Chapter 5: Eyes from Above
Eggs scattered across the kitchen counter, broken shells mixed with yolk in a chaotic mess. Steam rose from the pan, carrying a peppery burn that clawed at the inside of Zin's nose.
"It's perfectly messing with me like shit Xavier in reels!" Zin muttered, flipping the omelette—or what was supposed to be an omelette. It looked more like scrambled regret. "I wonder when Tobi's gonna show up? It's been a few days, and somehow I can feel I'm getting close to landing a girl... hehe!"
He left the kitchen and sat in the drawing room, staring at his reflection in the mirror mounted on the wall.
'Can I really pull her? Nafi Crustain... 5'10"... hehe... 98... mommy!'
"Bruh, why are you smiling like an idiot?"
Zin jumped.Tobi stood in the doorway, phone raised, snapping a picture.
"What the—OII! At least knock or say something before barging in!" Zin's face burned red. He clutched his chest, trying to calm his racing heart.
"I can smell it—kinda shitty omelette, but food is food!" Tobi bolted into the kitchen, grabbed three plates stacked with omelette slices, and started devouring them. Alone.
'How can someone be so...' Zin thought, forcing a smile as he watched.
"Bruh, it'd be wrong if I ate all this while you're staring at it like you're starving." Tobi spoke with his mouth full, gesturing at the last piece on the plate. "At least take one! For taste!"
'This guy's doubling down on me?!' Zin's eye twitched. He maintained his awkward, iconic smile. "Nah... I already ate two of them..."
'Now I'm gonna get laid with Aira first! Haha!'
"Bruh, are you okay? You keep smiling like an idiot—no offense!" Tobi swallowed the last bite, wiping his mouth. "I heard Aira's gonna be at the Trials. I'm excited!"
'Me too... Now think of something clever, Lowly Zin...'
"Yeah, me too. I want to see her... skills for myself." Zin plugged his phone into the charger and headed toward his room.
Tobi stayed behind, scrolling on his phone. "She's not on PikPok... Pelegram... not even Peoplecord!" He sighed in disbelief, slumping into the couch.
---
Somewhere In Building Louisa Mariana...
"Sir, we hope you have a happy time!" The receptionist smiled brightly at a nervous-looking guy standing at the counter. He fidgeted, adjusting his jacket awkwardly.
"Oh, y-yeah! Thanks!" He nodded too many times and hurried past her toward the waiting area.
The building's interior was sleek and modern. Transparent blue holographic screens floated in midair, displaying match schedules and fighter stats. Different races—elves, beastfolk, humans—sat along the walls in organized rows. A few participants lounged in the waiting area, some stretching, others meditating.
The guy hesitated near an empty seat. He glanced at the girl sitting next to it. Wolf ears. Tail swishing slowly. Aira.
"Is... is it alright to sit here?" he asked softly.
Aira didn't even look at him. "Nobody said anything. Sit wherever you want. Why are you asking me?"
"I'm Jack Williams. C-Rank. Exchange student at Fire and Ice Academy... umm..." Jack smiled nervously, wringing his hands.
'Why would they accept a C-Rank as an exchange student?' Aira thought, crossing her arms. 'Whatever. I'm not falling behind anyone.'
Aira said nothing. She stared straight ahead, ears twitching in irritation.
Jack shifted in his seat, glancing around the room awkwardly.
---
Back at Zin's house...
"Now... let's see what I've got!" Zin crouched in front of a worn wooden chest in his room. The name "Apex Lein" was carved into the lid in faded letters. He flipped it open, rummaging through old trinkets and dusty keepsakes. "This...? A pendant with the artistry of a blackhole? GREAT!" His eyes lit up. He couldn't have found a better piece to impress a girl.
He held it up to the light. The pendant was dark—almost impossibly so—with swirling patterns etched into its surface. It seemed to drink the light around it.
---
∆ "This blud is literally filtering everything—no matter what—through ONE filter: TO GET LAID. What a waste..."
