During my morning workout, I figured out [Chord/Discord]’s purpose. Well, to back up a little, you could roughly categorize my [Mementos] into three categories: offensive, defensive, and utility.

  [Solitary Demonblade], [Technique Daggers], [Chain Gauntlets], [Nightingale Watch] were all offensive-based [Mementos]. Obviously, their main purpose was to inflict damage.

  [Yuzhou] was pretty much the only defensive [Memento] I had. [Armor] was armor, I don’t need to explain anything else.

  Last but not least, [Conviction], [Chain Gauntlets] again, and [Chord/Discord] were utility. They provided additional options that couldn’t be easily categorized into the two umbrellas above.

  [Conviction] provided damn good mobility in the form of flight, and [Chain Gauntlets] once unraveled could shackle my opponents. [Chord/Discord], I think, acted as an amplifier. In other words, it was ineffective as a standalone [Memento] but used in conjunction with additional [Mementos], its stocks went way up.

  For example.

  [Memento Recollection - Technique Daggers, Chord/Discord]

  One of [Chord/Discord]’s effects was this: the [Psionic Field] would extend to any active [Mementos]. As it turns out, that allowed me to levitate five [Daggers] in the air. Using my mind, I could control their individual movements like making them spin around; currently, I lacked proficiency in parallel thinking. I couldn’t perform a circus act, but I was at least capable of one thing.

  “Are you sure about this, Rei?” I said as he stood ten meters away from me, [Hyakken] drawn.

  Rei enthusiastically nodded. “I am certain, senpai! I will deflect your [Daggers] with ease—!”

  I launched a [Dagger].

  It buzzed right past him, missing his cheek by a foot, and clanged off the hard floor. It dissipated.

  Rei blinked. “I was not ready for that, senpai!”

  “In real combat, your opponent won’t be waiting for you!” Also, I completely missed, but he didn’t need to know that. Let’s pretend that was intentional.

  Having flashbacks to his “duel” with that random cultivator—I forgot his name already—Rei wore his combat-face. He readied himself into a proper combat stance.

  With that, I loosened the remaining four [Daggers] using my newfound psionic powers. At first, they left at consistent intervals. Not the fastest velocity I could generate, but not the slowest either. Rei deflected them easily and grew into a steady rhythm. In the next volley, I shortened the intervals. Wasn’t much trouble for the kid. My [Daggers] clinked onto the floor like coins spilling from a bag.

  Alright, then.

  In my third volley, I tried something different: the [Daggers] were launched at inconsistent intervals. Fast, slow, slower, fast, slow again. Despite being limited to five active [Daggers] on the field, I kept the factory going and didn’t give Rei any breaks for twenty pitches. Yet despite my efforts, Rei was too good for me. He was hitting home-runs on every swing.

  Let’s try using my max power. From the recesses of my fucked-up mind, I increased the intensity of [Chord/Discord] and pumped the repulsion force into a singular [Dagger]. It charged for a fraction of a section, then boom!

  Rei flinched and raised his blade—

  “Woah, there!”

  And someone decided to deflect the [Dagger] before it could reach him. Easily, at that.

  “Trying to kill your own teammate, Conq?” Stainless showed up because of course he did. In his right hand was his signature: a specially-forged long-knife with rune magic etched on the blade. [Stainless Steel], a horrible pun.

  Rei gasped seeing the intruder. “You must be the man from Determination!”

  Stainless flashed him a flirty smile. “You heard of me, cutie?” (“Huh?”) “Amuse me, why’s an adorable girl like you putting yourself in harm’s way?”

  I dispelled all active [Mementos] and raised a finger. “Hey, uh, Stainless—”

  “I’m not talking to you, Conq. I’m talking to your adorable kensei who should definitely give me her number—” (“I’m not—!”) “—I know, girls like you always say you’re ‘not adorable’ but—” (“Stainless-senpai, please listen—!”) “‘Senpai,’ I like the sound of that. Call me ‘senpai’ again—” (“I’M A BOY!”)

