<h4>Chapter 10: Sign Of Defiance</h4>


    "Alright, everyone. Let''s gather around!"


    Adonis was standing close to the entrance of the Otherworlders'' residence.


    Beside him was Alicia, but she was mostly silent.


    The students began streaming into the living room, curious about what Adonis had to say.


    Even the ones holed up in their rooms emerged upon hearing his call.


    Before long, everyone had arrived, all seated in their respective chairs or sofas. A few also opted to sit on the quite cool andfortable floor.


    Their eyes filled with anticipation, fixated on Adonis, as they waited patiently for his announcement.


    "Maybe some of you already know this, but Alicia and I thought it was high time to catch up with Brutus to n out our training sessions." Adonis'' announcement elicited a few groans, but nothing too serious.


    "You don''t have to worry. I made it crystal clear to him that we''re not signing up for boot camp." Adonis shed a reassuring grin at his crew. "This won''t be like school, I promise. Not even close."


    A fewughs were heard from the audience at thest statement, as well as sighs of relief.


    In this strange new world, despite the few inconveniences, one thing stood out and made everyone appreciate it even more: there was no school!


    For these lively teenagers, the absence of that stressful environment was a breath of fresh air.


    Many had worried that this training would be a new version of the dreaded ''school.'' But thankfully, Adonis''s words brought a wave of relief.


    His reassurance sparked hope among them.


    "We''ll be expected to put in about six hours a day for training. Sounds pretty generouspared to our old school routine, right?" Adonis nodded, shing a wink as if he were dishing out a grand favor.


    "Six hours?" Someone groaned, and a chorus ofints followed.


    "I just wanna chill here a bit longer!"


    "Do we get any time for ourselves before—"


    "Training starts tomorrow," Adonis dered firmly, setting off an even louder uproar among the students.


    Their attitude had shifted, morphing into a bunch of entitled kids grumbling about intensive training.


    "Guys, people in this world are dying every day," Alicia pointed out, trying to instill a sense of purpose. "Our primary purpose for being here is to save them. Starting training as soon as possible gives us the best shot at fixing this mess."


    Alicia had kept quiet since the meeting started, observing the students'' reactions.


    However, seeing their response, she feltpelled to step in.


    Her light scowl after saying those words shook a few people. However...


    "That''s not our problem, is it? We''re just teenagers trying to live a little. Who can me us?"


    The dissenting voice belonged to none other than Adam Sanchez, the ss jock, who was quite popr.


    He and Adonis shared a lot of qualities, despite Adam''s hair being ck and not blond like Adonis''. They were both handsome, athletic, and pretty popr.


    However, personality-wise, they couldn''t be any different.


    Adam, often known for his selfish and egotistical nature, stood in stark contrast to the selfless and kind Adonis. In this moment, his self-centeredness was on full disy for everyone to witness.


    "Adam, you''ve crossed a line," Adonis responded, a hint of disappointment creasing his brow.


    "Why? Because I spoke up? I''ve been watching silently all this time, but that doesn''t mean I''ll sit here and blindly follow your lead," Adam shot back, his eyes shooting daggers at Adonis.


    Adam''s flippant but incredibly defiant smile was stered on his face as he stared at Adonis as though daring him to try him.


    "Hey, man, I''m just saying... some of us don''t want to save the world or anything." He added with a smirk.


    Being one of the first alphabetically, Adam had the privilege of choosing his ss and Skills earlier than most.


    However, due to his awful personality, his Karma was remarkably lower than average.


    As a result, both his single Skill and ss were B-Tier and C-Tier respectively.


    Needless to say, he didn''t have as much influence as he used to.


    "Speak for yourself, dude."


    "Just be quiet, Adam."


    "Yeah, zip it!"


    "We don''t need you causing unnecessary drama right now."


    "Why didn''t you say all these things earlier."


    The students who wouldn''t have been able to even squeak in his presence back in school began raining condescending words on him.


    The tables had turned on him pretty quickly.


    Yet, in response to the jeers aimed his way, Adam''s smile widened as he defiantly faced the crowd.


