Chapter five: Vic
1245 Words
“Yes, I thought this would help me master the pacification skill faster.”
Arya replied seriously on her Smart Brain.
The other side stayed silent for a long time.
She waited a bit. No new message came in, so she put her Smart Brain down and focused on her meal.
Kai only found out she had opened pacification slots right before heading to the battlefield.
He froze on the spot and almost tripped over his own feet.
How was this so fast? In his understanding, a newly arrived Guide needed at least several weeks to adapt before starting pacification work. She had only been here a few days.
At the thought that other Sentinels would be pacified by her too, a vague, unpleasant feeling surged in his chest.
She was so perfect. Those insane Sentinels would definitely fall for her.
Just thinking about it made him feel irritated and sick.
He knew this thought was wrong. But he couldn’t control it.
His fingers hovered above the screen. He typed a few words, deleted them, over and over again. Nothing was sent in the end.
“Kai, let’s go!”
His teammates were calling him.
He glanced at his Smart Brain, gritted his teeth, and turned the screen off.
He just hoped she wouldn’t mind him not replying.
On the battlefield, Kai’s blade felt heavier than usual. His Spirit Beast—a silver giant wolf several meters long—seemed to sense his master’s mood. It let out a roar and tore apart the Aberrations rushing in one after another with its claws.
One Aberration after another fell. Black blood splattered all over Kai. His movements were still fast, precise, and ruthless—but his teammates could all feel it. Something was off today.
“What’s wrong with the captain?” one Sentinel asked in a low voice.
Another glanced at Kai’s dark expression and didn’t dare respond.
Kai knew the reason himself.
His mind was full of her. The way she sat in the cafeteria eating. The focused tone when she replied to messages. That woody rose scent on her.
“Damn it.”
He slashed at an Aberration in front of him. He used too much force, and his blade got stuck in a tree trunk.
The Sentinels behind him all shivered at once.
—
In the cafeteria, Arya was happily eating.
Shuangshuang was lying on her shoulder, its small head gently rubbing against her cheek as it lazily squinted its eyes.
One person, one cat, both completely focused on their meal.
But the entire cafeteria’s attention was almost entirely on her.
A Sentinel’s senses far exceeded those of ordinary people, especially in a state of extreme sensitivity to Guide pheromones. She didn’t need to do anything. Just sitting there was enough for that faint fragrance to soothe their agitation.
As a Dual-Abilities Guide, Arya’s Guide pheromone was a clean, elegant woody rose scent.
Not strong. Not sweet. Like a single rose in a forest after rain.
The scent slowly spread through the air. The Sentinels who usually ate quickly all unconsciously slowed down. Even after finishing their meals, they didn’t leave, lingering at their tables on purpose.
“This new Guide… isn’t she a bit too unaware?”
In the distance, a pair of golden eyes watched everything and let out a low laugh.
“With so many eyes on her, she still doesn’t react at all.”
Arya indeed didn’t feel much.
Because she was too beautiful, she had been used to being watched since childhood. At this distance, it didn’t even register as something she needed to be on guard about.
“Are you the new Guide?”
A voice suddenly rang out beside her ear.
Arya was startled and jerked her head up.
Standing right in front of her was an extremely tall man.
Blond hair. Green eyes. His features were so flawless they looked almost unreal. He looked down at her with a faint smile on his lips. Something about it didn’t feel entirely kind, nor entirely hostile.
More like certainty. Like he was already bound to win.
Arya tilted her head slightly and studied him for a couple of seconds.
If not for the faint sense of danger he gave off, she would’ve probably enjoyed looking at his face. She had seen plenty of good-looking people before, but very few at this level.
Vic was also studying her.
Purple eyes. Big and bright. Long curled lashes. Her features were delicate, flawless. Her lips were full and red.
She looked like she would be very easy to kiss.
His throat moved slightly.
“Yes,” Arya said. “What do you need?”
Vic froze.
He had been ready for coldness, indifference, maybe even insults.
He didn’t expect her to just calmly ask, “What do you need?”
So the new Guide wasn’t just powerful and beautiful—her personality was pretty good too.
He barely suppressed the urge to reach out and pinch her cheek.
“Nothing,” he said after a pause. “I just wanted to ask… when are you opening bookings?”
He honestly couldn’t think of anything else to say.
“I already did,” Arya said, opening her Smart Brain and turning the screen toward him.
Vic saw it.
His expression turned into clear shock.
How did he not get the notification?
But the next second, he stopped caring about that.
When Arya reached out, that woody rose scent suddenly grew stronger. Her wrist was right in front of him, pale and glowing.
His face turned red instantly.
His nose started itching.
Damn it—he was about to get a nosebleed.
“My name is Vic,” he said quickly. “See you.”
Then he turned and left right away.
He covered his nose, walking fast and messy, like something was chasing him.
His instincts told him: if he didn’t leave now, he was going to embarrass himself.
“Mm… see you.”
Arya watched his back, a little confused.
She didn’t understand why he suddenly came just to tell her his name, but she still politely responded.
Just to save him from embarrassment.
In the distance, the Sentinels who witnessed this scene were practically red-eyed.
What the hell? How shameless could he be?
Didn’t he see the Guide was eating? Why was he sticking to her like a stray dog?
“Disgusting.”
That was everyone’s unanimous judgment.
No one dared say it to his face, but that didn’t stop them from cursing him in corners.
“Who was that?”
“Vic. Captain of the Second Squad.”
“He’s way too bold…”
“Of course. His father is the base’s deputy commander. Who’s he afraid of?”
“So what if his dad is deputy commander? Guides don’t care about that.”
“What are you salty about? If you’re so brave, go talk to her yourself.”
“I… I don’t want to.”
“You’re just scared.”
“Shut up.”
But after they finished complaining, they suddenly realized something—Vic had mentioned “bookings.”
The new Guide had already opened her pacification slots?
Almost at the same time, everyone in the cafeteria opened their Smart Brain.
Checked the information.
2:00 a.m.
…Damn it.
To maintain physical condition, Sentinels in the base weren’t allowed to stay up late.
For the first time, they hated how early they went to sleep
- Writer