  Stainless’s eyes shot open like he’d seen the Devil itself.

  Rei looked twice as flustered as whenever he watched anime-fanservice. “I. Am. A. Male!”

  “Oh.” A metal clang echoed throughout the training room and the pervert was frozen from his muscles to his “Oh fuck.” expression. He slid over to me. Literally. I didn’t even see his legs move, how the fuck did he do that? “Conqueror, I’ve made a terrible mistake.”

  “We’re not friends, Stainless.”

  “I would like to apologize.”

  “Apologize to Rei.”

  Rei was sulking on the other end of the room. For good reason. Lucky for us, he wouldn’t hurt a fly unless said fly challenged him to a duel.

  Stainless refused to even look at him. For also good reason. “Anyway, I thought you were a martial artist. That was some esper-type stuff I saw back there. Isn’t there already a cute esper on your team?”

  That esper didn’t fancy guys like you and me.

  I said, “Build your profile using other means. I’m not telling you shit.”

  “Fine by me. Just curious, s’all. Good luck on your intel-gathering.” Stainless patted my back like we were old friends, clapped, and walked backwards toward the exit. “I’m an open book, baby! Read all you want, doesn’t change the outcome one bit!”

  “Uh huh, see ya.”

  “See ya around, Conq!”

  And he was gone.

  “I hate him.” First thing out of Rei’s mouth. When did he close the distance? “I am not a girl. Alexander-senpai, how can I appear more as a man to you? Maybe I need to be a bodybuilder…”

  Amamizu Rei with a bodybuilder physique…

  “That terrifies me.”

  “What?”

  “Nothing.”

  ***

  Open book, that he was. Stainless loved social media. Thrived in the attention and adored his combined one-point-three million followers across all platforms. Everyday, he posted either pictures or video-clips of himself. A majority was intended for the female audience; basically, if I was caught looking at his profile in public, people would assume I was gay.

  Scrolling through his multiple profiles and alt accounts, his posts didn’t contain much valuable information. All references he made to his own combat ability and [Skills] were vague, perhaps intentionally. However, his obsession with likes and followers indicated another thing: he loved free promotion.

  Being a young superstar at Angels Guild? Our marketing team would promote the shit out of him, and that they did.

  Stainless had hours of promotional material demonstrating his own abilities: against simulated dummies, against fellow Angels, and against rivaling guilds. In the last Guild Wars, his qualification match was made public; you could watch five minutes of him getting pummeled by Colossus. That was a couple years ago, though, so he’d grown since then.

  This wasn’t my only source of data. The Ordoian government enforced a general registry—the same registry that I’d used during my investigation on Yoshita Guild. On online versus forums, you had geeks debating who’d beat who in a fight. Stainless was a popular enough Slayer, so there were a few threads about him. Back on social media, his superfans surely took some secret and/or leaked footage of him fighting…

  In a nutshell, there were tons of sources of information online, but like most videos you’d find, they were merely snapshots ignoring the full context. What’s a better source of intel than your own colleagues? Stainless was popular inside and outside Angels. People had stories about him (one way or another), and as a member of a Wing Team, he must’ve enjoyed one or two spars.

  So why not ask around?

  That’s my problem.

  I spent all of the first day asking.

  “Why should I tell you anything?” said an Angel from 2nd Attack. “Me and Stainless sparred, mhm, but that’s all I’ll say.”

  “Politely, screw off. Everyone knows about your exhibition match with Stainless, and you don’t have a supporter in me,” said another Angel.

  “What? You might have a handsome face and big muscles, but we’re a guild, not a modeling company. Find someone else.”

  “I thought the Special Task Force has expert operators. Hey, if I beg like you, think I can claim a seat for myself?”

  “Million points. Take it or leave it.”

  Yeah, Stainless had another [Skill] that I didn’t initially account for: social manipulation. Our exhibition match was almost as hyped as the recruitment competition itself, and with that, our guild drew sides. Unsurprisingly, pretty much everyone picked Stainless over a nobody who lucked into a “super special and privileged team.” Thus, all my interview prospects were burned before I reached out to a quarter of my list.

