Chapter 189: A Sudden Change
Chapter 187
It didn’t take long for the class to arrive back at the shelter.
When they did, they saw that the second class had already arrived, and by the looks of things, they had returned not too long ago.
Compared to their own group, it seemed that the other students hadn’t endured any casualties at all.
Though the ’elite’ class didn’t come out completely unscathed, they still didn’t lose a single Aspirant to the dangers of the wild.
The second class stared as Sony’s group approached.
Looking through the weary crowd, they could see five limp Aspirants being carried by their peers.
Jake himself was stunned by this grim sight as he stepped forward to confront Sony, who stood before him with a weary posture.
"What happened? How did five Aspirants die? Did you encounter something strong out there?"
Sony kept his head low for a moment, contemplating how he was supposed to relay the news, but regardless of his hesitation, he spoke the truth.
"We-We didn’t encounter something too strong. We-We were ambushed by hundreds of awakened vine snakes that caught us off guard."
"....."
The second class, led by the bulky instructor, blinked a couple of times in genuine shock.
Then, a chuckle broke the silence.
Another chuckle followed.
Soon, a full-blown laughter spread amongst the second class like a contagion.
— What? Really? How weak can they be that they actually got rough-handled so badly by Awakened beasts?
— For real, though. I thought it wouldn’t be so bad since they have about two or three powerhouses with them, but they still got beat so bad.
— Hahahaha! You lot really do deserve your title as the weakest in the batch.
— Can’t believe these guys actually dream of taking down the Aberrants when they couldn’t defeat Awakened beasts without suffering casualties. Hahahaha! What a joke.
Ray’s class kept quiet as they all hung their heads low in embarrassment at the absurdity of the whole situation.
After all, who would hear of something like this and wouldn’t laugh?
Awakened rank beasts were just one level above a Monster-ranked beast, which was the lowest-ranked creature in existence.
So for a bunch of Aspirants armed with abilities, this was totally embarrassing; hence, they didn’t even have a single comeback to make to the others.
The bulky instructor and Jake just stared at Sony, whose head was hung low like the rest of his students.
Disbelief was etched across their faces.
Ray was unconcerned.
What was it his business if they mocked the class?
As long as the insults weren’t directly aimed at him, he didn’t give a fuck.
Instead, he simply crossed his arms across his chest and prepared to zone out.
He remained that way until someone finally spoke up.
"Oh, really? Is that how you feel about your fellow comrades?" Kai uttered.
His voice dropped low, almost like a hiss of a serpent.
"... You don’t feel any sort of remorse for those that died? Is this how you feel toward your fellow Aspirants? Forget about titles... is this how you feel toward your own humans? Mocking them even after death? How insensitive can you all be?!"
"...."
The laughter died down almost instantly as the second class stared at Kai, unable to find a word until someone finally stepped out from the ranks.
It was someone who had suddenly turned into an introvert after a humiliating experience.
Berg!
"We aren’t mocking the dead; we are mocking the rest of you for being so weak that a bunch of awakened beasts can deal such a blow to you all. If you all were strong enough, this wouldn’t have happened, so don’t you dare give us some fucking speech!"
— YES!
His class members backed him up almost immediately with sharp nods of agreement.
Kai stared at the boy in front of the class for a few seconds, his teeth grinding back and forth the more he looked at him.
"Is this how we will continue? Is this how we are supposed to fight the Aberrants together and save humanity when we can’t even work together on a damn expedition?!"
Berg scoffed arrogantly while waving his hand in the air, his posture radiating a sense of misplaced superiority.
"I don’t give a tush about working with a bunch of weaklings. I would rather take down the Aberrants alone while trusting in my own strength. You... you can go to hell for all I care."
Ray tilted his head to stare at Berg for a second or two, a small, thoughtful frown appearing on his face.
He was about to step forward—perhaps to settle the score then and there—when Captain Jake cut through the mounting tension with a voice of absolute authority.
"I think we have had enough of this!"
Turning his head to glare at Berg, Jake added with a chilling finality:
"Death can happen anywhere, anytime, and to anybody. Even to you..."
"... Highly unlikely." Berg scoffed, his ego shielding him from the warning as he turned away to walk back into the ranks of his class.
The Captain stared at the empty position where the boy had stood for a second before shaking his head in sheer annoyance.
He turned back to the gathered students, his expression returning to business.
"You all should head back to your rooms to rest and grab something to eat. I will be going with Sony to take the dead Aspirants back to the Corps for the necessary arrangements.
I don’t know how long we will take before we return," Jake paused, scanning the group for a moment to let the weight of his next words sink in.
"... But however long it takes, the expedition needs to continue as before.
But this time, Sony’s class will have to merge with the other class and be led by the remaining instructor until we get back. The squads still remain, the point system still remains. Rules still remain the same. But the chain of command will be different."
Ray’s class stared at the Captain with wide eyes at his sudden words.
Work with the elite class?
How would they manage that?
There was no way arguments wouldn’t erupt, no way the Aspirants wouldn’t be torn apart by internal friction, and no way they wouldn’t be looked down upon at every turn.
Would they be able to hold on long enough to finish the mission?
Uncaring about their inward concerns, Jake turned around along with Sony.
The dead Aspirants were carried forward by those who had been bearing them before, a somber procession leaving the shelter.
Ray stared at the Captain’s retreating back before looking back at the other class with a deep scowl on his face.
’Work with them, eh? Damn. This would be tough.... incredibly tough.’
Berg, on the other hand, hid in the midst of the others with a sinister smirk playing on his lips.
His attention rested solely on a single figure standing alone.
Ray!
’Now this is what I call a lovely situation. You dared humiliate me in front of everybody, you piece of trash! I couldn’t use my full power before because I didn’t want to accidentally murder you. But now,’
Berg paused inwardly as the smirk turned into a dark, predatory frown almost immediately.
’... Whatever happens in a gate or on a beast planet stays there. One more death won’t hurt, right? Right? Muhahahaha!’
He burst into a loud, unhinged laughter—at least within the dark confines of his own mind.