I gaze around, still baffled by what's occurring. Teleportation is so amazing. But, that aside, where the hell are we?

We are standing on brown cracked ground that's painted with a large magnitude of scorch marks and dents. It's like this place was used as a warzone.

Also, the massive walls that surround this area make it seem like we're in a damn prison.

I ask, “Where are we? Please don’t tell me this was all an elaborate plan to imprison us?” My voice cracks upon asking the last part.

“Ha, no. It's the training grounds,” She responds.

God damn it. I expect some light training, but seeing the state of this place, I just know it's going to be hardcore.

Wait, I am probably just jumping to a huge damn conclusion. We are newbies. Why the hell would it be hardcore? We would most definitely learn the basics and so on. And… we can worry about that after we have eaten.

I deliberately fall back on the hard ground with a thump. “We can deal with this training stuff a bit later. Right now, let’s admire our rewards from stealing.”

I clasp my hands and honor a tiny prayer, asking for forgiveness. Please don’t let karma fall on me! Please don’t let karma fall on me!

The other three sit near me, eyes on the huge package.

I take one of the meals which is in a brown container.

The other three follow suit, like a pack of hungry animals. Of course, I couldn’t let Ghomas get one. What did that bastard do to deserve it? He couldn’t be hungry anyway. He was just a greedy little shit.

I swipe the meal from his hand, taking full advantage of my superior stats.

Ghomas stares at his hands for a couple of seconds before looking at me. “What’s the meaning of this?”

“You aren’t hungry.”

“How the hell would you know?! Do you have my stomach???”

“Don’t care. Cry about it later.”

Vacinay snickers as they boast the meal in their hands. Vacinay is practically performing a dance with it, whereas Hessien is caressing his meal’s container and whispering words of affection to it, as if it's a baby.

Ghomas shakes his head as if he's betrayed. “I see now. I thought we were… homies. But clearly that wasn’t the case.”

He stands up and tries to act as if he's cool as he walks away.

Where is he going? This place is walled up.

It doesn’t take long for him to return and just lay, limbs spread, staring at the clouds. “Okay, I forgive you all.”

“Kay,” I respond.

“We don’t. You lucky I wasn’t the one that had the knife; I would have made sure to cut off your manhood.” Vacinay responds.

“Dying from blood lost due to genital mutilation? Nasty.” Hessien shivers as he opens the top half of the meal container and nods in awe at the food.

It's just a huge roasted meat, similar to chicken, with a side of vegetables. Nothing more. I'm not mad at it, though. It's something I only wanted to eat when I was 12.

I remember watching cartoons where characters would eat buckets of fried chicken, and I would fantasize about that being me. Ah.. Good old torturous memories.

Yamanda is just looking at us, with her arm folded. She would shoot glances at the other meal in the package. I look at her, and she evades eye contact.

Sigh.

“You can have it. It’s for you anyway,” I say with a warm and perfectly innocent smile.

Her face lights up. “Oh! I thought you were mad about me because of me going into that line.”

Ashamed is a better word.

I keep my smile as I say, “Ah, don’t be silly. That’s in the past. You are our teacher and trainer, so treating you well now makes sense since you surely will be treating us with a lot of care during the training.”

With that statement, I hand her the meal. She nods and happily takes it.

But I don’t let my grip go. I say, “So… you will be treating us with a lot of care, right?”

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“Absolutely!”

Good!

I release my grip. And grin internally.

Ah damn me, I am on a roll with my genius. Why am I so damn godly, Lumine?!

Oh, stop it! It’s just a bit of talent. Nothing much.

Hehehehehhheh.

Vacinay shoots me a thumbs up. “Good work.”

Hessien nods heavily as he bites off a huge chunk of the chicken and savors every taste. “It tastes so good…”

I totally agree with him.

I rip off the meat and taste the absolute divineness in its flavor. The salt, the peppers used, and every single seasoning, they are surely… passed down by a god of the past.

While chewing, I look up to the heavens, hiding the tears of awe running down my face. So good… I would understand if Ghomas betrayed us for this. I was willing to annihilate a whole village if it meant I could eat this every day.

Now now, if someone hears me say that, they would call me a contradictory hypocrite, or perhaps… what’s the word. Shit, I don’t know and don’t care. Besides, I was joking… kinda. Probably. It’s complicated!

Suddenly, from Hessien's mouth, a white light glows and Tanya flies out. Like a small bird, she flies around before floating above him.

With a huge draw of air, she takes in all the aroma before shouting in a frenzy. “I WANT!”

Eh… I assume she doesn’t need to eat.

Hessien guards his meal. “The hell? Ain’t you a spirit wanna-be? You don’t need to eat!”

She shrugs while eyeing his meal with the tenacity of a predator. “Who said anything about need? I said I want! Want!”

She rushes at his meat, the chicken one(heh).

They wrestle, but she easily overpowers him and swipes the third of the chicken that's remaining.

