. Also one of the top rankers in The Order. If I could describe myself, I would say that I am a petite blonde with crystal clear blue eyes¡­ Though, my chest is on the lower side¡­ But! I still drink milk everyday! ¡°Alicia, why are you doing this?¡± The woman before me asked, as I tied her up. Hmm? I wonder¡­ Ah, that¡¯s right, the strongest marshall is leaving his trainee here today¡­ ¡°Be quiet please¡­ Make it easier for me and nothing will happen¡± I said, struggling to tie her feet together. ¡°No way! Not unless you tell me what you are about to do!¡± The woman interrogated me, laying on the floor helplessly trying to kick me a few times¡­ Heh, ¡°It¡¯s a secret¡± ¡°Hey, that grin! No, it¡¯s not me it is about right?¡± She asked, tears welled up in her eyes as she crawled away like a worm¡­ Literally like a worm¡­ because of her now tied body. ¡°I am just gonna borrow this¡± I said, lifting the green apron that said ¡°MAMA¡±. ¡°I see! So evil¡­ How could you!¡± ¡°...¡± With silence, I dragged the struggling woman to a closet and put her inside there¡­ ¡°Be quiet¡­ I¡¯ll release you soon¡± ¡°Eek! No! What about my dignity?!¡± ¡°...¡± Staring at the dorm manager, I felt pity¡­ I need to do this to save my team¡­ I am sorry Manager, but you must resist the urge for food and toilet... I closed the door with a ¡°Thud¡± Checking the clock it said 13:37. He was suppose to arrive around this time right? 14:11. ¡°...¡± 15:51. ¡°...¡± 16:31. Where is he? Did I get the time wrong? 17:11. ¡°...¡± 18:04. No the Marshall is known to be strict¡­ He will arrive today, I¡¯ll just have to wait. Luckily the boys won''t be back until tomorrow after their punishment exercise¡­ Gasp¡­ I am kinda tired also... ¡°...¡± ¡°Thud¡± ¡°Zzzzzz¡­.¡± 19:05. ¡°Poke¡­¡± ¡°Poke¡­¡± Staph... ¡°Poke¡­¡± Huh? Who is disturbing my sleep¡­ ¡°Eeh, a few more minutes¡­¡± Pleash¡­ leth me sleeph a bit more. ¡°Poke¡­¡± Huh? Ah he is here¡­ "Oh my... I dozed off..." The light, it¡¯s blinding me¡­ Just gonna scrub a bit... Now being able to see, I stared at the tall and messy black haired boy. So tall... What is he doing? Why did he lick that finger and¡­. Ek! My cheek started to burn, avoiding his eyes I noticed a puddle of drool on the floor¡­ Ah I see... Taking out my handkerchief I quickly brushed off the rest near my lips. To think I made such a mistake as a lady¡­ Keep calm, I can do this¡­Oh a hand¡­ Thanks. You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. "Ahem", Now to take my papers and hope that he doesn¡¯t notice¡­ Taking the paper form from the shelf I had planted way before, I put it gently on the table and rotated it for him. "My apologies, you must be the new guy that the marshall recruited... Please fill the form, please" Ah! He is writing! Lets see here¡­ Noah Akatsuki¡­ Eh, he is looking at me! Act natural¡­ I tilted my head with a bright smile. eheh... Okay¡­ Now the next stage, the orb. Hopefully this doesn¡¯t blow my plan¡­ Now where is it? Here! Taking out the orb from the drawer, I put it gently on the table. Afterwards I took the form and hid it behind me after I noticed that he was done. "Please hold the orb" I said. A light embraced the guy¡¯s hands and registered him. Perfect! Staring at the tall guy at front of me, he suddenly avoided my eyes. Did I fail? "Can you show me the way to my room?" He asked. Heh, "Sure, call me Alicia the dorm manager" I said and showed him up the stairs. It was fifth floor to the right¡­ right? After a while of climbing the stairs, we finally reached the floor where his supposed room should be. Smiling I welcomed him to the fully decorated hallway and said "This way, Noah" But all he did was look away¡­ I¡¯ll take the lead then, I guess¡­. Ah, here it is! Noah Akatsuki¡­ Okay final stage, Alicia keep calm. Sidestepping to the side of the door, I held my hand near my chest, praying that he wouldn¡¯t notice. "Your baggages are inside, swipe this lock over here with your palm to unlock the door" I said, pointing at the lock beside the door right after. As the one called Noah nodded, he swiped the lock mechanism with his palm and said "Thanks Alicia, I''ll take over from here... And when should I be up for tomorrow?" Eh, it was 7 o¡¯clock for boys right? But¡­ why is he patting me with those warm hands¡­ And¡­ is he bleeding? "Noah..." I muttered, stepping closer to the tall guy with my handkerchief and stuck it inside his nose."You''re bleeding..." And why do you have to be so tall... Staring at those black iris, I noticed that he became flustered as I tried to reach his nose¡­ "Uh, sorry it''s just that you are so cute..." he said¡­ "Eh" Why is my cheek burning¡­ No I¡­ I must leave¡­ Can¡¯t forget to answer his question first¡­ "Please wake up at 7 O''clock for my breakfast..." I said, and walked swiftly away. "Good night..." He said, though I kept walking facing away. Running back to the female dorm, filled with the girls that wondered why I was dressed like I was. Ignoring them, I laid there on my soft pinkish bed in my room