we looked at him in shock. "they say it's curable if we have a doctor who uses shinsu...but it takes time and costs a fortune. and besides, we need an expert...so...I think I'll.."

Rak suddenly lunged forward. "NO! YOU CAN NEVER! YOU ARE MY PREY! YOU CAN'T LEAVE!"

"I'll be Rachel's legs!!"

"you can't give up your legs- what?" Rak looked at him, wide-eyed. "I'll be Rachel's legs. And help her go up the tower." he clenched his fist tight. "I... don't really care what is up the tower. I don't look forward to seeing the stars. But if there's something that Rachel wants, what I want is to make it happen."

"I don't mind if it's hards or dangerous. I'll keep climbing."

we stared at him in silence.

"Um... i know this is too much to ask..." I think I can understand him a little bit.

"But I'm not as strong or smart as you are..." I know what it feels like.

"so... I want to ask you... if you will join me." the path he has chosen...

"I don't know how you'll take this..." the path I wanted to have...

"But you two are my cherished friends..." to go up with her...

*$*

~

*$*

"OK TURTLE! IF YOU'RE ASKING, I'M IN!" Rak got pushed down by Khun who stood up. "difficult? that's my specialty! I will escort you to the top of the tower in the evilest and sneaky way possible. be prepared. once we start, no matter how rough, you won't be able to get out!"

I smiled. these are the people who I'm going to keep in the palm of my hands. the people precious to me.

A/N: Before I continue, please read the bottom message later. kay, thanks.

"Hell yeah! I'll kill everyone in our way! I'll drown 'em good!" I showed Bam a small figure that's choking to death in my palm, made out of water. "Mr. Khun... (y/n)..."

"thank you! I mean it!" he bowed down low, "don't thank him. seriously. don't."

"Alright then, cheating or bluffing? which one do you want to learn first?" Khun asked, "do I have to choose between those two?" Bam timidly asked, "well, you can choose between learning how to slice someone's head off or crush all their bones with shinsu option. Buuut, I can't do that yet, so it's how to crush someone's arm with shinsu?" Bam looked even more terrified at my options.

"Hey! you turtle's ignoring me!?" Rak jumped up to his feet. "Mr. Khun, what is this talking doll here?"

"Well, I don't recall buying such a thing," Khun answered. "I traded my peaceful quiet quality time for it..." I sighed, raising my hand. "YOU BASTARDS! KNOW YOUR ROLES!!"

~

Bam sat across Khun while I sat on the floor, across to Rak who's sitting on the bed. "so, let's talk about how we're going to make it to the top of the floor." Khun started. "Crocodile already passed. We will probably pass too. the problem is Rachel. she has enough points to pass, but she can't take the next test because she's injured. we have to ensure she makes it into the next test."

"We can ask Lero Ro about the next test so we can decide what to do next," I added. "and Bam, you must keep getting stronger. not to chase Rachel, but to go up the tower with her."

"Okay, got it."

"Alright, let's build a bigger team," Khun said, his voice cheerful and bubbly. "let's get more people we trust to go up the tower with us."

"hey, turtle! what's my role then?" Rak questioned. "you're the leader." he pointed a finger at Rak. the crocodile smiled happily, content with the role given.

"Okay, the results will be announced at six. seven hours to go! let's conquer Evankhell's Hell." we walked out of the room and began scouting for people, of course, the people we trusted.

something in my guts screamed, but I don't know if it is about hunger or danger. either way, I ignored the feeling in the pits of my stomach. "Hey, let's go to Lero Ro." he nodded and began to lead the way to the yellow-haired ranker.

~

"Wow, what a huge collection." the room was filled with strange-looking items, "you are indeed a ranker. You have almost all the limited collection." Lero Ro looked over his shoulder, a coffee or team mug gripped by his hand. "No, no. I just bought some when I moved in. It's nothing special. It's nothing compared to what your family has."

Lero Ro placed the mug on his wooden brown table, making a clanking noise. "so, why are you here?"

"Rachel- I mean Michel Light. I want to know what can be done to make it possible for her to take the next test." Lero Ro gave Khun a dead look, "well, you're straight forward."

he leaned back to his chair, "I did hear about Michel and Bam. But we can't let her take the test because of their personal drama. remaining healthy is a regulars duty."

Khun's brows furrowed, and I squared my shoulders. Khun has already informed me of the note. "what if Rachel's injury was caused by someone who's not a regular?" Lero Ro gave us an empty chuckle, face swirling in disbelief, "haha... it can't be..."

Khun sled a piece of white paper across the brown desk. Lero Ro picked up the piece of parchment and stared at it. the paper that might change everything. "what's this memo?"

"Somebody sent this to Hoh before the test. In short, it says 'kill Rachel to stop Bam from going up the tower'." Khun took a long sip from the mug. "and, this person who sent this was definitely not a regular."

Lero Ro placed the memo back on the table. Lero Ro breathed, "how can you be sure that this is not from a regular?" Khun continued giving him a dead look, showing that he is fully serious. "before the hide and seek test began, I knew that Hoh didn't have good feelings towards Bam."

*$*

Khun pressed the button on the water machine. nothing came out from it. "why's it not working? is it broken?" Khun sneered at the machine. "It seems like it." I added. "what are you doing?" came a voice behind us. "Oh, I think it's broken... the drink machine."

