God damn it. I expected some light training, but seeing the state of this place, I just knew it was 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 fell 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 clasped my hands and honored 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 sat near me, eyes on the huge package.

I took one of the meals which was in a brown container.

The other three followed 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 swiped the meal from his hand, taking full advantage of my superior stats.

Ghomas stared 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 snickered as they boasted the meal in their hands. Vacinay was practically performing a dance with it, whereas Hessien was caressing his meal’s container and whispering words of affection to it, as if it was a baby.

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

He stood up, and tried to act as if he was cool as he walked away.

Where was he going? This place was walled up.

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

“Kay,” I responded.

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

“Dying from blood lust due to genital mutilation? Nasty.” Hessien shivered as he opened the top half of the meal container and nodded in awe at the food.

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

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

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

Sigh.

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

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

Ashamed is a better word.

I kept my smile as I said, “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 handed her the meal. She nodded and happily took it.

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

“Absolutely!”

Good!

I released my grip. And grinned internally.

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

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

Hehehehehhheh.

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

Hessien nodded heavily as he bit off a huge chunk of the chicken and savored every taste. “It tastes so good…”

I totally agreed with him.

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

While chewing, I looked 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 heard 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 glowed and Tanya flew out. Like a small bird, she flew around before floating above him.

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

Eh… I assumed she didn’t need to eat.

Hessien said that, while guarding his meal. “The hell? Aren’t you a spirit wanna-be? You don’t need to eat!”

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

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

They wrestled, but she easily overpowered him and swiped the third of the chicken that was remaining.

With a devious grin, she fit the entire thing in her mouth… that wasn’t the oddest thing though. It was the fact she had enlarged her mouth to comical size for it.

While the chicken was moving down her throat, Hessien charged at her with pure murderous intent.

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

She shook her head, furiously, unable to talk.

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

Hessien who was consumed with rage suddenly had an idea. He elbowed his stomach, which immediately caused intense pain in her.

With Hessien dropping to the stomach, gasping. So did she, while also sending back up the meat she ate with it covered in her filthy blue saliva. Tears rolled from her eyes as she kept on spitting out saliva.

Then with pure rage, she glared at Hessien, who grinned. “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 looked like Chinese censorship.

Hessien clasped both his mouths as he swallowed the scream that was begging to be released into the world.

Endure it, my boi’.

While that was occurring, Yamanda was staring, shocked.

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

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

I quickly tried to explain, but the arrogance of Yamanda didn’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 been imprinted onto your history books.”

Wait what?

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

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

Yamanda lowered her eyes to Hessien.

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

Immediately, she drew her sword, which had certain gemstones with various colored embedded at the handle. A white one glowed, and immediately, she disappeared—

A sword sliced at Tanya, who was 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 got up in a panic.

Shit shit shit!

I couldn’t even use time freeze in the moment. Even if she wasn’t going to target us, it still brought enough fear in me to want to get on immediate guard.

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

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

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

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

Yamanda was confused but shot forward with her sword, slicing and dicing at Tanya, who would split herself into sections to avoid getting actually sliced by the sword.

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

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

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

Yamanda shouted, “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 moved so fast, she appeared as blurs. She used her super speed in conjunction with teleportation in the attempt to confuse Tanya. Then she leaped back, and suddenly Tanya appeared 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 teleport!

Tanya clicked 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 stretched her hand towards Yamanda who teleported Tanya away in a frenzy.

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

“Kill me?!” Yamanda roared.

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

Hessien ignored Tanya, and instead told 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 evaporated away in that instant. “Oh. Then please kill her.” He saluted.

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

Tanya laughed as she floated around Hessien, it wasn’t a chaotic or evil one, but one of pure glee, like a child.

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

Abruptly, a white barrier was erected and disappeared as soon as it came.

What the hell did she just do…?

Tanya gracefully landed near Hessien. She placed her hand on his shoulders as she told 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.”