--- [Alex’s perspective]

  The C-rank contestants sure are impressive.

  I could definitely beat some of them, but there are others I’m not quite so sure about…

  Simply watching their matches isn’t enough; I’d have to fight them myself to find out who would win in the end.

  However, even from here, I can tell some of them are definitely above my pay grade…

  It seems like C-rank is my current limit then…

  If the C-rank exam was held tomorrow, I’d easily pass.

  However, if I were to enter the B-rank exam, I’d get crushed…

  At least for now…

  The higher end C-rank hunters are simply too far ahead.

  Suddenly, I feel a hand on my shoulder.

  “Hey.” – ???

  Out of pure instinct, I shake him off, and quickly turn around to see who it is.

  Woah, his face…

  The entire left side is covered in burns far worse than anything Illian had, and the eye is missing.

  That’s not the kind of face I’d forget.

  If I knew who he was, I’d recognize him.

  Who is this man?

  He could be an organizer or maybe a representative like Mark, but if that was the case, why didn’t he say anything?

  Can’t be another contestant either, they’re not done yet.

  “Who are you?” – Alex

  “Oh, no one special.” – Mysterious man

  Why won’t he answer?

  “I just wanted to have a little chat before you leave.” – Mysterious man

  How did he even know I was here?

  When Mark led me around the city, he made sure we wouldn’t be seen.

  Besides, everyone is in the stadium watching the battle festival.

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  We didn’t encounter a single person on our way here.

  Why is he not, and why does he want to talk to me?

  “I don’t have time for this. Just answer me… Who are you?” – Alex

  “Woah! Calm down. No need to get so worked up!” – Mysterious man

  He’s refusing to tell me who he is, he was able to track me down despite Mark doing his best not to let that happen, and he specifically wants to talk to me…

  Is he a member of The END?!

  I need to be ready in case he attacks me.

  The familiar feeling of the void opening in my palms returns once more.

  He puts his hands up in the air like he’s surrendering.

  “Woah, woah! No need to get so aggressive!” – Mysterious man

  “Answer me. I’m not fooling around.” – Alex

  If he thinks I’ll go soft on a cult bastard like him, he’s sorely mistaken!

  “I told you, I’m no one specia-” – Mysterious man

  I throw a punch at him with all my strength behind it, and his laid-back attitude quickly fades away.

  In the blink of an eye, he maneuvers around me, completely dodging my attack.

  Before I can react, he grabs my wrists then forces me down on the ground.

  As I lay on my stomach with my hands behind my back, he puts his knee on the back of my neck, completely pinning me to the ground.

  I try to break free from his hold, but it’s pointless…

  This guy is way too strong…

  He neutralized me in a single moment, seemingly with almost no effort too.

  This guy is not ordinary in any sense of the word.

  “Fine, I’ll drop the act. We haven’t met, but I’m sure you’ve heard my name by now. I’m Seth Cor, Leo’s best friend.” – Seth

  He’s Seth?!

  Shit!

  I’ve been looking for him for so long, and now that I finally get the chance kill him, I blunder it by getting myself into this ridiculous position!

  I need to break free!

  “Simmer down, kid. I’m not letting you go that easily.” – Seth

  Argh!

  Why is he so strong!

  “Let go of me you bastard! I’ll fucking kill you when I get the chance!” – Alex

  Suddenly, an intense shock of electricity runs through my body, almost completely paralyzing me.

  “Calm down! We can’t talk if you’re gonna act like such a brat.” – Seth

  Ough…

  My body won’t move anymore…

  Even thinking is hard…

  That really did a number on me…

  That must be his specialty.

  “Have you calmed down yet?” – Seth

  “Yes…” – Alex

  “Good.” – Seth

  Despite having now calmed down, and barely able to move, he still isn’t letting me go.

  He’s very careful…

  “Take it back…” – Alex

  “Take what back?” – Seth

  “You said you were big bro’s best friend, take it back.” – Alex

  “Why would I? It’s true. I was just as close to him as he was with Victor and Lexa.” – Seth

  “If you truly were his best friend, you wouldn’t have taken his life…” – Alex

  “If I had another choice, I wouldn’t have had to.” – Seth

  “There’s always another choice.” – Alex

  “Then why did you kill Illian?” – Seth

  “…” – Alex

  “That’s… That’s different…” – Alex

  “Oh…! It’s different! I see! My bad.” – Seth

  “You’re mocking me, but it’s true. He betrayed me; it was self-defense.” – Alex

  “Oh, come on… Stop lying to yourself. I wasn’t there, so I don’t know exactly how everything went down, but I knew Illian. He was a good kid. I seriously doubt he’d hurt you; he never had it in him. Tell me it’s not true.” – Seth

  “…” – Alex

  I was so confused and filled with rage that I barely even remember what happened…

  Now that I think about it, did he ever lay his hands on me…?

  “That’s why they picked him, you know? I was just that tiny bit more committed to the cause, and I clearly failed. They thought maybe he could do it since he was different, but in the end, he failed too.” – Seth

  “Failed?” – Alex

  “Yes. We both failed. The entire point was to bring you to our side, not to take your lives. That was just a safety measure I unfortunately had to go through with.” – Seth

  “That doesn’t excuse what you did. He was innocent, and you killed him. Illian may have been right; I was na?ve in thinking killing is always wrong. When it comes to bastards like you, you deserve no mercy.” – Alex

  “… Answer my question. Did he ever lay a finger on you?” – Seth