The Phantom Riser

CHAPTER FIFTY-FIVE - ROUND TWO

Kiro failed to get any rest. Or better put, his teammates denied him any rest. And so, he stood in wait, along with the rest of the survivors from the test. His eyes were heavy and he paid almost no heed to his surroundings. The only thing on his mind was sleep. But then, he noticed how spacious the hall was. In the beginning, it was so tight that you could barely move. Now, everyone could almost lie down comfortably. He was sure they were down to at least one-tenth of their original number. Not that it wasn’t expected though. But it still hard that so many people had lost their lives and some were still fighting for theirs.

“We sure have dropped in number by a lot. I didn’t think so many people died,” Karenia said. She hadn’t witnessed so many deaths during the test, but this was because Kiro always took the routes around people and fights. They had avoided a lot of confrontation, so it’s possible that they just didn’t witness countless deaths and not that they didn’t happen.

“Not all of them are dead. Mostly just failed,” Kiro said. He took a monk’s pose on the ground. He knew that any attempt to lie down would be disrupted by his teammates, so he opted to sit on the ground instead. From the looks on their faces, they were at an impasse as to whether to pull him up or not. But for now, they did nothing.

“What happens to those who fail? The penalty for failure did say death,” Victor reiterated.

“That’s just a name. Death zone; that’s where they were sent to. Well, they are as good as dead there anyway. Even we would have trouble surviving it, much fewer people who couldn’t pass the basic requirement. So, in the end, I guess you could say they are dead,” Kiro said. he remembered something that made him cringe.

“You ever went---” Karenia said, but stopped in her tracks. She recalled that Kiro hadn’t told the others that he was a reincarnate, so a question like that would arouse their suspicions. As long as Kiro didn’t say anything, she wouldn’t. But Kiro trusted them. Or so she believed. He entrusted them with items that they had fought hard to get. With them, his friends as well. Or was the matter more delicate than she was taking it?

“No. But I heard about someone who had and survived. Or rather, someone who will.”

“Who is he?” Karenia asked.

“They called him Mings. Let’s just hope we don’t have to come across him. he was annoying in his own way.”

“How so?” she asked again.

“Let’s hope we never need to find out.”

Before Karenia could pester him some more, Noah came out to meet them. He was in his usual attire and his calm demeanor had returned. Somehow, it felt like an act. “Congratulations for making it past the first round. I hope you made good use of your resting period because you won’t be getting anything like this again,” Noah said. Karenia and the others cheekily avoided Kiro’s gaze. His frown was obvious even if they couldn’t see it. “Congratulations to our highest scorers as well. The next test will be divided into two phases. The top ten will be participating in a different test alongside other top tens from other districts. The rest will get the notification in their system updates. This is the list of our top ten in descending order. Interestingly enough, our number one was the highest-ranked in terms of points among all the districts put together,” Noah said. He said that to attract the same attention that Kiro had been trying to avoid. There was no avoiding it. Someone like him was for the limelight.

A screen popped up above showing the top ten rankings

1.     Kiro Ner

2.     Victor Vaneki

3.     Jovak Leonard

4.     Isaac Wayne

5.     Karenia Zari

6.     Theodore Grant

7.     Lucas Evans

8.     Leroy Kane

9.     Olivia Minerva

10.  Nami Leno

“That’s your top ten. You should get your notification soon and bonuses as well. Good luck,” Noah said before he left.

“Kiro, you’re number one!” Karenia yelled. So much, that they all had to cover their ears. All eyes were on them. Six out of the top ten were in the same space so it was only natural that they would attract that much attention.

“And you are number five,” Victor teased. He knew that somewhere underneath that excitement of hers, she was frustrated by her position. And he wasn’t going to let a chance like that go to waste.

“Well, it’s only because I was stuck in that stupid place. If I was on the battlefield, I would have had more butts to kick,” she whined

“Well, those ‘butts’ are in the top ten so calm down lady,” Kiro said.

“We have made so much progress. But it’s only because of you guys. I don’t think we’ll survive on our own at this point,” Theodore said. “We are not exactly suited for battle, so we might end up being a hindrance for you.”

“If I thought that for a moment, I wouldn’t have allied myself. You are all strong, with the potential to go very far. I will help you in any way I can,” Kiro said. They all felt a lot lighter than they would still be in Kiro’s company for a while longer. But shouldn’t they be worried instead? Hanging around Kiro was anything but the safest place to be. But somehow, when they were with him, they felt safe.

“So, any idea what the test is like?” Victor asked.

“Do you know everything?” Olivia asked. There was almost no situation that they found themselves that Kiro wasn’t familiar with. And he was supposed to be a Riser like her?

“Well, almost,” Kiro teases. “I’m not sure about what the test is about, but I know that the test is carried out in groups of twos. So, each district will produce five groups.”

“So, Kiro and Victor, Karenia and myself, Oli---” Theodore said but was cut off.

“That’s not very balanced. I’ll go with Olivia. My ability has her covered the most. She needs backup to operate well. Victor will go with Lucas and yes, Theodore, you can go with Karenia,” Kiro said.

“Yes!” Theodore exclaimed but was embarrassed to realize that he had said that out loud. The looks on everyone’s faces were a mixture of teasing and scorn. Scorn from Karenia at least. She wasn’t the least bit happy that she was separated from Kiro, but it was important for the group. “I’m… just glad that I at least got one pairing right,” he said, trying to wriggle himself out of the awkward situation. But no one was believing him at that moment.

“Do you by any chance like Karenia?” Lucas asked.