Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

After a soul-piercing laugh that lasted several seconds, Quant surprised nearly everyone present by spontaneously calming down and saying, "Well, it wasn't the worst plan. I can't really blame you for being ignorant of a Ranker's true power. Still, you're lucky I'm so nice. If I were another Ranker, this little stunt of yours might have cost everyone here their lives. Now, run along. I would feel guilty if I just eliminated your 'it' here and now. I'll give you five minutes to flee before giving chase. I'll even take the stairs to give you a sporting chance~."Hearing his Instructor's explanation, Shibisu was tempted to breathe a sigh of relief, but, seeing the flames dancing within Quant's eyes, he knew the man was anything but calm. If it had been anyone else acting as bait, their chances of passing would have been close to 0%. Quant wasn't the type of man who forgave offenses easily, so, while he probably wouldn't kill them, they wouldn't be walking away without a few broken bones...Though it wasn't easy, Shibisu ultimately managed a smile, stating, "After I become a Ranker, I'll buy you dinner as an apology. Catch you later, teach." before running away at Khun's direction. This left Quant with a wry smile on his face, his head shaking as he muttered, "Damn brat...I'll make sure you go broke..." in an amused tone.---With Quant holding true to his word, Khun directed the ambush team to form a defensive line at the corridor leading to the stairwell connecting to the top floor. They would serve as the first line of defense, buying as much time as possible while Anak was on the elevator. As for everyone else, they had been gathered within the stairwell itself, spaced out so that the Fishermen could block the front while the Spear Bearers rained down spears from above.Even if Quant had already expended his single use of Shinsu, none of the Regulars harbored any delusions of defeating the man. They couldn't even see him move when he went all out, so, rather than attempt another ambush, they were going with Khun's secondary plan: demonstrating their capacity in their respective Positions. Quant had already afforded them more time than he needed to, so, while they wouldn't pass on the opportunity to steal his badge, exhibiting their teamwork was more important.Unfortunately, not everyone seemed to be in agreement with this plan, as, the moment the Hide-and-Seek match began, Hwa Ryun vanished into thin air while Laure simply found a quiet place to lie down and take a nap. He already had more than enough points to ascend to the third floor so he didn't need to exert himself at all. As for Hwa Ryun, she was one of the only Regulars that never even tried to get close to anyone else, choosing to keep to herself and occasionally even going so far as to skip class.With Laure and Hwa Ryun being two of the strongest members on their team, their absence was a sore spot for many of the Regulars close to failing. Unfortunately, even if they wanted to complain, there was simply nothing they could do about the situation as each Regular was ultimately allowed to act however they pleased. There was nothing forcing them to work together as a team, and, from the Admin's point of view, everyone was considered to be responsible for their own actions, injuries, failure, and even death...---Though there was no one around to hear him, Quant ended off the count by shouting out the final few numbers. In reality, he was using his Pocket to keep track of the time, and, from the moment it counted down to zero, his body seemed to flicker out of existence before the sound of several sonic booms echoed throughout the darkness.The moment they heard the thunderclap-like sound, the team guarding the corridor, consisting of Dede, Aleksai, and Rozeal tensed up their bodies. This was especially true for Dede, the young man with a horn sticking out from the back of his head. His Position was that of the Fisherman, so, while the other two were hiding above, prepared to bombard Quant with both spears and Shinsu, he was given the task of blocking the actual path. As a result, the needle in his hands was shaking madly, a point that wasn't missed by the man who had spontaneously appeared behind him to say, "Did you know? If you can hear the sonic boom, the person who created it has already reached you..."Hearing the voice from behind, Dede attempted to spin around, swinging his needle in much the same way as a sword. Unfortunately, with very few exceptions, needles were rounded and smooth to the point of having virtually no imperfections along their surface. This made it easy to use them in environments with high Shinsu density, but, as a result, they weren't able to inflict any substantial damage when used for anything other than piercing.Catching the needle without any effort whatsoever, Quant was unable to resist the urge to roll his eyes as he said, "Next time, keep your back to a wall or pay better attention to your surroundings. What did Hex teach you guys?"Finished with his words, Quant took advantage of the fact that Dede hadn't let go of the needle, pulling the boy off