36 Chapter 36: Mission Log (1/2)
Uploaded by Recording Device Serial Number ASC2003487E, regarding Mission Serial Number REE201F.
Presented as evidence of betrayal of team member Richard Huang by team leader Bei Pan Zhe, and team members Lavender Ling, Daisy Dallas and Dan Xiao Gui.
Recorded, Year 2905, Month February, Day 2, Time 1124 hours.
Beginning playback…
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”We have a new member,” Bei Pan Zhe announced. The rest of the team looked up and watched him expectantly as he scrolled through his holographic screen to finish reading the email he had just received from the administrative clerk, Allison Anderson. ”Hmm…Richard Huang. A second year.”
Lavender's face darkened. ”That guy who's always clinging onto President Alicia?”
”The one President Alicia is always talking about?” Daisy said at the same time, her tone just as bitter.
”Yeah. The one who just team-killed the representatives from Crowley Academy and the Iron Fist Society a couple of weeks ago.”
”Oh!” Dan Xiao Gui looked delighted. ”That's good. I've seen his fights. He'll be a good addition to the team, especially if we buy him enough time to finish summoning.”
Both girls glared at him. He blinked and shrank back timidly under the intensity of their stares.
”What?”
”Are you seriously going to just let him join our team?”
”Why not?” Dan Xiao Gui was genuinely confused. ”With his summoning abilities, there should be no problems, right? You've all seen what he can do?” Then he brightened up and activated his tablet, searching for a video. ”If you haven't, I can show you.”
”We don't need you to show us,” Daisy interrupted him frostily. ”We've also seen his so-called skills for ourselves.”
”Then what's the problem?”
The girls seemed unwilling to answer, so Bei Pan Zhe replied on their behalves.
”This Richard guy…he's getting too close to President Alicia.”
”So?” Dan Xiao Gui still didn't understood the issue here, staring blankly at his three teammates. ”President Alicia recognizes his value. That's why she's trying to recruit him, isn't she? Shouldn't we help convince him?”
”Are you an idiot?!” Lavender snapped at him. ”President Alicia seems to have a crush on that failure! We can't allow such a loser to get close to our beloved President! He…he will taint her! If she refuses to recognize the truth, then it's our jobs as her subordinates to clean the trash around her! We've to get rid of him!”
”I concur. This Richard Huang is not worth the affections of our president at all. He should just disappear.” Daisy nodded in full agreement.
Dan Xiao Gui gaped at them. ”Are you guys all right?” He turned to Bei Pan Zhe. ”Are you of the same opinion as well?”
Bei Pan Zhe clenched his fists, his face burning red. ”I…I won't allow any other man to get close to President Alicia.”
It was obvious that he was infatuated with Alicia, and was jealous of me for some reason. Just because Alicia paid a little attention to me, and not to him.
”We can't allow losers and trash to hang around our goddess.”
”It's our duty to protect our goddess from such rubbish!”
Dan Xiao Gui thought differently, but he was too timid to protest, so he fell silent and merely shook his head.
”So what do you intend to do? Reject him?” he asked instead.
”We're not allowed to reject an application from a new party member without a valid reason,” Bei Pan Zhe began, but he was cut off by Lavender.
”Just cite gross incompetence. Richard being a loser and trash should be more than enough as legitimate grounds to reject him.”
”I think you'll be hard-pressed to prove that statement, especially in light of his recent performances in the arena,” Bei Pan Zhe pointed out dryly.
”Those were just flukes!” Daisy snorted coldly.
”Yeah!” Lavender agreed. ”The Crowley Academy representatives were stupid enough to let him summon his strongest beast, otherwise they would never have lost! And the Iron Fist Society is a trash society, so of course they would lose to other trash!”
”Uh, don't you think you're giving them too little credit?” Dan Xiao Gui asked. ”And besides, this isn't a duel in the arena. It's a combat mission. We're working as a party – that would mitigate the weaknesses for summoners – as long as we protect him, he'll be able to summon a beast powerful enough to eradicate the monsters in our mission. You've all seen the Celestial Guardians he is capable of summoning, haven't you? There's no denying his power.”
”We're not accepting any stinking summoners in our party,” Daisy sneered, her voice full of disdain.
This might sound weird, but the prejudice against summoners stemmed from more practical reasons. Apparently summoners were often viewed as parasites, leeching off from parties and benefiting from the hard work and risks the others took. They frequently hid at the back, cowering from the monsters while relying on their stronger, more resilient comrades to protect them, and took their time casting complex and powerful spells. Long-range and support mages were different because their spells didn't require that much time to cast, not unless they were casting an advanced, devastating area-of-effect spell that could nuke the entire site, but summoners tended to take more time to cast their spells if they wanted to summon any monster powerful enough to fight the enemies (and not just fodder).
Often, the battle would end and the other combat mages would have slain the monsters before the summoners could finish summoning their magical beasts. This increased the stigma of them as being perceived as slackers who merely came along for the credit and rewards while contributing next to nothing to the battle.