Chapter 113- Protagonist Things (Part 7)

Chapter 113: Chapter 113- Protagonist Things (Part 7)

Chapter 113- Protagonist Things (Part 7)

For a second, Kaizer felt a chill run down his spine. It wasn’t the kind of anxiety that he had been experiencing ever since this test started; instead, it was more of a deep, primal fear of the person standing before him. He had never experienced that before, and it made him freeze in place as he stared at the boy.

His mouth parted open before he closed it again like a strangled fish. Then, he tried to move out of the way to see the light, only for the boy to step forward and cover the sun again, submerging him in his own shadow.

"P-Please... I..."

*Swish*

Before he could even speak, the boy’s hand moved like a flash, descending on him like an axe of judgement. Kaizer closed his eyes out of fear but didn’t feel the impact of the hit. Instead, all he felt was something being snatched from his neck.

When he opened his eyes again, he noticed that his badge was gone and was now in Rize’s hand.

Then, he saw the boy’s cold eyes give him one last glance, and then he turned around to walk away. Even though Kaizer was afraid, he still snapped out of his daze as he stood up and tried to rush after Rize.

"Give me back my badge!" He yelled desperately as he threw his hand forward. However, before he could even realize it, Rize grabbed his hand and threw him to the ground with a swift move. All Kaizer felt was his body getting yanked and his vision flipping upside down before he was slammed down.

"Stay put," Rize said coldly as he stared at the boy. "This place ain’t for the weak. Try something else."

Kaizer froze in place as he stared at Rize, his eyes wide as if the words he said hit him like a truck. He didn’t know what to say, and for a second, he felt all the color drain from his face.

"I can’t fall here! I have sacrificed so much to get to this point! I won’t let myself fail now!!" He yelled as he stood up painfully. "I won’t let anyone take that away from me!!"

His yell was filled with rage and a desperate desire to get his badge back. Nobody knew what Kaizer went through to get to this point. Nobody knew his sacrifices, his tears, his hellish life. They cannot comprehend how much hard work he had to put into this to make it this far.

Then, this bastard dares to say that he had no place there? He cannot accept that. He would rather die than accept such a thing.

Rize stopped and looked back at him silently. His expression was blank, not even moved whatsoever by what Kaizer had said. Even though he knew what this boy had gone through, perhaps even more than Kaizer himself, he did not care whatsoever.

"You done?" Rize asked.

"..."

"Good."

Rize then turned around to grab the other badge. At that moment, Kaizer clenched his teeth as he suddenly dashed forward at full speed, closing the distance between them rapidly.

"GIVE ME BACK MY BADGE!!! AAAAAAGH!!" He yelled as he threw a punch forward. Rize sighed as he stepped to the side and pushed his leg forward, making the boy trip on it. He fell to the ground face first as he rolled a few times.

"Sigh... What a pathetic guy you are." Rize said calmly. "You really have no idea what kind of place this is, do you?"

"..."

"You’re not going to make it on luck and prayers, boy. If anything, I’m sparing you a huge disappointment. Many others won’t be very nice to you in the future."

"U...gh..."

"Just go back home and live your life. This world ain’t yours anymore." Rize said as he turned around to walk away. Even though he never intended to say anything to Kaizer, as it was purely a waste of time, what Kaizer said had triggered him.

’He is talking about struggle and failure as if everything isn’t going to be handed to him on a damn silver plate. He is one to talk when the entire world revolved around him, and everything worked so that he became the heart of everything.’ He thought to himself. ’Pathetic.’

With that, Rize started walking away, not bothering to stare back at the protagonist, as it was none of his business anymore what he did. In the end, he did whatever was beneficial to him, and it didn’t matter whether he was going to ruin the protagonist’s life or not.

"Dammit... Dammit..." Kaizer lay there, his teeth clenched, his fists tightened as he punched them down. "How could this be my time... How..."

Tears welled up in his eyes from all the frustration and anger. Why is he so weak? Why is he so damn pathetic? Why is he always on the receiving end of unfortunate circumstances?!

He felt the pain stuck in his throat as he cried silently. Then, all that sadness turned into anger toward the person who caused him all of this. That bastard... That boy- he needed to find him and get his badge back... No matter what!

***

Rize left the area and headed back to where he came from. On the way, he came across several individuals, and he was able to deal with them swiftly before taking all their badges.

"I’m almost at 100 badges, which is not bad at all," Rize muttered. "I need to find Venera, though. I wonder where she could’ve gone."

Looking around him, Rize eventually decided to head in a completely random direction. He had no real goals aside from gathering as many badges as he could and then waiting for the end of the test.

’The situation seems to be calming down a bit as people spread around. There are still many fighting, but I’m sure soon enough, they will start strategizing about their approach rather than brawling like animals for three hours.’

What Rize was certain of was that the test would soon take a very interesting turn, but he didn’t know what it was exactly. Attacking everyone in your way isn’t ideal for those who aren’t exceptionally strong, so a better approach was needed.

As Rize walked along one of the roads, he heard a noise coming from nearby that made him look to the side. Through a small alley, he saw a glimpse of a candidate getting slammed against a wall as they fell to the ground. Then, a hand stretched and grabbed the badge.

"Hm? A girl?" Rize frowned as he stopped, thinking this might be his next target. But as he peeked through the alley, his eyes widened. ’You have got to be kidding me right now.’

The distinct red hair and sharp, gorgeous looks. There was no mistake about who it was. Rose Witherfield of all people. The last person he arguably wanted to see. Instantly, Rize tried to take a sharp turn and leave before she noticed his presence.

However, he was just a split second too late, as Rose looked up and caught a glimpse of his face.

"Oh?" She raised an eyebrow curiously. "You there. Stop."

’Fuck me.’ Rize cursed in his head as he tried to start running. However, Rose instantly chased after him.

"I said stop right there."