balance before kicking him square in the abdomen with very little force. As for the reason, they were currently near the top of a long flight of stairs, so, even if he didn't injure the boy himself, Dede was bound to suffer on the way down.With the Fisherman out of the strike zone, spear after spear began to rain down from above, each piercing nearly half their length into the stairs. These were provided courtesy of Aleksai, who, as a result of his daily training sessions, had become much stronger. He was still far from being able to compete against Anak, but, compared to his past self, he was almost a completely different person.Unfortunately, even with the higher vantage, Aleksai wasn't able to hit Quant with any of his spears. In fact, the man had even closed his eyes, arms folded behind his back as the very casually dodged each and every one of them. This filled Aleksai with a fair amount of indignation, but, with Rozeal charging a rather sizeable Baang of Shinsu at his side, he prevented himself from leaping down to try and forcibly block the passage.Though she was inarguably the worst Wave Controller among the seven Regulars who had qualified for the Position, Rozeal still had her Shinsu-Controlling Wand. This had given her an advantage over Hoh during their lessons, and, now that she was on the verge of failing, Rozeal was intending to use the wand's 'final' ability to secure a passing grade. This allowed her, at the cost of the wand itself, to drastically increase the amount of Soo she could gather into a single Baang.Appearing eerily similar to Laure's charged attack, the Baang formed by Rozeal grew to more than a meter in diameter before she pointed the wand towards Quant and shouted, "Please accept these heartfelt emotions, Test Administrator~!"Hearing the rather 'curious' outburst, Quant just shook his head as he stared at the wave-like wall of Shinsu headed his way. It easily covered the width of the corridor, but, as someone who could travel at several thousand times the speed of sound using Shinsu, there was nothing preventing him from simply leaping over the attack. As a result, he easily evaded the attack before craning his head and asking, "Do you have a grudge against that boy or something?"Confused by Quant's words, Rozeal tilted her head to the side, illusory questions marks seeming to appear above her head. Immediately after that, however, she heard Dede, who had barely managed to climb to his feet, shout out, "Rozeal, you biiiiiitch...!" as he was washed further down the stairs.At the moment when Rozeal had turned towards the direction of the scream, Quant bounded up the walls of the corridor, appearing in front of the stunned woman almost instantaneously before saying, "Wave Controllers are meant to control the flow of the entire battlefield. Awareness of your surroundings and control are the most important skills you can possess. You let your desire to pass blind you. Now, go to sleep."Without her wand, Rozeal's ability to control the flow of Shinsu was meager, at best. As a result, she had no method to counterattack Quant as he easily sidestepped her flailing to chop the side of her neck. This caused her entire body to go numb, and, due to Quant not even attempting to catch her, she ended up falling painfully to the ground before passing out.Seeing Rozeal's head smack against the ground, Quant resist the urge to spit on her body before turning around to face Aleksai. He had no compassion for those who would injure their allies, even accidentally, so she was lucky to get off with just a bump to the head...Though he had a few spears left in his Pipe, the unique Arms Inventories adopted by Spear Bearers, Aleksai didn't immediately attack Quant. His only hope of injuring the man was by catching him with a piece of shrapnel, so, with the former standing next to the fallen Rozeal, there wasn't much he could do. Fortunately, this seemed to be the 'correct' decision, as, after a tense staring contest, Quant nodded approvingly at him before leaping down to the corridor below.Taking advantage of the fact that Quant seemed willing to fight him, Aleksai leaped down after the man, falling with meteoric force due to his 240cm height and 320kg weight. This was, of course, easily evaded by Quant, but, rather than end the fight immediately, the nimble man continued to dodge for a few seconds before saying, "It's too soon for you, but you should consider becoming a Defender in the future. Your skill as a Spear Bearer isn't bad but you lack the disposition required to become a Ranker in that Position. I can tell by your form that you're more of a defense brawler than anything else so make sure you train your body and master Shinsu reinforcement."As it was his first time hearing of the Defender Position, Aleksai's movements temporarily slowed as a confused expression appeared on his face. In that exact same moment, Quant seemed to fade out of existence, his voice suddenly echoing from behind to say, "Like I said, it's too early for you. You'll find out more as you climb the Tower."Without bothering to explain further, Quant kicked Aleksai in his back with enough force to send him