Around him, his group remained frozen in the aftershock of what had just happened.

Horren was the first to break the silence.

He slowly leaned forward, his composure cracking under the overwhelming disbelief that emerged on his expression.

"W-why did you do that, Ruvian?!" he demanded in a hushed yet shaken voice. His eyes darted restlessly across the hall, scanning every corner.

All things considered, Ruvian had already anticipated their reactions.

The disbelief on their faces was exactly what he had expected; the natural consequence of the audacious act he had just displayed.

After all, who in their right mind would not be surprised by something like that?

In truth, Ruvian had merely followed the precedent set by Zian Herga. In the novel, Zian had been the first to step forward the moment Vanessa volunteered herself to bear the responsibility.

The only difference was that Zian had never provoked Julian the way Ruvian just did.

’Well... it had to be done regardless.’

Seeing Ruvian taking a seat, Arlok let out a dry, incredulous scoff.

"Didn’t think you had it in you," he said, still staring at the space where Julian had stood as if trying to make sense of what he’d just seen.

"However, standing your ground like that... that’s not just guts, rich boy, but also putting a target on all our backs, you know that?"

Arlok didn’t say it like an accusation.

Just speaking the truth.

Leaning back into his seat, Ruvian let the words hang. Then, he shifted his gaze across the table, sensing another reaction from beside Arlok.

Shima sat with her lips pressed into a thin line, her silence louder than most people’s raised voices. The light caught faintly on her short bright lilac hair, giving her an almost distant, untouchable vibe.

After a brief pause, she finally spoke.

"Honestly, what you did was unnecessary. Yes, it was right.... but you didn’t have to provoke him like that."

Her eyes still lowered toward the table.

"You may have won the moment, but just like Arlok said, all you did was bring more trouble. Now, your actions have dragged all of us into this too."

Her spoon lightly scraped against the bowl as she spoke, the small sound showing the irritation she was trying not to show in her calm voice.

’I guess this was the most expected reaction from them,’

Ruvian thought, indifferent.

’Not that I care. If they end up resenting me for this... then it is what it is.’

Ruvian was fine with that. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

Even if this incident made things harder during the island test, he did not care that much. He already had another plan — a way to act on his own and still get a good result, even without strong teamwork from his team.

However, even with that plan, it would still be troublesome to carry out. The chance of success would also be lower compared to working properly with his teammates.

Before he could think of what to say, Yerin leaned forward, her fingers resting together under her chin as her gaze softened a little.

"She’s right," Yerin said calmly.

"That move... it won’t fall on you alone, Ruvian. If Julian decides to come back for this, he won’t just look for you — he’ll look for all of us. Our names are already tied to this now."

"Wherever we go, whatever we do, he can make things difficult. Especially during the island test... he could interfere with us, target us, or even turn others against us."

She stopped.

"However..."

Yerin trailed off as she looked at all of them.

"If we keep stepping back every time someone looks down on us... if we never find the courage to stand for what is right and what is wrong, then nothing will ever change for us. We will always stay in the same place we were pushed into."

"People like us, we’re always told to endure a little more. To stay quiet just this once, because it’s safer, and easier. Well, honestly, maybe that’s true sometimes. But if every choice we make is guided by fear of consequences, then sooner or later, we stop choosing anything at all."

She smiled faintly toward Shima, a light smile that said ’We will be alright’ without conceding.

Shima lightly sighed.

Then Yerin turned her head towards Ruvian.

"But still, Ruvian... next time, let us know before you swing at a hornet’s nest. We are a team from now on, after all. So if you’re planning to fight for something, let’s do it together."

After she had said that, this time, no one voiced any disagreement.

’...’

’Now this is something...’

Who would have thought things would turn this calm?

It was not supposed to go like this.

Well, as such... shouldn’t it be the opposite?

Shouldn’t they be angry at him by now — blaming him, turning against him, and soon deciding to leave him behind during the Vazrun Island test?

Isn’t that how it always goes in stories like this?

Then why is it different now?

’Or... was as I overthinking this?’

Perhaps... yes, he was.

’Guess I read too many trashy webnovels before, and it somehow messed with my head more than I thought.’ Ruvian thought, a little amused.

Ruvian took another look at his teammates.

What he did not know was that, even though they thought what he did was reckless, even stupid in some way, they also respected him for it.

More than they wanted to admit.

It was not something they would usually say it out loud.

Maybe they did not know how to say it. Or maybe they were just not used to being honest with themselves. But no matter the reason... that feeling stayed there, unspoken.

And the only one who seemed to understand that... was Yerin who bound their feelings together.

In the end, Ruvian only let out a soft, thin smile.

For some reason, it made him feel a bit strange. As if he was being reminded of something so simple that he had already forgotten.

Something that he had already experienced in his past life, back then he was working as The Enforcer. That not everything had to be planned and calculated. Not every alliance needed schemes behind it.

Sometimes, things just come together on their own.

Slowly and naturally, without forcing it.

Ruvian glanced at them again.

Hopefully...

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[Chapter 140: This Was One Of Them Too]