  [Stainless]

  Aw, not as popular as you thought?

  I’m an open book but not *that* open

  [Conqueror]

  fuck you

  Didn’t help that Stainless was taunting me in my [PMs]. Also didn’t help that the [Public Channels] were talking about us.

  [Angels Guild Channel #12]

  [Troublemaker]

  [image embedded]

  Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

  look at this guy

  stainless will absolutely destroy him

  i’m betting money

  [Wrench]

  Everyone’s betting money lmao

  I think like

  2 people are betting Conqueror wins

  [Trevino]

  Outside the STF?

  [Wrench]

  Idk I don’t talk to them

  [Vita]

  I have money on Stainless murdering Conqueror in cold blood.

  [Conqueror]

  Lia what the fuck

  [Vita]

  I want to see a murder, but I also want money.

  [Troublemaker]

  aren’t you a healer???

  [Wrench]

  CONQUEROR IS LITERALLY IN THE CHAT

  [Vita]

  Theoretically I’m a healer

  Realistically I’m a woman who lost her faith in humanity and wears a nun habit anyway

  It’s a cute habit. I like my loadout.

  [Troublemaker]

  i don’t wanna go to the hospital anymore

  [Vita]

  Good, you value your life.

  [Troublemaker]

  i go to a hospital exactly bc i value my life

  [Wrench]

  IS ANYONE GONNA MENTION CONQUEROR

  [Private Message - Victor]

  [Conqueror]

  [image embedded]

  This is your boss

  [Victor]

  SHE’S STANDING RIGHT NEXT TO ME

  hold on

  ok

  she says it’s a joke

  [Conqueror]

  I don’t believe her

  [Victor]

  least you’re popular

  Obviously, Angels Guild was a letdown. I wasn’t going to find a willing participant in my plans, but I had other methods.

  Stainless didn’t just spar with swords within our own guild.

  In fact, he fought (and lost) against a special someone that I happened to know.

  “...Alexander, I was excited that you invited me into your own home, but I didn’t expect this,” said the lovely and kind Lyressa fey Suntear as soon as she stepped into my office. She wore quite the pretty blouse despite our informal interview. Made her eyes pop.

  It was the second night since the challenge was issued, and tomorrow afternoon was the fateful day. At one o’clock, the exhibition match would kick off. The hourglass was running out of sand, and I’d only found out about Lyressa’s connection last-minute thanks to an off-handed comment made by Aiden.

  Pretty much all last night, I’d secluded myself in the family office and I would do the same tonight. Uncle Ali and I had set up a projector for situations like these: when we needed a big fucking screen to view our mania in high resolution across a white wall. Notes were strewn on every table, and in my hands was the fabled Conqueror’s Black Book with Stainless as my first entry.

  I adjusted my glasses and moved the cursor to replay a leaked video of one of Stainless’s [Skills]: him instantly carving an unidentified rune in the dirt. “I apologize for the mess, pointy ears, but as you already know, I’m going insane.”

  “So I see.” Lyressa cleared her throat and slowly shut the door behind her. “Your uncle isn’t helping you? He’s working in the living room.”

  I zoomed in on the rune then switched to the next tab, a university website detailing the runecraft system. “I wanted to do this solo.”

  “How confident of you, Alexander. I…” Lyressa moved her eyes from the mess on the tables then at the bigger mess: me and my stupid glasses, yet the sight twitched her elven ears and developed a bashful red shade. “Have you always worn glasses?”

  “At home, sometimes, but that’s a weird first question.” I gestured to the office with my pencil. “Of all things you could ask about—”

  “You shouldn’t toy with a maiden’s heart, Alexander. Our guilds are rivals. I wasn’t compelled to visit the Slayer who apparently returned to his corporate, investigative roots. How long have you been at this, anyhow?”

  I shook my head side-to-side. “Spent the whole day working out my body, and I’m planning to spend the whole night working out my brain.”

  Lyressa took a spare chair at the side of the room, sitting down like an elegant princess all neat and orderly. “That doesn’t answer my question.”

