Chapter 4 Guardians

Yuelian

“Jason, and Sam, please call all the guardians for a meeting in the empty classroom on the tenth floor.” As we came down from the roof, these two were standing in front of the partition. Jason Lou and Sam Harid, these two guardians have been like my right and left hands since the start of the flood. I don't know if they can be trusted yet, but we need to move quickly.

“We got it, Yue. See you in a bit” The two muscular young men quickly move down the hallway.

If someone has awakened their mana, they are also likely to have already gotten a mission depending on how long they have been awakened. After all, I was given a mission simply by breathing in mana in the air.

The mana sea is slowly dispersing into the air. I suspect that even without direct contact with the mana sea itself, everyone still alive in this world would naturally awaken and get access to the system. Assuming everyone can awaken.

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Empty Classroom

The four guardians in front of me would hopefully be the foundation of the community. I don't know almost anything about them, but in the current situation, we don't have much choice. These four took an active part in keeping peace in the community. At the very least they are capable.

“Thank you all for coming. Since all of this started we have not had a chance to get to know everyone. To be honest, I didn't think there was a need to talk with everyone.” I said to the four people. Miyong is sitting in the chair near the window. I thought she would stand next to me to show solidarity, but I think she wants me to take charge.

“I understand. We also thought we would ride out whatever this is and get rescued in a few days. Better to stay away from people to avoid conflict.” One of the female guardians said. I remember she was the ace of the fencing team. Mali Bunrun, long straight hair, athletic but not muscular. She looks more like a model than an athlete. “We only help out when there are troubles, then people started calling us guardians”

“So why are we here?” The other female guardians look at me with dissatisfaction. This girl was always with Mali even before the flood. Extremely muscular and much taller than everyone else in the room, the founder of the Body Building Club, Jennifer Connor. Her red hair stood out in this room.

“It's been 3 days and we have not seen a single helicopter or some type of reaction from the government. Not even an announcement on the loudspeaker or anything. We are in the middle of the city, so it would be very easy to get some form of communication with the people, even if all technology is not working. In this situation, it's probably safe to assume that any form of governing force that used to exist no longer does, or they are in a situation where they are no longer in a position to govern the masses. If we want safety and stability, we have to start thinking about the future and what type of situation we are really in.” Before I realized it, I was already pacing around. This is a bad habit that I need to fix.

“Are you trying to become king? Is that what this is about?” Jennifer got up from her seat, hostility clear to see.

“Wait Jenny, let him finish.” Mali put her hands on Jennifer’s arm and looked at her with pleading eyes. Jennifer didn't say anything but sat down. I made a mental note to find out why she was so hostile towards me.

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“If we want to create a stable community, we have to be able to enforce the law-” Before I could finish the sentence, a table flew at me. My reactions have been enhanced by mana inside my body and I could easily dodge out of the way, but this is a good time to show them what we are dealing with in this new world.

I saw Jason attempting to launch himself in between the chair and myself, but there was no way he could make it in time. Does he know me? Why is he trying to protect me even at the cost of his own body? I need to talk to him alone sometimes.

I point my finger at the desk flying towards my head. Only a miniscule amount of mana is collected at the tip of my finger. As I touched the flying desk, it shattered to pieces.

“Miyong, please don't disrupt the meeting.” I looked at the culprit smiling by the window. The faces of the four guardians range from shock to fear. Mali however was laughing and clapping her hands.

“Are you a monster?” Her voice was shaking. Jennifer was the only one of the four that showed fear.

“.......” Jason has his mouth hanging open. Sam is difficult to read.

“I had a whole speech prepared but let's get straight to the point.” I wave my hands, spreading a little bit of mana onto the fragments of wood and metal on the floor. All of the debris broke into fine dust. That could be dangerous if someone steps on it. The four guardians have their eyes open wide at the sight. “This is the type of power that we will be facing in the new world.”

“Is it magic? Superpowers? Psychic powers? What is it? Oh! I have always wanted to live in the Harr-” Mali jumped up from her seat in excitement before being restrained by Jennifer.

“You are blessed,” Sam said, his face still difficult to read.

“Calm down Mali, we don't have access to your medicine right now. Don't get too excited.” Unlike when she was speaking to me, Jennifer spoke to Mali in a soft and gentle tone.

“I have just found out about this 3 days ago. This is mana” a blue ball of mist coalescing in my palm.

—-----------------------

??????

That power is amazing. I could instinctively feel it. Those two are really, really strong. Much stronger than myself. That pretty girl in particular, my hair stood on end if I went anywhere close to her. And that guy, there is something peculiar about him.

I will watch them for now.

—-----------------------

Miyong

Two days later

Inside the empty classroom (Temporary Meeting Room)

“The mana sea has thinned again. I think it will disappear eventually, then we could try to go down to the ground floor and see what is going on.” Yue has changed completely. I think he is using mana to do something with his body. He has become muscular and thin within 6 days since the flood. It's weird to see him like this, but I won't complain. He looks delicious.

“Food supplies are still ok. We have fewer people so that helped us with the supplies problem” Mali said as she looked at Jenny with worry. “How is the investigation?”

“7 people have disappeared.” Jenny has a worried look on her face. Our group of 20 has been reduced to 13. “Three days ago the first two students went missing. Another one a day after, then four people disappeared the next day. All of them freshmen”

“This is my worst fear coming true. This pattern. We can only assume there is a player killing students on purpose.” Yue looked angry. I have never seen him angry before. Kind of hot.

“Why murder? The person might have just kidnapped them. Or maybe they ran away” Mali said, tilting her head.

“We have investigated the layer below the mana sea. It's impossible to enter. The concentration of mana is so thick, that it would be like trying to walk inside wet cement. And the roof access is being guarded by us. The culprit is still here without a doubt.” Jason walked into the room, Sam was not with him.

“Do we have a suspect?” I asked Jenny

“Sam heard from the first-year girls that the seven missing boys had a troubling relationship. One boy named Jackie was being bullied by the other six, and all seven people involved just happened to disappear.” Yue stopped talking as if he was considering something. “I will awaken Sam today. It's time.”

“It's about time. I don’t understand why you didn't do them all at once. Sam asked to go last to be considerate. He takes good care of the younger kids too. He is worthy of this power.” I heard the young girls say he even gave them his rations, and he never looked at me with lustful eyes. A good guy.

“Anyone else has anything to say, I will end the meeting,” Yue took a deep breath like he was tired. Maybe he didn't like me defending another guy? Cute.

“Hm, I learned a skill last night.” Mali suddenly said something that drew the whole room’s attention.

“It's your decision whether or not to tell us. If you want my advice, it's better if you keep your skills a secret. You never know what will happen in the future.” Yue told her seriously. He is not wrong. The only person who knows my skill is Yue.

“It's ok, I trust you.” Mali turned and smiled at me. This girl is too trusting. “My skill is Echo. I can sense strong mana in a wide radius.”

“Judging by the name, it sounds like something similar to a bat’s echolocation.” Yue smiled brightly. This skill couldn't be more useful for us at the moment.

“Have you tried it?” It's kind of exciting, like getting a new spell in a game.

“I did.” Mali made a strange face, then whispered in my ears. “There is a person in the hallway, but I can't see them.”