"I'll fix it." a red-haired woman stepped in front of the machine, sending a fist into the metal surface. "work, jerk." Khun flinched, "what are you doing?! you said you'd fix it!" the machine screamed out weird noises before flushing out water into the cup. "it... worked?" Khun stared at the machine confused. "I fixed it, so you can pay for this." the girl took the glass from the machine and walked off.

~3rd pers. pov~

Khun resisted a groan as his hand ached. "is your eye okay?" he asked without looking at the redhead seated next to him. Khun handed the drink to the (h/c) haired girl and she sipped into the drink contently. "well, I think I'll feel better if I make your friend a cyclops." the Khun boy snapped his neck to her direction, "but don't worry. I'm not the type to bear a grudge."

she side stared at Khun, "you don't have to worry about me attacking your friend. it's Hoh you need to worry about." Khun looked at her in bewilderment. "why?" (y/n) said with a hint of annoyance. "I'm in the same position, so I know." she traced a hand across her eye patch. "that Hoh envies the power your friend has."

"I'm sure he'll do something soon. trust me, I have good intuition."

~

Khun Aguero Agnes and (y/n) Daeyang walked through a hallway. (y/n) handed Khun back his drink, "what- it's almost empty?" he lifted the glass above his eyes, circling it around, a hint of disappointment in his tone of voice. "I was thirsty, sorry." she apologized, giggling.

As they look back, Hoh marched himself past them, his face twisted in what seemed to be anger.

"you head back to your room first. I have something to take care of." Khun told the girl beside him. she nodded meekly and went off her way.

the blue-haired boy woke up Full, a classmate of his whose room is next to Hoh. Khun asked Full to tell him if Hoh is acting a bit odd. unescaping the idea of bribing him with a float stone.

~

a day before the test, the bribed man talked to Khun, "I was surprised when he came out screaming who's there. But just after that, he became calm." Full had told him that Hoh said that someone threw trash into his room.

*$*

"I told Rachel after. But she insisted that I don't tell Bam about it. I tried to find a way to help Bam and Rachel pass the test, but I wasn't on the same team as them. So I looked for someone who could help me."

*&*

Khun and (y/n) slid beside Endorsi. "too bad Bam and Rachel are on the same team. Bam shouldn't discover that Michel Light is Rachel. Don't you agree?" Endorsi sneered at him. "Do you have time to be entangled in other people's drama?" she walked away. "I'm too busy with my own business. I've got no time for that."

"Don't let Bam and Rachel meet each other."

she released a breath, "gosh! I told you I've got no time for that! Aren't we just helping them for some amusement? If it's because you really care about him, I suggest you stop there." Khun met her gaze. "I'll help you with your business if you protect Bam." he offered.

Endorsi stopped in her tracks. "you'll find out soon. keep that promise." Khunturned his heels around and the (h/c) haired girl followed after. "I think that went well," she added cheerfully.

*$*

"I also asked help from Lauroe, but that went in vain because (y/n) could push Quant up with her water."

*$*

"what? you're sending me up?" Quant picked himself up from the cold hard ground, after being scared half to death by the Daeyang girl. "are you nuts? Or do you have a double personality? why would-"

"I said I'll take you up. stop complaining. Or would you rather be a loser?" Khun taunted with a grin wide on his face. "Damn you!" Quant cussed. "send him up (y/n)!"

a large string of water walked its way behind him, knocking him over and catching him, flinging him up to the bridge above us. before that, Khun screamed overly loud, "now the blondies time is up! He said that He'd eliminate the blond light bearer if I made team A lose! If she's gone, there's no best seed and I'd surely pass! The results of team B has nothing to do with me!" (y/n) sweatdropped at his obvious antics. It still worked though, and she took it.

*&*

"my plan was really perfect." Khun side gazed, looking through the window behind Lero Ro, giving himself a smirk. it died out faster than expected. "actually, it was a relief that Hoh got the message. If Hoh failed, Bam had a higher possibility of passing the test. so if my plan succeeded and Hoh failed the test, the memo eventually would have helped Bam go up the tower, right? I was waiting for Hoh to make his appearance in the trap I prepared." He rambled on so quickly. "I just didn't know that I haven't grown at all..."

Lero Ro gazed at Khun with furrowed brows. "so, why do you think this came from a ranker?"

"first, the only one who knows about Bam and Michel is Endorsi and I. But neither of us did this. we were trying to help after all. the memo was sent before the test parameters were made known. as if the writer had known who would be on each team."

Khun met Lero Ro's gaze. once again, (y/n) felt left out. "whoever wrote the letter, had already known about the teams and wanted to keep Bam from going up the tower." she added.

she felt a strange twist in her stomach. jealous that people around her can be so intelligent. low, I know. But, reasons aside, it made her feel queasy.

the room went silent as Lero Ro thinks about the past events. strange indeed. he breathed, "maybe, there is a way to allow Michel to participate in the next round." the two met each other's eyes, one grinning in excitement.

"really?"

"yes. I need a little more time to figure it out."

~~~~

okay so like, don't leave yet, but I feel like a genius. there's a subtle hint in there somewhere deep in (y/n)s past. not gonna explain it. go be an adult and think about it yourself. that's my favorite thing about reading. the c l u e s hidden in every corner. it's a hint about (y/n)s personality. and it may not seem big right now but... hehe.

oh and sorry for the lack of romance. I'm really focusing on their past and other stuff but I'll leave some cute fluff moments in a few chapters.