Ragnarok: Alpha and Omega-Chapter 22 - 21: Crushing Expectation

The moment he walked up to us, the air grew heavier—like gravity itself was pressing down on us. My muscles tensed, knees wobbling as if my body wasn't mine anymore. Breathing became a struggle.

Jason gritted his teeth, fighting to stay upright, but even he couldn't resist for long. By the time Xavier reached us, we were both on our knees, the weight of his presence crushing us.

What kind of power is this? My mind raced, but no answer made sense. This was beyond anything I had ever felt—almost unreal.

Then, a voice cut through the pressure.

"Could you stop testing them? They've already proven themselves worthy."

Sam's voice carried from the other side of the room, where glowing monitors flickered, illuminating a futuristic command center.

Xavier chuckled, arms crossed. I guess you're right... but I do enjoy teasing the newcomers.

With a flick of his fingers, the pressure vanished. My body, once stiff and strained, suddenly felt weightless.

Extending his hand, Xavier smirked. Hey, guys. Sorry for the trouble—but welcome to the Red Phoenix Guild. I'm Xavier, the guild leader.

Jason exhaled sharply, rolling his shoulder like he was shaking off the lingering weight. Man, you really had us thinking we were about to get crushed. Do you always greet people like that?

I let out a tired breath. If this is your idea of a welcome, I'd hate to see how you treat enemies.

Xavier laughed. Gotta make sure the newbies can handle the pressure.

I met his gaze and smirked. If this is just the start, then bring it on.

Jason crossed his arms. But those robots... yeah, that wasn't cool. They almost killed us.

Xavier waved off the concern with a smirk. Actually, if you guys were ever in real danger, the system would have shut down automatically. Plus, we have a healer here who can regenerate limbs in case of an accident.

He leaned forward slightly. And those lasers? Only the first shot was actually dangerous. The rest were just stun beams.

His smirk widened. But I have to say, you two impressed me. Not a single shot landed. Your teamwork was outstanding. I like that kind of team spirit.

I frowned. Wait a minute... earlier, when you were sitting down, did you mention Mr. Chase's name?

Xavier nodded. Yeah. Chase and I go way back. We used to be dungeon divers together. That was until we ran into something... dangerous. His voice darkened slightly. We barely made it out alive, but he was injured badly enough that he had to retire early.

I narrowed my eyes. "That's strange. I've never seen any injuries on Mr. Chase."

Xavier smirked, his gaze locking onto mine. "That's because the injury isn't physical."

A heavy silence settled between us before he added, "Chase actually wanted me to keep an eye on you two... but who would've thought Sam would approach you before I even gave the order to find you?"

Jason and I exchanged glances. Something about this didn't sit right. Mr. Chase... injured? What exactly had he been through?

But before I could ask more, Xavier clapped his hands together. "Alright, back to business. Are you two joining our guild or what? Sam already explained the conditions, right?"

Jason and I huddled together, whispering for a moment. Jason was the first to nod.

"Yes."

We turned back to Xavier. "But... you have to compensate us for the robot incident."

Xavier laughed. "Yeah, yeah. I figured you'd say that."

He walked over to a drawer, rummaged through it before pulling out two small rings. Holding them up, he said, "Here. Put these on your ears."

I inspected the ring closely. It was made of smooth, dark metal with faint engravings that glowed softly.

These let you communicate telepathically within a 360-meter radius, Xavier explained. I found them in an A-rank dungeon. Pretty useful, especially for a team like yours.

His smirk returned. I'm sure they'll come in handy during your competition—so try and win it.

With that, he turned toward a backroom. As he walked away, he added, "Sam, fill them in on the rest."

And with a casual wave, he disappeared behind the door, leaving us with more questions than answers.

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Sam exhaled. "Alright, I'll draft a contract with the guild policies after the tournament. Whether you win or lose, you're both welcome here."

Then he added, "The home we've prepared for you is still under construction. Once it's finished, I'll give you guys a call."

After exchanging contact information, we got up to leave. But just before we stepped out, Sam handed us a basket filled with snacks.

"Consider this a small apology for the whole robot incident," he said with a grin.

We left soon after.

___

The Next Day

The tournament continued, and we decided to watch the other matches. That's when we saw David in action.

His matchup was a joke—his opponent had a mild shock ability, capable of delivering weak electric jolts but nothing lethal. The problem? The guy didn't even have resistance to his own power.

Every time he tried to shock David, his own body twitched uncontrollably, as if he was electrocuting himself in the process. His face contorted with pain, muscles spasming violently.

David barely had to do anything. The match was over in seconds.

Other challenges followed—some exciting, some not so much. Nothing too extreme.

But while watching, a question lingered in my mind. What kind of power would our next opponent have?

I did some research, but their abilities weren't impressive. Seeing that, I didn't waste too much time worrying about them. Instead, I focused on training.

After the last match, we grabbed some food and hung around, watching highlights of high-ranking Rankers. The massive screens lining the Ranker building corridor displayed their best moments, and a crowd gathered to admire them.

As we walked, something started to bug me.

People kept stopping Jason to shake his hand, congratulating him, praising his performance, treating him like some rising legend.

And me?

They walked right past like I wasn't even there.

A few times, I thought someone was reaching out to me too—only for their gaze to slide past, like I was a ghost.

My fists clenched, but I forced a grin. Jason deserved the spotlight. He worked for it.

Even if it stung a little.

With that, we finally made our way home.