Chapter 37: The Entrance Exam (IV)

But honestly…

’How the fuck am I supposed to get out of here alive?!’ Gray was honestly troubled.

His mind couldn’t think of any plan to escape this situation, especially when Leon has the power to use Spatial Magic.

Not when everyone around him outranked him.

Not when he was slower, weaker, and utterly outclassed.

He was nothing in comparison.

Just a bottom-feeder tossed into a pit of sharks.

But…

There was still a option he had, which, wasn’t an option at all since the risks of dying were more than ninety percent…

But, what else was there for him to do?

“Haah…”

A shaky breath slipped out.

His spine slowly straightened, and his shoulders stopped shaking.

His bloodshot eyes locked onto Leon, and there it was again: that cocky, deadbeat smirk, carved across his lips like he didn’t give a damn whether he lived or died.

Lick…

Gray ran his tongue across his mouth slowly, like he was savoring something, then wiped the corner with his thumb, smearing away the blood like it was jam.

“…Sweet.”

Leon’s expression twitched.

’…Good.’

If he couldn’t win with strength… he’d mess with their heads until someone made a mistake.

Because that’s what rats did when trapped in corners… they bit.

“…Creak…”

Leon’s jaw tensed as he grit his teeth hard enough to make his gums ache. Gray’s expression, it was like a slap to his face, mocking him directly in front of everyone.

And it worked so perfectly.

Rage boiled beneath Leon’s skin. He wanted to scream, to break something… to fucking shut Gray up with a single punch to the throat.

But he couldn’t erupt, not in front of everyone, where his reputation could potentially go down.

’FUCKING HELL. First it was Gray… now it’s this random motherfucker?!’

He clenched his fists tighter behind his back, nails biting into his palms.

’Calm down… calm down. You already dealt with Gray… you can deal with this nobody too.’

’Yeah… he’s a nobody. Not a genius like Gray. That bastard… he nearly made me snap. Almost exposed me in front of everyone… thank the gods he’s gone. Exiled like the trash he was.’

Leon drew in a silent breath.

He steadied himself.

His face smoothed over like porcelain, calm and composed again, enough to make Dexter, standing nearby, give him a curious look.

“…Well then,” Dexter said casually, stepping forward.

His voice had that same relaxed tone, but his eyes glinted slighly, having a stupid bloodthirsty look on them.

“Shall we get back to it?”

Gray’s gaze snapped to him.

Dexter spun one of his axes around his finger, then pointed it at Gray like a loaded weapon.

“We can’t just leave things hanging, right?”

That bright, cheerful smile stretched across his lips, although… they quite didn’t match his eyes.

Gray stared at him with a calm expression.

’…It didn’t work…’

But he was quite disappointed that Leon didn’t snap like he wanted him to, because if he did, he could use that to make Maelis intervene on their fight.

However…

He glanced at Maelis who was currently still frozen in shock, her face almost being as red as a tomato.

It seems that it wouldn’t work.

’…The best thing I can do is stall for time.’ Gray thought.

He was deeply analyzing the situation, figuring some kind of way to get out of there… alive.

But somehow… he had forgotten about his own unique skill.

And now, he had remembered it.

“…Hahaha…”

Gray suddenly let out a loud laugh.

And almost instantly, everyone turned to look, even Maelis, her daze finally breaking as she blinked and focused on him.

Gray dragged his hand down his face, peeking at Dexter through his fingers like a little kid playing hide-and-seek.

“I’m gonna have to delay our fight,” he said with an exaggerated, fake-apology tone.

Then he gave a slow, sarcastic bow, complete with a smirk.

It was a move that showed pure mockery.

And it worked.

Dexter’s whole face twisted in anger.

“YOU DAMN MOTHERFUCKER!” he roared, instantly rushing towards Gray, raising both his axes in a ’X’ manner.

“YOU CAN’T ESCAPE AFTER GETTING ME THIS EXCITED!!!”

Fwip!

He swung his axes at Gray at full speed.

Leon, watching from the side, couldn’t help but grin at the thought of Dexter’s axes slicing through Gray’s body.

But at the last second, just before the hit could land…

Gray winked at Dexter.

“…Swap.”

Swish!

Gray vanished without a sound, making Dexter’s axes cut through the air, while also make him stumble slightly from the force of his swing.

