Modern Monster

“You don’t say? Well, feel free to tell us,” Sen tried to conceal his suspicion as best as he could. Even Brittney couldn't get the slightest bit of information about the challenges, so how in the world did Hono manage to get her hands on it? Sen pondered.

“Well, ya see, I found out that all the challenges will involve a group of at least six people on each team,” Hono explained.

“Interesting…” he murmured to himself. “So they’re going by teams? That helps us quite a bit if that’s the case. We almost have a complete group of six. Now we just need to find one more person.”

If she’s telling us the truth…

“Well, we don’t have enough time to find another person!” Hana growled.

“I think that's the point. They want us to pick partners from people we have no relation to. Not too sure why, though,” Hyo presumed.

That’s not good; we can’t put another person in our group. That would be too much to manage. But from what she’s saying, it almost sounds like it’s mandatory. Better safe than sorry, he thought.

If they did need to add another person to their team, he would have to make sure his so-called secret didn’t spill out. He could possibly find someone similar to Hono, who seemed too innocent to be malicious, but that was asking for a lot. Besides, he couldn’t afford to watch over another person now.

“So it looks like we won’t have a choice then,” he grimaced. Kaiyo patted him on the back, trying her best to reassure his doubts.

Sen was sure Kaiyo misunderstood his expression. He wasn't worried; it was more confusion, which he reluctantly had to admit was quite fun.

“Well, a good thing is we are one step ahead of everyone else, so I suggest we should start to scout around,” Kaiyo suggested.

Sen nodded. “That sounds like a good idea. Let's meet back here once the academy opens.”

Sen signaled his sister to keep an eye on Hono in case she decided to betray them and run away. Stalking off from the group, Sen vigilantly observed the massive crowd. Actually, calling it a crowd was an understatement. This was the most people he had ever seen in one place.

The more he scrutinized the different people, the more he noticed many were on the younger side. And when he meant ‘younger side,’ he meant people his age. He had expected more people in the older range, maybe in their early twenties.

Most older people give up on becoming a knight because it is physically taxing for them. So that explains why the abundance of youth seems so prominent.

Now, someone who would join our team, huh? He couldn’t just flat-out ask someone to join. That would be too odd. He also couldn’t judge someone based on their physical appearance alone. Like the old saying goes, “Don’t judge a book by its cover,” sort of deal.

Well, I guess I can only snoop around and see what other people are talking about. That would at least give him a gauge of how the person acted. The good thing was that many were talking with their friends or strangers to pass the time, so Sen took this opportunity to listen in.

“Tsk, this academy is a joke. Aren’t they supposed to set a good example?” a contestant snorted.

“Tell me about it. If I have to wait another five minutes, I’m going to leave.”

The two contestants who complained brashly were instantly marked off his imaginary list. People who complain would get nothing done in the long run.

I’m looking for someone who would benefit us, not just as a placeholder. They can be dumb for all I care, but they need to contribute, he asserted. The more he walked around, the more it became clear it would be harder to find someone suitable.

Maybe his standards were too high, but the glares people gave Sen when he briefly stared at them told him more than enough about their personalities. Not to mention, it was hard to even focus on one person when there were thousands huddled together.

Disoriented in thought, Sen lost his spatial awareness and ended up bumping into someone—

“Oops, my apologies, friend,” the stranger spoke in a friendly, icy tone that made Sen’s whole body shiver. He only caught a glimpse of his obsidian eyes and long, blood-red hair before the stranger attempted to walk away, leaving Sen staring at his back.

He clenched his fists without thinking and tensed up. His body felt threatened, but the stranger merely continued walking past him before disappearing into the crowd.

I’ve never reacted like that when looking at someone before. Something tells me to stay away from him. Sen couldn’t help but notice the thudding of his heart pounding in his chest. He took a few breaths to calm himself down.

All he did was apologize, so why did my whole body tense up? I really should go to a doctor and see if I’m schizophrenic. This is getting out of hand. Sen decided not to dwell on that weird encounter and continued searching for possible candidates for a teammate.

Sadly, after long minutes of surveying people around him and keenly listening to their conversations, his quest wasn’t successful. His proactive mind wasn’t allowing him to trust a single individual. Letting out a sigh inwardly, he decided to leave the decision up to the rest of the team.