  “My bad.” I pulled up the unidentified rune and put it side-by-side with the website. “Does this rune look like anything to you?”

  “I’m…” She leaned forward. “No. I’m not an expert in runecraft.”

  “Damn, guess you outlived your usefulness—” (“Excuse you!”) “—I’m joking. You know why I brought you here.”

  “Oh, to insult me like how you do with everyone you meet?”

  “...Yeah, but you’ve fought Stainless before.”

  “Embarrassingly.” Lyressa pressed a few thin fingers against her head, torturing herself by remembering that day. “Stainless insisted on receiving my number, and out of frustration, I challenged him to a spar. If he won, he would have it. If he lost, he’d rid himself from my sight. The outcome was obvious. Let’s save the interview for later, though. I want to hear about your progress first.”

  I chuckled, finally looking at my guest. “It’s not that exciting. Investigative work is pretty boring and mind-numbing.”

  “You gathered enough evidence of System Articles’s crimes throughout several months without getting caught. You have two or three days, but evidently…” Lyressa kicked toward a paper-covered table with a slender leg. “Your diligence precedes you. Plus, I want to know more about you, Alexander. Intimately.”

  I clicked my tongue. “...Intimately?”

  “I—no, I…” Red filled the elf’s pale skin and she profusely shook her head. “You know what I mean.”

  “I hope our intimacy goes as far as just being friends—”

  “Just tell me about your progress already, you dolt!”

  If I had a nickel for every woman who was a complete mess...

  “Alright.” I set my pencil down and flipped through my Black Book. “Stainless, twenty-six, B-Rank and Saga-level Slayer, and other impressive [Ranking] stats. Real name Andrew Bielke, a graduate from Ordo University. During his time, there was a stimulant scandal and one of his close friends passed from an overdose. Despite the trauma, he rang the bell and earned his wings. According to official records, he's a close combat specialist with a runecraft concentration. There’s ten different names but that covers all our bases.”

  Lyressa, whose skin was back to normal, commented, “Runeblade?”

  “That’s one of the names, SH, but let’s move on.” I flipped to the next page. “Stainless developed [Instantaneous Rune Carving], allowing him to, well, instantly carve runes into any soft surface. It can be the slightest contact, but it’ll work. Given the right environment, you wouldn’t see it coming.”

  “Thus, everything he touches becomes a possible weapon.”

  “That’s why he’s so deadly.” I glanced back at the projector, seeing the two dozen different videos of him in action. “Stainless knows runecraft better than experts twice his age. He’s a master at improvisation and mid-combat adaptation, and he has better instincts than most fighters in Angels. With his speed and expertise in hand-to-hand combat, pretty much everyone in the STF will struggle against him. Hell, some of us would lose.”

  Lyressa said, “And that’s one [Skill] of his.”

  “Mhm. A B-Ranker has six active [Skills] at a given time. I made a rough list of his [Skills]: [Instantaneous Rune Carving], weapon recall, speed-slash-mobility, environmental awareness or enhanced battlefield perception, maybe a cognitive memory-based [Skill] to memorize different runes and symbols, and a [Skill] that prevents his runes from being erased. His [Skills] aren’t the dangerous part. Stainless draws runes everywhere: on the ground, on his opponents, on himself. He can boost his own attributes while weakening mine and fucking up the dirt underneath our boots.”

  “But victory isn’t out-of-reach,” Lyressa assured. “If you’ve gone this far using your brain, then your mind rivals his. Personally, you outdo him.”

  “Thank you, but theory never holds up to real-life.” I grabbed my pencil again and tapped the rubber against my lips. “Honestly, I’m disappointed with the progress I’ve made. I thought I could create a more thorough profile, but…”

  But I was unpopular in my own guild.

  I didn’t care about my own reputation and the reputation of the Special Task Force, but that might be fatal. Without support from guildmates outside my team, internal missions would be twice as difficult. Ironically, I was about sixteen hours away from fighting for said reputation.

  Lyressa sat forward in her chair, concerned. “But?”

