Logan continued. “There was no reaction from the thing. But then the storeowner came running out, accompanied by five abnormal Guards, so...”

Zachary laughed.

“I was promptly taken away, but before that, the store owner asked me something weird.” Logan smiled, looking from Zachary to Eldon. “He said, ‘How did you get this far in?’”

“Huh?”

“That was my reaction, too! Confused, I told him I walked straight in, but he didn’t believe me. And so I was thrown in jail until they discovered what went wrong.”

“There was another ward that should have kept you from getting that far in,” Eldon said.

“Or multiple wards,” Zachary added.

“Damn, you guys are smart. I didn’t think of that until I’d been in prison for two days already.”

Maybe you’re just dumb, Zachary thought.

“When they brought me out three days later, I thought I was going to be released, going back to take care of my sick aunt.” He laughed bitterly. “I couldn’t have been more wrong.”

“So you were sent to a Camp. Classic,” Zachary said. Logan’s story was a bit comical but was unremarkable compared to the stories he’d heard. It was the same story but with different settings and players, such as uncontrollable abnormals being thrown into the camps to work with their lives.

Eldon rubbed his chin. “This means you’ve never been in a battle.”

“I’ve thrown punches with my share of bullies, but something tells me that’s not what you’re referring to.”

“If you have no battle experience, how can you help us? Do you have any specialized knowledge that might come in handy?” Eldon asked.

If he had nothing valuable, taking him in was tantamount to weighing themselves down. Not only would he be useless, but he would also slow them down.

Zachary expected Logan to blubber and beg again, at which point he would probably have to agree, but surprisingly, Logan furrowed his brows and fell into thought.

“Well,” he said sometime later. “You’re looking for someone. I can help with that. No door can keep me out... Well, actual doors could do so, but you get my point. Any wards would be useless. I also have some tracking skills. I could be your scout.”

Zachary thought it over. His abnormality made him suitable for surveillance and espionage. The problem was that he lacked experience and would likely still be their responsibility.

However, fortunately for Logan, Zachary wasn’t one to judge others based on their ability.

No matter the case, we will succeed as long as we all work together.

Zachary glanced at Eldon. Their eyes met. Their decision was clear.

“Alright,” Eldon said with a sigh.

“Whoo!” Logan leaped up and pumped the air with his fist. “Yeah! I promise you won’t regret it!”

“Zachary, are you going to brief him on the plan or...”

“No, you do it—” Zachary started to answer, but something outside the window caught his eye.

That hair. That flowing red hair...

He pushed his chair backward and shot up.

“Zachary? What’s—”

“You do it! I’ll be right back!”

“What? Wait!”

Zachary left the shop in a flash. He looked around.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

There she is!

She was walking to the Dawnwood Inn, accompanied by three unfamiliar men.

“Hey, wait up!” Zachary ran up to them. "Tia! Tia!"

However, when he got close, a huge fist swung at him.

“Whoa!” He lightly dodged the punch, but there was more incoming.

“Fucking bastard... You dare speak that way to senior?” His attacker, a huge, muscular man with a small head, was relentless. Grunting, he rained punches down on Zachary, trying to pummel him with his fists.

Senior? Zachary raised an eyebrow. Since when did Tia become a "senior"?

Zachary evaded the attacks lightly, his brows furrowed. Tia was a C-rank. Had she increased in strength again?

"If I don't smash your skull today, I agree to be called a bastard!"

Zachary soon tired of the barbarian's rambling. Raising his palm, he summoned a torrent of flames. The flames burst like water through a broken dam, swallowing the brute instantly. With a bang, his burnt figure shot out, crashing into the cobblestones.

Bad control as always, Zachary clicked his tongue. He only meant to blow the brute away, but the flames had rushed out of their volition, turning his assailant into charcoal. Thankfully, the brute's body was twitching, so he was probably alive.

The rest of the group—she and the two other men—had stopped to watch. The men stared at him, eyes dripping with venom, but they made no move to attack him.

