The Quadrant Fools

Without a word, the mech charged at me. I didn't move an inch—I already knew what was coming.

The man on the podium turned his head, raised his hand in a pistol gesture, and fired a powerful electric shock. A spark flared at the tip of his index finger as the bolt struck the mech dead on.

It flew back several meters, crashed to the ground, and stopped moving.

"You need some explanations," he said, turning his gaze to me.

"I don't know what's going on," I said, slowly getting to my feet and brushing off the dust. "I was just minding my own business when this thing attacked me because I'm an Honor."

"It's a summoned being. It has no emotions or intellect to hate an Honor," he replied, clearly doubting me.

"You'll see for yourself." I walked toward the fallen mech and took a puff. A thick white cloud surrounded me before taking shape—Puffy.

I knew I couldn't defeat it, but I could at least buy some time until backup arrived.

"You planning to fight it alone?" the man asked from the podium.

"If you're not going to help, then stay quiet," I shot back.

The mech slowly rose, a gaping hole in its chest. I frowned, puzzled. It could dodge my attacks—so why couldn't it dodge his?

I pushed the thought aside, dropped into a fighting stance, and approached. But something felt wrong.

The mech didn't move. It stood still, lifeless. The intense killing intent from earlier was gone.

I slowed down, observing closely. It wasn't just still—it was off.

Confused, I stared as its surface darkened and its form began to dissolve into shadow. Slowly, it sank into the ground and vanished.

Puffy faded beside me. I took another puff to steady myself, trying to piece things together.

It didn't take long. I'd fought Honors with summon-based powers before. One of their weaknesses...

"It went too far from its summoner," I muttered, and the pieces clicked into place. That also explained why it couldn't dodge the electric blast—the farther it was from its summoner, the weaker it got.

"That's it?" someone scoffed.

I turned toward the voice—a striking girl with long blond hair and piercing silver eyes. Beauty like hers could make anyone fall.

"Sorry to disappoint you, Eve," I said with a hint of sarcasm as I made my way back to the room, which looked no different from a regular classroom.

During the earlier chaos, most students had flipped their desks to form makeshift barricades—except one in the middle of the room that remained untouched.

I took a seat as everyone started putting their desks back in order.

Once they finished, the man on the podium began speaking again.

"Last night, we received intel about a strange device capable of harming Honors," he said calmly—too calmly for something so serious.

"If that thing ends up in the wrong hands, this city's toast," a green-haired youth added. "So, what do we know?"

"I'm getting there. The intel came from Sylph Squad. They were on a mission to take out rebels in the slump district, but the rebels nearly wiped them out. Only three members survived." He paused, then continued, "We believe the rebels are working with intelligent shadows to develop this device and destroy us from within."

"Wait—shadows managed to infiltrate the city?" the green-haired boy asked, concerned. "Shouldn't that be our main concern?"

"It is—but that's not your assignment. Another squad's handling it. Your job is to find out more about the device and secure it for the organization."

"What's the reward?" Eve asked, raising an eyebrow. "This sounds a lot harder than our usual missions."

"Promotion. A salary bonus. Recognition from the organization. We don't mind sharing our resources with a capable team," he replied.

"…That's it?" Eve asked, clearly unimpressed.

The man locked eyes with her for a moment, then added, "And a paid two-week vacation."

"Nice!" she beamed. Simple joys seemed to please her, even if she could've asked for more.

"What's the difficulty rating of this mission?" the green-haired youth asked.

"A+," the man said bluntly.

The room went silent. The atmosphere turned heavy.

An A+ rating meant at least three deaths were expected.

"What if I don't want to join this mission?" a pink-haired girl asked. Her resistance wasn't surprising.

"Then go see Butcher," the man said with a smile that dripped menace. "He'll be happy to help."

"You think our lives are a joke?" the girl shot to her feet, eyes glowing. Two ethereal dragons materialized behind her, floating like guardians.

"Or…" the man continued, "you do the mission perfectly, and no one dies."

"You know that's impossible. It's an A+ mission for a reason," she argued.

"For average Honors, sure. But you? You're different," he said confidently.

"Flattery won't change anything. We're no different than anyone else. If we were, we'd be on the surface fighting shadows, not stuck down here," she snapped.

"Sending all our best at once would be wasteful. Like moving your knights, rooks, and bishops all at once—it's reckless," he said, scanning the room. But before he could continue, Eve cut in.

"So we're just backup weapons to you?" she asked, clearly disappointed.

The man went quiet, seemingly weighing every word. One misstep, and it could all be used against him.

"Guys, let's calm down," the green-haired youth said. "He's right. We're not like everyone else."

He looked at Eve. "Eve, when you were fifteen, you took down thirty armed robbers with just a ruler—your powers awakened that day.

"And Dre, you fought five Honors who bullied your friend while you were seriously injured.

"What I'm saying is—we've all experienced things no ordinary Honor ever would."

"Then tell me—if one of us dies, can you bring them back?" the pink-haired girl asked sharply.

While the argument raged on...

"This'll never end," I muttered to the boy beside me. He had fiery red hair and carried a claymore on his back.

"You alright with this mission?" he asked.

"Does it matter whether I am or not?" I leaned back in my chair. The fight earlier had worn me down.

"Think you'll make it out alive?" he pressed.

Before I could answer, the small guy to my left spoke up.

"He's done a few S-rank missions."

I gave him a look of disappointment.

"What?" he blinked innocently.

I sighed. The guy couldn't take a hint if it hit him in the face.

"Wait, seriously? You've been on S missions? How come I didn't know?"

"Because you didn't need to," I replied, glancing at the short youth—my close friend, Goo Han. "You okay with this?"

"It's my first A+ mission. I'm nervous, but hey, you'll be there."

"I'd be a lot happier if Eve said that," I said, glancing her way. Then I asked Goo Han, "Why's she so active today?"

"She's like you," he shrugged. "Been complaining about getting C missions. Guess this is her way of lashing out at Wo."

"What do you mean, 'she's like me'?"

"You've both taken S-rank missions before," he clarified.

"Ah."

"Enough!" the man—Wo—raised his voice. The room fell silent. "If you're not doing this mission, then stay in your rooms and let your teammates handle it. We don't need all of you. Just Eve and the top three would be enough. But the director left me no choice, so make yourself useful—or I'll send you to Butcher."

He stepped down from the podium and headed out. Halfway to the door, he turned back.

"Sunny, Goo Han, Eve, and Ginto. With me."

We stood and followed him without a word. It was silent for a while until I broke it.

"You don't have to be so harsh on them."