As I promised Thananos yesterday, there will be second chapter today for seeing Rank 3 yesterday, even if it was brief. I appreciate all power stones, comments, feedback and good words.
Daily Meme
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After dinner, everyone split up, heading straight to bed. The day had been brutal, and no one had the energy to do anything else. The camp grew quiet, only the rustling of leaves and the occasional distant animal call breaking the silence.
I stayed outside, arms crossed, scanning the treeline. Something felt off.
[OH, YOU LITERALLY QUOTED THE SECOND SUBQUEST. HOW LAME!]
I rolled my eyes. "Shut the fuck up."
The last touch I had added to the food wasn't just seasoning. It was a powder—one I purchased from the System to induce sleep. Not the kind that knocked you out completely, but just enough to keep you well-rested while still allowing you to wake up at the slightest disturbance.
I had been spiking the food and water supply since we arrived. Because of this fucked-up quest.
Something was coming. I did not know when. I did not know what. But I knew it was coming.
That was why I added everyone in the camp to my Party. System had two features that made this possible—Party Function, which let me track my allies' locations in real time, and Emergency Signal, which allowed me to instantly alert them and send my location the second shit went south.
Third subquest suggested they had a deeper reason for showing up. Something beyond just attacking a bunch of hero students. And the quest description?
"Avoid getting maimed, kidnapped, or otherwise inconvenienced."
That was too specific to be a coincidence.
Someone was getting kidnapped.
Maybe it was me. Maybe it was someone else.
Either way, I was not about to let it happen.
I exhaled, rubbing the back of my neck.
No use overthinking it now.
I glanced toward the forest one last time before heading inside.
Next day was the same shit. Thanks to my powder, everyone woke up full of energy. Other than that, hell continued—training, pushing past limits, then more training.
Then Ragdoll gave the "great news" that tonight was going to be an interclass test of courage.
After we made dinner and ate, they took us to the start of the trail. I started shaking my head. "Hell no."
Pixie-Boobs looked at me. "What is wrong, Midoriya? Scared?"
I stared at them, then at Aizawa. "This stinks. This stinks like hell. In the wilderness? Check. Teachers sending us further in without supervision? Check. We are all tired to death but going for more training? Check. As if I am in a fucking bad anime."
Aizawa glared. "The hell are you talking about?"
I gritted my teeth. "This place is a perfect setup for an ambush, and I have a bad feeling."
"You always have a bad feeling," Kaminari said.
"Yeah, but this time it's worse," I said.
Sero rubbed his neck. "I mean… isn't that the point of the test? Scare us while we're already exhausted?"
Mandalay crossed her arms. "It is just a simple courage exercise."
I scoffed. "Oh yeah? And if it was actually dangerous, would you tell us? Or let us walk straight into it?"
Bakugo clicked his tongue. "Tch. Like it fucking matters. If something comes, we beat the shit out of it."
"Unless they beat the shit out of you first," I shot back.
"Try me, dumbass."
Kirishima elbowed him. "Man, let's at least start before we call it a disaster."
Shoji stood next to me. "You really think something's out there?"
I nodded. "Bet on it."
Mina groaned. "Ryuu, if you ruin my fun—"
"Fun? You call a 'haunted forest' fun?"
"Yeah!"
"Alright, enjoy getting kidnapped, then."
Mineta started shaking. "Wait, what?!"
Jiro rolled her eyes. "Don't encourage him."
Momo looked between me and Aizawa. "If Midoriya is this adamant, should we reconsider?"
Aizawa sighed. "No. Everyone shut up and start. You'll all be fine."
I looked at him. "If something happens, I am blaming you."
"Noted."
The first pair walked in. Monoma and Tetsutetsu.
"Have fun dying," I called.
"Keep your envy to yourself, 1-A scum!" Monoma yelled before disappearing into the trees.
A few minutes passed. No screaming.
Another pair went in.
Then another.
We stood around, waiting for the next group.
Aizawa smirked slightly, which was already a bad sign. "You're up. Vlad and I are going to teach these kids." He walked off without looking back.
Toru gripped my arm immediately, practically latched onto it like a leech. "This is such a bad idea." Her voice wobbled just a little.
"Yep," I said, stepping into the trees.
The air got colder fast, and everything past the first few meters was dark as hell. There was a faint glow from something deeper in, probably whatever bullshit effects Class 1-B set up, but it barely helped.
Toru squeezed my arm. "What if something actually jumps out?"
