14 Chapter 14 : I'm An Irregular

"... And that sums up everything that happened."

After the second round of the Hide-and-seek test, Lero Ro explained the situation to the other regulars. And it wasn't a stretch to say they were all bewildered by the outcome.

On paper, the second team seemed guaranteed to lose since most of the skilled regulars were on the other team. The only noteworthy regulars in the team to be even mentioned were Endorsi and Hatz. But against all odds, this team came out on top. But the others were more interested in what happened during the test, rather than the outcome.

There was heavy infighting among some of the team members. One regular committed suicide during the test while three were injured.

'This... I was not expecting things to play out like this.' Khun was deep in his thoughts after listening to the events. 'Ho didn't try to kill Rachel? Did he have a change of heart?'

He glanced at Jinwoo, who was talking with Lero Ro.

'Was he the reason why Ho changed his mind? Not that it matters now...'

Leaving the others behind to talk among themselves, he walked away with a destination in mind.

'I should check on Bam.'

**********

"So it was Levin who was behind it all?"

"Yes, Mr. Sung. According to Quant, he had his doubts on whether he'd be able to pass the test. So he went for the easy way out - Eliminate the competition." Lero Ro explained to Jinwoo. "But as you can see, it didn't go as planned for him."

"What about those who were injured?"

"They are being treated by the doctors. Fortunately, the injuries aren't fatal in any way. You will be informed later on when you can meet them. Now if you'll excuse me, I have matters to attend to..." With those final words Lero Ro left the area, planning to have a talk with the director.

'To think climbing one tower would be this troublesome...' Jinwoo inwardly sighed, thinking of the whole hassle.

"Hey, Jinwoo." He was a bit startled when someone called him out from behind. But it was a voice he recognised.

"Shibisu." He turned around and greeted him back. "And Hatz? What's the matter?" It didn't take him long to figure out that they weren't there for idle chitchat, a fact that was made apparent by the seriousness in Shibisu's face- A sharp contrast to his usually easygoing self.

"There's something I need to ask you about. Do you have time to spare?"

_______________________________________________

"I see. So that's what really happened..."

Both Shibisu and Hatz had a look of understanding on their face. They asked Jinwoo some stuff regarding Ho, particularly his actions and behaviour during the last week of the month. And seeing how everything will be revealed soon eitherway, he told them everything he knew of - The mysterious note, Bam's connection to Michelle, the apparent mastermind and his subsequent death.

"Levin, huh? Not gonna lie, he never really stood out that much among all the regulars here."

"And ironically, that worked in his favour. Since our attention was on Ho, he managed to sneak under our radars."

"Tch, Coward. Using underhanded methods to try and climb up. If he weren't dead already, I would have killed him myself." Hatz was fuming when he heard about it.

"And from what I've heard, there were two other traitors in your team, right? The ones who ran away while you were fighting the redhead? " Jinwoo asked him.

"Yes. And I intend to pay them back for it." He growled.

"Now, now. Calm down a bit, Hatz." Shibisu tried to cool him down. "Let's not think of mass murder as an option. Besides, you must have realised it by now..." He sunk into his chair, as he trailed off.

"Stuff like this - Backstabbing, betrayal, manipulation - it's actually normal stuff in this place. People are prepared to throw away anything and everything other than themselves, for the sake of their goals. Heh, the weird ones are actually people like us. The ones who value our teammates."

Both Jinwoo and Hatz went silent, contemplating what Shibisu just said. It was sad, but it was the truth. And there wasn't much they could do to change it.

"Did I pick a bad time to come?" They were shaken out of their thoughts when they saw three familiar faces approaching them.

"Oh. Hey Khun. Bam, I guess congratulations are in order for passing that test. And..." Shibisu paused when he saw the third member of the team.

Or rather, the chibi version of him.

"The alligator had a kid? Never would have guessed." Jinwoo off handedly remarked.

Hearing this, the three had varying reactions. Bam tried to stifle his laughter, Khun didn't even bother and laughed out loud while the mini alligator was shaking with frustration.

"IT'S ALL BECAUSE OF THAT DAMNED COFFEE-ADDICT TURTLE!!!" Finally, he shouted.

**********

Elsewhere, Yu Hansung was seated on the floor sipping a cup of coffee when he paused for a bit and let out a chuckle.

"... Director?" Lero Ro stared at him quizzically.

"Oh. It's nothing. You can continue the report."

**********

After finally managing to calm down Rak, which involved bribing him with a large amount of bananas, the group finally started discussing about the more serious topics.

'So that's the reason he changed his mind. Well, I guessed as much.' Khun realised the truth when Jinwoo explained about what he learned.

"Anyways, they should announce the results by tomorrow, if nothing goes wrong. That being said, I'm pretty confident everyone in this room will pass." Khun revealed his thoughts on the test.

'Hmm... Among wave controllers, Lauroe is pretty much guaranteed to pass the test. Then the choice for the last spot would be between Ho and...' Jinwoo took a glance at the brown-haired boy seated across him who was happily chatting with his friends.

'Come to think of it, why does he look a lot...happier than usual? Did something happen? What happened to that 'Lost Puppy' feeling I got when I first met him? '

"Hey, Bam. Is there something you forgot to tell us?"

"Oh, right. Mr Jinwoo, do you remember when I told you about the person I was searching for?"

"Yes. You said her name was Rachel right?"