As for the woman in the middle, she suddenly seemed unfamiliar. Her aura was like a sword in a storm, unyielding and unbending. An air of dominance wrapped itself around her like a second cloak. A scar ran across one closed eye and to the edge of her lip on the other side of her face. Her single open eye was humorless and soulless.

It wasn't Tia.

She glanced briefly at him, then turned away and left, her followers trailing behind her. No one spared the burnt blockhead a glance.

Zachary rubbed his face. He probably needed to get some sleep. It was the second time today that he mistook a stranger for someone he knew.

Tia left the Colossal arena that evening with a sour expression. After Spikes' match, seven other matches had taken place. Three of those ended with a winner, but none of them had losers. One misstep or the other had claimed their lives.

After it happened several times, it became clear that there were loopholes in the laws binding Campers. They were forbidden to kill one another but not to defend themselves. What if they merely redirected the opponent’s attack? What if they caused the opponent to fall into their trap? Were they to be punished then?

However, Tia didn’t care about those who had died. None of them had been feasible options. An example was the green-skinned ogre who, after he was split open, a human head rolled out from his belly.

Only one person caught her eye. It was a man with shoulder-length golden hair. He was lean, with blue eyes and a determined expression. Most of all, he gave Tia a feeling of righteousness and valiance.

If there was a trustworthy A-rank to join forces with, he was the one.

Unfortunately, he had been clear.

I may have lost this battle, but I have not given up. Senior Star Seeker is not the only S-rank on the island. All fifteen Spokesmen are here. I refuse to believe that none of them would consider me.

And when she, unwilling to just let it go, asked him if he could bring her with him, he said:

No. You’d only slow me down. As much as I regret it, no S-rank would take in a C-rank like you. If I were with you, my chances would reduce as well.

Tia kicked a stone. So much for righteousness.

She was angry, but she couldn't blame him. They were all fighting for higher chances of survival, and it was natural to look out for oneself first and foremost.

What am I to do now?...She could only settle for a B-rank if she couldn’t join an A-rank team. B-ranks were not so common after all, so there could be open spots on some teams. As a C-rank, she should have good prospects of entering a B-rank team...

But she wanted an A-rank team. Hell, she wouldn't be averse to joining an S-rank team one way or another...

A sudden crash brought her back to reality.

A bloodied figure flew out of a building and onto the sidewalk. Someone ran out of the nearby crowd, crying to the figure, holding them up.

Tia looked around. She had wandered into a luxurious shopping district. A crowd had gathered before one of the more extravagant storefronts. Curious, she went closer to see what was going on.

“Serves him right for going in,” one man said.

“The beauty say only women. He think he a woman?”

“Damn... I wish I could morph into a beautiful woman. Why do they always get all the benefits?”

“You'd best not do that! That's all I'll say!”

"Hahaha!"

Only women? What for? Tia glanced at the bleeding figure. It was a boy of about fifteen. His friend held him up, tears in his eyes.

“Boy, care to explain why your friend thought he had a chance?” One of the men snickered.

The boy wiped his face. “We didn’t know! We heard an S-rank was accepting teammates here, so we ran over. How could we have known there was such a restriction?”

“That’s what your brains are for, young man.” A tall, stoic man said apathetically.

“We had a little bet on who would go first.” The boy said. “I lost that bet.”

Tia shook her head, holding back a smile. You probably thought you had bad luck, but you now probably realize you were the lucky one.

“Hello," Tia called out to a nearby woman. "Do you mind explaining what’s going on to me? Who’s this S-rank?”

Just now, she had been worried about finding a good team, and now this opportunity had fallen into her lap. An S-rank accepting teammates? She couldn’t fault the teenagers for charging in blindly.

If I missed this opportunity and died, I would probably deserve it.

However, Tia couldn't figure out why only women had the chance to apply.

The woman reluctantly explained, “The S-rank accepting teammates in there is... The Bane of Men.”

The Bane of Men!

The Bane of Men, Jerrod Tickle!