“Any luck?” Sen spoke as he tapped his earpiece. Once he tapped the earpiece, his voice should automatically transfer to all his friends. It didn’t take long before he heard a voice respond to him through the device.

“No luck so far. Lots of them, well, how do I put it, look unreliable.”

Hana was the first to respond. Sen wasn’t even disappointed. He wasn't expecting much from her anyway. Hana was a hard woman to approach.

“Uh... I did meet a lot of people, just not in the way I would like,” Kaiyo said apprehensively through the device. Judging from her clearly flustered voice, it was apparent she was getting hit on by other male contestants.

Which, again, wasn’t so surprising. The difference between his sister and Kaiyo was their mannerisms and personalities. Kaiyo had a softer, more reserved personality, while Hana, on the other hand, remained hot-blooded and bold. Most men preferred more innocent women, so it was only natural.

“I’m not sure where to start or who to trust,” Sen could hear Hyo frowning over the phone.

I guess even the social birds are having trouble. Must I do everything myself? This isn’t my expertise. I don’t really like talking with other people. It’s just uninteresting.

“Alright,” Sen let out a sigh, “I’ll try to—”

“Welcome, everyone, to the Knight Academy!” Sen’s voice was cut off as he heard a deafening announcement from the main academy. A wave of excitement erupted from the crowd of participants.

“It looks like they're finally starting,” Sen whispered into his device. “We need to regroup as quickly as we can.”

“Copy that,” they all said in unison.

Sen ran along the outskirts of the crowd to ensure he wasn’t spotted running suspiciously. The crowd itself extended to around a couple of blocks in length. However, even behind the surplus of thousands of people, he could see the entrance to the main academy’s doors due to the building’s height. Not long after, he spotted his friends behind the crowd and regrouped with them.

“Looks like we’re going to have to pick a random person,” Hana frowned while looking at the Grand Academy entrance.

“It can't be helped,” Sen shook his head. Although he was worried about the danger of letting someone who they hadn’t hand-selected, it couldn’t be helped.

“Young Knights!” The announcer's voice rang above them. Everyone started to cheer again in enthusiasm, eager after waiting for hours. Even though the announcer was pretty far away, Sen spotted him on top of the hundreds of stairs that broadly led up to the entrance of the academy. Thousands of people waited below, eager for instructions.

“I thank you for gathering today…” The announcer cleared his throat, speaking into a voice amplifier device.

“I must warn you, though, some of you—well, most of you—won’t make it into this academy. Only the most talented will pass, so without further ado, I would like to announce that you need to pass THREE challenges to be accepted into the academy," he went on.

“The first challenge will start inside the academy, which brings me to my next point. There must be a group of at least SIX people, so I will give you a few minutes to pick out your partners. If you don’t pick, you will automatically get disqualified!” the announcer declared. “Your time starts now!”

Gasps of shock and confusion rippled through the crowd at his announcement.

“This doesn’t make sense!”

“I don’t want to pick partners I don’t know!”

“How does this even have anything to do with becoming a Knight?” angry remarks arose from the crowd.

“If you don’t want to have partners, you can leave…” The announcer shot everyone a cold stare. After his statement, the complaints of the contestants disappeared.

“Well… it looks like knowing ahead of time didn’t really help us in the slightest,” Hyo sighed. Narrowing his eyes, he surveyed the crowd. Some people had already started forming groups and murmured quietly to themselves, likely introducing themselves or planning what the following challenges might be.

Let’s try this one last time, I guess. I hope it isn’t some weirdo. Sen separated from his team and started searching yet again.

“HEY! Someone let me join your party!” A furious voice caught Sen’s attention.

“HEY, YOU! LET ME JOIN YOUR PARTY!” Someone demanded. Sen caught sight of a person who appeared to be around his age, maybe a little older. He had unique, scarlet red hair with white streaks running straight down. What is he? A red-haired emo or something?

“Hey, you!” the boy shouted. Sen saw him pointing directly at him. “Let me join your party, goddammit!”

Sen blinked, staring straight at the boy's face. Maybe if I ignore him and pretend I didn’t hear a word, he’ll leave me alone…

Sen cleared his throat and slowly shifted his gaze away, turning around and walking away with a blank expression. I am most definitely not going to let someone so loud joi–

“NO, YOU DON’T! Don’t you dare walk away from me!” The redhead ran in front of Sen, blocking him from going any further.

