CHAPTER 102: COMPATIBILITY BY GRIT. SELECTION IRRELEVANT.

When Mikel returned to the dormitory, he stopped, realizing it was empty.

"Where did that guy go?" he blurted out, looking around the four corners of their room. Ran was nowhere to be found.

[Master, those quiet ones always fall the loudest. I have detected a slight emotional spiral from him.]

Doom might not be able to analyze humans’ strengths and weaknesses—shaman or not—but it had been picking up social cues from Mikel’s every interaction.

Mikel, however, just shrugged it off and threw himself onto the bed, dropping his hygiene kit underneath and drying his hair. He hadn’t had a wink of sleep last night, so he yawned for the umpteenth time.

"Just let him be," he muttered at the end of his yawn. "Emotional status is not my business."

Doom didn’t respond, not that it didn’t know Mikel’s stance on other people’s dilemmas. Mikel had learned many big lessons during the renovation of his home, and they had helped mold him into who he was today.

He wiped his eyes and leaned against the headboard, keeping the small towel over his head. "Why isn’t this hair drying too easily?" he wondered in mild irritation as his sleepiness hit him harder than before. "Screw it."

With that, Mikel just leaned against the corner and crossed his arms. He closed his eyes, telling himself to wait for his hair to dry before he could lie down. However, five seconds after he closed his eyes, he had already nodded off.

---

Hours later, Mikel grunted as his eyes flickered beneath their lids. His brows crinkled, and his shoulder and neck felt a bit stiff. Slowly, he opened his eyes and winced.

"Aw..." he muttered, touching his neck as he tried to readjust himself.

His hair had dried, but his sleeve, where his towel had fallen, was slightly damp. Mikel just brushed it away as he moved down to the bed. As he did, he paused.

"Huh?" he hummed again, looking around the room.

It was dark, but despite that, his red eye could see clearly in the dimness. Therefore, he quickly noticed that Ran hadn’t come back.

"What time is it?" he croaked, glancing at the digital clock on Ran’s desk. It was already midnight.

Mikel raised a brow.

"That’s weird," he mumbled, but told himself not to dwell on it. After all, he wanted to make up for the lost sleep he’d had the night before. But just as he closed his eyes and got into a comfortable position, he paused and reopened them.

"Did he get in trouble?" he wondered, remembering that Eron had been back today.

Who knows? While Mikel was in the shower, that guy just barged in here and dragged Ran away? Tahu had joined Mikel in the men’s shower room earlier to bother him, so both of them wouldn’t have known.

[Warning: Emotional attachment detected. Host at risk of developing empathy.]

"Surprise, Doom, I have empathy," Mikel pushed himself up, hissing slightly as he stretched his stiff neck. He then snapped his eyes toward Ran’s desk.

Flinging his legs out of bed, he marched toward the desk and checked the drawer. His brows rose, seeing that Ran’s knife—Gallos—wasn’t there either.

Mikel cocked his head to the side, blinking as he pondered.

Should I look for a missing roomie? Or should I not?

[Master, assuming your theory earlier that the young shaman named Eron dragged that broken shaman, then there are only a few scenarios to expect. One of which is having a new roommate because the previous one is dead.]

[The other one is... assuming he won’t die, you’d have this room for yourself until he comes back in full health.]

Mikel’s face twitched. "The first one sounds more realistic." He clicked his tongue in irritation and turned away, not even grabbing anything, as he just slipped on his rubber slippers and walked out.

Considering how Eron had tried to commit genocide on the first day of school, what was stopping him from ending one life?

School rules?

Their clan rules?

Expulsion?

If Mikel were in Eron’s shoes, none of those would stop him. Because he wouldn’t hesitate to exact his revenge, even if he had to break all the rules that existed.

With that thought in mind, Mikel just strolled around the dormitory, checking some of the places where Ran could be. But alas, Ran was neither in the shower room nor the bathroom. Not even in the lobby or the emergency exit, where Ran might be sulking.

After checking every place in the building—except the rooms where other students were—Mikel stopped in the hallway.

"Where the hell did that kid go?" His face twisted. This definitely wasn’t how he planned to spend the night.

[Scanning... no detection]

As usual, Doom was unhelpful. Mikel pinched the bridge of his nose, asking himself if it was worth it. But then again, he remembered how Ran was as a roommate, and Mikel’s answer was clear.

Ran was quiet and tidy. He abided by the rules, didn’t play loud music like the others, and was just more tolerable. If anything, sharing the room with him didn’t feel like he was sharing a room at all. So, yes, it was worth it.

Just the mere thought of Tahu taking the opportunity to move into his room horrified him to the core.

"But where in the hell could he have gone without getting caught by security?" he wondered. "At this hour, there should be a patrol around, and he would’ve been sent back here if he were caught."

Unless Ran wasn’t caught, but that was unlikely. Ran wasn’t someone who would break the rules to begin with. And for someone like him, where could he have gone without breaking curfew rules?

Mikel pondered, then paused, his eyes snapping open.

[The rooftop.]

"Yeah, Doom, thanks for saying what I just thought of," he grumbled and resumed his steps, using the stairs because despite having so many floors, this dormitory didn’t have an elevator.

From the second floor, Mikel jogged his way to the seventh floor. But even before he could reach the rooftop door, he saw it was left ajar. Then, a faint noise came from the rooftop.

Mikel slowed down, taking the steps until he was before the door.

"Gallos..." Ran’s voice was faint but firm. "I call you..."

His brows rose as he recognized the faint voice from the other side. Curious, Mikel pushed the door slightly wider and peeked inside. But from there, he couldn’t see Ran. Hence, he walked in and followed the sound.

When he reached almost the side of the rooftop, he caught Ran holding his knife. Ran’s other palm pressed on the body of the blade, a silver glow lighting up from it.

"... lend me your power," Ran breathed out, and the glow of the blade brightened. But then—"Ah!"

The blinding light between him and the blade exploded, sending him flying a few meters while the knife in his hand landed on the ground.

"Ugh..." Ran panted and grunted, but he still tried to push himself up despite his trembling arms. Once he was back on his feet, he dragged himself and picked up the knife. "Again."

With that, he stood just like his previous stance, chanting under his breath until he was sent flying again.

Watching this, Mikel couldn’t help but study him. Ran looked worn out but just kept repeating it over and over again.

[Master. He will hurt himself if this continues.]

"..." Mikel blinked, eyes stuck on Ran. However, instead of stopping Ran, he took a step back before smoothly turning on his heel.

He didn’t say a word. Didn’t stop Ran. Didn’t even let him know he was there. He just left, not because he didn’t care—he did a bit—but because he believed he wasn’t in the position to step in and end up walking on someone’s dignity.

As Mikel strode off, he could still hear Ran’s chants and yelps. He stopped and looked over his shoulder.

[It somehow reminds me of you, Master.]

Mikel resumed his steps as he whispered, "He did remind me of me. The only difference is that... his phantom and Ran chose each other—I didn’t choose you."

[Correction: Compatibility by grit. Selection irrelevant.]

****

Meanwhile, in the other building — a smaller one — for the men’s dormitory for second-year students...

Eron sat in his own room, unwrapping a package on the bed. The second he saw what was inside, the corners of his mouth curled up.

"I might not be able to use my phantom, but..." his eyes glinted maliciously. "... there are plenty of ways to settle score."