and wondered¡­ Did I forget something? Ah, my handkerchief¡­ And... those eyes¡­ It''s filled with darkness... Chapter 002. Good Dreams ¡°Tick¡­ Tick¡­ Tick¡­¡± My vision is filled with darkness, though the screams of someone nearby opened my heavy eyes. A bright orange light blinded me, while my body ached from pain as I tried to resist the urge to sleep. Where am I? It''s hot... Trying to lift my heavy and sluggish body, a burn coursed through my palm that I used to push myself against the gravity from the burning floor. Ouch¡­ What''s going on? Argh... my head... Feeling around my black hair for the cause of the pain, I felt a warm liquid soothing my aching palm from the burn... Blood... I thought holding my palm at front of me. Looking around confused, I found myself surrounded by black smoke and flames. Flames that fed of the tattered wallpapers, wooden furnishing and everything it could use to grow bigger. black smoke that stung my eyes and filled my forehead and clothes with salty sweat. Covering my nose and mouth from the smell of coal, I crouched down before the intoxication kicked in. Taking a closer inspection as the flames danced around me while the black cloud filled the above, I found out that I was in my old bedroom with broken ceiling and walls. What do I do? Mom, Dad... where are you? "Aaaaaah!!!!" someone screamed until they lost their breath... Mom! Struggling toward the door with pain that made my eyelids feel heavy, I tried to open it to no avail. Something is blocking the door... Standing up with a few steps backwards, I tackled the door with all my might. "Thud!" The door opened and I fell head first onto the hot wooden floor. Shit... The warm sweat combined with the red blood now stung my eyes, grabbing my reddened t-shirt I cleaned my face and balanced my trembling body on the wall to stand up on my useless shivering feets that resisted my orders. Soon after I limped towards the source where I believe the scream came from. "Mom?!" I screamed, in the burning madness that made bricks and bits of wooden splinters fall from above, burning my cheeks as I moved through the clouded hallway. "Cough... Cough...." Shit, I inhaled too much smoke... "Cough...." Covering my dry mouth with my forearm, I faced the black smoke that still limited my vision. Stumbling a few times with my heavy body a strong dizziness took hold. Am I losing too much blood? I can''t give up, must find Mother! "Mo...cough..." Turning towards the kitchen, balancing my left side to the edge of the doorless entrance as the warm blood but colder than the surroundings rolled down through my neck, with a shiver I saw the back of my broad father crouching down to the floor. "Dad?" I asked, slowly limping towards him relieved as I held the back of my head with my right palm. "Munch... Munch..." A strange noise could be heard at front of him. "Dad?" I asked again, tapping his left decayed shoulder filled with sticky yellow goo to see if he was okay. I didn''t know what he was doing, I didn''t know how I didn''t see the difference, but slowly he turned around with his massive inverted head that twitched endlessly as blood dripped from his grinding shredded teeth onto the lifeless pieces of my mother. You''re not my father... "Kyaaaa!" Screamed the man and immediately pounced me. Why didn''t I notice? He doesn''t bear any resemblance at all... Darkness surrounded my vision... And I found myself looking at the ceiling of my room lit by the sun outside the window. "Argh! Pant... Pant... Pant..." Breathing heavily with sour stench of sweat stinging my eyes that awoke me from my slumber. I wiped my face with my newly changed and sweaty shirt and positioned myself with my feet touching the cold floor. Only a nightmare... Nothing to worry about. Sitting there quietly thinking of what had just happened on the warm and wet bed as I shuddered because of the incident a few minutes ago. Taking a glance at the pocket watch that sat nicely on the drawer, I noticed that it was soon 6... I might as well drench myself and go down the stairs early to explore... Taking a breath outside might also calm myself down... This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. Sigh... After having my cold shower, I brushed my teeth... Used the toilet while reading a newspaper recently found at the floor near the entrance. Meh... I threw it somewhere... Nothing interesting. Now standing at front of my bed with a blue soft cover. I stared upon my new set of school clothings... Hmm, a black long sleeved shirt with a dark red checkered pattern. Black and dark red striped tie. A black fingerless gloves for my right hand. Black pants that easily fits me with enough elasticity to not interrupt my movement in combat. Together with black knee guards. Expensive looking black and dark red stringed shoes. A black pocket belt for easy accessable ammunition on the back of my waist. I''m fine with the chosen clothings for me together with the black and red colour, but the real problem is the vest... A black