tumbling down the stairs in much the same way as Dede. Immediately after that, he checked his Pocket to see that around seven minutes had passed. This meant that Anak would be reaching the top pretty soon, and, given her speed, it wouldn't even take her two minutes to reach the exit.While making a mental note to ask for a raise, Quant performed a few light stretches as he mused to himself, "Sorry kiddos, it looks like I don't have the time to properly educate each of you. Even if it's just a test, I can't let myself be defeated by a bunch of brats...guess I'll need to get serious..."Following his musings, Quant chuckled to himself before leaning forward and, once again, creating a series of sonic booms in his wake. The only Regulars left were the Scout candidates from his class, two Spear Bearers he had never bothered to remember the names of, a single Light Bearer, and the enemy team's 'it'. It was pretty clear that they were planning to stall him by taking advantage of the 'affection' he had for his own students, so, with a rather vicious smile on his face, Quant entered the spiraling stairwell to show his favorite group of brats a bit of tough love...(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'The legendary male Tsundere...','Happy birthday to the ground','Someone call the School Board (O . O)...')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

While Quant was, very quickly, making his way up the spiral stairwell, a feat that earned him quite a bit of fanfare from the Regulars who had yet to participate; a young man with light-blue hair could be seen exiting a blue Lighthouse that had been hovering just above the bridge leading to the exit. This was none other than Khun, and, had there been no rule requiring their 'it' to be a Fisherman, it would have been very easy for him to finish the test.Since he was the one keeping track of all his allies' movements, Khun knew just when he should exit his Lighthouse to avoid unnecessary suspicion. As for why anyone would be suspicious of him, well, it stood to reason that; if he was able to reach this point so quickly, his 'it' would have been able to do much the same. Instead, he had everyone lay in ambush before splitting his team into multiple defensive lines, even going so far as to have Anak participate in the ambush just to throw everyone off.If he were being honest, Khun had lost his fondness for tricking people in order to further his goals. His meeting with Baam had slowly started to change something deep inside of him, and, though he found the boy 'painfully naive' at times, Khun felt like his enigmatic friend was something the Tower desperately needed. Because of this, he did not hesitate to betray the team he had been carelessly assigned by the Admins, as, in his mind, Team A was not his 'real' team.While making a mental note to provide parting gifts to all the Regulars he was bound to fail, Khun turned his attention to the final flight of stairs leading from the elevator to the bridge. It was a total of one-kilometer long, and, though it wasn't that difficult to scale, the Shinsu density inside made it hard for people to breathe. As a result, Anak, despite her superhuman physique, emerged from the corridor with matted hair and beads of sweat rolling down her face.Seeing Khun standing at the entrance to the bridge, Anak took a moment to bend over, hands on her knees as she fought for breath for one of the first times in her life. Then, after wiping the sweat from her brow, she asked, "What are you doing here? Why did you and the bagworm disappear at the start of the test?"Though Anak wasn't the brightest among the Regulars, she hadn't evaded the Jahad Empire for more than three-hundred-years without acquiring the ability to sense when something was amiss. She also knew Khun's character after observing him over the past month, so, while she didn't say anything during the planning phase, she knew he was up to something.Since there were currently no eyes on them, Khun decided it would be prudent of him to be honest with the distrustful Princess across from him. She had a close relationship with Phae and Gandr, two of the people paramount to his plans of climbing the Tower. Thus, even if she was bound to cause him a number of headaches, Khun didn't want to upset the girl and give her a reason to go against him in the future.After quickly organizing his thoughts, Khun adopted a serious yet sincere look as he asserted, "I'm doing everything in my power to guarantee all our 'friends' are able to move up the Tower. You can beat me up all you want later, but, at least for the time being, please trust me. I might not be a nice person, but, no matter what, I would never betray the people I care about..."Hearing Khun's 'heartfelt' words, Anak got the impression he wasn't being completely honest with her. Fortunately for the youth, Phae had mentioned him when discussing people she should be able to trust. Though she was far from that point, Anak had already decided she would climb the Tower alongside Phae and Gandr. Khun happened to be on friendly terms with both of them, so, even if she didn't truly trust him, she could tolerate him at the behest of people she 'did' trust.Before Anak could voice her affirmation, Khun's expression paled slightly as he said, "Everyone else has already been taken out. Please, Anak, there is no time...!"Though she really hated being yelled at, Anak just snorted through her nose one last time before crossing her arms and saying, "You owe me an explanation later...if I don't like what you have to say, I'll make you spend the next fifty years as my punching bag..."