37 Result

"Darius... " Captain Yamamoto spoke while watching Kevin take Adam downstairs along with James.

"Yes. " Darius turned to captain Yamamoto and replied.

"The training for The Bronx raid starts tomorrow at 9 am sharp. " The captain said before walking toward the stairs with a faint smile. "Make sure he's healed up by then."

"I will. " Darius said while his gaze alternated between the captain's departing back and Sneed. 'Seems like it's a provisional acceptance, but that's also fine... ' He thought before walking off with a serious expression.

"Haha! Damn! I'm still shaking. " Sneed said with a trembling voice and a wide smile. "I can never get used to the captain's serious mode... "

"That surprised me. " Marianne spoke with a slight frown.

"I'm leaving. " Ash announced before disappearing into thin air.

"Ah! Ash left! I wanted to invite him for a cup of coffee, too... " Elina said while pouting. "He's always like this. "

"Forget about that edge-lord. " Sneed said with an annoyed expression. "Let's see who won the bet. Tyrone, how long did the newbie last? " He asked Tyrone.

"I-I thought you were the one timing the spar... " Tyrone replied in a surprised tone.

"What do you mean?! You were the one holding the money! " Sneed's expression turned pale at Tyrone's unexpected reply.

"Exactly! I was holding the money, so someone else should time the fight. " Tyrone whipped out the bands of cash in his pocket.

"It's no use arguing. You're both idiots. " Marianne said in a disappointed tone. "Just return everyone's money... "

"Here you go. " Tyrone passed Marianne her money first.

"Give me James's money, too. I'll return it. " Sneed collected his money and spoke with a serious expression.

"Nope. " Tyrone replied with a glare. "You're planning on using this money to gamble. James has some real responsibilities, unlike you. " He continued before walking towards the stairs.

"Tsk! That guy is too serious... " Sneed said in an annoyed tone while watching Tyrone leave the floor.

________________

At 7 pm, inside a hospital room in Manhattan.

*GASP! *

Adam woke up with a terrified expression while gasping for air.

'What the hell was that?! ' His hands shakily caressed his sweaty neck. 'That was neither Magic nor Aura, but something else... ' His eyebrows furrowed as he looked at his surroundings.

'Shit! ' He slapped his forehead with a regretful expression. 'So, I didn't make it into the task force, after all... '

*Ka-Chick! *

The room door opened before Adam could wallow in his sorrow.

"Yo! " It was Darius, who entered the room with a brief greeting.

"Darius... " Adam looked up at the approaching Darius.

"You feeling better? " Darius asked with a smile before grabbing a seat.

"Yeah, now that you mention it, my broken ribs completely healed... " Adam replied while examining his body. "I am once again in your debt. " He said in an apologetic tone.

"Haha! If you want to pay me back, then do so by contributing to the task force. " Darius spoke while chuckling.

"You mean... " Adam perked up and said in a surprised tone.

"Yeah, welcome to the task force, Adam. " Darius took Adam's hand and shook it with a smile. "I expect great things from you. "

"I won't let you down. " Adam replied with a smile of his own.

"Now. " Darius cut the heartfelt moment short and moved on to the main point of discussion. "Keep in mind that the situation might change depending on your future conduct, so make sure not to repeat today's mistake. " He continued in a serious tone.

"I understand the captain's intentions. " Adam spoke with a resolute expression.

"Training starts at 9 am. " Darius said before standing up. "Don't be late. "

Adam replied with a nod, to which Darius gave a smile before leaving the room.

After Darius left the room, Adam sank deep in thought.

'I can always increase my mana pool and surpass those guys in terms of quantity with the system, but I need to increase my battle capabilities... ' He clenched his fists.

'That captain didn't even use a sword against me, and my skills had no effect. '

'Besides, he had that strange power... '

'That 'Ash' person could successfully hide his mana, too. Even though he is a B-rank High Human... '

'If I want to become stronger, I need to absorb whatever I can from these people. '

________________

The next day, at 9 am,

Adam walked through the open door of the task force headquarters.

The members he saw last night were all present except for James, Darius, and the captain. There were also 10 members who he wasn't familiar with.

'Is that Steven? ' Adam spotted a familiar face among the new ones. 'It's been a while since I last saw him. ' He thought before walking towards Steven with a smile.

"Hey! Steven! " He called out to Steven while waving his hand.

"Oh! Adam! " Steven noticed Adam and approached him with wide steps. "You showed up on time. "

"Did Mark tell you? " Adam asked with a slightly embarrassed expression.

"Haha! Yeah, it's the popular gossip in the task force. " Steven laughed heartily while speaking. "The newbie who got beaten to a pulp by the captain. That's what everyone says. "

"I would appreciate it if that doesn't stick... " Adam said in a disheartened tone.

"Don't worry about it! One of these idiots will mess up soon, and then the gossip will change. " Steven replied while looking at the rest of the members. "It's just your turn. "

"Anyway, I wanted to ask you. " Adam also looked at the surrounding people. "Who are these guys? I thought you and Mark were the only members other than those monstrous guys. " He continued while glancing at yesterday's members, who grouped up in one corner.

"You don't know? " Steven asked in a surprised tone. "Those guys are all B-rank and they're the core members of the task force. " He continued while pointing at the grouped-up bunch.

"What about all these guys? " Adam pointed at the surrounding people and asked.

"These are all auxiliary members. " Steven replied. "Today, we hold the selection process to see which of the auxiliary members get to take part in the raid on The Bronx. "

"Selection process? " Adam asked in a curious tone. "Why don't they just take everyone? It's better to have more people. "

"Master Darius and captain Yamamoto are planning on cooperating with a major guild. If all goes well, then our task force members might have the chance to train with a genuine S-rank High Human in an advanced environment. " Steven replied with a complicated expression. "But the chance is slim, so they will only take the best of the best. That's why they are holding this process to determine which of the auxiliary members deserves to go. "

"How many people will they take? " Adam immediately understood the situation and asked hurriedly.

"Three... " Steven replied in a grave tone while holding up three fingers.