sleeveless vest with a large shield like crest that had a red rose covering a white tower with black vines on the middle of the back.... No pockets included. But it does have a emblem on the right chest, a tower with the dark red colour. Picking up the heavy vest, I noticed that it said ¡°Type 3A¡± on the inside. Heh, protection against my own bullets? Pretty thin for something that should protect me... But this is a clan vest, I am pretty sure of it. I don¡¯t remember joining one? No matter, I''ll probably find out soon enough... Changing to my new set of clothings that probably had its reasons to be chosen, I stood at front of a tall mirror to check myself out. Not bad... Bound by a contact and oath, come forth! The magic gun appeared once again out of thin air, grabbing the customized crimson black deagle with my right hand, I aimed it towards my reflection. "Bang..." I said, and recalled the gun... Time to head down I guess... Fixing my collar and sleeves for the last time, I opened the door and went down to the counter. But just like yesterday night, all seems to be quiet... Am I to early? Giving out another heavy sigh, I walked around the first floor until I stumbled into what seemed to be the dinning room filled with tables. For boys at least. The sound of the cooks working behind the nearby room could be heard, together with the nice smell of freshly baked bread... "Growl...." Sadly it wasn''t time for breakfast yet... Sulking I walked into the next room that revealed the loungeroom lit by the bright light of the sun outside the gothic window. The room was filled with closets, furnitures, board games, bookshelves and finally the soft couches I sat on and relaxed as times passed by. "Growl..." My stomach doesn''t stop growling... It was a bad decision not to eat at all yesterday. A strong "Growl..." erupted in the room. trembling a nearby closet like a earthquake. Jumping from the couch, I was amazed of how my stomach could growl like that. Did I attain superpowers? Sadly it wasn''t mine. Did it come from that closet? Walking towards the wooden closet, I slowly opened it which revealed a tied up lady and a tape across her mouth... "Hhmmhmm" "Thud" I closed the lid, scrubbed my eyes and opened it again. "Hello?" I said. "Hhmmhmm" "Give me a second..." I said, removing the ropes that tightly tied her down, afterwards she suddenly stood up and ran with the wind until she disappeared around the corner. I guess that solved the mystery of the clan vest, the tiny girl and the weird form¡­ I¡¯ve been had... Chapter 003. Alicia The Lightning ¡°Crunch, crunch, crunch...¡± The balance¡­ The crispiness¡­ How can it be? My hand trembled as the garlic bread burned my fingers with an aromatic steam, with a dip in the garlic sauce, I took a bite¡­ A sudden bright light blinded me, a white cloud with a single hand reached out and grabbed my winged soul. I can finally die happily... The man with his bulky muscular arms holding a basket, stood proudly behind the counter with his white chef hat and a smile that interrupted my ecstasy. More! GIVE ME MORE! Gently he placed the basket filled with fresh bread, I drooled and the man crossed his arms with a nod. Heh, don¡¯t mind me then! Hastily feasting on the food for a while, the once bright smile turned grim, a drop of sweat fell from his forehead¡­ ¡°Eh, shouldn''t you take it a bit slower?¡± ¡°No way!¡± I replied, continued my feast until I started to cough heavily. The old chef sighed and gave me a glass of water that I quickly gulped down. A cold shiver cleared my throat. Phew¡­ ¡°Refreshing!!¡±. Now gliding down from the chair, I laid there relaxing with a heavy stomach. The chef shrugged ¡°Well, I am happy to know that my bread taste that delicious¡­ My name is Mohammed by the way, and yours?¡± He asked, reaching out a hand towards me. Shaking the large hand, I smiled ¡°Noah, Noah Akatsuki, I registered yesterday¡± ¡°Oh, that explains why you are here¡­¡± He fiddled with his mario mustache, ¡° Though are you an investigator or an Gun Magician? I tilted my head, ¡°Investigator?¡± ¡°Yeah, those with the dangerous role to find the sneaky infected¡± Oh, that¡¯s right¡­ Master told me that majority that worked for The Order are the investigators, since the virus had evolved to the point that bare a similar anatomy as humans. The only point you would notice that they even existed in the first place, was the unreasonable disappearance of humans once in a while, because the virus couldn¡¯t eat anything else for nutritions. Hence the organisationen cooked up a few countermeasures, which one of them was to investigate the most suspicious people in the area of the missing person with the help of professionally trained people. Funnily a group tried to protest against the human rights and privacy, until it was revealed that the leader of the group was a infected himself¡­ Of course there are also other roles in The Order like the scientist, strategist and much more, but the most important ones is the Gun Magicians, which I was. Though limited in numbers because no one knows where the guns come from. We only know that it is the most effective weapon against the virus and that you could only obtain one through succession from the previous owner or suddenly finding one at the middle of the street¡­ I am the latter. ¡°Nah, I am a Gun Magician¡± I answered, hands resting behind my head. Inspecting my body as he fiddled with his mustache, he gazed upon the emblem on my right chest. ¡°You are awfully quick to join a clan¡­¡± He made a saddened expression,¡± And the Tower of Roses at that¡­¡± Hmm? ¡°What¡¯s wrong with the Tower of Roses?