---With Nare being the last among the Regulars, Quant just stared blankly at the crying girl hugging the jar containing her pet Shinheuh. He could hear Lero-Ro and the other Admins making fun of him for bullying a little kid through the invisible red Lighthouse that had been following him since the start of the test. Because of this, he ultimately released a sigh before rubbing his forehead and saying, "I'll admit, you really know how to turn on the waterworks when you're trying to buy time..."Hearing her Instructor's remark, Nare immediately stopped crying before poking her tongue out and remarking, "What else can I do? Great Teacher Quant is just too amazing-"Having wasted too much time already, Quant just shook his head one last time before saying, "You won't be able to pass through the 20th Floor like this...". Immediately after that, his figure seemed to vanish into thin air, this time without creating a shockwave and a sonic boom. In his wake, a very downtrodden Nare could be seen sullenly staring at the adorable creature curled up inside the pot, her voice somewhat pouty as she muttered, "As long as I can make enough money to be happy, it doesn't matter where I stop..."Unaware of the youthful-looking woman's utterance, Quant reached the same stretch of stairs that had fatigued Anak. This was a place even he couldn't tread carelessly, as, without Shinsu to protect the body, moving quickly through such areas could, quite literally, lead to death. Simply moving at the speed of sound within normal Shinsu required you to effectively tear through 5000kgs of force acting on your body. Going twice that speed quadrupled the amount of force, so, when Quant was pacing himself around Mach 2, he had to overcome close to 20,000kgs of drag force, a difficult feat without the aid of Shinsu.Gritting his teeth, Quant lowered his center of gravity as much as possible, arms streaming behind him in order to reduce as much drag as possible. This was one of the only times he was grateful to have a small body, as, by reducing his profile as much as possible, he could effectively limit the amount of force acting on his body by up to 30%. This was also one of the reasons his hair stuck straight up, as, whenever he ran at supersonic speeds, it was like having the world's most powerful hairdryer blowing in your face...After a very brief moment of hesitation, Quant managed to clear the 1km long stretch of stairs in just under five seconds. He could have gone even faster, but, much like a person falling from a great height and hitting the surface of a lake, entering denser fields of Shinsu from sparser regions required a slower transition if you wanted to avoid having skin and flesh ripped from your bones...Inhaling a breath of fresh air, Quant adopted a relaxed stance as he looked down the long bridge, expecting to see Anak's figure in the distance. Instead, he found Khun smiling at him from a few hundred meters away, a fact that instantly soured his mood.With a smile that wasn't quite a smile, Quant made his way over to the exiled member of the Khun Family, asking, "So, where's the lizard? What kind of game are you trying to play?"Though he was speaking casually, Quant was also looking around the area for even the smallest trace of a clue. He wasn't the Scout Instructor for no reason, so, even without Khun answering, he could intuit a lot of things just by looking around. If he hadn't already used up his single Baang of Shinsu, he would even be able to see invisible objects and track life signs within a three-kilometer radius.Having noticed what Quant was trying to do, Khun's smile became slightly more prominent as he shrugged his shoulders and teasingly remarked, "I'm afraid the princess is in another castle~."Feeling like the nerve in his left brow had been poked by an electrode, Quant's eye began to twitch, his smile becoming slightly vicious as he said, "Unless you want me to kick you off this platform, tell me what I want to know."Acting as if he was buying time, Khun chuckled lightly in response to Quant's threat before casually replying, "It's true. Anak never came this way. Our plan was to have her trigger the elevator without actually riding up it. She was told to wait until you began chasing after the rest of our team before sneaking to the first-floor exit. I imagine we'll be hearing the Director call an end to the test any moment now~?"Though the plan Khun mentioned actually had a high chance of working, Quant could tell the boy was lying. Rather, it almost seemed like the young scion was suggesting that he had any number of ways to complete the test. The fact he was here on the bridge was a testament to the fact he could sneakily move