  “Nothing. Nothing…” My teeth grinded together. “I made progress, that’s what matters. The information I’ve gathered is adequate enough to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.”

  Lyressa smiled and brought light to the dark office. “Good. I don’t mean to demoralize you, but Archknell and Mongrel are praying for your downfall.” (“Figured.”) “So is the rest of Glory Guild.” (“Obviously.”) “Ordo is favoring Stainless—”

  “Okay, I feel like you’re actively sabotaging me. Did you bet against me, because an acquaintance of mine betted against me.”

  Her smile turned from pretty to naughty, sort of like a cat begging for a spray-bottle. “Sabotaging you? I would never. I am a pure-hearted maiden who doesn’t know the concept of vengeance nor has an evil bone in her body. Only amnesia.”

  My smile, on the other hand, was not pretty or naughty. It was annoyed. “Those who profess their purity are often the most corrupted and vile people I know.”

  “I am quite clueless of your implications, Alexander. I’m an ordinary woman: my ears are sharp to a point, I enjoy reading villainess novels, I dream of a handsome rogue romancing me in the dark of night, and I’m speaking to a wonderfully moral man in his own home and his uncle is down the hall.”

  I squinted. “I'm not planning on doing anything.”

  Redness returned but not violently this time. “When have I suggested you would—”

  Thump—! Thump—! Thump—! Someone was angrily knocking on the door and I didn’t think that was my uncle. He’d kick the door down if he was pissed. Or blow it up.

  Lyressa startled, immediately standing and gravitating toward me. “Alex, who’s—?” (Thump thump thump!) “—should we open the door?”

  I dropped everything. “No. Pretend you’re not here and the monster will go away.”

  “Monster—?!”

  “I know you’re in there, asshole!”

  Lyressa exclaimed, “That’s Leona!”

  “Don’t call a monster by its name—” (“I’m opening the door.”) “—goddamnit.”

  Looks like I was losing the match already.

  The elf swung open the door to my doom, and on the other side was a crimson-faced murim-in wearing pajamas. Quite the precious contrast, but if I said that to her face, she’d turn me into a not-so-precious corpse.

  Yet seeing Lyressa, the princess switched faces and looked like a sweetheart. “Hey there, my beautiful outworlder.” (“Hello?”) “It’s good to see you again. It’s quite a surprise that you’re here.”

  Lyressa’s jaw dropped and she faced me. “You didn’t tell her I was coming?”

  Leo added, “He didn’t tell me you were coming.”

  I raised my hands. “My bad.”

  “Yeah, no shit. Look, I know it’s your house, but I think I deserve to know when my good friend Lyressa is coming over. Apparently, you guys were having an amazing conversation in this stuffy and dark office!”

  “I probably should’ve told you, but in my defense, the thing with Stainless has been occupying my mind—” (“Yet you had time to flirt with a pretty girl.”) “—none of that, no. I was catching her up to speed.”

  “Uh huh.” Leo crossed her arms, and I wasn’t sure if she was jealous, pretending to be angry, upset at being excluded, or all of the above. “You do know that I basically live here, right? There are other ideal date locations.”

  Lyressa’s jaw dropped further. “We’re not—wait, pardon? What’s your living arrangement exactly? What does she mean by ‘living here’—?”

  I switched topics, “Yes, mom, I know. Do you have anything else to say before you inevitably drag us to the living room?”

  “I…” The question buffered Leo, and she visibly lost her train of thought. “Actually, I have something: if you’re inviting a guest, at least treat them to food and drinks! C’mon, Lyressa, out the door—” (“But—!”) “—nope nope nope, let’s go!”

  After Lyressa was forcibly removed from my office, she was pushed toward the living room where my uncle was surely waiting. That left Leo standing at the doorway, pouting.

  I stood in my office, pretty confused on how I should feel about this.

  Leo pointed at me. “You’re way too fucking handsome with glasses on. Take ‘em off.”

  She left to rejoin Lyressa and Uncle.

  “I… What the fuck just happened?”