When I followed the location that Kai sent me on the maps, it brought me to the front of an apartment complex.
These apartment complexes are assigned to us cadets by the Cadet Council.
If my memory serves me right, in the novel, Kai used his connections to secure one whole apartment complex for himself and his clique, the Young Elites.
If I'm not wrong then the aforementioned apartment complex should be the one before me.
Basically, he asked me to come to his lair.
Just like he asked, I came alone. Well, it's not like aside from him, anyone here can stop me anyway.
A towering young man with a cascade of silver hair, exuding an aura of strength and a physique that strained against his t-shirt, stood at the entrance of the complex.
"Kai awaits you on the terrace," the young man informed me, his gaze cold and menacing, compelling me to enter.
Not minding his presence at all, I strode past him and took the stairs instead of taking the elevator.
The silver-haired young man started following closely behind me.
Every time I climbed a floor, a few cadets would come out of their apartments and join him, walking closely behind me.
By the time I reached the terrace door, approximately thirty cadets were blocking my path, preventing any chance of retreat.
The individual standing in front of the terrace door was a tall, bulky man with dark skin, a fine-looking face, and curls of black hair– it was Alberto Okoro.
"You have no idea how fucked you are," he snarled, his gaze fixed on me, and then he clicked open the terrace door.
Before I could take a single step, Alberto grabbed me by the collar of my t-shirt and forcefully threw me through the terrace door.
"Haaa!" I gasped as I tumbled through the door frame, but I quickly regained my balance after a few steps.
As I turned around, I saw that the cadets who had been closely following me had also entered the terrace.
Alberto locked the only exit door and crushed the key with his bare hands as the rest of the cadets spread around me in a semicircle.
"Why did you do that?" I asked, confusion evident on my face.
"So you can't make a run for it," he replied, a smirk forming on his lips.
"Yeah, but... how will we get out then?" I inquired once again.
"It's just for theatrics," a voice came from behind me. I spun on my heel to face the source of the voice. "I have another key."
It was Kai Wiseman.
My gaze quickly shifted down to his feet, where he was pressing down on a young man with tan skin and raven black hair—Quinn.
Quinn was grumbling, clearly in pain. His upper body was bare, revealing fresh scars and wounds he must have received only a few moments ago.
Standing on Kai's right was a fetching blonde girl, her eyes glaring at me—Grace.
Not minding her, I pointed towards Quinn beneath Kai's feet using my chin and asked in a curious tone, "So you figured it out, huh?"
"It wasn't difficult," Kai explained, his voice calm. "You used a spear in the game. You claimed you weren't a spearman, but you know who was? The guy who fought Quinn. You lied. It was you who fought Quim. As soon as I confirmed that you were the mastermind behind the Mock War, I had my suspicions that you two were working together."
"I see," I nodded, scratching my chin in thought. "So, you bashed him until he confessed to betraying you?"
"Yes," Kai confirmed with a hint of satisfaction. "And it worked."
A sigh escaped my lips as I took in the sight of Quinn—the destined rival of the protagonist of this world—in such a beaten state.
"By the way, you're late," Kai remarked, his tone slightly accusatory. "Were you busy setting up traps again?"
"Nah," I shook my head dismissively. "I just lost my way."
"What?" Kai raised an eyebrow in confusion.
"I mean, I got a little lost while trying to find my way here," I repeated my words.
"But... I sent you the location on maps," Kai said, his expression growing more perplexed. "Did I send the wrong location?"
"No, no," I reassured him, waving my hands. "It's just something that happens to me occasionally. Don't worry about it."
"....." Speechless, Kai's frown deepened, but he quickly composed himself, taking a deep breath.
"Anyway, the reason I called you here was to ask you, one final time, if you would join me," Kai added.
"Wait!" Grace, standing right next to Kai, interjected, her voice filled with confusion. Frowning at his words, she said, "Join? Why are you asking him to join?"
"Shut up, Grace," Kai lifted a finger, a simple gesture that seemed to silence her instantly.
Turning back to me, he posed the question again, his eyes fixed on mine. "So, Lucas Morningstar, for the last time, will you join me?"
"Hmmm," I touched my chin and squeezed my eyes as if I was thinking about a very serious decision.
But in the next instant, I raised my head to meet Kai's gaze as a wide smile spread across my face. "Nah, I'm good."
"Haaa," Kai let out a deep breath as he tried to suppress his growing frustration.
However, for the last time, he tried to reason with me, "Look around yourself, you are surrounded. It's best for you to give up because if you try to fight, it'll end up with more than just a few broken bones for you."
"Surrounded?" I raised an eyebrow. "You think these guys are enough to take me down? Me? The disciple of Leo Kurogami? Nah, you'll need more than that."
Kai looked at me blankly for a few seconds, maybe he was silently questioning my sanity.
After a few seconds, he finally nodded and signaled with his words, "Don't kill him."
And just as if waiting for that cue, several cadets immediately rushed at me from every direction.