    "Whatever! I couldn''t care less about what any of you think!"


    Then, he simply crossed his arms and legs like a child throwing a tantrum. "I''m not joining the training. You can''t make me."


    Adam''s defiance filled the room, sparking silent gasps that rippled through the crowd.


    There was the underlying fear that if someone like Adam could refuse training, then others might follow suit.


    His actions threatened to unravel the unity among the students, creating disruptions that could spiral out of control.


    In this critical moment, Adonis was expected to swiftly address the situation, preventing Adam''s influence from spreading further.


    But...


    "If that''s your decision, so be it. Anyone else not interested in training can opt out as well. And if it gets too tough, and you want to bail, that''s your choice. I won''t force any of you into something you''re not willing to do..."


    Adonis''s unexpected response left everyone astounded.


    But he wasn''t finished yet.


    "However, by opting out, you choose to forfeit the benefits those who train will receive. Not just in terms of strength but other privileges as well."


    "Oh? What kind of privileges?" Adam interrupted, his smile tinged with sarcasm.


    For a brief moment, silence hung heavy in the room, each second stretching the tension, until Adonis finally spoke.


    "Well... this residence is exclusively for thosemitted to saving the world. No one else is allowed in."


    The weight of those words settled over everyone, painting a clear picture of their reality.


    The Nation was desperate—but only for those dedicated to their cause. If an Otherworldercked interest in the mission, there was no reason to invest in them, especially when they already had the Hero on their side.


    "Fine, then. Make your choice. If exploring and having fun is what you truly want, no one will hold you back. Your adventures can start once you leave the Royal Estate," Adonis dered calmly.


    "Tch... whatever..." Adam''s voice trailed off, his defiance waning as it became evident that Adonis had won. He had lost.


    "Let''s get back on track. Training starts at 7:00 AM, and—"


    But before Adonis could finish, more groans andints filled the room. This time, however, he didn''t tolerate it with a smile.


    "If the timing doesn''t suit you, feel free to opt out. But remember, beingte isn''t an option. If you can''t make it on time, you might as well stay back."


    Adonis'' stern words jolted everyone into the reality of the situation. It wasn''t going to be all fun and games.


    Defiance meant being disregarded by the nation. Only the mostmitted and loyal Otherworlders, like the Hero, would receive support. The rest would be left in the dust.


    "Training will wrap up by 2:00 PM. We will have two thirty-minute breaks within that time, totaling seven hours. But like I said the core training is just six hours," Adonis rified.


    The students realized the challenge ahead, but there was a silver lining.


    "After 2:00 PM, you are free to do as you please—have fun, rest, shop, whatever. However, since we are new to this world, we are not permitted to leave the Royal Estate. At least, not yet."


    The reason for that was simple.


    Beyond the extremely massive grounds that the Estate covered, and therge walls that separated it from the rest of the Royal Capital, were themoners of this world.


    Some were upper-ss, others were middle-ss, but it didn''t change the fact that life was vastly different beyond the walls.


    "In here, we are protected and catered for. Our training will be supervised by the best of the best, and all our needs will be met. As long as we follow the rules, everything will be perfectly fine," Adonis reassured.


    Despite Adonis saying all of this, and the majority of the students believing him, a few students could see behind the facade of goodwill.


    Granted, they were well taken care of, protected, and sheltered. Everything seemed perfect.


    They were safe andfortable too.


    However...


    ''We''re constantly being watched and controlled. Our perfect life here is being held hostage too.'' He narrowed his gaze, sensing the limitations ced upon them.


    ''While I understand why they''re doing this, protecting one''s assets is important after all, I can''t ignore what it is...''


    The Otherworlders—Rey and his ssmates—were no longer individuals with desires and decisions that could freely be expressed.


    In this world, they existed for a single purpose.


    ... Kill the Dragons and save the world.


    ''Anyone who doesn''tply gets discarded.''


    That realization dawned heavy on Rey''s mind.


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    [A/N]


    Okay, no action in this chapter!


    But the next chapter begins the training!


    I hope you are all excited!