¡± ¡°Eh? You don¡¯t know?¡± Sulking I answered,¡°I was kinda forced to join upon my first day here¡­ But other than that, what¡¯s wrong with the clan?¡± He snickered, ¡° Not telling¡­¡± ¡°...¡± Right¡­ Savouring it I see... "Hmm? It looks like the men is back" He said pointing to the entrance of the male dormitory. With a "Thud" the door opened and a large group of zombies poured in, groaning with each step they took towards the stairs. Meanwhile three musketeers still lively complained about something. "Uhh... Whos idea was it to bet with the girls..." A brown haired guy complained.. "... You... idiot..." A blonde guy answered slapping the back of the other guy. "Shut up both of you... I need some sleep..." A samurai looking guy frowned. "If you didn''t lose we wouldn''t be so tired" The brown haired retaliated. "Pfft, says the one who lost to a F rank..." The blonde taunted. "Shut up, she backstabbed me!" Turning back towards the counter as the mass of students made their way to their rooms, I asked "So... What did they do all night?" "... You don''t want to know... Either way, don''t make a dumb bet like that brown haired guy and try to avoid getting dragged into one or you will end up like them" "Right... I''ll keep that in mind" I said, sipping the white cup with steaming tea that appeared out of no where. Hmm, nice... "Oh, by the way, Mohammed do you know where the girl dormitory is?" "Eh, at around 9 the loungeroom would reveal the other half that connects the dormitories, but if you are in a hurry, follow the wall of pillars outside and turn left twice at the corners and you''ll see it straight ahead after a green garden" "Really? Thanks Chef, also the food was great" I stood up and bowed. He faced away, scratching his chin, "Eh, you don''t have to bow... Just go already..." "Heh, see you later" I smiled, waving and soon after left the building. Taking a few steps down the stone steps, I stretched my arms and gazed upon the towers reaching towards the blue sky as seagulls flocked around. It is more amazing to see it up close after all... Especially that tower at the center that connected most of the buildings. Though, time to pay Alicia a visit... Following the wall of pillars of a large church like structure, I was amazed of the artwork carved out on the walls as I felt the cold and smooth bricks with my palm. Seeing a few nuns sweeping the sakura petals on the smooth stone floors near the front door, waving to me happily after they noticed me, I too replied back. But soon after I stumbled into a garden of green and tall bushes, cut to look like animals. Walking past the giraffes, elephants and all sort of animals from Africa I stopped at one that looked like a doll. Immediately sidestepping back I went into my kung fu stace... Wait, that''s just a girl in gothic clothing... "Waaaa!!" She cried, scrubbing her eyes that covered her face because of the large sleeves. "What''s wrong?" I asked the girl, crouched down to the same height and patted her black silky hair. ... Please don''t steal my soul... "I... I lost my ring nearby and I can''t find it, Waaaaaa!" She pointed to a nearby grass. "Don''t worry, I''ll help you find it, so please stop crying for your big bro, okay?" She nodded, still scrubbing her eyes. Nodding back, I started my search around the green grass nearby. Hm? What''s that glittering thing over there... That was quick¡­ Picking up the black ring devilishly carved out I turned around smiling "Here, I found..." But she was nowhere to be found... A cold breeze passed me, I shuddered. Guess, I hold onto this black ring for now... And, just like you said Chef , the building really is connected to each other. Walking past the sakura trees with benches around them, I glanced upon the girls feeding their half dead boyfriends that laid soundly on their tights. Now I am really curious of how the brown haired guy caught everyone into the bet¡­ And the bet itself. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. As I did, the gossips of a group of girls eating bentos on the bench caught my ear. ¡°Hey, did you hear about the rumours? There is this creepy girl at school that vanishes the moment you turn your back on her¡± ¡°Eeeh? Really? How does she look like?¡± ¡°They say that she is as pale as snow, has a black and bloody gothic dress, and only appears when you are alone¡­ Yes, she bares the resemblance of a doll and never shows her eyes.