Surviving as the Second Main Lead: Second Lead's POV

////The test will start in one minute. All teams get ready and take your spot.///

The announcement finally came and Horas’s team got ready to dive into the dungeon that was exclusive to the academy. It was only opened in case of exams and other important meetings.

Horas had never been in here before but he did know that it was an F-class dungeon and relatively easy to capture. It was also artificially maintained to never go over the capacity of its limits.

“Alright team. Our goal is simple - not to come in last. Let’s go.”

Alicia yelled out as she crossed the gate. She had taken the lead already and Joni sighed tiredly. He seemed used to Alicia’s hyper nature.

“Sorry about her kids. You will get used to Alicia.”

Joni reminded Lucas and he wondered how the other teen was doing. Had he recovered enough to be able to walk and run again? Lady heals had given him appropriate treatment on time.

But now was not the time to think about it. They had finally entered the dungeon.

……………………..

“Ugh, why did it have to be her? Could they not have given us anyone normal as a team member?”

“Shhh, don’t talk so loudly or the bloodhound will hear you. Don’t you know how cruel and vicious she is? Do you want to die?”

“Still, it’s better than E. I heard they got stuck with that kid in the first year. Now we have a definitive answer about who would come in last.”

“Besides, bloodhound might be scary but she’s an efficient killer with all the blood she spills. We’ll be in first in no time.”

Reed could hear the people talk about her but it did not bother her much. However, it was different when it came to her friend. She could feel her temper flare the more she thought about it.

These people had no right to judge her or Horas for anything, least of all their circumstances. The more Reed got to know humans, the more disgusting she found them to be.

“Anyway, we need to score in the top 3 to get a great ranking and get into the best guild out there. I heard that scouts look at these rankings all the time when assigning pay scales.”

Reed let her teammates talk among themselves. She could feel a hoard of small monsters heading their way but she was not going to inform their group.

If these kids could not even get their heads out of their world then they were not going to go very far, good ranking or not.

“So, I was thinking - what the hell? Where did these monsters come from? Who was on duty?”

Her teammate questioned as she brought her sword out to fight these monsters. The rest of her group got their weapons out as well.

Reed was about to join them when she felt someone throw a small blade her way. She managed to get out of the way in time, only to see her teammate look back at her.

“Hey, it could have hit me asshole. Don’t you see where you are throwing your fucking projectiles?”

Reed questioned as she clutched her bleeding shoulder. She used her abilities to force her wound shut but it did not heal her shoulder. The pain and fatigue were still there.

“Huh? Attack you? I was just helping a freak like you out. Don’t you need to bleed to use your powers? I am just helping you out.”

Her teammate spoke with confidence and Reed felt her anger boiling inside her body. She had been deliberately attacked by someone who was supposed to be on her side.

She knew that humans could be disgusting but this was even beyond what she had thought about before. What was worse? No one else seemed to consider it as ‘wrong’ to attack Reed.

“Hey bloodhound, if you are alright then help us out already. It is your fault that we were not ready in time for this attack.”

Another teammate complained to Reed and she bit her lips to not scream out loud and curse the other teen. She did not want to swoop down to their level but it was tough.

‘I need to ignore these kids. I can ignore them and be the bigger person here.’

Reed took out the bottle of artificial blood she kept on her person. It was weaker than natural blood but still strong enough to get her work done.

Blood rushed toward the monsters and cleaved cleanly through their small numbers. Reed’s teammates were frozen in shock as they watched Reed take care of all the small fries in a matter of minutes.

“M-Monster. You are a monster.”

Reed’s teammates were looking at her like she was a freak. Most of her teammates were struggling to kill even one big monster in here but Reed had taken care of so many at once.

“She’s a monster with how she fights. I cannot believe she managed to kill all those monsters in a single strike.”

Reed could hear the fear in her teammates’ voices. They were not only criticizing her but also spreading false rumors about her cruelty. And all that after she saved them.

‘I am getting so tired of humanities double standards. I wonder how you are fairing Horas. I hope you are having a better time than me.’

Reed looked up into the sky, happy to ignore her other teammates. She did not want to associate herself with idiots who would end up betraying her soon enough.

……………………

“Everyone, into formation. The giant is worth a lot of points and we don’t want to lose it. Joni, take care of Horas for now.”

Horas could feel Joni’s desire to join the hunt. The more involved a person was in the hunt, the more points they would earn overall.

And if Joni stayed behind to look after Horas, he would lose a lot of personal points. It was a conflicting thought indeed and Horas did not want Joni to lose out on points.

“You should go and join the hunt. I will stay here, in the safe shadows.”

Horas assured Joni but Joni was still double-minded. Horas wanted to push the elder teen to leave him alone.

After all, Horas could not use his secret mana-infused bullets if there were other people around. They were a secret experiment he was heading with Mark in his free time. But they were not out for the market yet.

Most people would just think that Horas was using his skills and nothing else if they were not close enough.

‘If only I had a skill right now. It would make my life so much easier.’

But that was not the case.

“Sorry kid, but I don’t feel comfortable leaving you on your own. You are as old as my younger sister, you know. You need to be protected.”

Joni tried to pass a reassuring smile but he was worried about Horas. He was not taking the hint that Horas wanted him to take.

“JONI, LOOK OUT.”

Horas and Joni were so engrossed in their bickering that they did not notice the giant changing trajectories and heading toward their direction.

By the time Alicia noticed this, the giant was too far for any of their melee attacks to reach it in time. And Joni was supported so he would not be able to slay the giant.

The giant raised his club and Joni’s instincts snapped into motion. He raised his hand and a barrier came to life around the pair. It was small but enough to take the first hit and shatter.

By the time the giant raised his club again, Joni had another barrier snapped into place but he was pale. The others in their team had started to run back to the base as well but no one had a speed skill.

They would not be able to return before Joni ran out of juice. So Horas was left with only one option.

“Hey Joni, can you keep the barrier up for a few minutes? I will try and take care of the giant so don’t lose concentration.”

Horas took his special bullet out which contained all his condensed mana. It had taken him a long time to make so he did not have many.

He had around 10 and now he was going to use one. It was an experiment so he also did not know how useful they would be. Raw and condensed mana was rarely used due to its destructive nature.

“Hey kid, what do you - shit”

Joni lost his concentration after hearing Horas’s words and the barrier almost collapsed. Joni instantly focused his attention back on the danger in front of himself after that.

Horas took this opportunity to aim and fire. He needed to make his every shot count. The best way to kill a giant was to hit its head.

*bang*

The sound of the gunshot was loud and it hurt Horas’s ears. But he watched his bullet lodge itself into the giant’s head and nothing happened for a few seconds.

And then the giant evaporated in a single flash, leaving no traces behind. The raw mana in the bullet had eaten the giant whole in a matter of seconds. This weapon was too dangerous to be let out into the market.