Lucifer: Godless Reawakening

"Is he insane?" Emma asked with a frown as they sat at the dining table, Gizel and Natalie also with them.

She was currently using her skill to heal William's eyes, which were quite red when he came out of the gymnasium.

William snickered, "Well, he was desperate to somehow hurt me."

Gizel rolled her eyes. "Some warriors really need to understand that it's your strength that makes you different from a thug."

Natalie scoffed. "I really hate it when a grown-ass man acts like a child just to win a battle. I mean, shouldn't someone have stopped the battle right there?"

Emma huffed. "I bet the Headmaster must be thinking something like, 'Anything can happen inside the Dungeon, so this is fine.'"

Natalie nodded. "Right… his way of thinking really makes me doubt if he should really be sitting on that seat anymore."

The conversation paused for a moment as Emma ensured that there was no lasting damage to his eyes before she asked whether William wanted to rest.

However, the blond one shook his head and said, "I will go back after dinner."

"Should I bring food for everyone?" Gizel offered, but Emma said,

"No, you wait. You are still recovering, so rest as much as you can."

Natalie didn't even try to take that job, given she couldn't walk properly for a few steps without support.

As William watched his girlfriend walk away, he heard a question from the bespectacled girl. "So… you actually defeated a fourth-ranked warrior, huh?"

William shrugged. "I find this whole system of decorating one with stars completely broken."

Natalie hummed. "What do you mean?" She rested her arms on the table, her attention on the man.

William sighed before explaining, "Jack has zero experience and a low level of skill, and, on the other hand, Adam has years of experience and a pretty overpowered skill. Now, out of friendship or whatever, Adam brings Jack to the fourth floor and beats the hell out of the boss monster before Jack delivers the final blow. And there you have it—a zero-experience, four-starred warrior."

Natalie and Gizel were too stunned to move for a few moments.

Then William leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms before saying, "I believe Xavier is the Jack."

Natalie glanced at Gizel before the former chuckled.

Gizel coughed before she fixed her glasses and said, "But there is a high chance for people like them to be challenged for their stars. And not to mention, there are very few Adams in this world."

William grinned. "Not out of friendship, but there are Adams who would surely do it for money."

Gizel sighed at that. "When you bring monetary compensation into the equation… then yes. There are several illegal guilds running such unlawful practices."

Natalie wondered, "Then aren't there many instructors at the academy who are fake star achievers? I mean, no offense to William, but if someone needs to rely on a nasty trick the very minute the battle begins, then doesn't it mean the academy's recruitment procedure needs to be reworked?"

William shrugged. "Did I not say it? This whole system is broken."

The group fell into silence, each one of them engaged in their thoughts.

While what William said held quite some weight and needed to be thought through carefully, the world was already quite busy facing the adversary that lived under their feet.

The Devils weren't stopping, nor would they ever. And if humanity suddenly began to recruit something that had been brought down for generations… then surely, things would go from bad to worse real quick.

Not long after, Emma arrived at the table, easily holding four trays of food in both her hands as she asked, "What's with the gloomy atmosphere?"

Natalie smiled wryly. "William was reminding us how broken a world we live in."

Emma hummed. "Yeah, that's why I sometimes think of switching sides and helping the Devils instead."

Gizel froze in place while William laughed aloud.

Emma set everyone's tray before them as Natalie, with a wild grin, smacked Gizel's back, nearly knocking off her glasses.

Gizel sighed, shaking her head as she picked up the knife and said, "Thanks for the food."

Emma nodded as she took the seat beside William and asked, "So… you are going through your first raid tomorrow, huh?"

William nodded. "Early morning." Picking up a rice ball, he asked, "What about you, though? I never heard your plans for advancing a floor."

Emma shrugged. "Because I don't have a plan."

Natalie hummed. "Is it because of me?" With a wry smile, she added, "You know you and Kevin are the most important pillars of the team, right? You can easily find another tank. Come on, don't miss this chance."

Emma shook her head. "No, Natalie, it isn't about you." Taking a pause, and after she finished chewing, she finally confessed, "I am making my own team to challenge the dungeon in a week."

Everyone except Emma stopped eating as they stared at her in shock and William in surprise.

"Hmm? What do you mean by that?" the man asked, his cheek slightly puffed with the rice ball.

Emma plucked the rice grain from the side of his lips as she said, "I realized while training with Dorothy and others that rather than chasing stars, I should focus on my overall growth."

Gizel hummed. "What do you mean? Being in Kevin's team isn't beneficial for you?" Glancing at Natalie, she added, "I believed you all were growing stronger together."

Emma sighed. "That's the point… everyone thinks that way, but the fact is, I don't find much difference in myself compared to the version of me who had just enrolled in this academy."

Natalie bit her lower lip before asking in a hesitant voice, "Have… we been a restriction on you, Emma?"

Emma nodded. "Yes, but not you alone, Natalie." Her words were blunt but honest. "Today, I realized I don't need to restrict myself to just being a healer. I can also take the lead at times, and if I don't do that, there is a high chance I might not survive in this field for long."

The hunting world was filled with uncertainty.

Any war, any battle might strip her of any support or comfort she had grown up with. She would be isolated or forced to battle alongside allies who might not treat her as just a healer.

Versatility was the answer.

After a long pause, Emma felt a warm hand on her back as William said, "Do what you think is right for you. I support your decision."

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A/N:- How many chapters for Christmas? Comment.