“I’m sorry, but I already have a full party…” Sen lied.

“AS IF! No, you don’t!” he growled at Sen. I really don’t want this guy in my party.

“I’m not looking for another hot-blooded person in my team. I already have one…” Sen was, of course, referring to his sister.

“Listen, I don’t give a flying horse shit if you do! You should be delighted that I’m even suggesting it! You don’t even know the length of my power!”

“Let me guess, your Super Sense is Touch?” Sen barely managed to hold back a sigh.

“WHAT! No…” He paused. “Fine… yes, I do have Touch, but it’s still powerful!” he snapped back.

“I would've never guessed.”

People with Touch have bad tempers, and even other Senses are known to influence a person's emotions. Since I don’t have a Super Sense at all, that could explain why my emotions and thoughts are far different from others.

“Well, I bet your Super Sense is dumb! You probably have a weak one like Taste!” he cackled.

Huh… the irony.

“My Sense is Hearing, one of the most useful and strongest,” Sen lied.

I just need to stick with the plan, he convinced himself. It’s not like anyone would lie about that.

“Humph, I didn’t ask.”

“Yeah, you did…” Sen stared blankly, unamused.

“NO, I DIDN’T!”

“Pretty sure you did…” Sen shrugged.

“YA KNOW WHAT? YOU ANNOY ME VERY MUCH!” the red-haired emo exclaimed.

“I get that a lot,” Sen huffed. “I guess my high sense of maturity gets to people.”

Even Sen was capable of conjuring up a good joke sometimes.

“IF I COULD, I WOULD smack you right across the face!” he bellowed, inches from Sen’s face.

“Wow, never knew people with Touch were so similar,” Sen said satirically. “You should date my sister. You would be a match made in heaven.” Sen wasn’t sure if he wasn’t joking or not himself. Expecting a rude remark from the stranger, Sen was concerned when he just looked at him with a narrowed eye.

“Depends. Is your sister hot?” A grin crossed his face.

“No, not at all. She’s quite ugly, actually,” Sen blinked. Shit, he’s actually considering it.

“Ya know what? You’re funny. I like you,” the red-haired emo chuckled as he put his arm around Sen.

“I can’t relate,” Sen said uncomfortably.

“Young Knights, your time is up! If you haven’t found a partner, you must leave immediately.” Sen heard the announcer’s voice. Oh great. Glancing desperately around to find another partner for his party, Sen reluctantly came to the realization that almost everyone had formed groups of six individuals while he was busy.

Well… I’m screwed…

Sighing, Sen realized what the only logical option was. After heavy consideration and reviewing every possible choice he could think of, he exhaled.

“Well, guess I’m not becoming a Knight anymore,” Back to the drawing board, I suppose.

“HEY! DON’T YOU DARE LEAVE ME!” the stranger cried out as Sen attempted to leave again. “Come on! If we don’t stick together now, neither of us will become Knights!”

Obviously, Sen wasn’t planning on giving up that easily. He thought that would at least fool him.

“Listen, I’ll be good in your team! I swear that I won’t start trouble. I-I'll follow your every word like a dog,” he promised. Sen wasn’t sure if that was a good or bad thing.

Well, I did want someone who wouldn’t interfere, plus he says he’ll do exactly what I want. But how do I know if he's telling the truth?

“Sit,” Sen ordered him.

…

“WHAT? NO, I DIDN’T MEAN LITERALL—”

“Sit…”

He just stared at Sen with a frozen expression, contemplating what he should do. Finally, he let out a defeated sigh.

“Woof woof…” he crouched on the floor, utterly humiliated. Sen murmured in intrigue. Hmm, well, I certainly didn’t think he would do it. I guess that's pretty impressive.

“Fine… make sure you hurry up,” Sen brusquely turned around and started walking in the direction of his team.

“AYYYY, THAT’S MY MAN—uh… what’s your name?”

“Sen.”

“Alright then, I guess it's my time to introduce myself. My name is Baru!” He puffed his chest out. “My goal is to be a Diamond rank Knight!”

That’s quite an ambitious goal, Sen thought. Knowing there are only a handful of Knights at that rank, I doubt he will achieve such a big position. Not to mention, they’re in charge of the academies around the world. He just doesn’t seem the type to handle that mantle.

“I hope you and I can work together to achieve our goals!” Baru said enthusiastically.

“Likewise…” Sen replied.