¡± ¡°Oh, yeah, someone said that if she stare into your eyes, your soul will be lost forever¡­ Presumably a guy lies in coma at the hospital right now...¡± ¡°Eeeek!¡± A drop of sweat rolled down from my forehead¡­ I¡¯ll pretend that I didn¡¯t hear that¡­. Opening the door, the entrance had an exact mirror image of the male dormitory. Sitting behind the counter was a tall man with the green ¡°PAPA¡± apron, who waved to me the moment I entered. ¡°Hey, are you looking for someone?¡± He said, putting the newspaper gently onto the counter. ¡°Uh, ah yeah¡­ Can you tell me where Alicia¡¯s room are, please? She should be from the Tower of Roses¡± ¡°Ah, her, at the third floor to the left.¡± ¡°Thanks¡± ¡°My pleasure¡± he picked up the newspaper again as I made my way to her room. Moving past the hallway, a pleasant fragrance of perfume took hold as girls passed by with their chosen clothings that suited their style the most and profession. A few whispers behind my back, spoke about my clan crest, but I didn¡¯t mind. Alicia, Alicia¡­ ah here¡­ ¡°Knock, knock, knock¡± A few trembles could be felt shaking my feet, someone running in haste towards the door after falling from the bed. ¡°Hello?¡± she said, black bags surrounding her eye as she stuck her head out with her bed clothes that revealed the good parts. Turning away, bright red, I snickered ¡°Hi, miss dorm manager¡­ We meet again¡± Silence took hold as she became flustered after noticing the reason. She closed the door on me. ¡°Knock, knock, knock¡± No reply. Well, I¡¯ll sit outside here then¡­ Taking out my pocket watch, I stared as the arm moved through the few minutes until she finally opened the door, ready with her outfit. Surprisingly she had a similar outfit, other than it was a skirt with a black and blue checkered colour instead. I gave her a thumbs up and cut right to the chase ¡°You could have just asked me you know?¡± She scratched her smooth redden cheek. ¡°I suppose¡­ But after over 100 declines I had to¡­¡± ¡°Eh? That¡¯s fairly a lot¡­ Why is that?¡± She reached out a hand towards me ¡°Well you know how there is Clan Ranks right?¡± Grabbing the hand, helping myself up, I answered ¡°Yeah, the team strength is counted in alphabets from A to F. whereas the F is the worst¡± ¡°That¡¯s right¡± She beckoned me to follow, ¡°My clan rank is ¡­ Not even ranked at all¡± ¡°Huh? That¡¯s impossible¡­ Usually it is around E even if it was newly created?¡­¡± She shrugged ¡°Yes¡­ But I chose the worst possible combination of members¡­¡± ¡°That is?¡± I asked, she turned around and held my shoulders¡­ Senpai¡­ here? ¡°Everyone in my team is so lazy! All they do is play playstation 4 everyday! And our rank keeps degrading lower and lower!¡± She pouted. Silence broke out and she removed her hands with a ¡°Ahem¡± and we kept walking. ¡°So far we have survived because I¡± She held her chest ¡° I alone have done a few solo missions in th¨ªs year¡­ But doing those alone will not keep our maintenance budget up, considering the low rewards...¡± She kept ranting for a while... ¡°So they are lazy, but why don¡¯t you just disband the clan and create a new one?¡± I then asked with a shrug as we entered a coliseum like arena with a sun that bathed the floor in light. Staring at her tiny back against me, the long shiny blonde hair flapped happily with the wind as she stood still at the middle of the arena, ¡°I can¡¯t¡­ I have promised my brother who left me alone with the clan¡± I see¡­ left alone¡­ ¡°Let¡¯s change the topic then¡­ Why me?¡± ¡°Because¡­¡± She said, as a black HK USP emerged from her hand. ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°Mock battle start!¡± A system voice announced and a blue mana field covered the arena in hexagons. Reflexly I brought forth my own gun and fired. ¡°BANG!¡± Both weapons let out a sound simultaneously that echoed throughout the arena. Luckily no blood was spilled as the bullets had hit each other instead, creating a tiny shockwave. White and blue stripes¡­ Lovely... It didn¡¯t end there though, she quickly dashed towards me and fired more bullets, which I dodged to the left and fired back. Using her sidestepping techniques that let out blue lightning on the ground and chirped immensely, she closed in towards me as she elegantly dodged the bullets. Seriously? While I reloaded, she took the chance for a melee fight, sending a few punches that I dodged by jumping backwards. Having enough with her short range attacks, she went for a kick powered by lightning aimed towards my stomach. Pushing it away with my left palm to the right as I sidestepped to her back, a burn took hold over my palm. Shit¡­ Instead of regaining her stance, she immediately stomped the floor that cracked the stone floor, trembling to hold my balance, she went for a roundhouse kick with her other leg aimed towards my head. Ducking as the hot wind blew past my now burnt hair and sent a shiver through my spine, I swiftly went for a leg sweep at her slender leg that held her body up. Ouch! Is that a stone