- Final -

Sophia, she felt guilty that she won't be able to make Beta perfect. She believed that if she made him perfectly, then he would have been happier.

When she was young, she was also an orphan. She was able to be a researcher since she was smarter than other children and ever since she became a researcher, she wanted to make those children who were also an orphan and taken as subject experiments happy. She believed that if she could make them perfect, then they would be happy.

Charlotte sat down on the ground and leaned against the wall while listening to Sophia's words. The wall was broken thanks to Beta earlier.

"I don't have the same idea with you" Charlotte said to Sophia. "Do you really think that you would be able to create something perfect without flaw?"

For a moment, her words sounded harsh, as if she was looking down on her ability. But she was actually being honest for this moment. Sophia genuinely cared for Beta, just like how she cared for both Casano and Horyang.

Everything and everyone on this world, there was no one who was born flawless. Even if Sophia was able to make a flawless living ignition weapon, will that person be happy?

Happiness was just something simple. One doesn't have to be perfect to be happy. She was also one of them. Although her road was not easy and she had experienced lots of bitterness, but she also experienced lots of happiness. She wasn't perfect, but she was happy.

"Back then, my teacher taught me that we are responsible of ourselves. If I want to be happy, then I would be happy. If I want to be sad, then I would be sad. It has nothing to do with perfect and imperfect right?" She asked again to Sophia who didn't answer her question.

Charlotte looked at Beta. She didn't feel the hostility that she felt towards him anymore. This boy endured lots of things ever since he was young, and Charlotte was sure that there was no one in this tower who ever had a peaceful life like hers. Compared to their lives, her former life was considered a quite peaceful and good life. Compared to their lucks, she felt that her luck in her former life was way better.

"Alas, this boy has suffered a lot" Charlotte said. "I guess it has been awhile since he slept this peaceful."

Sophia just smiled, "Maybe." She looked at Charlotte and asked, "But at this time, aren't you going to be with your friends? I overheard your words before, but this must be your reunion."

Charlotte didn't smile when she heard that. Her smile disappeared as she turned her head around and looked at the others.

"I'm not certain of it" she said and confuse Sophia who heard it. "Although we are close, we're also far."

No matter how she tried, now that things had turned like this, she felt that she could never blend in with them. She felt that although they were actually close, but she couldn't help but to feel that they were too far for her to reach.

She closed her eyes and decided to take a rest for awhile.

•••

The regulars looked surprised to know that the Wolhaiksong was also there to help them.

Wolhaiksong was also an organization that opposed Zahard and they were also dangerous for an irregular like Urek Mazino whose strength matched with the heads of the Ten Great Families was also in there. In fact, based on what Lero- Ro said, Urek Mazino seemed to be one of the founders.

But compared to FUG, Wolhaiksong was more like a social organization. They weren't like FUG who treated the slayers and slayer candidates as their Gods who they should worship. Just by thinking this difference, Charlotte felt that this Wolhaiksong sounded more relaxed than FUG. Why wasn't the Wolhaiksong the one who kidnapped her and Bam at the time? In that way, maybe they would suffer less.

Just when they were about to leave, Reflejo used Hwaryun's pocket and asked him to meet him in the room where he found the thorn. Before, Hwaryun brought Novick and Horyang with her to save Bam. The three of them went on different way with him and it seemed like they failed to escape as they encountered Reflejo and was defeated caught by him as hostages.

If Bam left to save Hwaryun and the others, then the time certainly won't be enough. But he insisted. At the end, Khun announced that he and his teammates would go and save Hwaryun.

"I also want to come!" Charlotte said and volunteered by raising her hand childishly.

"No, you are hurt" Bam immediately rejected.

"Brother, if those who are hurt aren't allowed to go, then you are also not allowed to go" Charlotte said. With her fan, she pointed to his wound. "Aren't you also hurt like me?"

Bam, "...."

At the end, Bam had no choice but to take Charlotte with him. When Khun looked at Charlotte who covered her smile with her bloody fan, he told her that not even her fan was big enough to hide her smile.

Their plan was simple. While the four of them will go and save Hwaryun, then the others would go and find the hostages. If they failed to come back in thirty minutes, then the others should be leaving first.

Charlotte, at outside, she appeared to be smiling and humming a song that they didn't recognize as it was the song that she used to listen in her former life but inside, she was actually nervous. Even though in the Manhwa, the three of them will make it out alive, she wasn't certain since she was now a variable. What if she made some changes? She can't guarantee that she would make everything similar.

She felt nervous, scared and also excited. She was nervous because she was worried what changes would happen in the fight later on. She was scared because she knew that this was too dangerous. She was excited because she never fight with someone as powerful as Reflejo and the enemies that she would be facing with the others will be tougher. Well, she would be able to fight with the others if she made it out alive with them.

At this moment, she told to herself to be positive.

"Don't get too anxious" Noah said to her.

"Who is being anxious?" Charlotte asked back. "I'm being excited!"

When they arrived in the room where Bam was locked before, they saw Hwaryun, the red haired guide fell down on the ground unconsciously. Just by glancing at her, even a child could tell that she was badly beaten up and her condition made both slayer candidates felt worried for her.

