The Human Bomb (1)
Strapping bombs all over your body and charging ahead. In 21st-century Earth, pulling this stunt would earn you the label of total lunatic—and rightfully so. It's fundamentally unethical to begin with. If you slap a bomb vest on a hostage, you might end up having to kill them anyway. And if you throw clothes over it, it's even harder to spot, leaving victims defenseless. That's why bomb vests carry such a vicious, cruel reputation. You're gambling with the only life you've got; no wonder the perception sucks.
"Uh, c-can't we just blow it up?! What if we attract another team's attention...!"
"No way! If it goes off, he might die! Just run!"
As I chased them like a madman, Luna's teammates panicked but bolted with impressive speed. One suggested detonating my bomb vest, but the others shot it down. That was the classic bomb vest dilemma right there. Blow it up, and you risk major injury or death yourself; leave it alone, and you're in danger too.
Even if it blows, I'm fine.
Of course I was. I'd just take off the vest—no big deal, and no serious harm done. Worst case, any wounds would heal with my regeneration. Others might have to risk their lives, but not me. I'd just singe some clothes, that's all. My ridiculous healing let me pull off insane crap like this, and it was hilarious.
Chaos seems to love it too, so no issues there.
The moment I started chasing Luna's team with the bomb vest on, my Faith shot up. No drop—just a rise—meant Chaos was pleased. The professors might gripe, but I didn't care. Like I said, they had no attack rights, so this was fair game. They might even think I didn't know right from wrong—just some wild genius idea. Sticking it to those professors with their bullshit rules felt great, and watching the team flee from me was pure fun. Chasing prey was primal entertainment, after all.
I herded them to a decent spot.
"W-what if we run into another team like this?"
"Just keep running!"
Luna's team was fretting about bumping into others too. By now, we'd drawn every eye around. Having cornered them nicely, I kicked up my speed and surged ahead. The gap closed fast; their faces turned desperate.
"H-he's comi—!"
Whoosh!
I blew past the guy mid-sentence. Soon I met Luna head-on as she led the pack. She looked seriously rattled seeing me right there. I gave her a casual wave and kept going.
"...What?"
"Where the hell's he going?"
Her team slowed to a confused halt as I passed. They couldn't make sense of it. Just seconds ago, I'd been charging like I was about to blow. Bewilderment trumped panic now. But it was just a breather. Right ahead was that house I'd scouted earlier.
And who was there? A very familiar face.
"You crazy bastard! Who the hell taught you that?!"
"K-Kara sis?!"
It was Kara. She and her team burst out of the house; Luna's eyes went wide in shock. This was Kara's house, the one I'd mapped out before. I'd worried they might've left, but they were still there. Kara freaked first when I strode right in, then double-freaked at the bomb vest and bolted outside.
"Take that off right now! I'm not asking nicely!"
"No."
"Do you even know how insane that is...? Argh! Seriously!"
Kara, with all her combat experience, kept yelling at me to ditch it, but I ignored her flat-out. She looked more pissed than panicked—probably a scolding later. But herding was priority; I focused on the chase. I hounded Kara and Luna's team relentlessly.
"C-can't we just rip it off him by force?"
"What if we hit the trigger by accident? Even Sivar would get messed up bad."
Alliances were tacitly okay in the test, but formal ones weren't. Still, we were all fleeing a massive threat now—like running from a beast mid-fight. No time to battle it; escape was best.
"How about we split up and run separate ways? Might work better!"
"Yeah!"
Fat chance. Spotting them trying to scatter, I overtook them again, blocking the path. Any splitting vanished.
"Bomb!"
Boom!
I lobbed bombs here and there too. I'd pocketed a few extras for this. Herding like that, more teams piled on before I knew it. All scrambling to flee, naturally.
"Screw this! If we're doing it this way, just blast him with magic! Problem solved!"
Antonio, who'd joined mid-chase after getting aggro'd from afar, bellowed. He'd been watching from a distance.
"But Sivar...!"
"Better than getting played by that one guy! Knocking him out's the smart move!"
He had a point. I was toying with at least three teams—over ten people. All because of my bomb vest. Maybe that's why. Antonio's slick persuasion started winning folks over, one by one.
"Yeah, he's right! This is ruining the test!"
"Just shoot already! We can't keep this up!"
"They're the ones who screwed us first! Damn wildman!"
They were pissed, big time. Time to wrap the herding. Enough people gathered; let 'em scatter and fight among themselves. Their plans were trashed anyway, and my team was probably at the goal by now. I slowed my legs to veer off—
"N-no, don't! Even so...!"
"Let go! Eat this!"