Holy Monkey's voice drifted from the Void Pendant itself, their form peeking through the swirling blackness. But Zin couldn't see them. The pendant didn't oppose Holy Monkey's will—it simply bent to it.
∆"Now let's see how she's doing."
Holy Monkey faded, slipping through dimensions like smoke through cracks.
---
In the drawing room, Tobi wandered over to a shelf lined with picture frames. He picked one up. Young Zin, maybe ten years old, sprinting down the street with a massive dog chasing him. Terror plastered across his face.
Tobi snorted.
Another frame: Zin covered head-to-toe in white powder—wheat flour—looking like a ghost. His arms spread wide, grinning like an idiot.
"So this is how my bro Zin was?" Tobi muttered, grinning. "Kinda funny."
He grabbed another handful of dry fruit from a bowl on the table, popping them into his mouth one by one.
---
Zin stood in his room, pulling on a fresh shirt. He stared at his reflection in the small mirror on his wall.
'I wonder why my mom works so hard... I could just get a job at some shop or something.' He frowned, guilt creeping in. Then his expression shifted. 'Wait—idea! I can make Aira fall in love with me and get money from her. That's basically a job!'
He laughed like an idiot, throwing his head back.
---
Meanwhile, at the top floor of Building Louisa Mariana...
The Chairman's office sat high above the city, walls lined with sleek security panels and glowing high-tech blue screens. A-Rank and B-Rank Hunters moved through the space with purpose, reviewing documents, coordinating logistics, their presence a constant hum of controlled power.
Chairman Kient Rabe(SS-Rank)stood at the floor-to-ceiling glass wall, hands clasped behind his back, gazing out at the sprawling cityscape below. Skyscrapers stretched toward the sky like steel fingers. The sun cast long shadows across the streets.
"Are all the tournament participants ready?" His voice was calm, measured. He didn't turn around.
"Yes, sir. Everything is prepared. The tournament will proceed as it does every year." His secretary, Lizzie Berin, adjusted her sleek, modern glasses, tapping through a holographic display hovering in front of her. "As for S-Rank details—we have Rio Blaze. He's currently the strongest Hunter-class in our AH Guild. Additionally, three more S-Ranks have registered to participate."
She swiped the screen, pulling up a list of names and ranks.
Kient's eyes scanned the projection. Then he paused.
"Lein...?" His tone shifted—surprise, perhaps, or curiosity. He turned slowly, walking back to his desk. "Who is this boy? An E-Rank?"
He sat down, pouring himself a cup of coffee from the steaming pot on his desk. The liquid swirled dark and rich.
'The Lein bloodline... was it vanished? Or was only he vanished?' Kient's gaze drifted to the massive screen on the wall—a map dotted with red circles of varying sizes. Some pulsed faintly. Groun-rifts. Portals connecting two worlds. The small ones flickered like embers. The large ones throbbed like open wounds.
'Either way... it's better to have another monster. We'll need them for what's coming.'
"That's Zin Lein, sir." Lizzie's voice pulled him back. She tilted her head slightly, curiosity flickering behind her professional demeanor. "An E-Rank. We only allowed his participation because we had extra slots in the lower brackets." She paused, glancing at the screen. "If you don't mind me asking, sir—why the interest? Mr. Jack Williams is a far more unusual anomaly."
Kient leaned back in his chair, coffee cup cradled in his hands. He stared at Zin's name on the list for a long moment.
"Sometimes, it's better to keep certain truths hidden." His voice was quiet, almost thoughtful. "This boy is either a fool... or something else entirely. I want to see how he performs. Despite..."
He trailed off, taking a slow sip of his coffee.
Lizzie bowed slightly, standing to the side. "As you say, sir."
But inside, she couldn't help but wonder. 'How does an E-Rank get this much attention?'
---
Behind Kient,on the map—the red circles pulsed in silence.
Thirty-eight brackets. Hundreds of participants. And somewhere in the lowest tier, an E-Rank named Zin Lein had just entered the fray.
Whether he knew it or not eyes were already on him.
---
[End of Chapter 5]