Chapter 44: Break or Comply
"Josh, I've gathered all the info on that guy. Turns out, he isn't much after all, I wonder where he got all that strength."
"Isn't it obvious? He's just a lucky bastard, a lucky bastard that has to learn to fall in line."
"You're right, and we need to do so before it's too late."
"Of course, and you know the way we play, right?"
Two young men wearing the academy uniform spoke while eating alone on a table in the cafeteria. It was already clear who they were referring to, as it was Ren undoubtedly. After he was awarded for solo clearing an impossible dungeon and achieving something that had never been done before in front of a special assembly that was called specially for that purpose, he seemed to have gotten an unhealthy recognition from a lot of people for different reasons.
Ren already suspected that all these can happen and will happen, because even though bullying is not allowed within the academy, it didn't mean the rule was concrete. For the most part, the officials would not get themselves involved much unless it gets out of hand.
"Team battles will be starting soon, everyone go get ready immediately." The information passed was simple enough. Even though they were just first years who had only recently entered into the academy, they were still pushed to do mock raids and team battles so early on. Because of that, the team battles were not going to be as intense as the mock raids until later on. In fact, starting the team battles this early was only a recent development.
Just like before, the teams were fixed and Ren's teammates remained James, Lucy and Yulia, who he had not seen in a very long time supposedly since he dutifully missed classes and activities like the mock raids that had been held in his time of absence.
"Wow, the prodigy graces us with his presence, should we give him a bow?" Lucy said, wearing a cynical look on her face while staring at Ren. It was clear that she wasn't pleased to see Ren.
Ren on the other hand smiled and nodded at her, "how about a serving of wine and cake while you're at it?" He said jokingly, as it sounded.
Yulia and James who were watching the show couldn't hold back their laugher and let it out in giggles and such. Not to mention, since Lucy was shorter than Ren so distinctively, she never had a threatening look to her when compared to Ren at all.
"ARRGG!! I told you! This guy's just, arrggg!!" Lucy said to James who was trying to hold her back, not that she would do anything either way. They seemed to have gotten pretty close so fast, it was fascinating to see.
"How have you been, Yulia? I'm happy to see you recovered well." Ren had not really seen her much since the previous incident after all. They all had a little get together before leaving. The interaction between James and Ren was as it normally was, always leaving James confused at the end without understanding much of what he had done in the end.
'I can't understand him at all, it's as if everything… just not, real… he's dangerous for sure, I have to be more careful around him and stay away as much as possible.' James thought in his mind.
James had tried to keep up with Ren's mannerism and life in general since Ren was going to be around him a lot. He already got a complete understanding on Lucy and Yulia, but Ren was different… he was like a snake to James, one minute cold and the next fiery.
After everyone was done preparing, they all gathered in the training room before being distributed to different sections for the team battles.
"Seems this time we'll be doing ours in block land." Lucy said after returning from randomly selecting the location they would be headed to. While Ren was absent, she took up the position of leader temporarily, abut even after Ren returned, he didn't bother taking it back, there was no need, actually, it was better like that.
"That's the portal that leads to the site with creates, right?" Ren asked.
"Yes, definitely."
"What rank are we in now?" Ren asked, as he went through the ranks on his watch, studying the holographic blue screen and scrolling down.
Even though he asked the question, no one answered, and Ren for one wasn't expecting anyone to, after all, looking at his team, he wasn't expecting much, 'but to think we'll be all the way down here… that's way too drastic.'
"You don't get to complain about anything, ok?"
Out of 1,250 teams, they were ranked 1001. Well, that was only for team rankings, since Ren was sitting comfortably in first place in the individual rankings out of five thousand first years.
'If they displayed the points, I'm sure the gap wouldn't be too different.' For some reasons, the officials decided to take off the points of each team and person and not display it, as they said, it would make things more competitive.
"Well, we have a long way to go." Ren said. Not that he cared much for the competition here, it wasn't necessary for him really, being first on the individual ranking and garnering the reputation he has and plans to get, that will be his last worry, rankings.
"Not like you have anything to worry about."
"Well, not exactly, but won't you consider being nice to the guy that's going to be saving your ass?" Ren responded to Lucy, putting flames in her eyes, the type that would burn their enemy.
"Team 22!"
"That's us." James said while being supported by Yulia, "Let's go, guys."
The entire team passed through the portal to the other side as a group. Once on the other side, they found themselves standing in an environment with concrete ground with countless shipping creates scattered around like they had been dropped there from above in random order.
'Who would ever think that they would see such a sight inside a gate?' Ren said in his mind.
This was an artificial gate created particularly for such events and training. Now, they had no idea which team they would be facing, so that was left until they actually came face to face with the opposing party. While they couldn't say which team it would be, they still prepared for whatever situation was to come.
Since Ren had not been present with his team, he had to learn all the strategies they had come up with and followed so he could blend in. Of course, being someone who was more comfortable acting alone, he quickly urged them not to worry and not to bother about him.
'Me being in the team is enough to give the other party a scare, at the very least… unless…' well, that was unless it was a team that had a headstrong member in it, for example, the original main character and side characters…
'I just hope it's easy this time and every other time after now.' Ren thought to himself as they moved through the place playing what Ren referred to mentally as search and destroy.
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone