CHAPTER 7: THE MIMICKING MONSTER

Two days before the interschool festival, Seiki goes to his second day at the academy. He walks inside the room and sees Shin holding a newspaper. He asks Shin why he looks so anxious. Then Shin responds, bringing with him some very startling news: "Zohar," the legendary ice dragon, was killed by two members of the "phantom clown troupe." Everyone is shocked, and Seiki asks about this phantom clown troupe that they are talking, while acting as though he doesn't know. Kurei goes on to say that the "phantom clown troupe" is an organization of extremely strong individuals that hunts a certain person or people in order to collect their bounty. At that point, Seiki decides it's the perfect time to inquire about the group's founding date. Though Seiki is the group leader, the truth is that he was reincarnated on their leader's body only three months ago. 

 (Seiki's flash back)

After eliminating Byakko and Lionel, Seiki was walking through the thick forest when suddenly a powerful individual started to follow him. After shouting that he could show himself, "Hibi" suddenly appeared and congratulated him for easily taking down those two formidable opponents. She adds that she was glad that they have a leader like Seiki, a very strong and cunning individual. Seiki was extremely confused, but he didn't show it because the female in front of him was such a strong individual. He merely acts as though he knew her in the hopes of averting any confrontations because he might die if he made a suspicious move. He asked Hibi why she was following him, to which she explained that she was on her way on their meeting, when suddenly she felt a strong presence nearby. She proceeded to look into it, but as soon as she saw Seiki, she stopped and she just watched him confronting two powerful opponent all by himself. Then Seiki asked if she was sizing him up, Hibi nodded. Then, in an attempt for assessing Hibi's true strength, Seiki asked Hibi if she would like to have a quick fight to accurately gauge her true strength. Hibi rejected the offer because Seiki was the only person in their group uninterested in a mock battle with other members, and she found his behavior very unusual. Seiki then replied that although it may be true, it is better to give Hibi what she truly desires rather than secretly observing him fight and evaluating him. Hibi apologized for her actions and promised Seiki that she would not repeat them. Then, Seiki laughed and became extremely concerned that his actions would endanger his own life. Seiki and Hibi sensed the presence of a group of strong knights approaching them, Seiki then asked Hibi whether she could take care of them. Without hesitating for thought, Hibi launched an incredibly powerful punch, Seiki merely watched as she easily destroyed a large mountain together with the knights effortlessly. Upon realizing the situation, Seiki decided to just assume the role of her leader. "It was also ironic that he and the leader of the phantom clown troupe have the same name, as he confirms it because Hibi was previously calling him by his name." Hibi then inquired Seiki if they could depart immediately because one of the Imperial army's captains was the strong knight that Seiki had slain, and reinforcements will arrive soon. It's not yet the right time for them to confront the Shiva kingdom, Seiki agreed. As they make their way to their hideout, Seiki was brewing some plan on how he could learn more about their members name and background. Hibi suddenly inquired if Seiki could inform him in advance about their upcoming target. This request made Seiki nervous as he was unaware of the purpose of their meeting and who the target was. Seiki was desperately reaching into his pocket for anything that might be useful. He was lucky to discover a list of their future targets. Seiki then reassured Hibi, saying that it would be best if he could only explain it from their hideout, Hibi nodded in agreement with a furrowed brow. As they make their way inside their hideout, "Eon," the clown with a poker face, appears out of the shadows and asks Seiki why it took him so long to get there. Seiki mentioned that he had a few small concerns, then instructed Eon to gather the other members as their meeting was about to start. The next clown Seiki encountered was the cheerful clown Toshi, he then greeted their leader with a courteous bow. Kagetsu is the last, having already fallen asleep on his chair. The meeting started, Seiki felt anxious because he was unsure of the names of the people present. Despite his uncertainty, he decided to take a gamble, he introduced Byakko, the mythical beast he had recently tamed. The beast now resembles a puppet and was composed of half flesh and half wood. He warned them that sometimes, the strongest beast that he tamed might unexpectedly turn aggressive towards those nearby without his consent. Thus, it's preferable for them to present themselves to Byakko. Then Eon asked that would it be better if he really acquire a more suitable beast—one that he could easily subdue. Everyone agreed, Seiki explained to them that it would be imprudent to simply get rid of an exceptionally rare legendary beast, and he also mentioned that he purposely gathers legendary creatures for his own entertainment. After that, every person in the room introduced themselves to the creaturel; this is how Seiki memorizes their names and traits. 

Going back to the present, Seiki leaves the class and heads straight to the restroom to send a message to the other members of the "phantom clown troupe" through a hawk. (Tomorrow morning, they'll be gathering for a meeting). Later, when Seiki goes back to his class, he sees that Professor Fray is crying. He then asks Shin what happened to their professor. To which Shin replies that Professor Fray's younger brother vanished while on a dungeon expedition. Professor Fray then suddenly announces she will return anyone's goodwill if they are willing to assist her in finding his younger sibling. The class president, Lucas, encourages everyone to assist in finding their professor Fray's brother. The entire students of first year class B decided to participate, Seiki believes that it would be beneficial for him and his professor to have a good relationship. He finds her attractive and can't help but stare at her chest while she is crying. Afterwards, Professor Fray approaches commander Tomoyoki, the headmaster of the academy. To ask for permission for finding his younger brother together with her students. Commander Tomoyoki was a highly busy person, therefore Lucy, the headmaster's secretary, was the only one who could accommodate her. Professor Fray goes on to say that she will be taking whole accountability for the students. After a lengthy conversation, the secretary finally gives them permission to explore the dungeon, but only under the strict condition that they must all return or else she will be executed for having even one student missing. Professor Fray agrees to the terms and they begin their journey towards the dungeon. Upon reaching the entrance to the dungeon, they are stopped by the knights on guard. A knight explains that it's extremely risky to go inside because they didn't manage to take the exact magical pressure of the dungeon. "The knight continues by stating that the tools being used by researchers are constantly malfunctioning. This could suggest two possibilities: either there are valuable minerals present that could disrupt the measurement of magical energy, or there are powerful creatures within making it challenging to accurately measure magical pressure." Apparently, their class president Lucas steps in and informs the knights that he is "Lucas Kalōs," the sole son and legitimate heir of the renowned "Sirthur Kalōs." The knights were surprised to learn that his father is the older brother of King Gregory Kalōs. The knights decided to accompany them into the dungeon in order to prevent any potential conflict with a powerful noble. Afterwards, professor Fray gives Lucas a hug and thanks him for helping her. Seiki also thinks that Lucas is incredibly generous for a noble. As they navigate the dungeon, suddenly a mist appears, blocking their vision and making it difficult for them to see. Fortunately, the knights have brought their torches. Suddenly, a powerful demon appears, and Lucas orders his comrades to execute their battle formation. Lucas use his unique skill "battle cry", which is a low level variant of the ultimate skill "war cry." It gives his comrade an increase in both attack and defense stats. "They all chant the mystical spell to call upon the guardian spirit of light, seeking assistance from the spirit." After that, their body glows, and they unleash the seventh-tier spell "illuminate," which conjures a beam of light that obliterates their enemy. A light spell is highly effective in eliminating demons and other entities that has an affinity of darkness. Seiki was amazed by the exceptional organization skills of Lucas's group and found great entertainment in their effortless defeat of a powerful demon. While traversing in the dungeon, they stop for a while upon realizing that in order to explore deeper in the dungeon they had to crawl through the little opening on the wall. The knight then stops them for it's too dangerous to crawl down not knowing what type of monsters are lurking on the other side. Upon realizing their current situation, professor Fray and the pupils all made the decision to depart when all of a sudden, professor Fray recognizes a voice. It's his brother's voice, pleading for assistance. When Fray hears his brother's voice again, she tells him to stay put because she is on her way. Professor Fray advances without hesitation, and the students follow behind him. The knights are force to accompany them. They are all surprise by the size of the space when they arrive on the other part of the dungeon. Then Fray's brother yells and pleads for help right away. As they follow the voice, they are all shock to discover that the enormous monster was mimicking the voice of professor Fray's brother. While watching the giant monster slowly approaching them,Kurei slowly retreats out of fear. Accidentally, She steps on a dead body and soon realizes that the emblem belongs to the Revenant guild. This is the same guild to which Professor Fray's brother belongs. Professor Fray continues to believe that his brother is still alive to some extent, and she promised to go to great lengths to rescue him. The monster then suddenly begins to mimic his brother's voice once more, and this time they notice something. The creature is carrying a severed head and moving towards them slowly, while mimicking the voice of Professor Fray's brother. The creature imitates the screams of its victim, it pleads for help and begs urgently while holding a decapitated head, causing Professor Fray to cry out in horror.