"Okay, tell me all the things we'll need for the mission," I said to the group.
"You don't need to worry yourself with that," Talia replied, glaring at me.
I wondered why. Whatever.
"No, seriously—where are we going right now?" I asked, turning toward Amanda, the responsible one.
"The store. I already gave you the address," Amanda said. Sammy and I exchanged horrified looks, remembering the chaos that had followed us there last time.
"Listen, Amanda. I get that you're strong—hell, you're the strongest in the first year—but can we go to another store? You know, for our safety." My voice carried a sudden confidence I didn't expect.
"It's the only store in the entire academy for outdoor missions. You'll have to bear with it. I can't help you," Amanda replied, walking forward.
Sammy and I could only glance at each other, trying not to scream at the top of our lungs.
"Seriously, calm down, both of you. And Sammy—get out of Rudra's arms. You're a grown man, not a child," Talia snapped, clearly frustrated.
"C'mon, what did you guys even see?" she asked, her tone dripping with sarcasm.
"You'll see when you get there," Sammy said, smirking like he'd just won the lottery.
While Sammy and Talia fired shots at each other, I turned to Amanda.
"You knew what kind of pranks Madam Augusta plays, didn't you?"
"…" Amanda stayed silent.
"I wonder why you were so helpful that day. Hmmm… maybe someone wanted Sammy and me to suffer. I wonder who that could be. Right, Amanda?" I pressed, staring at her as she deliberately avoided my gaze.
"…"
"Come on, answer me. Just admit you were angry at us, and that's it," I said, louder than I intended.
"Looks like we've reached the store," Amanda said quickly, dodging the question.
"Don't ignore me!" I shot back.
We entered the store, greeted warmly—though Amanda and Talia immediately collapsed on the floor, apparently too sleepy to function. So that's why she hadn't answered me earlier.
After waking them up with a smirk, we bought our supplies. Of course, we fought over who would pay the bill, and—thanks to my lovely luck—it was my turn. FUCK.
With everything settled, we agreed to meet at 5 a.m. sharp tomorrow.
---
"Rudra. Rudra!"
"Rudra, wake the fuck up already!"
"Damn it, this guy—I swear to God I'll kill him one day!"
"Coming… what happened?" I muttered, opening the door to see the gang staring me down with death glares.
"What time is it?" I asked.
"7:55," Sammy said, barely holding back laughter.
"Holy fuck! Why didn't you wake me up earlier?!"
"Shut up and change your clothes quickly," Talia ordered, shaking her hand in disgust.
No matter how pissed I was, I listened. I stripped off my clothes immediately, earning weird stares, but ignored them. Getting to the headmaster's room was more important.
After scrambling like a madman for five minutes, I was finally ready.
"Why did you take so long?" Amanda asked.
"I had to do my skincare routine. Gotta keep my beautiful face fresh," I said casually.
"…"
"RUDRA, YOU ABSOLUTE FUCK—" Sammy was about to explode, but Amanda stopped him.
"Rudra, next time you pull this stunt, there will be consequences," Amanda said sternly.
"Yes, ma'am," I replied quickly. Best not to poke the devil.
Amanda started walking, and we followed. Despite heading into a mission, the group seemed calm. That was… reassuring.
"Did you guys eat breakfast?" I asked, my stomach growling.
"Yes, we did," Talia replied.
"Okay, then I'll go to dinner to eat something," I said, rubbing my stomach.
"RUDRA!!!" the whole group erupted.
Why the hell were they so angry about me eating food?
---
"Come in," Alex said as we entered.
"Now, everyone," Sophie began, her tone serious. "Today you're going on a very important mission. It's secret, so it cannot be shared with anyone. Am I clear?"
We nodded. She continued:
"To reach the fallen city of Mathura, you'll use a teleporter. It will drop you near the city. From there, you'll face challenges I don't even know about. You'll be on your own—strictly no outside help."
"Is there any specific location where the temple will be?" Amanda asked.
"Sadly, no. There isn't a single map. That's the main issue. Others who went before you couldn't find it."
"Alright, everyone—let's go to the teleporter," Alex said, rising from his chair.
As we followed, my thoughts spiraled. Why was I the only person without mana? Was something wrong with me? Who was playing games with my life? I never believed in God—he never helped me when I needed him most. When my parents disappeared. When I was bullied for being mana-less. When I worked odd jobs just to scrape together food. Where the fuck was he then?
Snapping out of my thoughts, Amanda walked beside me.
"Are you okay, Rudra? You look pale."
"Ye… yeah, Amanda. Everything's fine."
"If you have any problem, you can talk to us, okay?" she said softly.
I kind of liked that. I didn't know why.
"Okay, everyone—we've reached the teleporter," Alex announced cheerfully.
"It's huge," Sammy commented.
The structure towered over us, glowing with blue light at its center.
"What do we do now, sir?" I asked Adam.
"Step into it. You'll feel nauseous, so take the medicine."
"Let's go," Amanda said firmly.
Without thinking too much, I stepped into the portal—excited yet nervous for the mission ahead.