The Bloodline System

Gustav's forehead creased as his eyes dimmed while staring at Endric with a suspicious look.

"What do you mean by you will not accept?" Gustav voiced out with a cold tone.

"Exactly what I mean... I do not accept to having this death match with you," Endric responded.

The cadets in the vicinity all had shocked looks on their faces at this point in time. Hearing that Gustav had issued a death match with Endric caused a commotion amongst them.

Deathmatches were hardly issued the MBO, and this was the first time they heard of one since they arrived here. Not only was it among first years, but it was also between brothers.

"Is this a joke?" Gustav asked with a cold tone.

"No... I do not wish to battle to the death with you... No I do not wish to battle with you at all," Endric responded while walking forward to stand in front of Gustav.

"What are you playing at now? This another ploy of yours?" Gustav asked while raising one eyebrow up while staring down at Endric.

"No, I just want us to stop this pointless enmity and grudge... Please can we go somewhere to talk?" Endric requested politely again.

Gustav paused for a bit and kept staring at Endric with a look of scrutiny.

After a few seconds of intense gazing from both parties, Gustav leaned towards Endric's left ear.

"You don't fool me," He slowly whispered into Endric's ear, "I know you're a part of that group because I made sure every single one of them were caught except for you," 

As these words drifted into Endric's ear, his eyes widened, 'He knows?'

"If you don't want to be exposed, you'll do well and accept the death match," Gustav added before raising his head back and turning around to leave with a smirk on his face.

The cadets witnessing the dialogue between them had looks of curiosity as they noticed the expression on Endric's face after Gustav turned around to leave.

-"What did he say to him?" This question was dominant in most of their minds.

Endric stood in place for a long time with a conflicted look on his face before leaving.

He recalled along the way that Officer Mag was the one who was responsible for the case about the group of cadets secretly under Yung Jo.

He couldn't imagine how she'd feel if she found out he was amongst the group.

This left Endric with a bad taste in his mouth. On the bright side, he was glad that even with all the investigations, the Officers had not been able to figure anything out with the cadets, which meant nothing could lead back to him right now.

He was supposed to be their leader because, according to Yung Jo, they were the disposable pawns that he had inputted to help Endric rise in the future.

Endric was so shocked that Gustav was the one behind them getting caught. At the moment, Yung Jo had asked Endric to lay low with any suspicious activity due to the officers catching on, which meant it would be dangerous for him if he was found to be a part of the group.

The troubled Endric walked back to his room with an expression of contemplation and confliction.

This was puzzling for him, and he knew Gustav wouldn't listen to a word he wanted to say, so he had no idea the steps to take at this point.

He arrived back in his room and moved towards the box by the side. Picking up the device, he tapped on the button.

«"DO YOU WISH TO ACCEPT THIS CHALLENGE... YES/NO"»

The voice of the AI rang out again.

Endric froze in place again, not knowing the decision to make.

----------------

"What did you say to him?" E.E asked Gustav with a curious expression as they sat in his living room.

"Some encouraging words to help him in making a decision faster," Gustav responded with an unbothered expression.

"That's quite vague," Aildris voiced out from the side.

"Well it's Gustav... Of course he won't give a clear answer," Falco shook his head as he voiced out.

"Hmm I don't know... Something kinda feels off with the kid. I ain't trying to dispute you two enmity or anything... But did you notice he doesn't get in trouble lately," E.E said with a contemplative expression.

"It's just an act... He's always up to no good, but I'll end him once and for all this time," Gustav responded with an emotionless tone.

The place turned silent for a bit as no one wanted to really say something perceived as wrong by Gustav since this was a sensitive topic.

"I haven't experienced what you have gone through, neither can I say I totally understand how it felt but that kid is still your brother. I can't imagine killing my own brother," Teemee voiced out from the side.

"Brother? What big insinuation..." Gustav said with a scoff.

"He's still your blood though... It seems kind of..." Before Teemee could complete his sentence, Gustav cut him short.

"Stop spouting crap Teemee... Just like you have said you don't understand because you never experienced it. Leave it as it is... Nothing you say is going to change my decision," Gustav stated with an unflinching look like always.

"Let's all calm down now..." E.E butted in to reduce the tension.

"I think what Teemee is trying to say is... Just think about the whole situation from every angle before standing on your decision. It's alright if you decide not to change your mind... Just be one hundred percent sure about it and think the aftermaths," E.E explained.

"Sure," Gustav replied half-assedly, causing everyone to go quiet again.

-

The next morning arrived quickly, and presently, it was around four in the morning.

Bed creaking sounds could be heard within Angy's room as she moved from side to side across the bed with a sweat-soaked face.

She suddenly opened her eyes and sprang up with a scared look.