SSS-Class Profession: The Path to Mastery-Chapter 254: Blind Rage

Evelyn’s hook came fast.

I ducked under it by a breath. The wind of her fist skimmed my temple. She pivoted instantly, following up with a jab to my midsection. I twisted, caught it on my ribs, and staggered back. Pain lanced up my side, but I couldn’t let it show. If she saw weakness, she’d capitalize. The copied Portfolio wasn’t just giving her strength—it was giving her my instincts.

And that terrified me.

"She’s adapting," Alexis called from behind a row of overturned desks. "We need to end this, now."

Easier said than done.

I feinted left. Evelyn didn’t buy it. She shot forward like a piston and slammed a punch into the spot I’d meant to dodge to. Only muscle memory saved me, dropping me low into a slide. Her heel clipped my shoulder, knocking me into the wall.

I groaned.

Then Anthony moved.

Quick as breath, he slipped behind her, tearing his sleeve off in one smooth motion. Evelyn spun to intercept him, but he was already close—closer than anyone else dared get.

He shoved the cloth against her face.

She reacted instantly. A scream muffled by cotton. Her arms shot up, claws of rage ready to shred him. But Sienna was there next, wrapping her arms around Evelyn from behind.

"Hold it—tight!" I barked.

Anthony twisted the cloth twice, knotting it behind Evelyn’s head.

And just like that, she stopped.

Her breathing was ragged, panicked. Her muscles trembled. But her fists didn’t strike. Her feet didn’t move.

She held the blindfold in place with shaking hands.

"Evelyn," I whispered, approaching carefully. Her body flinched, but didn’t lash out.

I reached her.

Gently, I placed my hands on her shoulders. They were trembling.

"It’s me," I said. "Reynard. You’re safe. You’re here. You were triggered, but it’s over now. You’re in control."

Silence.

Her lip quivered.

"I... I didn’t want to hurt you," she rasped. Her hands curled over the blindfold. "They made me. I was programmed to kill you when I see you. It just happens. It just happens."

I squeezed her shoulders. "I know, I know. You’re back. That’s all that matters."

She nodded. Once. Shaky. Fragile.

Then I asked the question I couldn’t wait on. One whose answer I dreaded.

"Evelyn. How did you copy my Portfolio?"

Her face twisted in pain. Not physical. Not entirely.

"You need to know something," she said. "When 3830 was captured... she didn’t go down quietly. But they drugged her. Hurt her. Broke her. Eventually, they got answers. Not about your plans or alliances—they didn’t care about that."

She took a breath.

"They wanted to know how your skills stayed hidden. How you passed through scans. Why no one could trace your job data. And she broke enough to tell them about something called Portfolios."

My throat went dry.

"Her job title made it so she was the only one who could see them," I muttered.

"She still is," Evelyn confirmed. "But they know of their existence now. So they tried to recreate it. A job that could mimic a Portfolio. They failed for couple attempts. Then they found a solution they thought could work, but they needed a guinea pig...So they chose me."

She touched the blindfold, eyes shut tight underneath.

"I’m not a Jobmaster like you. I can’t get new jobs or abilities. But this new title—Job Portfolio Copy—it lets me latch onto one of your Portfolios. Not all at once. Just one. And only if you’re nearby. And even then... it feels like my mind is tearing open."

"They used you as a test subject," Alexis said darkly.

"I’m a Cain Protocol subject," Evelyn replied bitterly. "Why not stack another experiment on top?"

Her voice broke. "I’m tired Rey...I wanna go home, go to sleep and be able to see you again."

I took a step back, rage curling deep in my gut. My hands shook.

They did this to her.

To Alexis. To Camille. To Sienna. To Evelyn.

To me.

Anthony stepped closer. "What now?"

I turned to him slowly. My voice came quiet, but it vibrated with something darker than fury.

"Carry them out. Get them to safety."

"Boss, surely you’re not implying I aban—"

"I said go."

Anthony nodded. He didn’t argue. Didn’t try to stop me. He just looked at me like he knew what I was about to do—and had no intention of getting in my way.

He moved to Sienna. Camille was still unconscious. Alexis helped brace Evelyn.

I started toward the hallway.

"Reynard," Sienna called behind me. "Where are you going?"

I paused at the door.

"To kill someone."

The moment I stepped past the threshold, I ran.

Pain lanced through my bad leg. I didn’t care. My lungs burned. My muscles screamed. But I didn’t stop.

Down one hall.

Then another.

And another.

Each footfall louder than the last. Until I was sprinting through steel corridors like a ghost with a heartbeat.

I saw it again in my mind. The pale figure in the lab. Not a man. Not a woman. Something in between. Drifting like smoke, skin like paper, eyes like vacuum-sealed frost. A superior here. A puppeteer.

They experimented on everyone I cared about.

I saw Camille on that cot again. Bruised and sedated.

I saw Evelyn attacking me with my own instincts.

I saw Alexis stitching herself shut with a torn needle whenever we had a tiny break as to not slow anyone down.

I saw Sienna injuring herself to protect us, always keeping a smile on her face.

And 3830.

Alone. Tortured. Extracted.

The simple thought that they went through hours of excruciating pain. All for their selfish and cruel benefits!?!

My vision blurred. My heart pounded.

"I’M GOING TO KILL YOU!" I roared down the hall. My voice cracked the silence like thunder.

Another turn.

"DO YOU HEAR ME?!"

My throat burned.

"I’M GOING TO KILL YOU!"

I didn’t care if I was heard. I wanted to be heard. Let them come. Let them swarm.

Let that pale bastard look me in the eye.

Because I wasn’t running anymore.

Not now.

Not ever again.

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