Dark Magus Returns C.851: Life Of A Deleter

Scar had to blink a few times and settle his heart, wondering if he had heard the question right. Although all of the questions up to this point were strange, this question, which seemed to be the last of the lot, seemed the strangest.

'Are they trying to test my commitment to the cause, to see how far I'm willing to go to be a Deleter?' Scar thought. 'How do they want me to answer this? If I answer yes right off the bat, will they think I'm some sort of psychopath?

'Is the correct answer to say no in this position?'

Rather than thinking about how strange the question was, though, Scar was just thinking about the right way to answer to get the role, and wasn't directly thinking about the scenario they had given him.

"Don't worry, there is no need to answer now," Heino said. "You have three days to give an answer and think about it. We look forward to hearing your answer."

It looked like they were ready to call in the next participant, and seeing this, Scar lifted his hand.

"No, it's fine. I have my answer," Scar said. "The most important thing is keeping Pagna safe as a whole. To do that, there are times where people are needed to do the dirty tasks of the world and what is necessary."

"My answer is, I would do anything for the honorable role of a Deleter."

Both Heino and the Deleter looked at each other at that moment, and there was a smile on Heino's face.

"Excellent, you have passed, and we will move you forward to the next trial. You will work with us for the next six months, and depending on the results, you might very well be the next Deleter," Heino claimed.

Ecstatic, Scar continuously bowed down in front of the two.

"Thank you, thank you so much. I won't let you down."

"I hope you don't," Heino said as he waved Scar off to leave the place, and he did just that, quickly leaving.

"His thoughts were certainly interesting," Garlon said.

"Yes, with that last question, not for a moment was he thinking about the task, just everything to become a Deleter. He was quite perfect, but the real test will come after."

As the two of them were busy talking, the door had opened once more, and the next participant had come in. Once again, they asked them a series of questions, and eventually, they had gotten to the last question.

Just like with Scar, the same question was asked:

"Deleters must put Alter first above all. In doing so, it proves they truly believe in the cause of Alter. If I was to ask you to eliminate every person you know or have a connection with in order to become a Deleter... well, what's your answer to that?"

The man being questioned was taken aback, and then finally gave his answer.

"I'm sorry, if that is the case, then I would like to withdraw from the assessment for becoming a Deleter. I could never imagine myself doing such a thing."

"That is fine," Heino said. "That is your choice, as we stated at the beginning."

The man was ready to leave when he could feel an immense amount of pressure building up in his head. It was growing and growing until his entire face had turned tomato red. The next moment it exploded on the spot, and the contestant fell to the floor.

"That one did not meet the right qualities to be a Deleter. I don't know why those like him bother to apply."

Having passed the next stage, the next part of the selection process was a physical assessment. They were given a simulation of how they would deal with particular situations and how they would fight just as they were.

This was the part Scar was worried about because, unlike those from other worlds, he only had a few weapons. Still, he did what he could with the weapons he had; that was how he always worked.

Thankfully, out on the field, he had done quite well. Heino was observing the way Scar fought in these simulations and what he did.

Noticing he was versatile with his weapon choice, he was clever with his planning, and he knew how to overcome his disadvantageous situation when going against a Pagna warrior, someone from Alterian or elsewhere.

It wasn't just Scar that had passed, though; a couple of others had also passed the assessment.

"Scar doesn't have the power of a Deleter," Heino said as he was watching videos of the results along with Garlon. "But he has all the perfect qualities of one. I think I have the perfect artifact for him that could push him up to the Deleter level.

"If he passes, he might not be the strongest Deleter in terms of power, but he will definitely be worthy of having the name, maybe more so than any other Deleter."

Scar went on from one trial to the next, and he had been given his first task. Not yet as a Deleter, but on his way to becoming one. As he had received the instructions, his heart sunk.

Three months had passed, and Himmy and Marcus were finally returning to the main base to get their new set of instructions. They had gone to grab some food and gathered at the canteen table once again.

Eventually, the conversation had shifted.

"Did you see the report on Scar?" Marcus asked.

"It said his family was killed by bandits, and that Scar had been given the task himself to deal with the situation," Himmy answered, but didn't elaborate further.

"Don't you think that's sh*t?" Marcus said. "I thought you would feel more down for the guy. You were the one that kept telling him how good his life was in Pagna."

Himmy didn't say his thoughts out loud to Marcus, as someone who looked into matters deeper than the surface.

It was then that Marcus saw Scar grabbing his food and walking over to them. He didn't sit at their table, though, and instead just had a few passing words.

"Himmy, it seems like I no longer have anything holding me back from becoming a Deleter now. I'm sure you read the report," Scar said.

He didn't give Himmy a chance to reply and just continued walking. Later that day, Himmy and Marcus found out that Scar had officially become a Deleter.