Soul system:Return Of The SSS-Ranked Troublemaker-Chapter 56: Game Of Fate (12) Ambush.

Ivan’s Scene:

"No need to panic," he said flatly. "We won’t be bothering anyone anymore."

He glanced back at the two girls still seated with amused smirks.

"Secure the rooms."

They stood, heels clicking against the floor as they disappeared into the hotel lobby.

Ivan rolled his shoulders. His voice was like frost.

"Tell the system... it’s gonna need a stronger punishment method if it wants to tame me."

He smirked, those cold words lingering in the air, before turning away—leaving behind the tall, muscular man who had entered the hotel earlier.

---

Korean Students’ POV:

Soohyung, Somi, Andrea, and a few others wandered through Jeju City as night settled in.

"Hey, it’s already dark," Soohyung said, his tone playful. "Should we just break into someone’s house?"

"Are you crazy? You trying to get slapped with a villain role?" Somi replied, her voice flat despite the annoyance in her eyes.

Soohyung sighed and rubbed his temple. I can’t believe I got stuck with these people... Andrea’s alright, I guess. Then there’s this mute kid with those weird inverted eyes—can’t speak Korean or English, and he’s two years younger than me... And this dude dressed like a disco ball, half his outfit is literally made of diamonds. And don’t even get me started on this crazy chick whose hair is just my style copied—except hers fades from purple to pink underneath.

"Let’s just crash in the forest or something. Maybe hunt," Soohyung muttered.

"You idiot, your ability makes animals run the second they sense you," Somi shot back.

"Tch... hey, Diamond Guy, make some diamonds. We could sell ’em," Soohyung grumbled.

"Don’t call me that. Name’s Cid. And if I could sell my diamonds, I’d be rich as hell and not stuck doing this crap," Cid snapped.

Cid’s slicked-back black hair shimmered under the streetlights. He wore a split-color suit—pure white on the left, while the entire right side was crafted from glimmering diamond, shifting and pulsing as if alive.

"Fair enough," Soohyung muttered, shrugging.

Then his eyes drifted toward the only girl in the group.

"Hey, chick—what’s your ability?" he asked.

She tilted her head slightly. "Hmm?" Her voice was soft, calm. "I can generate and manipulate needles from around my body."

Soohyung blinked. "Huh... surprisingly classy voice. I was expecting some gangster tone or something."

"Also," she added with a small glare, "my name’s Ria. Don’t call me ’chick’."

Ria’s outfit was bold—she wore a black jacket with sharp white lining over a cropped top that sported a stylized logo: a pink "J" next to a purple "N." Her shorts were matched with fishnet leggings and sleek black heels with hot pink outlines. Her ears were filled with piercings, silver earrings catching the light with every turn. Crimson eyes with freckles dotted her cheeks, and a glint shimmered from both her tongue and navel piercings.

Soohyung cleared his throat. "A-Alright. Noted."

Damn... even the quiet ones are wild, he thought.

His gaze shifted to the last member of their group—the nameless kid.

This dude’s all that’s left, Soohyung mused. "Yo, you got any ideas on what we should do?"

The boy looked up and tilted his head.

"Oh, crap..." Soohyung thought, just realizing—he doesn’t speak Korean.

The boy tapped something on his ear. A faint bump... bump... came from a small device.

Then, in perfect Japanese, the boy spoke. After a few seconds, the translator kicked in:

"I don’t have any plans either. But I’m willing to help."

Soohyung raised an eyebrow and gave a nod. "I see... thanks. I’ll keep that in mind."

At least his answer was solid, he thought.

The nameless boy wore a sleek black kimono beneath a shadowy cloak that fluttered slightly in the night breeze. On his back was an insignia—stylized, fierce, the unmistakable logo of the Gyakumei Clan.

After wandering around Jeju City for hours, the group found themselves aimlessly pacing under the dim glow of flickering streetlights. Night had settled in, and the chill in the air only made their empty stomachs groan louder.

"Ugh... we still haven’t found a place to crash," Soohyung muttered, rubbing his belly. "Alright, screw this—I’m heading to the forest. Maybe I can hunt down a wild boar or something edible."

"I’ll come with you," Cid said, standing and dusting off his diamond-armored sleeve. His tone was calm, but his expression serious.

The nameless boy silently raised his hand, stepping forward to join them. His cloak fluttered faintly in the night breeze, the Gyakumei Clan crest glinting on his back like a silent badge of danger.

