Continuous Refusal III

"See you guys by ten at night." Obed greeted his colleagues as he exited the factory.

On his way home, he stopped by a wine shop and got some bottles. They had to celebrate Luke's awakening but, the celebrant was still bedridden.

Click.

The door to their apartment opened and Obed walked in. "Hey, Luke it's time to get… up." His sentence seemed to cease when he didn't find Luke on the couch.

"Oh. You're back. You're welcome." Luke replied, walking out of the kitchen.

"What are those in your hands? They look like bottles." Luke said, ignoring the bewildered look on Obed's face.

"H… how are you walking? That shouldn't be possible… yet." Obed was stupefied by what he was seeing.

"Terrifyingly amazing isn't it? I was shocked too. I woke this morning and most of the pains were gone and I could even move freely. Basic movements are no longer a problem for me. I just need to avoid running and jumping for a few more hours and I'm sure I'll be back to normal." Luke gave a brief explanation of what had happened in just over a few hours.

"Look at you saying it with a straight face makes me wanna punch a few teeth out of the gums. Dude, It's overly abnormal for even Chosens to get back to normal after a day's sleep unless they got treated by a Chosen with the ability to heal others." Obed seemed to know more about Chosens than Luke had expected because his explanations about them always surprised Luke.

"I guess I'm special." Luke grinned and raised his head like a proud peacock.

Obed added. "You know, you're already getting famous in this district. There's a rumor everywhere of your fight with the Forever Gang. When I heard others talking about you, I felt so proud that I almost couldn't resist the urge to tell them that I knew the man behind the beating of the forever gang. That's just how famous Chosens get. It's still rumor thought and no one has confirmed its authenticity but at least I know it's true."

"It's fine. You could've told them about me…" Luke stopped halfway.

Obed who thought that was the end of the sentence smiled. That was the permission he was waiting for. His smile vanished as quickly as it had appeared with Luke completed his sentence.

"... I would've chopped off an arm of yours if people disturbed me because you told them about me." Luke said with a deadly smile ingrained on his face.

Cold sweat ran down Obed's spine. 'Thank the gods, I didn't spill a single sentence about the rumor.' Now he was truly relieved he hadn't said anything.

"Move to the table. Let's talk more while we eat." Luke dashed behind Obed and pushed him from behind, turning him when they had to make turns until they arrived at the table they'd always had their meals.

"So, most people believe the gang got taken out by another more powerful gang or group of some sort. That's mostly what's spreading. But then, some believe that it was done by a single person. Some of them even went as far as saying they had attacked a family member of a high-ranking Chosen and karma did a nice job. And then…" Obed sighed.

"There are even more theories? Let's hear it I guess." Luke felt uncomfortable.

"There's always the group of ba***ds who think everything happens by the will of a supreme deity and that that being had decided to punish the gang. They're crazy right?" Obed explained but Luke wasn't listening anyway.

They are, right?" Obed asked again to be sure that Luke had heard him.

"Supreme deity? That's a cool name. I like the sound of it though." Luke was muttering to himself. This reaction from Luke scared the hell out of Obed.

'Ah… totally forgot this mad man is also a crazy being.' Obed felt like he was going crazy.

"Anyway, they're wrong. It was all done by a single person who refuses to go through the awakening test even though he has awakened." Obed spoke once again. "What can I do to make him take the test?" It sounded more like a mumble than a question from Obed, but Luke heard it.

"There's absolutely nothing you can do to make me take the test. I'll absolutely avoid the test until I'm at a level where I can be proud of." Luke answered Obed's mumble.

"Listen, if only you could just take the test and pass, you would have access to many dungeons and dark beasts and would be able to rise in strength."

"You know how long and difficult it is for one to rise to the next tier right? It takes about a year of rigorous training to rise and only one in about fifty people still succeed in raising their tiers. The higher the rank, the higher the difficulty of rising in rank." Obed gave more information to Luke.

"Okay, that's new information. I knew one could rise in ranks but I didn't think it would be so complicated." Luke confessed.

"You think there's some kind of cheat? If it was possible to rise quickly and easily, there would be only a few low-ranked Chosens but that's not the case. At least, you know that there are only two tier-one Chosens in Auburn as a whole." Obed explained more to Luke who seemed to understand a bit by now.

'Auburn city, a city which covered six thousand miles in diameter only had two tier-one Chosens? Then the rate of failure must be insane.' Luke finally had a rough understanding of the rate of failure and difficulty in rising.

"Honestly speaking, if you had to evaluate me, I would still fall under tier-seven right? So tell me. Do I fall under the weaker half or the stronger half?" Luke asked Obed.

"You would definitely fall under the top two thousand but if you could fully control your current strength, I believe you'll enter the top two hundred." Obed replied. He wasn't an evaluation machine but he had a huge knowledge of the power of Chosens. He just gave his suggestion on Luke's strength and it was partly correct.

Only a few hundred tier-seven Chosens could face the forever gang and come out unscathed. But they would've already trained and gained full control of their power over a few months and some even for a year. Luke had only awakened that night but he had taken down the full gang even though he came home injured and fell unconscious.

"I understand. Then I'll have no choice but to train rigorously. All the more reason I can't go for the test now. I'll do the test so don't worry. It's not like I won't ever go for the test." Luke comforted his friend.

Rumble.

Obed's stomach churned, his stomach ached and he bent down to hold it tightly. They had just finished eating so what could possibly be wrong? He thought.

Eating?

"What did you put in my food?" Obed yelled.

"Just a bit of purging medicine." Luke replied.

He raised his head and saw an evil grin latched onto Luke's face. An ominous feeling overwhelmed him.

In the final year of high school, he made Luke angry. Luke acted like he had forgiven Obed and then offered him food. Obed happily took it and finished it.

Soon after, his stomach churned, and was attacked by a wild stomach ache. That food had landed him in the toilet the whole night.

And he clearly remembered Luke telling him that he had placed a purging pill in the food after he had come out of the toilet.

The difference between that accident and his current situation was that this felt more deadly. Like he had bitten more than he could swallow. With gritted teeth, he asked. "How many did you put this time?"

"Four." Luke demonstrated with four fingers and a smile.

"This crazy bas***d." Obed wanted nothing more than to break a few of Luke's bones at the moment but he ignored that urge and charged into the toilet. Nature was giving him a call he couldn't afford to ignore.

"It'll be a battle once I'm out." Obed slammed the door and the showdown between him and nature began behind the door.