Many aspire to get into High Periphery and become a Larkansas. Aside from the skills you can learn and the power you can obtain, you'll also earn money or incentives while training.
However, despite the many aspirants, only a few successfully get in, and those who aren't lucky either get executed, fed to carnivorous Meadow Ferals, become servants of the realm Gods, become shadowmen, or have their lives spared and memories about High Periphery erased.
Basically, the fate of those who don't pass is determined by a spinning wheel. And if you manage to leave, it's impossible to leave High Periphery with all your memories still intact, but there are still individuals who defy the odds. These individuals had high potential but were just a bit unfortunate when entering the academy.
As a result of failure and disapointment, the group Vitamins was formed, consisting of examiners who failed but were lucky enough to have a chance to live. The goal of this adversarial group is to disseminate pain and melancholy in the world through terror and total destruction. To achieve their goal, they need to revive their god, Wingardium.
It took many decades to form this group, and they waited for years before emerging from the shadows. Now that the Vitamins' membership is complete, they've finally revealed themselves.
From an extremely obscure setting where only ranking chairs, water droplets, and ripples on the water's surface could be seen, the Vitamin members could be seen wearing their robes and masks, seated.
"Now that the world knows of our existence, we've given a glimpse of the apprehension and sorrow we'll instill," declared one of the group members known as Vitamin D. "Expect many bounty hunters to hunt us. But they're nothing compared to the Larkansas. The Larkansas are the obstacle to our plans, and to achieve our goals, we need to exterminate them."
"It's known that Larkansas are neutrals. They could be our friends or our foes, and they could help us achieve our objectives," added Vitamin E. "But we hold grudges against them, especially regarding High Periphery. Because of High Periphery, our dream of becoming Larkansas was wasted. We had dreams in High Periphery, but it's also because of High Periphery that we're here. To exterminate the Larkansas, we need to invade the academy."
"To enter the High Periphery, we need to find a portal because the one we used to get there is no longer accessible. To make the search easier, we'll divide ourselves into two groups," announced Vitamin F. "We'll scatter across different countries on all continents. Once you know who your partner is, head straight to the designated area."
"But that's not the end of our mission," added Vitamin D. "We also need to find and capture the Legosus Weilders, or individuals with unique Musk."
"The three founders of Vitamins expect us to accomplish our missions," Vitamin E concluded.
"In the name of Wingardium, we will succeed!" the Vitamin members declared in unison.
After knowing who their pairs were and where they were destined, the Vitamins' clandestine meeting was adjourned. Vitamin A's eyes, one of the main instigators of the group, were wide open. He could witness what his confederates saw. His eyes shone as brightly as the stars twinkling in the sky of High Periphery. And from below, Agysmal and Erewhen could be seen clashing.
The collision of their daggers disturbed the hibernation of the fragile Meadow Ferals. Agysmal and Erewhen who were like oil and water emitted a smoky Musk from their fists. Agysmal's renewed attack struck Erewhen's face, causing blood to flow from his cheek.
Erewhen defended himself and managed to make Agysmal's arm bleed copiously. Agysmal stepped back momentarily to assess his situation and, realizing the pain felt like just a minor bite from an Anthracs, he regained his composure. Wielding his scepter dagger, he unleashed smoldering blue fireballs.
As fireballs flew towards Erewhen, he quickly opened his panel and retrieved his pistol. When he pulled the trigger, the bullet transformed into chrome balls that absorbed the fireballs. With his manipulation, Erewhen turned them into bombs, creating an explosion.
Agysmal was able to save himself from the blast wave and now floated in mid-air. Suddenly, Erewhen emerged from the aftermath cloud and landed a sledgehammer-like blow on his roommate. The impact of the punch sent Agysmal flying until he felt the moonlit wisps, and when he opened his eyes again, he received another fierce punch that sent him soaring even higher into the sky, followed by volatile agents hurled at him.
"What else can you throw at me?" Erewhen taunted, his voice dripping with challenge. "Your head is full of air, and you'll go far with my attacks if you keep boasting!"
"Why do you think I'm arrogant? I've never shown an attitude that would make others think I have superiority issues. Maybe it's your inferiority complex that's pushing you to hate me, and sorry not sorry to you, because the cure for that is to stop being envious!"