"I’ll tag along too," Somi added coolly, rising from her seat with her usual blank expression. "I don’t trust you idiots to do it right without supervision."

As she stood, both Ria and Andrea also got up.

"I think my ability will be useful in a hunt," Andrea chimed in, adjusting the collar of her sleek, high-tech combat suit. The white base glowed faintly under the moonlight, outlined in smooth gradients of pink and purple. Wires ran from the back of her neck into a pulsing circular device embedded in her spine. Her gloves resembled soft padded paws, but the small rotating core embedded in the back of each hand gave off a faint electric whirr. She looked more machine than human—yet somehow retained a warm presence.

"Whatever, I’m not letting you get all the credit," Ria smirked, stretching her arms. Her black crop jacket fluttered as she flipped her short heels over the sidewalk edge and stepped down to join them.

By the time they reached the edge of the forest, the moon was high above them, casting long shadows through the thick trees.

"Alright, where do we start?" Soohyung asked, cracking his fingers and scanning the brush.

Just as he took a step forward, a rustle came from the thickets to their right.

Snap.

Everyone froze.

Soohyung raised his hand silently, his expression sharpening as his crimson eyes flared. He crouched, signaling the others to stay hidden in the underbrush.

The leaves parted.

A familiar voice murmured something in the distance.

They crouched lower, watching from the shadows.

Through the moonlight, they saw another group emerging from the woods: Leon, Callix, Celestia, George, and Elay. Leon’s group was also armed and on alert—hunting just like them.

George held a spear over his shoulder, his eyes locked on a trail. Elay had his toddler in a wrap against his back, calmly pacing forward with his sword sheathed but within reach. Celestia and Callix were inspecting boar tracks on the forest floor.

Soohyung’s lips curled into a grin. He turned slowly, glancing back at the others behind him.

"Well, well... seems like our little competition’s already started," he whispered. His crimson eyes glowed like embers in the dark.

"Get ready," he muttered with a wild smirk.

Something was about to go down.

As everyone readied themselves, Soohyung raised a single hand.

In that instant—boom—chaos erupted.

They all charged at once.

Leon’s team barely had time to react.

"WHAT THE FUCK?!" Leon shouted, eyes widening as he tried to leap backward—but just as his feet left the ground, a crushing force yanked him down.

A pulse of glowing energy surged from Andrea’s body—every circular node on her suit lit up like a supernova. The wires connected to her spine glowed a deep pink as gravity around her opponents spiked.

Leon slammed into the dirt, coughing violently as the weight increased tenfold. He struggled to lift his head, only to be met by Soohyung’s boot crashing into his jaw.

CRACK!

Leon flew backward, flipping through the air before crashing into a tree with a sickening thud.

"G-Grrkh—!" He groaned, barely dodging a falling branch. He rolled out of Andrea’s suppression field and finally managed to get to one knee. Blood trickled from the side of his mouth.

"AAGHHHH!!" he screamed.

Veins bulged along his forehead, glowing with a strange internal light. His arms trembled as energy coursed through them, hardening into thick layers of stone that wrapped around both fists like gauntlets of earth.

He charged.

But just as he closed the distance—

BAM!

A blur stepped in and delivered a sharp knee to his ribs.

Leon gasped, his momentum shattered.

The nameless boy stood before him, silent and still. His expression hadn’t changed—eyes dead calm, like water undisturbed by war.

"The hell...?" Leon mumbled, stumbling back, struggling to understand what just happened.

Meanwhile, Cid’s arms transformed, shimmering diamond spreading from his shoulders to his knuckles like armor forged from light itself.

He swung at Callix.

WHOOOSH!

Callix ducked under the heavy blow with expert timing, his glasses glinting under the moonlight.

"I can feel the power behind it," Callix thought, "but his movements are way too obvious."

THUD!

He buried a punch into Cid’s ribs. The impact echoed with a hollow crack as Cid staggered back slightly, gritting his teeth.

"You’re strong," Callix said with a grin. "But I’m faster."

Before he could follow up, a sharp whistle cut the air.

ZIP!

A needle zipped past his cheek.

"What—?!"

He spun around just in time to see Ria, standing on a slanted tree branch, smirking as more silver needles floated around her shoulders like orbiting blades.

"Don’t get cocky, specs-boy," she teased.

Her eyes glinted with crimson mischief. As she raised both arms, dozens of razor-thin needles formed around her elbows and shoulders, all aimed like a living minefield.