brick?! With a smile, she went for another lightning stomp. Pushing myself back, I trembled as I had saved my brother within an inch from cracking like the floor. Propelling myself back up, I aimed my newly reloaded deagle and fired once again but point blank. With a grin she used lightning sidesteps to my side and went for a falcon punch added with lightning effects. Chidori? Not this time! Hitting her hand with my deagle, I avoided the burns and kneed her on the soft left side and made her fly at least 5 meters. I win? I thought, but as she slided with her back against the cracked floor, she let out more gun shots with her HK Usp. This time, even the mana bullets took hold of lightning effects and flew faster than my proud vision could see. So you were aiming for a feint... Luckily, staring at her fierce blue eyes the whole battle, her plans was revealed all along and I could assume where she aimed the gun towards. Sidestepping to the right, she was shocked from my impossible actions. With a advantage I aimed my gun at her head. Though, she only smirked with her own gun now aimed towards me. I clicked my trigger first. ¡°Bang!¡± Darkness surrounded my vision, I lost consciousness¡­ Chapter 004. The Clan Opening my eyes, I could feel something soft and warm behind my back. Staring at the white and bright ceiling as a heavy feeling took hold of my body, the noise of a controlled button being spammed echoed through my ear. Did I lose? ¡°NOOOO! How are you so fast with those fingers of yours?!¡± ¡°Hah, Noobs like you will never understand¡­¡± The pair kept complaining back and forth as I tried to get up from what looks like a black couch for three people. Looking around I could see a glass table at front of me on a large mat. Together with two people at the front of the TV playing the Playstation 4. A bright light shone from the window behind me and covered the small white room. ¡°Hey, he is awake¡± a feminine voice said, shaking the shoulder of the other person next to her. ¡°Oh, he is?¡± As a window that said ¡°Pause¡± appeared on the tv, the girl with the same outfit as Alicia stood up. Though this one had black hair that was short, with a braided hair to the left that reached her chin and a checkered cap together with her checkered stockings. This schools has a checkered fetish... Now covering my vision, her brown iris point blank, as her aromatic breath and perfume engulfed the air. I said ¡°Morning?¡± ¡°Hahahaha! Good boy!¡± She patted my black hair¡­ ¡°I¡¯m Clover Heartfield, the strategist of Tower of Roses¡± she said, standing proudly as her mountains bounced. Alicia¡­ I feel sorry for you. ¡°The sad guy over here is Vincent Walker, Gun Magician like you¡± she snickered as she poked the tall and muscular guy next to her. Glancing upon the blue iris and glittering head together with a lightning formed eyebrows, I waved at the military clothed guy. ¡°I¡¯m Noah Akatsuki¡± He waved back ¡°Vincent Walker, Gun Magician as you heard¡± ¡°By the way, I heard that you nearly beat our boss¡± Clover said as she sat beside me. Yeah¡­ I remember firing my bullet, but she activated a lightning barrier and then fired her own bullet¡­ Cheater¡­ ¡°Well cheer up!¡± She patted my back with her soft palm. Together with Vincent who held my shoulder, clenching his fist in the air as tears fell down. ¡°You could have easily won if you had slotted your Magic Spells like her¡± He added. I sulked¡­ She didn¡¯t let me prepare¡­ I hope it wasn¡¯t the grudge at the door¡­ Anyways, to fix the problem that Alicia couldn¡¯t. ¡°Hey, Clover¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± ¡°Is that the only Console you have over there?¡± ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s my precious!¡± ¡°How many hours do you guys play with the console?¡± ¡°24/7!¡± ¡°Do you guys do any work to earn money?¡± ¡°No way, playing games is more fun¡± ¡°Oh, who pays the bills?¡± ¡°...¡± Bound by a contract and oath, come forth! They tilted their head as my deagle appeared. Aiming my gun towards the console, their their mouth gaped open, ¡°BANG!¡± The console shattered into pieces, tears fell out of their eyes, weightless the muscular guy brought me to the sky. ¡°Noah! Why?! I thought we could be bros!¡± He questioned me with glittering blue eyes. I avoided his eyes, ¡°Alicia hired me¡± I said, recalling my gun. ¡°Nooooo!¡± Clover yelled, ran towards the remains, picking the pieces up and buried them in her chest ¡°MEDIC!¡±, she cried a river. Vincent who held me in the air, released me and was brought onto his knees at loss. He grabbed his head, trying to search for some hair to pluck out, though it proved to be futile... ¡°Tch, tch, tch¡­ Guys, playstation 6 is out and yet you hold onto something so old¡­¡± ¡°But.. sniff¡­. You didn¡¯t have to! They are, sniff¡­ also so expensive!¡± ¡°How about we make a deal¡­ Join Alicia and me, bring back the clan to its former glory and earn some cash to buy a new console¡­¡± ¡°But¡­ sniff¡­ this is a playstation 4! None is ever made anymore!