The Ascension : A New Beginning (Solo Leveling x Tower of God) [ON A HIATUS]

Chapter 24 : What Thy Sow, Thy Reap

"I never would have thought that the little pup would be this... capable." Sam commented. The match had ended in a one-sided victory for Len, the clear underdog of the fight. The platform was slowly descending to the ground, as the other regulars had started whispering among themselves.

"I first met Len when I arrived on the seventh floor." Jinwoo revealed. "He was kicked out of his previous team for being, and I quote, 'useless'."

"Really? And what was that team made of? Rankers?" Sam asked mockingly.

"It was actually related to his position in the team." Jinwoo explained. "He was a spear bearer till that point. And even though he wanted to change his position for a long time, his team leader was rather stubborn and threatened to kick him out if he did so, which he ended up doing anyway when he found a better substitute."

"I wonder what they would be thinking right now, if they had seen his performance this round..." Sam chuckled, as he saw Len making his way towards them. "But let's be honest here, they deserve it."
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'Tch. That mutt ruined everything.'

While straining to keep a smile on his face, the blue-headed examiner was inwardly cursing Len for the stunt he pulled out during the exam. His nephew, who also happened to be taking part in the test, had specifically requested him to ensure that the team led by the mysterious regular 'Nocturne' was eliminated from the competition. And from the previous data that was gathered about him, the Lightbearer Len seemed to be the weakest link of his team.

The plan was flawless. Using his authority as a test administrator, he cooked up a test under the pretence of reducing the total number of teams and pitted Len against a dangerous regular while making sure his nephew would pass easily. Unfortunately for him, things didn't go entirely according to plan.

'Oh well...' He glanced at the team who were the source of his headache. 'Other opportunities should come by shortly...'

But that was when he felt it - A tremendous amount of pressure coming from behind him.

"My my, I suppose this is what happens when you hand out expensive toys to unruly kids."

'Oh no...' Reeves nervously turned around to look at the new person, already having deduced his identity from his voice. Seated on a pedestal floating in front of him was a man of average height, dressed in a dark coat with golden rims and arm strap designs, and a matching set of trousers and boots. His jet black hair was neatly combed with the bangs covering his left eye. A golden monocle covered his right purple eye, which threw a sharp and scrutinising gaze at the man in front of him

"Stop the test." He growled.

"B-but sir, it is already half-"

"NOW!" He shouted, gaining the attention of all the regulars present. The ones who were in the middle of the battle paused their duel to look at the commotion, a sentiment shared by the other regulars whose battles had already ended or were waiting for their turn. Sending a gaze across all the regulars who were present, the newly arrived person gave a content smirk before his eyes fell on the ranker in front of him once more.

"Now this is a surprise, Mr Reeves. First day on the job, and you are already hell bent on messing things up... I know Khun family members aren't really ones to bother about rules, but really? Did you really think I wouldn't know if you tampered with the brackets of the test?" He questioned him, not even bothering to hide his anger.

"W-well, Sir Armaas. There must have been some sort of mista-"

"DO YOU TAKE ME FOR A FOOL?!" Without even giving him time to complete, Armaas made a gesture with his fingers as Reeves began to gasp for air, clutching his throat. "This. Is. A. Test. Organised. By. The. Workshop. Not some floor test for you to freely mess around with the rules!" The force Reeves felt around his throat tightened, as he was brought down to his knees.