Impromptu attacks

When the elevator door opened. The sudden attack made Victor startled. The automatic reaction of Victor's body was to curl up in the corner of the elevator. 

Ken holds a kick from Aditya. They stared at each other in an unfriendly posture. Aditya's legs are in front of Ken's chest, blocked by Ken's crossed hands. Ken's feet massaged the elevator floor so firmly that he didn't collapse or push back. The stunning thing is the elevator wall behind Ken puckered to the center.

"Why is Aditya attacking Ken?" Victor asked silently in his heart with great surprise.

Ken pushes Aditya's leg with a very strong push. Ken then chases Aditya who seems to be flying backwards. 

Victor followed Ken's movements with only his eyes. His heart was pounding and he didn't understand what situation he was really in. Victor walked with limp legs out of the elevator. He witnesses the fight between Ken and Aditya in the hallway between the elevator door and a door, which appears to be 5 meters away from him. 

Aditya strikes back. Ken also didn't want to just sit idly by taking Aditya's punch. 

"Your fighting style is getting better," Aditya praised. 

"Being praised by you it's so annoying!" exclaimed Ken with his sarcastic attitude, Ken dealt a harder blow. 

Aditya's punch hits Ken's face, until blood spurts from Ken's lips. Ken staggered, trying to balance his body. Victor helps by supporting Ken's body that almost bumps into him. 

"Oh, thank you," Ken said when he noticed Victor behind him. 

"Why are you attacking him? Didn't you invite us here to talk?!" Victor plucks up the courage to protest Aditya's very strange attitude. 

"He's the same Aditya as the guy who's bought a lot of stuff with a referral code from me," Victor told Ken. 

"Are you sure?" Ken was quite surprised. Not only because Aditya is the same person they talked about earlier, but because Victor chose the wrong time to tell him about it. 

Victor nodded steadily, as if his information could supplement Ken's energy. 

"What do you really want?" asked Victor to Aditya standing in front of Ken. 

Aditya shook his head. "It's my way of saying hello to him as well as to test whether his abilities have developed enough."

"What?!" Victor didn't understand their style of speaking. 

"If you want to fight for strength, you can take him to meet in the boxing ring!" Victor dared to speak more and more.

Ken laughed. Aditya lowers his guard. Their desire to pit strength against each other disappeared. 

"What are you laughing at?" Victor didn't understand at all. 

"Never mind. Please come in," Aditya said, then led the way into a room where Mario was waiting. 

"We are like this when we meet. Aditya uses this as a pretext to train me. Attacks from enemies can happen at any time."

"Attack from the enemy?" Victor couldn't believe what he heard.

Ken and Victor talk behind Aditya in a whisper. 

"I'll explain later."

Victor didn't like that sentence, but what was okay to do. There was no time to talk more about it because they had already walked into the room where Mario was. 

Mario, who was aware of their presence, lifted his face from the document being read. He saw Victor grumbling, while Ken looked a little messy with blood dripping on one corner of his lips. 

"Are you done?" Mario said to Aditya who was standing close to him. 

"That kid makes me have no appetite to continue," Aditya said without pointing at Victor. However, everyone in the room finds out that the person Aditya is referring to is Victor. 

Mario smiled and glanced at Victor. 

"Please sit down."

Everyone sat on the wooden chairs in front of Mario's workbench. Victor scanned the room. It looks classy and suitable as a CEO room.

Victor sees Aditya and Mario taking turns. He wondered if the boss Aditya was referring to the other day when he delivered the Top Buyers gift was Mario. If this is true, it means that Mario actually did not break his promise. He was just using his 'means' to fulfill his promise to me, Victor thought secretly and didn't realize that he had been staring at Mario long enough. 

"How are you?" Mario spoke directly to Victor. "Do you still go to the gym often?"

"I'm fine. I'm still going there as scheduled," Victor said. It's hard to be casual in front of Mario. Victor became more distant than before.