“WHAT THE HELL?!” he yelled, snapping his head left and right.

He regained balance in a second, but the rage was already boiling over.

“WHERE THE FUCK DID YOU GO, YOU BASTARD?!”

His scream tore through the clearing, but unfortunately, Gray didn’t reply to his words.

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[My, oh my… quite the mess you got into, huh?]

A few hundred meters away from Maelis’s group, Gray slumped onto a large boulder, breathing hard, sweat dripping down his chin.

His appearance had already turned back to normal.

“…Shut the fuck up, Jasmine. I nearly got killed just because I forgot about my own damn unique skill…”

He dragged his sleeve across his eyes, hiding them for a moment as he sucked in another shaky breath.

[Well, whose fault is that? You got too used to relying on Puppet Strings. The second it didn’t work, you froze.]

Gray let out a dry chuckle, bitter and tired.

“Almost froze. I didn’t lose, and the entrance exam isn’t over yet.”

Jasmine’s voice sounded amused.

[Tch. Cocky bastard.]

She paused, her tone turning sharper.

[Still… you need to stop overthinking everything. You’re wasting energy on useless crap. You’ve got way more tools at your disposal than you act like.]

Gray didn’t answer right away.

He just stared at his hands for a moment.

“…Yeah. I know. But first, I need to recharge my mana.” Gray muttered, shifting into a sitting position. He crossed his legs, hands resting on his knees as he started to steady his breathing.

But just as he closed his eyes…

“…Who’s there?”

A voice, soft and sweet like honey, reached out to his ears, making his eyes instantly snap open.

[…This…]

Jasmine’s echoed in a surprised tone.

The source of the voice was… stunning

Light brown hair, soft and tousled, fell just past her shoulders, catching the faintest bits of sunlight that slipped through the canopy.

Her golden eyes shimmered, bright, curious, and oddly sharp. They locked on Gray with a strange mix of interest and amusement.

She had a slim frame, light and quick on her feet, but not childish.

Her chest was modest, still developing, but it suited her youth.

What stood out the most were her legs that were quite long, almost too long for someone her age, giving her an odd elegance when she moved.

“…Hello?” she said softly, tilting her head with a gentle smile.

But despite those friendly words, Gray remained cautious of her. He was on his weakest state so far.

’…Swap Mark…’

He quietly marked a spot behind a giant boulder in case he needed to switch and escape.

[…Gray, that girl in front of you…]

Jasmine began, although her voice was a bit… surprised, and almost hesitant to say anything.

’What? Just say it already.’

[…She’s the Vessel of Five Gods.]

Gray blinked in complete surprise,

Then, before he could stop himself, the word slipped out:

“…What?”

That one word made the girl stiffen.

“A-ah… I-I just wanted to say hello…” she said, flustered, her hands fidgeting slightly as she stepped back.

Her voice trembled, clearly confused by his reaction.

And that made Gray froze as he asked Jasmine….

’Is she really… the Vessel of FIVE Gods?’

[Yes.]

’Can they… sense that I’m a Vessel too?’

[Probably not.]

’But… you can sense her. Why wouldn’t they sense you?’’

[Well…my divinity is kinda low. They probably wouldn’t even notice me. Besides, I’m in a Soul Contract with you, so spiritually, I’m just part of your soul.]

Gray’s eyes went blank.

’...Right. I almost forgot you’re a useless goddess.’

[I am not useless!]

Jasmine barked, and of course, he didn’t respond.

He just stared forward, blinking slowly, still processing the fact that a divine powerhouse was standing in front of him, acting like a nervous schoolgirl.

“I-I’m sorry,” she blurted out suddenly.

“I didn’t mean to scare you or anything! You just looked… tired. I thought maybe you needed help or… uhh… directions?” Her voice rose slightly at the end, like she wasn’t sure what she was even offering.

Gray blinked a few times, then let out a quiet sigh.

“…Sorry,” he finally said, brushing some hair out of his eyes.

“I didn’t mean to startle you either. I was just… surprised.”

Her face lit up instantly at his words.

“Oh! It’s okay! I mean, you didn’t startle me that much. Just a little. Really! You looked like you were meditating, and I was going to leave you alone, but then I saw you and… well… here I am.” She gave a shy laugh and smiled.