"Yeah, and that's the thing." Khun intervened at this point. "Apparently, Michelle Light was Rachel herself."

"And I assume you are going to climb the tower with her?"

"Yes. Rachel... wants to see the stars at the top of the tower. Personally, I don't care what's at the top. But if she wishes to climb the tower, then I'll help her to do so."

'A girl who wants to see the stars, and a boy who wants nothing but her. This is starting to sound like the plot of some adventure/romance manhwa...'

After a few more minutes of chatting with each other, everyone went their separate ways. And although they didn't reveal it, every single one of them was eager to know the results - If not for them, then atleast for their teammates.

And before they knew it, one day had already passed.

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It was almost afternoon. Most of the regulars who took the position test were now in a large hall - The same place where big announcements were made previously. The test director and the other rankers were on the stage, waiting for all the regulars to arrive.

"Are you sure it will work?" Lauroe asked Jinwoo, in one of the rare instances where he was not asleep outside of battle.

"That depends on how he will handle it from here on out." Jinwoo replied, while taking a short glance at Khun who arrived just then. Khun noticed the glance he was receiving and gave him a short nod in return.

The previous night, they learned that although Ho's injury was non-lethal it will take a couple of weeks for him to recover. And because of the rules of the position test, this guaranteed a failure. Later on, he learned that Rachel too was in a similar spot. Apparently, when the ceiling collapsed, her legs were crushed by the rubble and she might never be able to walk again.

(A/N: We wish...)

Surprisingly enough, he received a message that morning from Khun, claiming that he found a way that might help both Michelle and Ho in passing the test. Unfortunately there were no more details, which meant he'll have to wait and watch what Khun planned to do.

And soon enough, Lero Ro came forward to announce the results.

"Good afternoon, regulars. Sorry to keep you waiting. Starting now, I will reveal the list of regulars who have passed the position test."

With this, he took out what appeared to be a small remote and pressed its button. A projection appeared infront of them, showing the list of regulars who have passed the test.

**********

Sung Jinwoo

Endorsi Zahard

Cheonhwa Hong

Anak Zahard

Des Lion (Eliminated due to Injury)

<Spear-Bearer>

Ghost

Rak Wraithraiser

Paracule

Alexay Amigochaz

<Scout>

Shibisu

Hatz

Narae Seonwoo

<Light-Bearer>

Khun Aguero Agnes

Full Black

Michelle Light (Eliminated Due to Injury)

<Wave-Controller>

Phonsekal Lauroe

The Twenty-Fifth Bam

Ho (Eliminated due to injury)

**********

'So, if Ho wasn't injured...' Jinwoo took a glance at Bam, who was also had a solemn look on his face.

All in all, some regulars were cheering loudly while some seemed to be crestfallen. In fact, one regular seemed to disagree with the results, and went up the stage trying to threaten the director.

'I am genuinely surprised he managed to get this far with that level of intelligence.' Jinwoo looked on as the director snapped his bones with shinsu, shutting him up.

"Excuse me. I too disagree with the results, director." This time it was Khun who voiced his opinion.

Hansung merely sighed and called him out to the stage.

"You already passed with high enough scores. So what might be your issues, Mr. Khun?" He asked him.

"I want Michelle Light and Ho, who failed due to injuries, to move onto the next round." Khun replied matter of fact.

"... And why might you want them to pass?"

"Its not for me, but for my friend."

"Pfft.." Hansung snickered on hearing this. "I am sorry, its just that I can't seem to associate you with the word 'friend'. But regardless, she is injured and as per the rules, she won't be able to participate in the next round."

"And what if I were to take the floor administrator's test?" Ignoring that low blow he received, Khun questioned him. "I heard that the administrator holds supreme authority over all tests. So if I were to gain his permission for Michelle and Ho to rejoin our group, that should invalidate your rule regarding injury and failure, right?"

"... You sure seem to know a lot about the floor administrator's test." The Director commented. "There are a couple of reasons why people don't usually take that test. Do you know what they are?"

"Obviously." Khun replied calmly. "The difficulty of the administrator's tests are far higher than that of the normal floor tests. But don't worry. I'll pass."

'That cockiness... The apple really doesn't fall far from the tree.' Hansung could see in his mind the overlapping images of both father and son. "While that is true, there is one more requirement you should fulfill to take the administrator's test. You have to be an irregular."

"... What?!" Khun was surprised and shocked on hearing this news.

"You must not have known about this rule, though it is understandable. This is ancient lore we are talking about, and only a few of us know about the specifics of the test. Sadly, your plan won't work Khun Aguero Agnes." He calmly revealed. "Now, you can return to your seat."

Khun gritted his teeth in frustration. 'Is... Is there no way then?'

"Wait!" To everyone's surprise, Bam stood up from his seat and called for attention.

"Then, I'll take the test." He announced.

"Mr. Bam, like I said earlier only a-"

"It doesn't matter. Because I'm... An Irregular." Bam cut him off.

________________________________________________

Name: Sung Jinwoo

Level: 10

Class: None

Title: One Versus All

HP: 2792

MP: 431

<Stats>

Strength: 60

Vitality: 33

Agility: 50

Intelligence: 30

Sense: 30

Available Stat points : 3

-Sprint (Lvl 1)

-Shinsu Boost (Lvl 1)

-Bloodlust

-Vital Strike (Lvl 1)

-Dagger Throw (Lvl 1)

-Tenacity

-Dagger Arts (Lvl 1)

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