NOVEL NEXT Chapter 35: Who Needs Rest?
Nicsia was shocked as she saw Sidius but she quickly regained her arrogant and cold demeanor.
"No wonder senior brother took so long. How did you even get accepted into the academy? Did you cheat?" she taunted.
"Sidius didn't cheat! He's strong!" Rainer jumped in, his voice was full of support for Sidius as he took a step forward. He locked his eyes onto Nicsia and continued, "Haven't you heard the news?"
Hearing the words, Nicsia's red eyes widened in disbelief as she unconsciously took a small half-step backwards.
Being a skilled assassin, of course she heard the news that a student was causing a commotion in the academy, but the interesting fact was the involved is named Sidius. At first, she dismissed it, thinking it couldn't be the same Sidius she knew.
'There's no way for an E rank growth talent to grow rapidly in just a short time,' she smirked. Or so she thought, but Rainer's words shattered her notion.
Her astonishment morphed into a mixture of awe and frustration as she gazed at Sidius. She was annoyed that she ridiculed him in the agency for being the worst talent, only to be confronted with this shocking truth.
Now, it made sense to her why Rainer used to bother Sidius for hand-to-hand combat practice.
In the midst of her internal turmoil, Sidius recognized the whirlwind of thoughts and emotions in her eyes. He knew that Nicsia was deducing the situation and the truth about his growth limit will be known sooner or later.
Without the two knowing, Sidius subtly turned his gaze to the two of them and secretly activated his skil 'Inspect'.
========Status========
Name: Rainer Brown | Age: 19/120
Constitution: True Martial Body-Earth Grade(Half-awakened)
Rank: D- | Growth Limit: A+
Trait: (Dependable)
Class: Assassin(Disciple)
Title: N/A
Strength: 2.1 | Agility: 2.3 | Stamina: 2.3 | Mana Power: 2.1 | Dexterity: 2.0
Luck: 2.9 | Intelligence: 3.1 | Charm: 6.8
=====================
========Status========
Name: Nicsia Embers | Age: 18/120
Constitution: Nightmare Tempest Physique-Heaven Grade(Dormant)
Rank: D- | Growth Limit: A+
Trait: (Diligent)(Glutton)
Class: Assassin(Disciple)
Title: N/A
Strength: 2.3 | Agility: 2.4 | Stamina: 2.3 | Mana Power: 2.2 | Dexterity: 2.3
Luck: 8.4 | Intelligence: 4.7 | Charm: 7.9
=====================
Observing the glowing holographic displays, Sidius nodded in quiet acknowledgment. It was clear to him that both Rainer and Nicsia were prized disciples of the renowned Raven Agency, but still, he can't help but be amaze.
'Two of them have a Constitution. Should I poach them from the camp? They fit my requirements…'
He entertained the idea briefly, imagining the possibilities, before swiftly pushing it aside and looked at Nicsia.
"The one who cheated must be the two of you. You manage to slip into the academy through backdoor, right?" Sidius questioned in a sly tone.
Nicsia's focus snapped back, reverting his mind to the present. She masked her emotions and looked coldly at Sidius.
"It's not a backdoor, it's called using connections," she retorted with an air of defiance.
"That's right, Sidius. Although we joined late, they still evaluate us," Rainer added, stepping into the conversation.
Sidius couldn't help but inwardly raise an amused eyebrow. 'Hey hey, Weren't you on my side just a moment ago?!'
But Sidius brushed his thoughts and continued his point with a nonchalant shrug, "Call it what you want — backdoor, connections. it's all the same." he said before heading for the academy's exit.
"Where are you going?" Rainer called out, his voice laced with curiosity. "It's been a while since the three of us are united. Let's hang out!"
"I'm going to rest. You beat me good, and now my legs feel like they've got lead weights," Sidius replied in his tired voice.
Rainer's eyebrows furrowed with a playful pout and asked several questions. "You wouldn't even say hello to Nicsia? Did you forget she's here? Did you know that she—"
It was then, his sentence was abruptly cut off by Nicsia. She swiftly stepped on Rainer's feet enough to keep him shut off his mouth.
Sidius ignored the noise behind his back and just continued his path back to his apartment, leaving Nicsia and Rainer behind.
"Let him go," Nicisa's voice cut through the air.
Rainer shot a puzzled look at his junior sister and furrowed his brows in confusion. Eventually, he couldn't resist the urge to tease her.
"You mentioned to me that Sidius is interesting and when he vanished from the camp, you turned into a one-woman wrecking crew. Now that you've seen him, the fist thing you did was to ridicule him. Seriously, I don't understand you."
A flicker of irritation crossed Nicsia's features upon hearing Rainer's words. Her lips pursed as she mulled over his statement. But unexpectedly, the atmosphere shifted and a sudden silence descended between them.
Rainer watched Nicsia cautiously with his guard raised, preparing for an attack. However, instead of a punch or kick, her response was an eerie quietness that raised his suspicions.
Slowly lowering his defenses, Rainer dared a glance at Nicsia and he found her clearly sulking. He decided to lighten the mood and offered, "Hey, wanna grab some food? I haven't eaten yet."
The mentioned of the word "food" caused Nicsia's complexion to get better. She looked at Rainer and nodded enthusiastically.
"Let's go to the cafeteria! Their new specialty zafriestea was the best!" she exclaimed before dashing off.
-
Sidius arrived at his apartment before the night engulfed the sky. His thoughts were clouded with the events that happened earlier, particularly his encounter with Rainer and the brewing storm on the horizon of this seemingly tranquil town.
"Who needs rest? Rest can wait. I need strength as soon as possible!" he declared with determination.
Sidius' hands quickly retrieved an expansion bag from his possession, and laid its contents on the ground.
'It's a pity that the molten bloodstone is not here, but it can't be helped. Let's consider it an investment,' he mused, a faint smile gracing on his lips.