"Then you scream and run, and I pretend I never knew you."
She groaned. "Wow, great teamwork."
I kept walking. The path sloped downward, and the trees got thicker. Toru stuck close, her grip shifting to my sleeve. There was an occasional rustle in the bushes, probably a squirrel or some dumbass trying to scare us, but nothing actually happened.
She leaned in slightly. "I heard Monoma and Tetsutetsu's scared shitless screams already. Wonder what hit them."
"If it was Monoma, I hope it was a branch to the face."
She snickered. "You think they set up anything really bad?"
"Doubt it. It's just a stupid courage test." I adjusted my bat on my shoulder. "Unless they actually went overboard, we'll be fine."
Something snapped further in.
Toru tensed. "Okay, that one sounded bigger."
I kept moving. "Maybe it's an animatronic. Momo can make those, right?"
She pulled at my sleeve again. "Yeah, but do you really think she had time to set something that complicated up?"
No. Which meant something else was here.
A breeze cut through, and I caught something faint. Not a normal scent, either. Something sharp.
Toru must've felt me slow down because she whispered, "Uh, Ryuu?"
"Quiet," I muttered, scanning ahead.
More rustling. Deeper. Closer.
I exhaled, flexing my fingers. "We're not alone."
Toru shifted, her hold tightening. "You're fucking with me."
"Nope."
Something else cracked. A shadow moved, low to the ground. It was quick. Way too quick.
I swung my bat on instinct. The second I did, something slammed into my stomach. Hard.
Air shot out of my lungs, and I hit the ground before I could even process it. Toru shrieked somewhere behind me.
Shit. That wasn't a trap. That was a hit.
I rolled up just in time to dodge another strike. A boot crashed where my head had been.
Toru backed up fast, flickering for a second as she tried to move out of the way. A figure stepped forward. Not a student. Not Class 1-B.
A mask and hoody. A dark suit. A knife glinting in one hand.
Fuck.
Toru was still frozen behind me. The figure didn't even look at her. Their stance shifted. Target was me.
I exhaled slowly, adjusting my grip. "Yeah, this is going to be some bullshit."
Toru was hiding in the darkness of the forest.
The figure looked around. "Did the girl run away? No, that's not right…"
I tightened my grip on my bat. "Toru, give me full eye candy and kick Aizawa's balls for me."
She hesitated, looking at me like I had just suggested she jump off a cliff. "Wha—"
I didn't break eye contact with the masked bastard in front of me. "Now."
She swallowed, then nodded. Her gloves and boots hit the ground first, then her uniform. She was stark naked in seconds, completely invisible to the bastard in front of us. Not to me, though.
I tried not to look, but the bastard charged at where Toru was a second ago, so I turned that way to stop him.
"Ryuu, your nose is bleeding. Are you hurt?" she asked.
"N-no, I am fine. Just go!"
Damn. She is beautiful. So fucking beautiful.
Damn it. She had stripped fast. Completely invisible. I should not have looked. Should not have caught even a glimpse. But I had. And now I had to fight with a goddamn nosebleed.
The bastard in front of me tilted his head slightly. Then, in a voice that was way too casual for someone trying to stab me, she said, "You are really cute when you are all bloodied up."
Wait.
What.
The fuck.
--
Location: Eternal Vatican Server Room.
The white smoke has cleared.
The Sistine Firewall is stable.
Pope Francis is scrolling your browser history on a heavenly monitor.
He reads Chapter 56.
He nods.
He sees your laugh.
He sees your tears.
Then…
he sees no vote.
He sets the tablet down.
Takes off the papal glasses.
Sighs deeply.
"So they read the entire Ryuu Arc…
…and still left the vote button untouched."
A cardinal leans over his shoulder.
"Your Holiness, shall we… mark them as 'mid'?"
"No," he says, standing.
"We mark them as lost potential."
And somewhere in the clouds,
Francis is reviewing bonus content Ryuu hasn't even posted yet.
He likes it.
He chuckles.
He turns to the angels.
"He's earned it.
Let him cook.
But if they don't vote for Chapter 57…
I'm taking Author Early."
Rest in peace, Pope Francis.
May your afterlife be filled with grace, peace, and properly updated fanfics.
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I Beseech the Comment Section:
Keep it clean.
Keep it kind.
No matter your belief—this is a tribute. Not a sermon. Not a joke at faith's expense.
Let it be funny, let it be fiery, but above all: let it be respectful.
(And don't forget the damn vote.)
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