The System

CH- 76: Infiltration (IIII).

    Bomic yelps in pain. "It was meant as a joke," he manages to say before the pain interrupts. "AH! You mother—"

Carl understands the confusion and tries to diffuse the situation, but Tetsu acts a while longer hoping to pull out the archer. This opportune moment also prompted Tetsu to use [Info] without raising too much suspicion. He glances at each person, blinks twice, and releases them. Judging by their reactions, none of them detected the probing.

'Acolyte,' Tetsu murmurs, his interest piqued.

"That's one of his skills," Carl clarifies.

"Pretty foolish of him to push me towards annihilating all of you," Tetsu scrutinizes Carl.

{Tank, Level: 04. Human: Carl. Attributes: Bulk, defense, shield, water, coral, and stamina. Weaknesses: flash, flex, and traps}

"And why is it always me?" Alcer questions.

"Because you're our strongest warrior," Bomic retorts.

"So you want him dead?" Marvin pulls out the dagger with force and wraps a bandage even tighter.

"Ahhhh! Are you trying to kill me?"

"No, that would be your stupidity." Marvin tightens the last knot with all his might. "Apologies for his behavior," he bows to Tetsu.

Marvin, with his Asian heritage, carried himself in a manner reminiscent of his grandfather's generation. His English bore traces of effort, hinting at either recent immigration or upbringing in Asia.

{Mage, Level: 03. Human: Marvin. Attributes: Mist, Vapor, Illusion, and Mind. Weaknesses: Fire, Willpower, Perspective, and Raw Strength.}

"Fuck you," Bomic howls.

Alcer draws his sword and perches atop Bomic. Among the group, Bomic appeared the most slender, with short brown curly hair, pale skin, blue eyes, and a persona reminiscent of TikTokers—those who sometimes take pranks too far.

With the sword's tip against Bomic's neck, Alcer leans over. "I am sleepy," he yawns, the swing getting closer with each yawn.

"Okay, okay... I understand. I am sorry," Bomic's robes flutter as several smile prints vanish from within. He erupts into a mixture of laughter and pain as two huge frowning faces superimpose themselves onto Marvin and Alcer.

"He is peculiar," Carl sighs from behind.

"Weird," Tetsu corrects.

"Weird," Carl agrees.

'The weirdest in this trail,' Tetsu adds a note to himself.

{Mage, Level: 04. Human: Bomic. Attributes: Taunt, Flutter, Fluctuate, Hypno, Illusion, and Glass. Weaknesses: Raw Strength and Mental Fortitude}

"He's a good lad though," said Carl. "One of our best. I had hoped to take the lead and ensure everyone's safety, but it seems I keep having to rely on you youngsters." He pulls the shield from his back, this one much less bulky than the last, and leans on it like a walking stick before continuing. "I suppose old minds have no place in the new world that's emerging." He smiles with a hint of defeat. "Please don't take his actions to heart. I'll speak to Alcer and ask him to keep a tighter grip on him."

Tetsu turns to Alcer. 'Looks are deceiving,' he sighs.

It turns out Alcer was caught in a gap where he was losing touch with the older generation while still being too old to relate to our youngsters. Yet amongst the humans, Tetsu met so far, he was by far the strongest warrior.