Gray studied her quietly.

She didn’t feel like someone carrying five gods inside her. No pressure in the air, no divine presence, no overwhelming aura.

Just… a nervous, friendly, and weirdly warm girl.

’She’s way too relaxed for someone with that much power inside her…’

He gave her a slow nod.

“Thanks for checking in, I guess.”

She brightened again, taking a step forward, then stopping herself, a little flustered.

“O-oh! I’m being rude. I didn’t even introduce myself.” She held out her hand awkwardly.

“I’m Lyra. Lyra Ilven.”

“Gray.”

Gray hesitated for a second, then finally took her hand.

“Gray…” she repeated with a small smile, like she was trying to remember it properly.

“Nice name. It… suits you, I think.”

He raised an eyebrow.

“Suits me?”

“Yeah… I dunno, you seem like a ’Gray.’ Quiet, kind of serious, a little tired. Like someone who’s gone through stuff.” She said it like it was a compliment.

Gray almost snorted.

’This girl’s weird…’

Still, he couldn’t deny that something about her was disarming.

Jasmine, still listening, sounded unusually thoughtful.

[She’s oddly… friendly. Normally, you’d think a Vessel of Five Gods would act above others, but she’s surprisingly treating you like an old friend.]

Gray kept his eyes on Lyra as she glanced around, then back at him.

“So… what are you doing out here?” she asked curiously.

And that made Gray pause slighly, thinking of answer.

“…Just passing through.”

Her smile didn’t fade at his words. Instead, she stood there, shifting her weight from one foot to the other, clearly unsure of what to say next.

Then, after a short pause, she blurted out:

“Um…actually… I know this is kinda weird, but… would you maybe want to team up?”

Gray blinked, caught off guard again.

“…What?”

Lyra immediately panicked a little, waving her hands in front of her.

“I-I mean! You don’t have to! It’s just that I don’t really know anyone here. I just got to this city like… two days ago, and everything’s super new, and I thought maybe it’d be easier not doing it alone.”

She looked away, clearly embarrassed, then added in a much smaller voice:

“…Plus you seem nice.”

Gray stared at her. His body still ached, his mana reserves were low, and now this strange girl, this Vessel of Five Gods, was asking him to be her partner?

“…You really don’t know anyone?” he asked, narrowing his eyes slightly.

She nodded quickly.

“Nope. My family’s… kinda far. And I haven’t really talked to anyone since I got here.” She scratched the back of her neck, cheeks slightly pink.

“You’re actually the first person who hasn’t ignored me or looked at me like I was lost.”

Jasmine’s voice whispered faintly in his mind:

[She’s hiding something. But not out of malice… she’s just a little awkward.]

’A little?’

[…Maybe, a little too much.]

Gray sighed through his nose and looked away, then back at her.

“…You sure you want to team up with someone like me?”

Lyra blinked.

“Huh? What do you mean?”

He shrugged slighly, after all, his reputation was definitely on its worse state.

“People call me trash where I come from. I’m not exactly popular either.”

She frowned a little, but not in a judgmental way, more like someone annoyed by something dumb.

“That’s stupid. You don’t seem like trash to me.”

Gray tilted his head, unsure how to respond to that.

Lyra, realizing how blunt she sounded, quickly added:

“I-I mean, you seem cool! And you’re calm and stuff. You didn’t yell at me or treat me like I was weird, and… I dunno. I trust my gut.”

“…You really are strange,” Gray muttered.

Lyra just gave him another soft smile.

“So… is that a yes?”

He paused for a moment, then finally gave a tired sigh.

“…Fine. We’ll team up.”

Her face lit up.

“Really? Yes! Oh… thank you!”

She stepped forward like she was going to hug him, then realized what she was doing and awkwardly stopped herself, hands half-raised in the air before dropping them quickly.

“S-sorry! I just got excited…”

“…Let’s get moving… we’ll need to eliminate other people if we want to pass the entrace exam…” Gray blinked slowly, then turned away.

Lyra nodded eagerly, following after him.

And as they walked deeper into the wasteland, side by side, Gray couldn’t help but glance at her again.

’Vessel of Five Gods… and she’s this soft?’

He didn’t trust it, but part of him… didn’t mind it either.

Because…

She was the perfect meat shield for him.

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