"What material things or qualities do you have that I'd be envious of? We're in the same situation in life. We've both lost someone close just to get here, and we both have something to prove to everyone. What is there about me that you'd be envious of? People like you, full of self-righteousness, are just parasites in my life! You should be eliminated!"
Agysmal couldn't help but clench his jaws at Erewhen's remark about him, and suddenly he felt a burning sensation in his stomach. The pain was so intense that he felt like vomiting, but instead, his temper suddenly flared up.
Erewhen stood frozen, transfixed by Agysmal's torment. Agysmal's body suddenly burst into flames, the fire spreading rapidly as his anguished screams filled the air. Erewhen was gripped by the horror of the scene, unable to look away as Agysmal writhed in agony.
But suddenly, Erewhen's brow furrowed as he heard Agysmal's maniacal laughter. The sharp, loud voice was piercing Erewhen's eardrums.
"Oh boy, oh boy, you're hilarious," Agysmal said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Honestly, you and Agysmal would make a great comedy duo. You're making me laugh so hard that I had to come out of my shell to witness your comedic talent firsthand. Come on, keep mocking Agysmal, it's really funny."
Erewhen's brow furrowed further, going through the motions that Agysmal seemed possessed, and his physical appearance had changed. The top layer of his skin was peeling off like paper stuck to a wall.
If Agysmal's physical appearance was previously like an embryonic stage, now he was in the fetal stage, where his organs and body systems continued to mature and develop.
"Who are you?" Erewhen asked, trying to stop Agysmal's guttural laughter.
"I am Aguinaldo."
"What kind of monster are you?"
Agysmal, now controlled by Aguinaldo, laughed again. Erewhen couldn't help but clench his fists, irritated by Aguinaldo's jovial nature, and closed his eyes, gritting his teeth.
"Monster? You call me a monster? That was the best on-the-spot joke I've heard!" Aguinaldo said, laughing so hard he seemed to be in pain. "If I'm a monster, what are you? A human? Right, you're a human who's bitter and indignant but amusing!"
"Can you stop already? Nothing's funny anymore." Erewhen's anger boiled over.
"Are you angry?" Aguinaldo asked, suppressing his laughter. "Do you know that people who take a joke seriously are crybabies and sensitive? They're the kind of people who, to calm down, would call their mom to make them a bottle of milk to stop crying. They're also the type who like to pee in their pants. Like you, you're quick to get angry and should be called Pee Shooter!"
"I'm itching to smash my fist into your face and make you choke on my knuckles!"
"Crushed my mouth? What if I fill your head with so many lumps because that's more entertaining than shutting me up?" In a swift motion, Aguinaldo suddenly appeared right in front of Erewhen.
Erewhen didn't expect Aguinaldo to move so quickly. Then, Aguinaldo punched him with a hammer-like blow, causing Erewhen to lose his balance and fall to the ground like an uncontrolled aircraft. Aguinaldo was able to produce glass shards of fire.
As Erewhen tried to control himself in mid-air, Aguinaldo followed up with another punch that felt like a rocket launch. Before he could even hit the ground, Agysmal was waiting for him, casually whistling and humming, ready to kick him again and send him flying upwards.
"It's so much fun when you can fly, isn't it? Many people dream of having wings, but don't worry, with just one kick, your fleeting wish to fly in the air will come true!" Aguinaldo even clapped his hands, and then estimated in his mind how far Erewhen had flown due to his kick.
Erewhen made sure this time Aguinaldo was having eye contact with him, and when Aguinaldo locked eyes with him, Erewhen opened one of his closed eyes using both hands. He shed tears of blood, and the shape of his eyeballs changed.
If before, the world they were in was shifting on its axis and dizzying, now the world had become pixelated. They became pixelated too with their bodies looking blocky or grid-like, with tiny squares of color making up their appearance.
"Let's see if your bad joke still has an entry," Erewhen said, while Aguinaldo, on the other hand, was bewildered by his surroundings, especially himself.
Earlier, he was on the ground, but now he was at the top of a very tall building. Behind the clouds, aircraft emerged: fighters, bombers, attack aircraft, and maritime patrol aircraft hovered above him, firing bullets at him. Holding a game controller, Erewhen seemed like he was just playing a game. Aguinaldo had no choice but to catch them all.
And when Erewhen thought he had won, the world he created suddenly cracked when someone wielded an ax against it. He could still see how sharp the ax was that was destroying his world.
It seemed he would face punishment for breaking the rules - not just him, but both him and Agysmal.