himself, and, by proxy, other people around. Despite this, the test had yet to come to an end, so, even if he wasn't able to see through the man's intentions, Quant could tell he was up to something.After thinking through the various possibilities, Quant's glower gradually relaxed as he walked over to the edge of the bridge and peered over the side. Then, with a teasing tone to his voice, he asked, "So, you're trying to get me to jump down...is that it? Too bad for you, brat. As a Scout, I have a habit of reading up on all the students. You know what they say, knowledge is power, yadda yadda. What I'm trying to say is that I've read your file. I know you can control two Lighthouses. Mind telling me where you've hidden your other one...?"Though his expression didn't change much, the color began to slowly drain from Khun's face as he replied, "My teammate, Laure, wanted to use it in order to block out the sounds of fighting. He has been sleeping in the Safe Area this-"Before Khun could finish, Quant grabbed him by the wrist, his grip stronger than a vice as he said, "I see. Well, it's too late for me to catch up with the lizard so how about we drop down to have a little talk with that friend of yours? I'm not fond of people who slack off while their teammates are doing everything they can to try and pass. Before this test is over, I'll make sure to educate both of you on how to properly work as a team~."Without waiting for Khun to respond, Quant pulled him over the side of the bridge, smiling as he added, "Who knows, maybe a certain lizard will make an appearance on our way down...?"Quant was pretty confident that Anak was lying in wait beneath the bridge using Khun's Lighthouse as a platform. She was most likely exhausted after running through the Shinsu passage, and, based on Khun's behavior, it was clear he was stalling for time. Though Quant didn't understand why Khun hadn't incorporated another strategy to ensure victory, it didn't really matter so long as he was able to expose the young scion's plot.As could be expected, Quant quickly sensed another presence within the darkness, but, before he could further goad his captive, Khun surprised him by breaking free of his grasp. He noticed a thin piece of fabric glistening in his hand, it's appearance resembling the wings of a cicada. This caused his expression to darken considerably but not nearly as much as when a leather strep suddenly appeared in the boy's hand, its length attached to a Pulley that quickly lifted the Lighthouse containing Anak to the bridge's surface...Though he was 'forbidden' from outright killing the Regulars during the test, that didn't stop Quant from loudly shouting, "I'm going to fucking barbeque you, you asshole...!" at the top of his receding voice.(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Bagworm (&gt;,...,&lt;)...','Loli used Crocodile Tears! It was not very effective...','The birth of the Blue-Haired Devil...?')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

With the Seeker being none other than the Scout Instructor, Shibisu, alongside the rest of the Scout candidates, were all in a depressive mood. They had witnessed Quant's speed first-hand, so, while it wasn't impossible to secure a victory, they understood just how slim their chances were.Feeling understandably exasperated, Shibisu released a tired sigh before looking around at the rest of his team members, settling on Khun as he asked, "What do you think of this situation? It doesn't seem all that fair to me."Showing none of the concern visible in the rest of his teammate's countenances, Khun just smiled in response to Shibisu's words before answering, "Well, it makes sense when you consider the fact we have two Princesses of Jahad in our group. Unless they made Anak and Endorsi the Seekers, there is no way to guarantee fairness other than selecting a Ranker for the position. Besides, even if we fail to reach the exit, there is a good chance we'll pass so long as we work together. We just need to do our best to demonstrate our capabilities in each Position."Though Khun's words weren't very inspirational, they were more than enough to ease the tensions of the remaining Regulars in the group. This automatically elevated him to a higher position in their minds, so, taking advantage of the convenience of the situation, Khun adopted a confident smile as he said, "Rather than give in to despair, let's focus on the positives. Our opponent may be a Ranker, but the rules prevent him from using any of the items typically associated with the Position. There is also the fact he can only use Shinsu once throughout the entire exam so there is a very real chance we can win if we play our cards right. To that end, I would argue the most important thing, at least for the time being, is designating a leader."Understanding Khun's intentions, Shibisu had to resist the urge to roll his eyes as he stated, "I think you should be the leader. You have more than enough confidence and you're also our team's most qualified Light Bearer. No offense to you, Leon."Hearing Shibisu's remark, Leon, a young man who could always be seen wearing a red beanie, just shrugged in response. As for Khun, he promptly took advantage of Shibisu's words, musing, "That settles it, then, From now on, you should all refer to me as Leader."Though there were mixed responses and a few half-hearted complaints in response to Khun's bold assertion, nobody tried to argue against him becoming the Leader. Because of this, Khun had all the attention gathered on him as he said, "I'm certain you all understand how impossible it would be to escape from a Ranker, much less one in the Scout Position. Thus, rather than focus on fleeing, shall we discuss methods to capture a certain fiery-tempered chibi...?"