¡± I grinned, ¡°Hah, a useless black playstation 4? I got a limited version coloured as a playstation 1 in my arsenal, if you want it, you both have to start working for me¡± Suddenly they turned into puppies and massaged my knees with their warm cheeks¡­ That was quick¡­ Heh, Alicia, your pawns is now mine! Patting their head with a malicious smile, I could hear that someone opened the door to the room and walked inside ¡°I¡¯m back! Is Noa¡­..¡± Alicia¡¯s face turned bright red, she turned around and ran out. Tilting my head I took a second glance at my new puppies with glittering eyes, I facepalmed myself¡­ Ah, what a misunderstanding¡­ ¡°Fetch her!¡± I ordered them and with a salute, they ran with the wind. A few seconds later, Vincent had tied her up to a chair at front of the couch as we sat there smirking at her. ¡°What¡¯s the meaning of this, Noah?¡± She asked, struggling to get lose. ¡°Tch tch tch¡­ It¡¯s a Coup d''¨¦tat as you can see.¡± I muttered in a sinister tone while steepling my fingers ¡±From now on, I¡¯ll be the leader¡± ¡°You can¡¯t! Not if I don¡¯t agree with it!¡± ¡°Hahahaha! We¡¯ll see about that¡± I glanced at my pawns, ¡°Vincent, Clover¡­ Go for it¡­¡± As they rose from the black couch, Alicia started to tremble as they covered her in shadows,¡°No, please, no¡­. NOOOOOOOOOOOAHAHAHA! Staph! ahaha¡±... 10 Minutes later of hell¡­ For her at least. The white flag was raised as the music of victory ringed in my ears. As she sat there crying at front of me, trembling with her pencil on the form, I shrugged out of guilt¡­ ¡°Just teasing with you, ya know?¡± She let out a cute ¡°Eh?¡± and then glared at me like a predator. Trembling she made a sudden pounce at me even though we had spectators. ¡°DIEEE!¡± Reaching my hand out for help from my pawns, they just shook their head and left the room¡­ Traitors! After they left the room, I quickly retaliated to the attacks with a hug. Trying to push me away, I kept holding her tightly as I stole her warmth ¡°Calm down, do you care for the clan?¡± She stopped with her attacks and held my shoulders as I sat there on the couch with her knees in between my own as she gazed upon me from above. Her long blonde hair tickled my cheek so did her tears that wet my face, I released her and said ¡°I needed to know if it was worth saving your brother¡¯s memento¡­ Especially if I get dragged into your personal business without any rights to deny¡± ¡°I¡­ I see¡­ I¡¯m sorry¡­ It''s my fault¡° She said, scrubbing her eyes. ¡°So¡­ can you get me some air to breath?¡± Not that I hate it, hehehe... Burning she pushed me away as she stood up and sat beside me, staring at the wall with wet cheeks. ¡°Handkerchief?¡± ¡°Ah¡­ yes¡­¡± She slowly took the newly cleaned handkerchief and embraced it with her puffy cheeks. After a while as she played with it, I asked ¡°Is it your brothers? I noticed the initials were K.O¡± ¡°Yeah, his name is Kevin Oak¡­ He went MIA 4 years ago.¡± Missing in action¡­ Something everyone fears considering you will never know if they are dead or alive¡­ Though, lets break this tense atmosphere. ¡°Anyways¡± I gently brushed her hair, ¡°Lets go find a mission for our clan, shall we?¡± ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°No buts, I have already solved the problem¡­ Vincent and Clover will join us, they are probably waiting outside¡± I said, standing up and reached my hand towards her. ¡°Thanks, Noah¡± she smiled, held my hand and helped herself up. ¡°Heh, stand proud leader, as a pawn, who should I look up to if the king I follow look down?¡± She nodded. ¡­ Now standing at front of the gigantic gothic styled tower connecting with other smaller ones through bridges that reached towards the blue skies, I nearly broke my neck trying to see the top. ¡°Well, I never thought that I would ever see this again¡­¡± Clover sulked. Wait, are you implying that you have never stepped outside ever since you got that console? ¡°Me too¡­¡± Vincent added, scratching his shiny head. What?! Madness! You can see this tower from anywhere! Seeing my weird expressions, Alicia shrugged and stepped inside first. Sulking, I followed her into the tower with the other two that glanced everywhere in amazement of their achievement. As we got inside, it looked to be more like a market than the headquarters for the students. Filled with all sorts of open vendors that sold equipment, upgrades and magic spells with tons of students flocking them. My eyes started to glitter. About time to upgrade my arsenal... ¡°Hey, Noah, since you are new¡­ Want to take a look around while me, Clover and Vincent head up to the second floor?¡± Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.Really? ¡°If possible, yeah!