With a devious grin, she fits the entire thing in her mouth… that isn’t the oddest thing though. It's the fact she has enlarged her mouth to comical size for it.

While the chicken is moving down her throat, Hessien charges at her with pure murderous intent.

He manages to get her on the ground. “Give it back!”

She shakes her head, furiously, unable to talk.

Interesting, so despite the fact he can’t harm her, he can move her around.

Hessien, who is consumed with rage, suddenly has an idea. He elbows his stomach, which immediately causes intense pain in her.

Hessien drops to the ground, gasping, and so does she, while also sending back up the meat she ate covered in her filthy blue saliva. Tears roll from her eyes as she keeps on spitting out saliva.

Then with pure rage, she glares at Hessien, who grins. “If I can’t have it, so can’t you.”

Her response? Suddenly shaping her teeth into fangs and biting into her arm, leaking white blood.

It looks like Chinese censorship.

Hessien clasps his mouth as he swallows the scream that's begging to be released into the world.

Endure it, my boi’.

While that's occurring, Yamanda stares, shocked.

Then Yamanda interjects, pointing at Tanya with a weird coldness. “What is going on? What is that thing doing here…?” Her sword is in her other hand too.

Oh right, to civilians of this world, seeing her must be equal to seeing a demon or witch. Yamanda is a knight after all.

I quickly try to explain, but the arrogance of Tanya doesn’t allow it. “Huh? A knight? Interesting. Also, I am not a thing… even if my days of terror are long past… your generation. Based on this city’s structure, I am sure I have made my mark on your history books.”

Wait what?

Yamanda nods, slowly, “Yes… So… Why are you with those four as If you are friends?”

Tanya smiles and pats Hessien's head, who furiously tries to bat her hand, but is too slow. “That boy, I am bound to him. My bound partner. You know, existence binding and all that shit.”

Yamanda lowers her eyes to Hessien.

“Ah… Let me see if I can help with that.” Huh?

Immediately, she draws her sword, which has certain gemstones with various colors embedded at the handle. A white one glows, and immediately, she disappears—

A sword slices at Tanya, who gets cut into two like butter.

Shit…!

Tanya was what we used to keep the president at bay! And that teleportation, any time Yamanda wants, she could just kill us. Sure, they have no reason to do it right now. But that’s only for now. That doesn’t mean shit when circumstances can change.

Everyone gets up in a panic.

Shit shit shit!

I can't even use time freeze. Even if she isn't targeting us, it still makes me get on guard.

“Wow, miss knighty really needs a reality check.” Huh?!

Tanya, who is split into two, with each bisected half showing white, speaks as if nothing is wrong.

Yamanda is puzzled. “Wait, but… why are you still alive? I cut you with the energy cutter runestone?”

Tanya turns into pure white energy and regroups near Hessien. “Not really. I split myself in the area you were going to slice at.” She taps her chin with a smile. “A genius I am.”

Yamanda is confused but shoots forward with her sword, slicing and dicing at Tanya, who splits herself into sections to avoid getting actually sliced by the sword.

“What the hell!” Yamanda keeps her assault, getting more frustrated by the second.

Hessien is running away, face full of sweat. “Get away from me! And stop trying to get me killed!”

Tanya giggles. “But this is so much fun!”

Yamanda shouts, “No. It isn’t you wicked creature! I have no idea how you have broken your seal, but I will kill you for all the destruction and hell you have caused!”

Yamanda moves so fast, she appears as blurs. She uses her super speed in conjunction with teleportation in an attempt to confuse Tanya. Then she leaps back, and suddenly Tanya appears in front of her.

What the fuck?! She could teleport others too?!

I had experienced her group teleportation, but I thought she needed to teleport alongside those she teleports!

Tanya clicks her tongue. “Oh please. So what? I killed a bunch of humans, who cares? You humans killed a lot of my kind. I simply did the same.”

She stretches her hand towards Yamanda who teleports Tanya away in a frenzy.

Tanya shakes her head annoyed. “Ah… Oi, Hessien, can I kill her?”

“Kill me?!” Yamanda roars.

Hessien, who is sweating bullets, looks at the two, worried. She only displayed two skills, so she is most likely going to use a stronger one.

Hessien ignores Tanya, and instead tells Yamanda, “If you kill her, I would die too!”

“I know! That’s why I am using this runestone, it would only affect her!”

His fear evaporates away in that instant. “Oh. Then please kill her.” He salutes.

Oh come on! You surely couldn’t have forgotten why we wanted to keep her at our side.

Tanya laughs as she floats around Hessien, it isn’t a chaotic or evil one, but one of pure glee, like a child.

Then suddenly, she clasps her hand and says, “Okay, let’s stop this game.”

Abruptly, a white barrier is erected and disappears as soon as it comes.

What the hell did she just do…?

Tanya gracefully lands near Hessien. She places her hand on his shoulders as she tells Yamanda, “I wouldn’t teleport in this area. With all the negative skill energy moving chaotically around, it may interfere with your skill... And your head and ass may end up switching places.”