Chapter 52: A Dangerous Question

Before Rexi could even recover from the previous attack, the instructor’s mechanical fist shot forward.

BAM!

His fist slammed directly into Rexi’s face.

Rexi’s head snapped backward from the impact, blood spraying from his nose as he was sent crashing to the floor.

He didn’t move.

Arthur stared at him for a moment.

...He’s out cold.

A thin stream of blood ran from Rexi’s now broken nose.

Arthur slowly shifted his gaze toward the old man.

What the hell is up with this man and wrecking people’s faces?

The instructor calmly turned toward him.

"Cadet 81."

Arthur’s expression tensed.

"Minus five points."

Arthur stared at him.

"...Again? Why?"

The old man raised an eyebrow, then folded his mechanical arms.

"Instead of trying to coordinate an attack with your fellow cadet, seeing as you were down one man, you let me pick you apart one by one."

He gestured toward Alexis and Rexi lying on the floor.

"You simply stood there and watched as I obliterated your teammates."

Arthur’s expression hardened.

The old man slowly began to walk toward him.

"When you’re up against an opponent with superior strength and speed, you should rely on teamwork."

Arthur remained silent.

The instructor’s gaze sharpened.

He pointed toward Arthur.

"You had three people."

He thumbed pointed at himself.

"I was a lone wolf."

His mechanical fingers curled into a fist.

"And yet you allowed me to turn that advantage into a disadvantage."

Arthur clenched his fists as he lowered himself into a fighting stance.

The instructor smiled faintly.

"Lesson number two."

"Never fight alone when you don’t have to."

The old man suddenly charged.

BOOM!

Arthur’s pupils contracted.

"Genesis."

A reddish glow appeared around Arthur’s right eye as his perception shifted.

The world seemed to slow.

Five seconds.

That was all he needed.

He saw the old man’s movements before they happened.

The shift in his weight.

The rotation of his shoulder.

The mechanical fist beginning its trajectory toward Arthur’s face.

There.

Arthur immediately moved.

The old man’s fist shot toward him.

WHOOSH!

Arthur tilted his head to the side.

The mechanical fist passed just inches from his face.

Arthur felt the pressure of the punch brush against his cheek.

He had dodged it.

Barely.

The instructor’s eyes widened slightly.

...He reacted before I even moved.

"Hoo?"

...This one seems promising.

"...Interesting."

The instructor swiftly followed up.

His mechanical leg shot forward, driving his knee toward Arthur’s gut.

Arthur’s pupils contracted.

He saw the attack coming.

But seeing it wasn’t enough.

...Too fast!

Arthur tried to move.

His body wouldn’t keep up.

He attempted to twist away and counter, but the instructor’s knee had already closed the distance.

"Grit your teeth, kid."

Arthur barely had time to react.

BAM!

The instructor’s knee slammed into his gut.

Arthur’s eyes widened as the impact violently knocked the air from his lungs.

"Guh!"

His body was sent flying backward.

BOOM!

Arthur crashed onto the metallic floor and rolled several times before coming to a stop.

For a moment, he could barely breathe.

His hands instinctively clutched his stomach.

...I saw it.

His vision blurred.

But I still couldn’t dodge it.

Arthur slowly raised his head.

The instructor stood several meters away, completely unfazed.

Arthur gritted his teeth.

So this is the difference between seeing an attack... and actually being fast enough to react to it.

The instructor began walking toward him, clapping slowly.

"Impressive."

"And with no implants, no less."

Arthur slowly pushed himself up from the floor.

The instructor’s artificial eyes remained fixed on him.

"Looks like the information on your cadet log isn’t just for show."

He gave a faint smile.

"Killing six inmates equipped with Generation Four implants using a completely unmodified human body."

He stopped a few meters away.

"Rather impressive, Cadet 81."

Arthur managed to stand fully upright, though the movement sent a sharp pain through his side.

He winced slightly.

...One of my ribs is broken.

That attack had done more damage than he’d initially realized.

Arthur straightened himself anyway.

"Thanks for the compliments, sir."

The instructor nodded.

"But I do have a question, though."

Arthur’s expression remained calm.

"What is it?"

The instructor’s gaze narrowed.

"Your cadet information clearly states that you have no implants."

He paused.

"Neither have you started cultivating yet."

Arthur’s eyes narrowed slightly.

"So?"

The instructor folded his mechanical arms.

"What was that just now?"

Arthur blinked.

"What was what?"

For the first time since the fight began, the instructor’s expression became menacingly serious.

"That momentary flash of red circuitry around your right eye."

Arthur’s heart skipped a beat.

The instructor stared directly into his eyes.

"Care to explain what that was, Cadet 81?"

His red eyes seemed to glow as he stared Arthur down.

"And before you give me your response..."

The instructor’s expression remained serious.

"Be very careful."

Arthur’s pupils tightened slightly.

The old man tapped one of his mechanical fingers against his Neural Link on his nape.

"The Neural Link at the back of your head can detect when you’re lying."

He paused.

"And when it does, it leaves an indicator on your Cadet Integrity Score."

Arthur’s expression remained calm.

At least, he hoped it did.

Inside, however...

...Shit.

Arthur’s thoughts raced.

He should have expected the instructor to notice it.

That brief flash of red circuitry had only lasted for an instant.

Under normal circumstances, there was no reason anyone should have been able to see it.

But this man wasn’t normal.

Arthur glanced at the instructor’s artificial eyes.

...His reaction speed must be in the microseconds, fuck.

There was simply no other explanation.

Even with Genesis active, Arthur had barely been able to perceive the instructor’s movements, and he was a Player with a Divine-grade item, yet this old man’s perception was quick enough to make out that it wasn’t just a glow, but rather glowing circuitry patterns.

He was a monster.

He had noticed something that most people wouldn’t even have had enough time to register.

Arthur’s mind raced through his options.

Tell the truth? ℯ

Impossible.

There was no way he could explain Genesis without exposing far more than he was willing to reveal.

Lie?

The Neural Link would detect it.

And if his Cadet Integrity Score suddenly dropped...

That would raise even more questions... He might get taken in for questioning.

Arthur slowly clenched his fists.

...Think.

He had to find a third option.

Something that wasn’t a lie.

Something that wouldn’t expose Genesis.

The instructor continued staring at him.

"Well?"

Arthur raised his head.

The old man crossed his mechanical arms.

"I’m waiting, Cadet 81."

Arthur took a slow breath.

...I need to be very careful with my wording.

Because there was one thing the instructor hadn’t asked.

He hadn’t asked Arthur what the ability was.

He had only asked what caused the flash.

And that distinction might just save him.