If there is someone to be blamed, it would be the person the task was initially given to."
He paused, then continued with a speculative tone, "But if I'm to guess, it could be that he had mistaken him for someone else.
And the fact that he now has both of his eyes back, and his hair color changed to dark hair, it doesn't even match the description that I gave him. Honestly, if it wasn't for the name tag on his shirt, I wouldn't have known it was him."
Leo said, his gaze fixed on Fai.
"Could it be that he had managed to gather enough money to meet someone with medical mutant abilities?"
One of the twins interjected, the male surprised.
"But why change the color of his hair? Was he really that scared of us finding him?"
"I don't think it's a problem, though," Keal said , a cold smile playing on his lips.
"If that's the case, then his efforts were really in vain."
"Yeah, if anything, I think it's a good thing he made it through," the girl twin said, her devilish smile mirroring her brother's.
"Now that he is here, we would be able to deal with him ourselves, especially when we know what this assessment is going to be." She concluded .
"I can't wait to get rid of his eyes again."
This group was the very same one that had bullied Fai throughout high school.
Kael harbored a burning desire to make him pay for striking him with his wooden sword during their encounter in the forest.
The twins, on the other hand, sought retribution for Fai even daring to stand his ground against them; for them, it was an unforgivable act.
If it wasn't for the timely intervention of the... Red Angel, they would have dealt with him long ago, inflicting far greater harm.
Maybe even to the point that he wouldn't make it through the acessment.
But due to her stern threat, they decided to lay low, biding their time until the assessment, where they believed they would have free rein.
They had even concocted a devious plan to ensure he failed the assessment.
Through their connections, they had managed to talk to one of the military personnel when they were still at the city, paying him a substantial sum to deliberately cause Fai to fail.
This was precisely the reason he had stumbled during his performance, a direct result of their paid sabotage.
Yet, somehow, miraculously, he had still managed to pass, leaving them utterly baffled and enraged.
And to make matters worse, he wasn't even a mutant! They were even starting to think that perhaps the military personnel had instead helped Fai to pass the stage, which was the complete opposite of their plan.
"Should we worry about that guy that has been moving with him?" Leo asked, his brow furrowed, a rare display of genuine concern.
He seemed to be the one in the group who had his head most firmly on his shoulders, always assessing risks.
Even when they had attacked Fai in the forest, he hadn't just jumped in recklessly; he had observed the situation carefully, waiting for the right opportune moment to strike.
"I heard that he had made quite a performance during the first phase, achieving a hit point of sixty , just like the Red Angel, and he's a mutated human, meaning he's not weak by any means."
"Trust me, we don't have to worry," Kael said, his voice dismissive, a sneer twisting his lips.
"I'm sure he just met Fai today and has just decided to hang
out with him, he knows nothing about Fai; if he did he wouldn't even bother talking to him."
Kael continued, remembering all too well how others had reacted once they knew the truth about Fai's lack of backing.
"Don't you remember how the others acted once they knew the truth? They distanced themselves from him immediately, and with a little bit of money, they were even willing to bully him.
" I bet he too would be the same." Kael's words painted a grim picture of their past actions in high school, making it clear they were the primary cause of Fai's loneliness.
Sometimes, they would even go as far as to threaten to bully anyone who tried to be Fai's friend, ensuring he had no one to turn to in high school, isolating him completely.
Anyway, with what the twins had chillingly proposed, and Kael's confident explanations, everyone in the group seemed to be content, their cruel plans solidified.
They had concluded that in the next stage, not only were they going to make Fai fail, but they were going to make him pay dearly, and this time, there would be absolutely no one to stop them, not even the formidable Red Angel would stand a chance against their united malice.
At another end of the hall, a girl with bright red hair could be seen resting her back on the Smooth surface of the wall as she observed the students who were still in the assessment area.
Particularly, her gaze were fixed on Fai, a subtle intensity in her green eyes. 'Seems like you managed to make it,' she thought, a faint, inward smile touching her lips, a mixture of relief and admiration.
'It seems like you really changed, and it's not just the color of your hair.'
'And me, who was so scared,'
she mused, 'I guess I was just worried over nothing in the end.'
Soon, her gaze shifted from Fai to the other end of the room, where she could clearly see the sinister group of four students, Kael, Leo, and the twins, all looking at Fai in a menacing manner,
their expressions filled with ill intent. 'I don't know what they are planning,' Sarah thought, a knot forming in her stomach,
'but no matter what it is, I'm sure of it , it's nothing good.'
Sarah looked back at Fai, a worried expression now clouding her beautiful face, her brow furrowed with concern.
'Will he be okay?' She asked herself inwardly , not truly sure of his ability to protect himself from their relentless cruelty.
Sarah Adwin, a young girl with bright red hair and vibrant green eyes, was the talented third daughter of the Adwin family,
one of the influential families that controlled the Red Faction, a powerful guild among the Seven Main Factions of the Phoenix Guild.
Sarah had attended the same high school as Fai, Kael, Leo, and the twins. Of course, she was well aware of their constant attacks and relentless bullying.
The fact that he was an orphan and had no backing only served to worsen his situation.
Fai couldn't turn to anyone for help; when he tried to seek assistance from the teachers, they would simply give him deaf ears, ignoring his pleas.
And sometimes, they would even blame him for being at fault, even though it was not true.
When he attempted to fight back, they only attacked him more fiercely, making him eventually give up, his spirit broken.