Chapter 318: Department Trials [2]

It was all just a theory for now.

However, given what I had seen, it almost felt like it was the truth.

’Now that I think about it, I also heard that those from the cult have the medicine to heal those who have fractures and Cognitive Shards. Is this a coincidence...?’

I didn’t think so.

I had a feeling that there was a deeper level to Cognitive Shards than I knew. They weren’t just a terrible disease that came from the overload of fractures. Perhaps... They were also a gateway into turning a person into an anomaly.

’It’s pretty much confirmed from the Conductor, Mirelle, and the Twisted Man that the anomalies all have pasts.’

Pasts in which they were once human.

But what about the Dreamwalker...? Did it have a past?

I had yet to check.

In fact, I had taken the Dreamwalker for granted the entire time. It had been my first ever anomaly, and unlike Mirelle and the others, it wasn’t unique. For Mirelle, the Conductor, and even Mr. Jingles... All three of them were unique anomalies. On the other hand, the Dreamwalker, or previously known as the Nightwalker, was merely a spawn of its gate.

The true anomaly wasn’t the Nightwalker.

It was the gate.

For that reason, even if I were to go back to the gate where I had acquired the Nightwalker, a new one would most likely have been produced.

It wasn’t unique in that regard, and as such, I didn’t think it would have a past like the others.

That made me think...

’Not all anomalies are previous humans who had somehow turned into them. Some other anomalies form from different means. But how...?’

I felt a headache while thinking about the situation.

There were so many questions, and yet so few answers.

"Haa."

In the end, leaning back on the bed, I stared blankly at the ceiling above me.

"I’m lost."

I didn’t really know what to think about everything that was going through my mind. It started to make me question the system once more, and its motives. Just what sort of game was I playing...?

’Am... I going to turn into an anomaly as well?’

***

Room

[507]

.

A deftly silence filled the entire room.

Mia sat with a pale face, her lips trembling as she tried to hold onto the mouse of her computer.

Despite her best efforts, she struggled to do so.

"Damn it!"

She wasn’t the only one. Standing up, Nora grabbed her mouse and banged it on the table a couple of times.

"Stupid fucking thing!!"

Bang! Bang!

"Heyiaah-Nnn!"

Mia immediately looked back to shout at Nora, only to stop when she felt her glare. Clearing her throat, she looked away. "I didn’t see anything..."

Clank!

Just then, the door opened and Joanna entered. Immediately, she stopped to stare at Nora.

"What is the problem here?"

It was hard not to notice that something was wrong with her from her heavy breathing and annoyed expression. In the end, suddenly being questioned by Joanna, Nora’s face relaxed as she sat back down.

"It’s nothing."

"It doesn’t seem like it’s nothing."

"It is. Don’t b—"

"She’s tired of playing games."

Niel suddenly interjected from his cubicle. Nora’s eyes widened as she sliced her throat with her thumb, but he ignored her while looking at Joanna.

"She’s been complaining about how we’re not going into gates recently."

"Oh...?"

Joanna’s brow rose as she looked at Nora. Her expression twisted, but she met Joanna’s gaze head-on.

"Alright, fine. I am frustrated." Nora eventually came clean, sitting back down in her seat. "The Trials are about to start soon, and we’ve hardly done anything else besides playing these stupid games. I know they’re supposed to help us, but how helpful can they be compared to real-life experience?"

"Not much, honestly."

Niel replied, pulling his glasses up.

"We’ve been getting carried by the Squad Leader in our recent gate dives. Even if we were to go, we’d just be turned into puppets like usual. I’ve figured that with the games we’re at least learning something."

Nora opened her mouth to retort, but as she did, she found that she couldn’t argue at all.

Indeed...

Up until now, they had been going to a lot of gates. And yet, most of the time, it was the Squad Leader who was doing most of the work. In fact, most of their achievements came as a result of the Squad Leader.

Frankly speaking, they were a sub-par team with a monster of a Squad Leader. This was something that she knew, and everyone else was aware of. The logs were clear for everyone to see. It wasn’t private information.

Without their Squad Leader, they were just...

"...."

"...."

"...."

The room suddenly fell silent, everyone’s thoughts syncing for a brief moment. The atmosphere grew heavy from that point, and just as the heaviness grew to an unbearable level, Joanna spoke.

"Let’s leave all those matters aside for now. I’m here to report on our Squad Leader."

"The Squad Leader? What about the Squad Leader?"

"Did something happen?"

"...Are you—"

"He was attacked by an anomaly yesterday."

".....!?"

"...!!!"

"What!?"

"...!!"

"....."

The faces of everyone present practically changed at once. But before they could go on their own tangent, Joanna promptly cut them off.

"He’s currently resting in the Guild Medical Wards. I’m not sure when he will return, but there’s a chance that he might not make it for the trials."

The temperature dropped further.

"He... won’t make it? But without him, we..."

"...It’s that serious?"

"Yes."

Joanna nodded, her expression solemn.

"But he’s not in any harm, so you don’t need to worry about him."

"That’s good..."

As Mia sighed in visible relief, Joanna tossed a couple of papers on everyone’s desk. She didn’t wait for them to pick them up before she started to explain.

"I’ve spent some time the past few days gathering information on the other teams in our department and who we will be up against in the upcoming trials." Joanna paused, turning her attention towards everyone in the room. In that moment, all eyes fell on her as her expression turned even more serious. "Most of you are already aware of the rumors and talk that revolves around us. I don’t have to mention it, but I will do so."

Trying her best to hide her clenched fists, Joanna forced the words out of her mouth.

"We’re currently treated as a one-man show. A group leeching off of their Squad Leader. A bunch of lucky nobodies that don’t have to do anything but rely on their Squad Leader."

None of them was deaf.

All rumors did reach their ears. To some extent, their group was ostracized. Their excellent performances didn’t go unnoticed, and as such, invited a lot of jealousy from the other groups.

’They’re merely leeching off their Squad Leader.’

’...Lucky bastards.’

’They’re practically useless.’

Each word pierced through the chest of everyone present. They all wanted to argue, but none of them could.

This was the harsh reality of their situation.

"...I know all of us present have a reason to be here. Nobody in their right mind would ever choose to be in this department without their reasons."

A small smile tugged at Joanna’s lips as she talked.

"Everyone here wants to prove their own worth and grow. That’s the same for me. I also want to prove my worth."

Not just to her, but her previous Guild. The one that had forced her to leave.

Raising her hand to show the papers, Joanna’s gaze swept the room.

"Review everything that I’ve given to you. It’ll be extremely helpful for the upcoming trials. Now that we don’t even know if the Squad Leader will be with us, it is important that everyone does their best for the trials. We can’t disappoint our Squad Leader in his absence."