novelraw Chapter 54: Call of The Siren
Chapter 54: Call of The Siren
Verso’s face twitched as he looked at the four individuals standing around him.
His new team was a complete mess.
On one of his side stood a former enemy who overnight had turned into a more humble person.
On the other side was a green haired lunatic who treated this high stakes exam like a complete playground.
And then there were the Bloodveil siblings, who looked like they were ready to turn the Colosseum floor into a murder scene before the test even began.
"I am Xavier Brighton, nice to meet you all." Xavier said, his voice calm as if he had already forgotten how Moon completely ignored him.
Moon, who had been treating Xavier and Verso like invisible stains on the floor, suddenly paused in his conversation with Han as he looked back, his red eyes narrowing as they focused on Xavier reevaluating him.
"Brighton from Meridian City, huh?" Moon said, his voice losing some of its predatory edge.
He had somehow finally acknowledged Xavier as a human being. Maybe this was the weight of a surname which bridged the gap between them.
"I am Moon Bloodveil. Your family is involved in some business dealings with our clan."
To Verso’s shock, Moon placed a hand over his chest and offered a slight, respectful bow to Xavier.
It was a calculated gesture of elite recognizing elite, a courtesy that was clearly reserved for those with proper backgrounds.
’I guess the Brightons are a big deal even outside of Meridian...’ Verso thought, watching the exchange with a cynical eye.
To him, it was a reminder that even a disgraced elite still held more value in this world than a proper commoner ever would.
Moon’s gaze shifted abruptly as he turned his head and looked straight into Verso’s eyes, his expression cooling instantly.
He did not speak, instead he just simply waited, his silence demanding a proper introduction.
Understanding the meaning of his actions, Verso spoke up.
"I am Verso. I am also from Meridian City."
The moment he finished, he saw the shift in Moon’s face.
The thin veil of aristocratic politeness vanished, replaced by a look of pure, unfiltered disgust. It was as if a foul smell had suddenly entered his nose.
"So you are scum?" Moon said, standing up straight and measuring Verso with a condescending sneer.
"What did you-"
Verso’s response was cut short by a boisterous laugh.
Han slid between Moon and Verso with ease and put his hand onto Moon’s shoulder before the tension could turn into a fight.
"Brother Moon has a splendid sense of humor!" Han shouted, his voice echoing.
He turned toward Verso, his grin as bright as ever.
"This is Brother Verso. He is a dear friend of mine, and I hope both of you get along!"
Moon clicked his tongue, his eyes flashing with irritation at Han’s touch but he did not dare push the issue any further.
Instead he just turned away and focused his attention back onto the stage.
’What the hell?’ Verso thought, staring at Han’s back.
Han did not seem to care about the insult. He simply smiled at Verso and placed a hand over his shoulder, physically guiding him forward to face the front of the arena.
’I can’t understand what goes on in his head.’ Verso looked at the green haired boy.
There was no logical reason for a Young Master of the Feng Clan to consistently cover for a commoner like him.
He literally had no status to offer and no family connections to exploit.
’Does he think of me as a pet or something?’
That was the only explanation which made sense in this twisted social hierarchy.
To someone like Han, perhaps a talented commoner was just a fascinating animal, like a stray dog he had decided to train for his own amusement.
"Your time is up!"
The shout from the stage shattered the social tension.
The Jester walked to the edge of the platform, leaning forward with a manic glint in his eyes. He looked over the crowd, his smile widening as he saw the groups that had formed.
"If you were unable to find a team in this time," the Jester hissed.
"you are disqualified!"
He burst into a scary high pitched laugh.
Suddenly, pillars of orange flame erupted from the floor and engulfed over a hundred students who were still standing alone or were in incomplete pairs.
The screams were brief but harrowing as all the burning students fell to the ground unconscious.
Seeing this, Verso felt a cold drop of sweat roll down his neck.
No matter how messed up his team was, he was lucky to have one. The Jester was not testing their strength and yet somehow ten percent of the crowd had been culled.
As the flames extinguished, the Jester stood up straight and walked back to the center of the stage.
"You all must have wondered why I made you all partner up." He said, pausing for dramatic effect.
Behind him, the massive screen flickered to life. The static on the screen was instantly replaced by a high definition image of what could only be described as a nightmare.
The creature on the screen was a Siren.
The bottom half of its body was covered in fish like scales that ended in a massive, powerful tail. While the top half of the creature was the torso of a naked woman.
That was where the beauty of the creature ended as the face of the beast was a deformed horror.
It had no eyes or nose, instead the entire face was made up with rows of needle-like teeth that stretched from ear to ear.
"No fucking way..."
The whisper rippled through the crowd.
Students around Verso began to shake, their voices shaking as their entire body language was filled with fear.
Every person in the room knew exactly what that monster on the screen was.
Seeing the dread in the candidates’ eyes, the Jester’s smile reached a breaking point.
"You, my dear candidates, have to kill the Elite-Rank Sirens in the Lost Island dungeon!"
Hearing the Jester’s words Verso tightened his grip on his hoodie.
He had just barely survived against a single Sea Serpent by burning his entire army and now these people wanted him to kill something even more dangerous.
He slowly looked at his mismatched team and then turned to look back at the tooth filled face on the screen.
’I guess... the exam has began.’