Mario gives the code to Aditya. "You can continue your fight with Ken. I want to talk to him alone."

Aditya looks at Ken, asking him out without a word. Ken understood the code and stood up. He was hesitant to leave Victor alone with Mario. However, Who dares dispute Mario's orders. 

Aditya and Ken are out. Victor and Mario live. Victor felt trapped, so he couldn't look at Mario. 

"So now you've realized who you really are?" 

What does Mario's question mean?

"I don't understand what you mean."

"Speak casually. I want to be your friend too," Mario said.

Victor didn't dare to look at Mario. Although they were sitting facing each other, Victor turned his eyes elsewhere.

"In the café at that time, you can talk to me casually."

Mario reminds Victor of their meeting at the gym and moves to a café. 

"That time... I didn't expect you to be the CEO I work for," Victor replied in a stiff tone. 

Mario didn't like Victor's formal attitude. Even so, he couldn't prevent it. 

"So, after you know, you feel burdened?"

Victor didn't answer that. "Didn't you tell me and Ken here to talk about yesterday's matter?" Victor wanted their meeting to get straight to the point. 

"Who told you that?"

Victor felt that Mario was just stalling. 

"Nothing, but I and Ken guessed it that way."

Mario rubbed his lower chin. He seemed to think of something tricky. Victor became more and more uncomfortable because he thought Mario had already wasted his time. 

"If there is nothing important to talk about, maybe it's better... I'm back at work," Victor said and was about to leave. 

"Wait. You must not leave here without permission from me."

Mario starts using his power and it makes him appear arrogant in Victor's eyes. Despite his dislike, Victor sat back down and tried to stay calm. 

"I do want to know, how did you know that fox phantom woman?" 

The way Mario mentions Ox makes Victor's ears heat up. Even if it is an enemy, it must still be respected. Victor gave Mario a bold look after hearing the question. 

"Her name is Ox," Victor said. Although the fox phantom has done too far to him, it doesn't feel right to disrespect her. 

"You even know her name. That means you are familiar."

"It can't be called familiar. I know her because we lived together in White Castle. I didn't know that she was a fox phantom, or demon before. Yesterday's incident just opened my eyes to this world," Victor said. Then he pondered, what use is this information for him? "Why are you interested in this matter?"

Mario twitched his eyes. "Isn't it natural... I own this place. I wonder if letting you work here is a safe decision when yesterday's events have almost ravaged this place. If it weren't for Ken, maybe the damage I would have to bear would have been even greater."

Sweat began to appear on Victor's body, from the back radiating to the nape of the neck. Victor didn't want to be blamed, but no matter what the circumstances were, he was the one who had indirectly invited Ox to his workplace and went berserk. 

"You have the energy that many phantoms desire and also half phantom who thirst for power. Didn't you realize that?"

"How can I know! No one has told me since I was born!" shouted Victor who had been harboring his frustration since yesterday. Ken said something similar and now Mario reinforces it. Victor felt like a burden to others. Victor didn't like being in such a position. 

"I don't even know about the power you mentioned! I even just found out that in this world there are phantoms and half-phantoms living among humans!" cried Victor, probably going berserk.

Mario was very satisfied to see Victor's reaction. 

"You think if I knew, I would want to be targeted? What exactly are you guys talking about?" Victor showed his frustration very real.

Victor continued, "What do you really want? Are you also going to absorb my energy to death? Is that what you want?" 

Victor stared at Mario fiercely. There were only his and Mario in the room. It is very logical that Mario also wanted to aim his energy. 

"Which creature are you... half phantom or phantom?" Victor asked with a sharp emphasis. Ken hasn't told him what kind of creature Mario really is. Victor felt that he was already on the verge of death.

"I want to help you, so... calm down," Mario said softly. His expression changed completely to that of a man who seemed very approachable. The impression of horror in him disappeared. 

"You... Want to help me? Why?" Victor asked, very dumbfounded. He had guessed that he would not come out of this room alive. Even so, he had planned not to die without a fight.