The room where Bam was locked before because of Reflejo and Beta....it was quite spacious. And there was a huge stone in the middle of the room. The stone was big enough for them to use it as an arena to fight with Reflejo, the man in black who was wearing a silver colored mask. That Reflejo, he was standing on the huge arena with his spear waiting for them to fight him.

Reflejo was in an upper hand. With the hostage Hwaryun, it was obvious that he was going to use her as his shield. He knew that this guide was precious to them and using her as his shield was a good choice.

"That burning charcoal really looked down on us" Charlotte said. She looked at her brother, "Brother, you will believe me right that I could read future, although it's not accurate?"

This was the first time Bam heard about it, so he was a bit surprised. On the other hand, Khun who had started to believe in her lies asked, "Then do you have an idea?"

"Let's just say that at this kind of situation, I could only predict his movements several times" Charlotte answered. "But I could only predict it six seconds ahead. Whether you are able to dodge or block it or not, it depends on how fast you moved. And besides, if I try to predict his movements, then I won't be able to fight."

It was actually a lie. Charlotte wasn't able to remember about all Reflejo's movements as it was actually a detail that people would usually forget. At fighting scene like this, not everyone would spend their time to see where the characters would jump and hit. If she was that diligent to memorize how would he swung his spear, then she could say good bye to her grades and prepare herself to be beaten by her parents.

Then how was she able to predict his attacks later on? It was because she had this ability to read the future ahead but only for 6 seconds. No more and no less.

When Charlotte first enter this tower, Noah had told her that she had something special with her. He told her that inside her there was an hourglass that contained a special power. But the problem was that her power was sealed by the thirteen chains. Noah said that the seal was planted because her body might not be strong enough to receive the power and whenever the timing was right, then the chains would break itself naturally one by one. Whenever a chain breaks, then her power would also increase.

When Charlotte heard about this, at first she felt happy. At least she had the power to protect the protagonists and their friends later on. But when Noah told her that it needed at least years to break one of the chains, she really wished that she could destroy those chains with force. But Noah warned her that if she really does that, then her life will also be on the line. Hearing this again, Charlotte wanted to smash the hourglass as she found it useless but she was afraid to lose her life.

But recently, last night after she ran away with Endorsi and the others using Bong Bong, right after they met with Bam and broke the wager, she felt that there was a little pain on her chest. Turned out, she had broke one of the chains.

That night, Noah sensed that one of the chains was broken and thus, he knew that Charlotte hasn't died yet and approached her. But when he looked for her, he didn't expect that he would be seeing her crying. He waited for the young lass to finish crying and calm herself down before he told her about her ability and secretly brought her out to train for a few hours. She only slept for few hours before the next morning she should be dealing with the tournament.

One of the skills that she found out last night was the [Flash Forward], where she could read the future for a bit. Her limit was just six seconds that she found very useless. What one could do in six seconds? But at this kind of situation, she had no choice but to try out this ability because even one second could change everything in the battlefield.

But if she decided to use this skill, then she could only choose to see one. It was either that she would see the present or the future. If she read the future, then she can't fight and could only rely on her ears to listen to the present and imagine it. But if she choose to read the present, then she couldn't predict his movement.

At the end, after giving it a thought, Charlotte would be staying behind. Khun who would be helping them as the supporter and light bearer would also be watching for her. Their main offence will be both Bam and Rak.

After all, Reflejo was also an E- regular. The four of them were also E- regulars with the two on their team were slayer candidates. Even if he had hostage with him, they also had the chance of winning right?

But after they fought with Reflejo, they realized that he wasn't any ordinary E- regular. His power was destructive and quite dangerous that it won't be easy to take him down.

In frustration, Khun asked, "What the hell are you?"

"My name is Reflejo...an E- regular and a shadow piece of Lord Poken who has been hiding for thousands of years."

"Poken?"

"The FUG's executive?" Bam remembered him.

"Which one is it again?" Charlotte asked.

The organization in FUG was quite complicated and when Charlotte was taught about it, when she saw the table and everything, she immediately lost her interest and constantly forget their names. Not to mention that there were some names that were similar with each other and lots of positions that she often mistook one for another.

"I'm an unworthy man who has inherited a piece of him. I am an E- rank regular but with a piece of the shadow which allow me to escape rules, I can't temporarily become stronger than a B- rank regular" Reflejo said.

Charlotte was sure that she wasn't the only one who found it as nonsense. But even when she took it as a nonsense, she was sure that Reflejo wasn't lying considering his power earlier.

"Why don't you give up Mr. Viole and Mr. Nox?" Reflejo asked. "You can't beat me right now. If you give up, I will tell you the locations of the hostages."

"Dream on" Charlotte answered. "I would rather die here fighting for my own freedom rather than going back being your puppet."

After glancing at Charlotte who said those words, Bam looked at Reflejo, "I'll pass. I could no longer believe in what you said and I......I won't give up on myself."

"It's a shame" Reflejo said. "You blew up your last opportunity. I have no choice but to kill you all!"