[Location: Dormitory F - Common Room]
[Time: 09:00 AM]
[Event: Team Recruitment]
The Common Room of Dorm F looked like a funeral home.
One hundred students sat on broken chairs or the floor, heads bowed in despair.
They had heard the announcement.
Class F vs Class A.
Ryan vs Leo Sterling.
It wasn't a match. It was an execution.
Ryan stood on top of a rickety table, holding a megaphone (bought from the System for 50 points). Grog stood beside him, arms crossed, looking like a bouncer.
"Listen up, rejects!" Ryan shouted.
The students looked up lifelessly.
"Why bother, Ryan?" a skinny boy muttered. "Leo is an S-Rank candidate. He controls Gravity. We are F-Ranks. We are just going to forfeit."
"Forfeit?" Ryan laughed. "And miss out on the loot?"
He kicked open a heavy duffel bag on the table.
CLATTER.
Thousands of Credits, glowing Mana Potions, and pile of Gold Coins spilled out.
The lifeless eyes of the students suddenly lit up. Greed is a powerful motivator.
"I need 3 teammates," Ryan announced. "The Tournament requires a team of 5. Grog and I are already in. I don't care about your grades. I don't care if you have zero mana. I want freaks. I want weirdos."
"If you join my team, I will pay you 10,000 Credits upfront. And if we win, you get access to the Royal Armory."
A hand shot up. It was a muscular guy with a sword.
"I'll join! I can lift 200kg!"
Ryan activated [True Sight].
[Scan: Candidate A]
[Potential: F]
[Hidden Trait: Coward. Will run away if scratched.]
"Denied," Ryan said. "Next."
A girl with fire magic stepped up. "I can conjure fireballs!"
[Scan: Candidate B]
[Potential: E]
[Hidden Trait: Pyromaniac. Might burn teammates by accident.]
"Denied. I like my eyebrows singed, but not burnt off. Next."
Ryan went through 20 candidates. All rejected. They were either too weak, too scared, or just plain normal.
Ryan didn't want normal. Normal loses to Leo.
Suddenly, Ryan saw a boy sleeping in the corner.
He was wearing pajamas. He had a pillow hugged to his chest. He was drooling.
Everyone was shouting, but this guy was fast asleep.
Ryan narrowed his eyes.
[System Scan]
[Target: Jin]
[Rank: F]
[Class: Sleepwalker]
[Hidden Talent (S-Rank): 'Dream Warrior'.]
Description: His combat power increases by 500% when he is asleep. He fights on pure instinct. When awake, he is useless.
Ryan grinned. "Grog, wake him up."
Grog shook the sleeping boy. Jin woke up, looking confused and scared. "Huh? Is class over?"
"Jin," Ryan said. "You're hired. Go back to sleep."
Jin blinked. "Really? Okay."
He dropped back onto the floor and started snoring instantly.
"One down," Ryan noted. "I need a Healer."
The room went silent. Healers were rare. Most were in Class A or B. Class F didn't have healers.
"No healers?" Ryan frowned.
"I... I know some biology," a quiet, raspy voice came from the back.
A girl stepped out of the shadows. She was tiny, pale, and had messy purple hair. She wore thick glasses and smelled of chemicals.
The other students moved away from her.
"Don't pick her, Ryan," someone whispered. "That's Violet. She's creepy. She dissects frogs for fun."
Violet looked at her shoes. "I can make potions. Some... stop the bleeding."
Ryan scanned her.
[System Scan]
[Target: Violet]
[Rank: F]
[Class: Plague Doctor]
[Hidden Talent (A-Rank): 'Poison Mastery'.]
Description: She can heal wounds by injecting modified bacteria. It hurts like hell, but it works instantly. Can also create lethal poisons.
"A Mad Scientist?" Ryan's smile widened. "Perfect. Violet, you're hired. Can you make a poison that gives someone diarrhea?"
Violet's eyes lit up behind her glasses. "I can make a poison that makes them vomit their own intestines."
Ryan paused. "Let's stick to diarrhea for now. But I like your enthusiasm."
"Two down. One to go."
Ryan looked around. He needed a wildcard. Someone unpredictable.
His eyes landed on a skinny boy sitting alone at a table, playing with a coin.
Every time the boy flipped the coin, something bad happened around him.
Flip. A chair leg broke.
Flip. A lightbulb exploded.
Flip. A student tripped on nothing.
Ryan walked over to him.
"What's your name, disaster magnet?"
The boy looked up. He looked miserable.
"Felix. Stay away from me. I'm cursed. I have 'Negative Luck'. If I join your team, we will lose."
[System Scan]
[Target: Felix]
[Rank: F (Due to bad luck)]
[Hidden Talent (S-Rank): 'Aura of Misfortune'.]
Description: The Universe hates him. But the Universe also hates anyone standing near him. Enemies within 10 meters suffer weapon jams, magical backfires, and random tripping.]
Ryan started laughing.
"Lose? Felix, you are the ultimate weapon."
"Imagine Leo trying to cast a gravity spell, and he accidentally bites his tongue. Or his pants fall down."
Felix blinked. "Can... can I do that?"
"With me, you can," Ryan slapped a stack of cash on Felix's table. "Welcome to the team."
[Time: 12:00 PM]
[Team Registration Desk]
Ryan walked up to the registration counter, flanked by his motley crew.
Grog: The Muscle (Tank).Jin: The Sleeper (Berserker).Violet: The Psycho (Healer/Poison).Felix: The Jinx (Debuffer).Ryan: The Leader (Necromancer/Streamer).
The Registrar looked at the form.
"Team Name?"
Ryan thought for a moment.
Class A called themselves 'The Golden Lions'.
Class B was 'The Iron Fist'.
"Team name," Ryan grinned. "The Suicide Squad."
The Registrar sighed. "Fitting. Sign here."
As they walked away, a group of Class A students blocked their path.
It was Leo Sterling's lackeys.
"Enjoy your last meal, Trash Squad," one of them sneered. "Leo said he won't just beat you. He's going to cripple you."
Ryan looked at Felix.
"Felix, flip a coin."
Felix nervously flipped a silver coin.
Ping.
The Class A lackey suddenly choked on his own spit. He stumbled backward, tripped over his own cape, and face-planted into a nearby trash can.
CLANG!
The trash can tipped over, covering the elite student in old cafeteria noodles.
"AAHH! MY ROBE! IT'S SILK!"
Ryan smirked at the remaining lackeys.
"Tell Leo to wear a helmet. Accidents happen."
He turned to his team.
"Alright, Squad. We have 48 hours before the match. We aren't going to train."
"We aren't?" Violet asked, clutching a beaker of green liquid.
"No," Ryan's eyes glowed with blue system light. "We are going to the Dungeon. I need to Power Level you guys from Level 1 to Level 10."
"Get your gear. We're going hunting."