"As expected, you failed the test."
Antadisma's piercing gaze made Cole feel her disappointment deep within his skin.
"Return Eidenrich," she commanded.
Eidenrich burst into fragments.
Antadisma took gentle yet heavy steps towards Cole, her face beaming with a strange look.
She crouched beside Cole, patting him on the back.
"Good luck to you from now on," Antadisma whispered softly into his ear.
Cole furrowed his brow as he bit his lips; the malice of disappointment ran through his spine. It was then he realized...all the knowledge he'd built up for years was useless.
Being faced with that fact made his body weigh heavier than he could bear. Cole was left kneeling as he dug his nails into his face, dragging it with a dreadful force as though he would rip out his own skin.
Antadisma watched him silently for a while.
Once the view became too pathetic for her eyes to bear, she turned, dragged Snider by his collar, and left without a word. Cole was left there as crowds of people began to flock the streets once more.
His display was quite the mesmerizing spectacle. In the district, it was normal to see people break down mentally, thus they assumed Cole was one of the weaklings foolish enough to enter unprepared.
His sobs were music to some ears.
'A grown man crying in broad daylight. How pathetic.'
A mocking laughter rang repeatedly in Hyosung's head.
'Who is it?' he responded in his head.
'Look at you now, o proud one. Made a fool by a woman, despite your combat prowess no less,' the distorted voice taunted.
'What you need is power. Power to withstand the supernatural, power to overcome, power to conquer...power to devour. I can give you all that power and more.'
The voice gradually re-assembled into a more authentic tone.
Some of the passersby walking on the road couldn't help but get annoyed by Cole's display. "Hey you! Get off the frigging road."
"I wonder why weaklings come here anyway. They always end up permanently scarred one way or another."
"He should be happy he escaped with his life. But at what cost?"
"This city isn't for everyone; some people just need to learn the hard way."
However, to Cole, their words were nothing more than disjointed chatter and heavy mumbling. At that moment, Cole's thoughts were an absolute blur.
'I accept.'
'Finally...' the voice reconstructed into a feminine voice he was somewhat familiar with. '...I can't believe you had to go through this much just to accept!'
Cole was stupefied, 'It's you?!'
'Yup! And you just made a contract with me, sucker!' she snickered.
'Doesn't matter, I need power, I'll do anything if you promise to give it to me.'
'You don't have a choice but to; you've already accepted...' her tone turned eerily serious '...but remember, once you become an indulger, you can't go back.'
Cole let out a hollow, cracking laugh almost similar to a pained chuckle, 'The normal, peaceful life had long since eluded me.'
'Very well then, from today you are now my accomplice.'
"Can you hear me at all?!"
Cole jolted up!
His discarded senses merged back together as the atmosphere surrounding him became more apparent. People's unsightly gazes were fixed on him.
Like needles, they pierced through his warm skin. Cole hurriedly rushed out of the vicinity before things got out of hand.
'Speaking of which...what powers do I get?'
'.....'
'Hello? Are you there? She's not answering.'
Cole was technically being ghosted at that point.
For some unknown reason, despite everything that occurred, Cole felt a sense of ease dancing lightly within him.
On his way through the less lively parts of the district, Cole was intercepted by 2 men.
They both disguised themselves in large trench coats, wearing suits visibly within, and their faces were wrapped by a long handkerchief.
The man on his left gestured for Cole to step to the side of the more shallow, deserted path, while the man on the right blocked Cole's way.
Cole smirked cockily and went with the flow; his overconfident gleam was perfectly masked by his narrowed brows and weary face.
The man on the left pushed Cole forward and tailed him closely, along with his colleague who tucked his hand in the left side of his coat.
"Where are we going, boys?"
They remained silent.
The messy roads, cramped path, and smell of decaying matter that reeked unpleasantly, as well as the poor illumination of red light looming above their heads, forged an unsettling presence.
Cole noticed the sound of their feet crunching against the rocky ground slowed considerably, and he followed suit.
And then...
SHHHHHING!
Cole leaped like a frog, twirling his body in the air. He managed to grab a hold of a sturdy cable which kept him suspended in the air, also giving him a great view of the scene below.
Both the buildings and objects were significantly sliced in half. Not too much to draw attention, but enough to kill a man.
With acrobatic movements, Cole threw himself on the roof of the nearest building and started running. He was clueless where he was going, but ran either way.
Before he could jump to the next building, one of the men came down like a strike of lightning, crushing the air vent he landed on.
Cole jumped back a few steps and rolled.
The second man rushed from behind; something with him sliced through the air, but the object was indiscernible.
Cole lifted his lower body and did a handstand. After dodging, he threw himself back to his normal position and darted forward.
His speed was much faster than usual. He pulled out the Swiss knife from his pocket and slit one of the men's necks while twirling like a ballerina.
Upon landing, Cole watched the man scream in pain and collapse as he slid back.
The second man fired a weighty blow from behind.
Cole tilted his head to the side and dodged, then he grabbed the man by his wrist and flung him to a taller building like he were disposing of a garbage bag.
Aside from the little speed boosts, everything else was Cole's battle prowess at work.
'There hasn't been much improvement; I'm still the same?'
Cole turned to the side to glimpse the corpse of the first man he killed.
'Huh?!'
The man had vanished!
Cole darted his eyes back at the taller building; it was the same!!!
Both men left without a trace. Something odd, considering corpses don't disappear.
'Was this another test? Or is something toying with me?'
Cole wore a thick rage on his face as he panted like a wounded beast.
....
Mysteriously, spectrums danced around each other and cut off once they entered a white jar. The jar was then closed by a cork.
The person who held the jar was a bald man with a wrinkled face, purple deranged eyes, and a proudly exhibited collage of colorful teeth. All his fingers were adorned with golden rings of immaculate patterns and designs.
His screechy yet depraved voice spoke, "The job's done. Seems the worst-case scenario fortified."
Atasa curled his lips into a smile as he peacefully shut his eyes, "So he survived? I suppose it was to be expected."
"What I'd like to know is how you thought you could kill him so easily," the bald man played with his teeth using his tongue.
Atasa turned to the ceiling, "Perhaps it's because I knew it wouldn't kill him I did it in the first place."
"What a strange man you are," the bald man played with the jar. "Unfortunately, though, he's now associating with a deity."
Atasa's calm demeanor shattered instantly, "Come again!"
"That small mistake of yours will end up costing this faction and us," the bald man stared with menace as he spun the jar.
Atasa frowned as he gazed at his reflection from the table, "You might be right."
"Let's just hope he's not an accomplice."