A brief scuffle, and something flew at me. Round shape—bomb, probably. I sidestepped easily. It hit the ground. Wait, not a bomb. Just a plain old rock.
What the...?
Just a toss? Then noise from my blind spot. I turned—a real bomb rolling on the ground. They'd faked me out to dodge, prepping it in that split second. The moment I spotted it—
Boom!
The decoy blew first, right beside me.
Kaboom!!
Chain reaction—my bomb vest erupted in a massive blast.
The huge explosion unleashed a fierce gust whipping everywhere. Dirt and debris blinded the students; they squeezed their eyes shut. Only when the wind died could they open them.
"...Sivar?"
Kara was first to peek. She stared into the lingering dust cloud, murmuring. Even low-kill bombs were bombs. And Sivar's body had been plastered with them. Even he'd be in real danger.
Her face twisted in dismay as she peered in, then fury.
"You bastard...! What the hell did you just do?! Trying to kill someone?!"
She grabbed Antonio—the bomber—by the collar and roared. Tall and fierce for a girl, she radiated menace. But Antonio brushed it off, yanking her hand away irritably.
"So we just keep running? Botch the test? You even know what we're doing here?"
"Trading a test for a life?!"
"Bomb vest means he threw his life away! And the barrier kicks in—no death!"
"You little—!"
While Kara and Antonio bickered, Luna focused on the dust. Her special eyes struggled through it, but it was clearing now.
Hope he's not hurt bad...
Luna knew Sivar's regen was top-tier. Even near-death, it'd heal him fully. This blast might wound, but recovery was likely. The aftermath worried her more. How would Sivar react? Rage, or his usual stoic calm? She waited silently—then the dust parted fully, revealing him.
"...Huh?"
"What the...?"
Something was off. Sivar was gone. Just a round orb left. A protective barrier—the kind for elimination or equivalent peril.
"Barrier? Why...?"
"Wha—? B-barrier! He's out!"
"F-for real? Seriously?"
As Luna muttered puzzled, others shouted. Kara and Antonio turned too. There it sat, plain as day. Looked like the blast had eliminated Sivar.
"He's finally gone! We're saved!"
"Hahaha! Yeah! Out he goes! Now we can breathe!"
"He really got eliminated...?"
The students hugged and cheered at Sivar's "defeat." Public enemy number one—joy doubled. Kara couldn't join in. Felt like a cheap trick, left a bad taste. Plus, seeing him turn class pariah stung. She knew that feeling best.
Maybe buy him candy later as sorry.
Kara scratched her head, mood souring. Luna edged toward the orb cautiously. No way a blast like that eliminated him. He'd brawled Hector to the death; this? Nah. Needed a closer look.
Tap tap tap.
"Sivar? You in there?"
She rapped the egg-shaped barrier lightly. If eliminated, no response—sleep magic auto-triggers. Luna listened hard.
"...Guess he really is out."
Silence. Luna felt more stunned than glad. Too anticlimactic. Even without attack rights, she'd bet he'd last. Reality said otherwise. She backed off, bemused.
Boom!
Noise from the barrier—like a hammer strike, not a fist. Luna jolted back. Not just her—others heard too.
"What? What's that sound?"
"From the barrier?"
"No way..."
Thud!!
Another boom as they dismissed it. The barrier rocked hard. Sleep magic should've knocked him out cold. Yet—
Thud! Thud! Boom!
It shuddered repeatedly amid crashes. Students watched, breathless—like witnessing a monster hatch. Frozen in dread.
Boom! Crack!
A fissure at last. The tough barrier cracking—from internal blows alone. Impossible? Doubt etched some faces.
Craaack!
An arm punched through. Pristine despite the bombs. It flailed, gripped the surface, and pushed slowly.
Creeeak! Crack!
Terrifyingly deliberate—a figure emerging. Arm, head, neck, chest. Students retreated in horror.
"Hoo."
Sivar fully emerged, shaking his head vigorously. Luna gaped at his "revival," then—unthinkingly—glanced down. His clothes? Vaporized. Pants and undies too.
"...Sweet potato?"
A "sweet potato" dangled center-stage. Luna meant the euphemism, of course. Realizing, her face blazed crimson—juicy red.
"Oh, uh...! That hideous...!"
"Whoa... impressive."
"Ahem! Ahem!"
Others weren't immune. Awe, embarrassment—mixed. Kara's reaction? Gold. Head turned, but peeking slyly. Her tan hid it, but her face burned hottest.
So they all stared slack-jawed at Sivar's nude spectacle—
Beep!
Announcement: The exam will be temporarily halted.
Sivar, please put on some clothes immediately.
The professors had enough, calling it off on the spot. At least they respected basic human rights.