The Ranch

Trial Committee (2)

A rough looking photograph of someone that doesn't take care of them-self. That's the first impression I got from looking at the photo on screen. I scroll through the man's information, as I hear someone say," Oh? Isn't this the guy we threw in the dormitories as a Major?"

"Yeah, he had some talent when he first arrived, but he was too arrogant. Think he met one of "them" and lost all his confidence. We took pity on him." Another committee member shrugs.

"Surprised he's still alive. I heard he doesn't do much. Has he been fine with the increasing difficulty."

"It's damn talent I tell you. The fool sits on his couch twenty-four/seven, but he still manages to pass all his trials." A man sighs and shakes his head.

"Well I'm not so such he'll pass this one." A cocky man says.

"What do you me- oh, you were one of the ones that designed his trial."

"Yep! And we focus explicitly on physical strength, endurance, and mental pressure." The cocky man replies with a smirk.

"Then should we look at the live broadcast and see? He should already be there, so we can start his trial now."

""""Agreed."""" All the voices ring out at the same time.

They watch a live-feed of the area where the trial will proceed on a large screen. The microscopic drone that's broadcasting the images flies around the flat mountain looking for its target.

"Hey, how much did this trial cost?" One member asks worriedly.

"Ah, no need to worry about something like that. We modified one of the old trials." The cocky man says.

The member that asked the question nods his head and turns his attention back on the screen, but when he sees the image displayed he stands up in surprise, knocking his chair down.

Not only him, but many members stood up in shock, some slammed their hands on the table, some sat still, gobsmacked.

I peek at Instructor Felix to see the same stone-faced expression and relaxed manner. He's not looking at the screen either, never does. The trials don't seem to interest him... In fact, if it weren't for the chairman, he probably wouldn't come to these meetings in the first place.

I look back at the image on the screen that holds our target for the trial and a child that's not supposed to be anywhere near that area.

The committee members start scrambling around and I start panicking too. The cocky member is shouting commands," FIND OUT WHO THAT BOY IS! NOW!"

Using the system's interface, I apply facial recognition on the child, to get his information. His ID information appears on the large screen so everyone can see.

"He's a newbie?!?"

"How'd he even get in there?! Can we pull him out somehow!?"

"No, that's not possible...let's continue with the trial."

I exclaim,"But-"

"A single newbie isn't worth the cost and time of rescheduling the trial. We continue with the schedule, start it up." A member commands.

Everyone pauses. The logical words calm the minds of those in the meeting room.

A curious member continues to read the information on the board," Hmm? This..."

"What?" The person beside him asks.

"Looks like the newbie didn't take his second trial."

"What, why?"

I scroll through the information and find the answer, but only more questions seem to pop up as I continue to scroll. The scrolling words also appear on the large screen. The people reading the long list of observations are filled with stupor as new information keeps coming onto the screen.

"He...was the newbie that attacked Instructor Fe-" The man cut himself off before he ended up regretting it. Some people glance at the stone-faced Instructor, while others continue to ignore the entire situation, not having looked at the screen once.

"Fighting in the colosseum..."

"Isn't Phillip one of the well know gay playboys in the market area? His teacher is a powerhouse of the central market as well..."

"Eating at the fifth floor of the cafeteria..."

"...Cutting off another playboy's d- manhood, and ending up in a coma for a month. D-Didn't the newbies arrive a little over a month ago? How can someone do so much damage in such a small timeframe."

Every single detail of everything the newbie has done since coming to The Ranch is laid out on screen for all the members to view.

"Not only that, over ninety percent of the current well-known rumors are about him, but everyone believes them to be different individuals."

"Has...there ever been anyone in the history of this island that held such a strong influence on the circulating rumors? A newbie at that!"

"Ah! There was-" The man cuts himself off, but everyone knows what he was going to say. The committee glances at the indifferent Instructor Felix. The man in question keeps his attention elsewhere, not intrigued in the least.

"Eh? Wait you said he was in a coma for a month? Then when did he wake up?" Someone brings the attention back to the information.

I scroll down a little more,"...Between last night and this morning." A stillness encompasses the room after I answer.

"...the hell?" A member breaks the silence.

"How do you even make it to that area of the mountains in that condition?"

"Condition...Has intel gathered any evidence of a unique skill?" Someone asks.

I scroll through the words," Umm...no, There doesn't seem to be any case of that. He's the standard quiet type. Above-average physical abilities. Oh, it says he has an eerie aura and umm, people call him Tih, but that's not his original name-"

"Repeat." A low, deep voice echoes through the room, causing everybody to freeze in trepidation.