---With the half-hour allotted for preparations coming to an end, Vahn, alongside Phae, Gandr, Rak, Ghost, and the remaining Regulars from Team B, all observed Team A's efforts from high in the sky via a large digital display. All of the Instructors were also present, but, for the sake of discussion, a membrane of Shinsu had been erected to block sound between the two sides. This was to prevent any of the remaining Regulars from gaining any insight into the criteria used to evaluate the current participants, but, as could be expected, it also caused them to feel extremely nervous.Having already passed the exam, Vahn was completely relaxed as he watched Khun direct his team to split up into three separate groups. One group remained in the so-called 'safe area', the starting location which protected them during the thirty minutes allotted for preparations. The other, much larger group, moved to secure a massive spiral stairwell that led to the upper level, the location of one-of-two exits. It was much further away than the closet exit, but, considering Quant started from the closest one, it was by far the safest route.Near the very center of the arena, a large single-shaft elevator that connected directly to the top floor could be found. On average, this elevator took ten minutes to reach the top, but, from there, you would only need to run ten kilometers to reach the further exit. This meant, so long as you got your 'it' into the elevator and managed to protect the stairwell, you could effectively guarantee your team's victory.As could be expected, Anak was the person chosen to be her team's 'it', but, rather than making a break for the elevator, she teamed up with the first group to form a perimeter within a large area surrounded by tall pillars. This was an arena designed to emulate the section of the Middle Tower that Regulars in the past would have to navigate in between Floors. Thus, as could be expected, there were absolutely no light sources other than the Lighthouses belonging to the Light Bearers themselves.Understanding that Team A was trying to set a trap, an amused smile spread across Vahn's face as Shibisu, seemingly serving as bait, was left to stand in the center of the open area with a Lighthouse shining down on him from above...---In an effort to give the Regulars a sporting chance, Quant decided to limit his speed to around the same pace as Anak, the fastest person on the current team. He didn't want to be accused of using his status as a Ranker to bully Regulars who had yet to even qualify to move up the Tower. Lero-Ro had also asked him to show a bit of restraint, so, out of respect for their centuries-long friendship, Quant decided to take it nice and easy.Unfortunately, as if they weren't taking him seriously at all, Quant quickly came upon the scene of Shibisu standing out in the open. This caused his blood pressure to immediately skyrocket, but, as a responsible adult, he did his best to control his temper as he stepped out into the light, remarking, "I have to say, this is probably the most obvious trap I've seen in my entire life..."Hearing his Instructor's comment, Shibisu rubbed the back of his head, an awkward laugh escaping his before saying, "Well...you know how it is, teach. You're way too fast for us to escape so what else can we do other than buying time for our 'it' to reach the exit?"Never shy in the face of compliments, Quant felt his tensions relax slightly, a smile spread across his face as he mused, "Well said! As expected of my second-best student. Now, out of consideration for your honesty, how about a bonus lesson? I have high expectations for your talent as a Scout so you consider this a parting gift before you climb the Tower."Though he had a bad feeling hearing his Instructor's words, Shibisu managed a wry smile as he put his hand down and answered, "Looks like I'll be in your care, once again..."Amused by Shibisu's reaction, Quant issued a light-hearted laugh before placing his hands behind his back and saying, "Let's see...if I had to guess, you have between four and five teammates nearby, probably two Spear Bearers, a Wave Controller, a Lightbearer, and a Fisherman. If I include you, that makes this a five-to-one situation, at the very least...now, tell me, what do you think a Scout should do in this situation, my dear pupil?"Since his main focus was buying time, Shibisu adopted a contemplative look, remaining silent for several long seconds before tilting his head to the side and replying, "Dance...?"Losing his good mood, Quant