To Join The Organisation (2)

The next day, Vardan and Jay arrived at the location mentioned in the mysterious mail. As they entered the large, dimly-lit room, eight other survivors were already waiting.

Vardan's eyes locked onto the sword guy from the survival exam, who stood silently in a corner, arms crossed like he was posing for a movie poster.

Jay nudged Vardan. "Master, is it me, or does that guy always look like he's brooding for dramatic effect?"

Vardan chuckled. "Maybe that's just his thing."

Suddenly, a friendly-looking guy with perfectly styled hair strolled over to them. He flashed a bright smile that almost sparkled.

"Hey! Name's Ken. Looks like we'll be working together. You're Vardan, right? I saw you during the exam. Nice moves."

Before Vardan could respond, a massive, muscular guy approached. His arms were like tree trunks, and he had a permanent scowl. Everyone instinctively took a step back.

He cleared his throat awkwardly. "I'm... Andy," he mumbled, his face flushing bright red.

Ken blinked. "Wait, YOU'RE shy?"

Andy looked down, shuffling his feet. "I'm not good with introductions…"

Vardan exchanged glances with Jay, both struggling not to laugh.

Meanwhile, Jay found himself face-to-face with a girl about his age, her long hair tied into a ponytail.

"I'm Mira," she said, offering a small smile.

Jay turned beet red. "I—I'm Jay."

Vardan smirked. "Jay, you're blushing."

"No, I'm not!" Jay whispered back, looking away.

Determined to break the ice, Vardan approached the sword guy.

"I'm Vardan. What's your name?"

The sword guy stared at him without saying a word. The silence dragged on awkwardly.

"…Cool. Good talk," Vardan muttered.

Just then, another girl casually walked up to Vardan.

"Lily," she introduced herself simply.

Before Vardan could respond, a lanky guy wearing sunglasses indoors (for some reason) strolled over, trying to impress her.

"Hey, I'm Akio. Maybe after this, you and I can—"

"No," Lily cut him off immediately and walked away.

Akio froze, stunned. "Wait, what?!"

Jay whispered to Vardan. "That was brutal."

Akio clutched his heart dramatically. "I'll recover… but not today."

Finally, the sword guy spoke, barely loud enough to hear.

"Leo."

Vardan blinked. "Wait, what?"

"My name. It's Leo."

Before Vardan could react, another guy approached Jay.

"I'm William."

And right behind him, someone else introduced himself.

"Logan."

With all the introductions out of the way, silence settled in.

Suddenly, a large TV flickered on. A shadowy figure appeared on the screen, his face completely hidden in the dark.

"I see you've all introduced yourselves," the figure said, his voice low and commanding.

"I am the boss of the organization. From this day forward, you are all killers-in-training."

Jay gulped audibly.

The boss continued. "The organization operates on a ranking system. D-rank is the lowest, followed by C, B, A, and at the top… S-rank, known as the Wings. All of you are starting at D-rank."

Akio raised his hand. "Uh, quick question. Why D? I feel like I at least deserve a C."

The boss ignored him.

"You will receive missions. Complete them to rise through the ranks. Fail… and there are consequences."

The screen abruptly switched off, leaving everyone in an awkward silence.

Jay leaned toward Vardan. "Is 'consequences' code for 'we die'?"

Vardan shrugged. "Probably."

Just then, Oliver stepped into the room, his calm and dangerous presence filling the space.

"Congratulations," Oliver said. "I'll be overseeing your training. From now on, you'll answer to me."

Oliver's eyes met Vardan's. There was a flicker of recognition, but neither said a word.

Oliver handed out small black cards, each with their names and ranks.

"These are your killer IDs. Keep them safe. They'll be important."

Jay stared at his card nervously. "I didn't sign up for this."

Vardan ruffled his hair. "Relax. I'm here. You'll be fine."

As they left, Jay whispered to Vardan, "I feel like I just accidentally joined the mafia."

Later that evening, Vardan visited Johan, showing him the black card.

"I'm officially D-rank now."

Johan studied the card carefully. "It's a start, but things will only get harder from here."

Meanwhile, Oliver stood in the dark room, facing the shadowy boss.

"Why did you rank Vardan so low?" Oliver asked. "You saw him fight. He has potential to be A-rank… maybe even higher."

The boss's face remained hidden. "I want to see how far he'll climb on his own. Potential means nothing without results."

Oliver smirked. "He'll surprise you."

The boss leaned back into the shadows.

"Let's hope so."