¡± She smiled, ¡°See you above in a few minutes¡± With a wave towards the group, I then joined the flocking birds and checked out the wares. A few minutes later, I went to the elevator, sulking¡­ Sigh, all I could afford was the Quick Steps¡­ At least I wanted a cool looking one like the Lightning Steps, not only that¡­ I only have 7 Capacity on my gun, and the Quick Steps takes the whole slots! ¡°Ding¡± The door of the elevator opened, revealing a circular room and counters at the middle. Looking around, I could see a lot of TV¡¯s hanging on the ceilings revealing the latest news, and a few groups that waited at front of the counters for the secretaries to give them a mission. ¡°Noah!¡± Clover shouted, waving to catch my attention from a bench. Waving back, I went to her and asked ¡°So, did you guys find anything?¡± ¡°Yeah, we found a D ranked mission, I¡¯ll brief the information when we get back to our clan room¡± Clover answered sitting next to Vincent. ¡°We are just waiting for them to put our names on the contract¡­ And here she comes¡± Vincent added. Turning around, I saw that Alicia ran happily towards us with a paper. ¡°Guys! We have the contract, lets go back to the clan room and brief it¡± Everyone saluted. ¡­ As I sat on the black couch together with Vincent and Alicia, Clover dragged a white board towards the front of us. Blocking the TV as we sat behind the glass table. Puffing her chest with a ¡°Ahem¡± she started to paint gibberish with a black marker¡­ After a while, she tilted her head and said ¡°Done!¡± What the heck is that¡­ Alien language? ¡°Oh, we are searching for a man around his twenties in a haunted house, he has a few companions and it is a few miles from here¡± Vincent somehow decrypted. You what mate?! ¡°That¡¯s right, we believe that he works with more than 2 but less than 4. Not only that, they are all Level 3 Viruses¡± ¡°Level 3?¡± I asked. Playing with her marker near her lips, she asked ¡°You don¡¯t know what I mean with level 3?¡± I nodded. ¡°Well, the longer the virus lives in a host, the stronger they get. So far we have seen level 1 to level 7, whereas the 7 is the strongest. The higher the climb in the ladder, the more abilities they get¡± ¡°Right, so how strong is those level 3 then?¡± ¡°It depends on what type they are, but from what the investigators have gathered, these targets are team based. They are strong together, but weak alone. With our abilities it should be easy for a 1 on 1 battle, but together¡­ I fear I don¡¯t know, hence we should avoid eliminating them when they are grouped.¡± ¡°Right¡­¡± ¡°Anyways, The Order has provided us with earphones so that we can contact each other¡± She said, putting down 3 earphones for the left ear. Picking on up together with the other two, I noticed that Clover clicked on a button said ¡°testing, testing¡± ¡°Good, they works¡­ Anyways, before we head out I need to know everyone abilities so that I can cook up a plan¡± She said, and put a globe like the one at the Male dormitory at front of us. ¡°Lets start with Noah¡±
Magic Gun
Customized Crimson Black Deagle
Level 4
Range Damage:45
Melee Damage:15
Speed:16
Capacity:7
Accuracy:20
Weight:7 KG
Penetration:5
Defense:5
Bullet type:Mana Bullets
Attribute type:None
Spells equipped
Capacity:7/7
Quick Steps7
Rank F
One of her eyebrows raised, ¡°Eh¡­ Your Capacity is awfully bad¡­¡± I shattered into pieces of glasses, ¡°Well sorry about that¡­¡± ¡°Anyways, you still nearly won against Alicia¡­ I presume you are good at hand to hand combat then? Considering you had no spells to help you against her lightning strikes¡± ¡°Yeah, since my Deagle has such a low capacity, my master trained my body instead..¡± ¡°Well cheer up! You traded the capacity for Power¡± Alicia added. ¡°Anyways, Vincent, your turn¡±
Magic Gun
Stainless steel FNX-45
Level 14
Range Damage:27
Melee Damage:10
Speed:14
Capacity:43
Accuracy:15
Weight:2 KG
Penetration:6
Defense:2
Bullet type:Mana Bullets
Attribute type:Flame
Spells equipped
Capacity:43/37
Flame Steps10/2
Flame Barrier16/2
Flame Blast4/2
Flame thrower10/2
Quick steps7
Flame Grenades20/2
Unranked
¡°Pretty balanced I would say and you have halved spell cost for flames since the gun is the flame attribute. And you are strong with Blitzkrieg right?¡± Vincent nodded. HAX! I want a attribute too! ¡°Okey, Alicia¡±
Magic Gun
Black H&K USP
Level 23
Range Damage:30
Melee Damage:10
Speed:40
Capacity:80
Accuracy:25
Weight:1 KG
Penetration:10
Defense:2
Bullet type:Mana Bullets
Attribute type:Lightning
Spells equipped
Capacity:78/80
Lightning Steps10/2
Lightning Barrier16/2
Chain Lightning10/2
Lightning Bomb20/2
Chidori20/2
Quick steps7
Lightning Trap16/2
Stone skin15
Lightning body20/2
Rank B
Silence broke out throughout the room. ¡°I forgot that you are strong, especially solo¡± Clover said, looking away. ¡°Praise me more¡± Alicia bragged, nose growing. ¡°Anyways¡­ Remember that stats isn¡¯t everything, experience is. This is the reason why Alicia nearly lost against Noah, because she is worse in hand to hand combat¡± Alicia nose got chopped off. ¡°The virus we are eliminating today are level 3, never underestimate these viruses that work in teams. Walk with caution and don¡¯t fight alone... Alicia...¡± Everyone nodded to each other. ¡°Well¡­ Lets go meet with the investigators that¡¯s monitoring them... In Tokyo¡°