deadpanned at Shibisu's response, his tone deepening as he asked, "Are you being serious...?"Offering an awkward laugh in response, Shibisu repeated his action of scratching the back of his head as he answered, "Sorry, I thought the atmosphere was getting pretty tense. I thought it might save me some pain if I lighten the mood a bit...hahahaha..."Finding Shibisu's answer amusing, the smile returned to Quant's face, a light chuckle escaping his lips as he remarked, "Commendable effort...unfortunately, we both know I'm not the type to hold back when it comes to disciplining naughty students. Now, let me show you the real answer..."The moment Quant finished speaking, his body instantaneously turned into a blur as he dashed toward Shibisu. This caused the latter to backpedal as quickly as he could, but, as someone with a relatively 'normal' physique, there was no way for Shibisu to outrun even a restrained Quant. As a result, he was instantly caught up to, but, before the fiery red-head could teach his precious student a lesson, a red spear entered the periphery of his vision, intersecting his trajectory.With his hands still neatly tucked behind his back, Quant easily arrested his momentum, stopping in an instant before kicking the spear away without any effort. In the exact same motion, he vaulted high enough to surpass the Lighthouse floating above, smiling as he said, "Let's see how well your team fights in the dark."Immediately following Quant's words, he kicked the Lighthouse with enough force to crack one of the surfaces. Then, like a meteor descending from the heavens, it crashed into the ground next to Shibisu, shrapnel erupted from both the Lighthouse and the stone ground. A few of these pieces hit Shibisu directly, but, other than a few small scrapes and bruises, he was more shaken than anything else.Without a Lighthouse to illuminate the battlefield, the surroundings immediately descended into pitch-black darkness. From within the darkness, soft footsteps could be heard, not from just a single direction, but all directions simultaneously, This caused another dry laugh to escape Shibisu's lips, a sound that seemed to echo around him before an eerie voice seemed to speak directly into his ear, stating, "In a situation where a Scout is outnumbered, one of the best things you can do is take out the enemy's eyes. Without a Lighthouse, numbers mean very little. Rather, due to the increased risk of hitting an ally, the enemy has little choice but to regroup..."As it was never pleasant to hear a voice directly in your ear, Shibisu's body momentarily tensed up before attempting a roundhouse kick towards the darkness. Unfortunately, his attack his empty air, followed by another laugh as Quant remarked, "This is why you were only second-best. Not being able to see in the dark is an extreme weakness in circumstances like this. Since you lack the inherent ability, make sure you pick up an item that covers for this weakness in the future."Finished with his advice, Quant appeared within Shibisu's blind spot, specifically behind him, while playfully muttering, "Checkmate~." What he never would have expected was for Shibisu to utter the exact same words as a blinding light erupted from one of the surrounding pillars. This momentarily disoriented him, not because of the light itself, but because he was certain the final Lighthouse was with the 'it'.Shifting his attention to the light source, Quant discovered that his intuition wasn't actually wrong. He simply overlooked the possibility that the team's 'it' had never even left. Instead, he could see Anak standing at the top of the pillar with a massive grin on her face as she shouted, "Sorry, but the one who is 'it' is right here...!"Following her outburst, Anak threw a green hook with meteoric force towards Quant. This wasn't her Green April, but she still had more than enough finesse and control with her Reel Inventory to manipulate the line and grasp objects at a distance. As a result, she was nearly able to snatch the badge directly from Quant's chest, effectively ending the game then and there. Unfortunately, she had underestimated the Ranker's pettiness, as, the moment he realized what was happening, Quant muttered, "Black Fish..." before soundlessly fading into the shadows at supersonic speeds.Black Fish was a technique that allowed a Scout to veil their body in Shinsu, effectively becoming invisible in areas with low visibility. This, combined with his Ranker-levels of speed allowed him to easily evade Anak's hook, reappearing to grab it the moment she attempted to reel it in. Then, with an expression that could only be described as 'absolutely livid', a crazed smile spread across his face as he looked at Shibisu and asked, "You're really looking down on me, aren't you? It seems I didn't give you enough love during our classes...hahahahahahahahaha...!"(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'I'm the Captain now','Quant be like: "I'm such a good teacher!"','Also Quant: "I'm going to f**cking murder you~!"')https://bit.ly/2XBzAYu &lt;-(p.atreon link)paypal.me/EinlionDiscord Invite: https://discord.gg/Jwa8PKh

Chapter 1725: Lesson