"Mr.Stark, please do sit down," the leader gently smiled while pointing at the chair on the other side of the table.
'Fucking hell…' Stark did as he was told and sat down.
"I seriously could of died by that arrow, you know?" the black-haired boy immediately spoke, looking at the purple-haired girl with a glare.
Of course, he hid the fact that his current body was that of a mere clone, but it was still very close, and he knows that if they put their mind to it, he would stand no chance in winning.
Yet none of them seemed surprised or showed any kind of emotions, they just stared at Stark with blank expressions.
"If you died from that… then it would have meant that you weren't as good as we expected you to be," the leader, his eyes still lifeless, smiled, putting his two hands together and placing his elbows on the table.
"…" Stark was confused, but he could sense all their gazes on him.
"But it's fine… Stark Heartsouls… for we were sure that as the chosen, you would avoid it," the leader smiled, "You may call me Juan."
And the moment the man named Juan spoke to Stark and said his codename, he immediately understood what was happening.
"Please do look at this card," Juan put his hand in his pocket, his katana beside his chair, then pulled out a crimson card.
Stark took it in hand and began reading.
[Domination Association]
[Solves all problems related to the domination class and preserves the overall peace]
"As you may know, mr.Stark, the domination class is the most powerful one, but also the most dangerous, which is why our organization, which is only filled with domination users, do our best to make sure everything is fine!" Juan looked at his teammates from behind while speaking, and they all nodded.
Stark soon realized that all of them were from the domination class, and even Yui, the one that shot the arrow at him, wasn't a magus.
The Domination class wasn't limited to any weapon, and everyone who had received it were granted their own way of fighting.
Much like Orasio with the shield, Hero with the flying swords, and Dreamer with his books.
"I don't see how any of that is related to me," Stark returned the card; plus he didn't like the aura around them all, as it seemed like they weren't as peaceful as they made themselves appear to be, otherwise they wouldn't all have their [Domination] skill activated.
"Oh…" Juan grabbed his katana, an overwhelming aura that almost blinded Stark around him, then pointed his katana toward the boy, almost reaching his face, "But of course it is, CHOSEN, after all… we know what you did."
"…"
"But do not fret," he didn't retract his katana away, "You are a precious pawn after all…"
All others were glaring at Stark, a mix of cautiousness in their eyes even though they were much stronger than he was.
"After all…" Juan's smile grew so wide that it was became creepy, "You are the first and only person to ever complete the 'Domination Trial' on the death difficulty, aren't you?"
Stark stared at Juan for a moment, then rolled his eyes, they somehow knew about his achievements, he didn't know how, but if they were part of some bigger organization, it meant they had both the power and money to take him out at any time.
And yet… Stark wasn't scared.
He didn't know why, but he kept a very calm expression.
Somehow… he wasn't scared of these people.
"As the domination user with the highest potential out of them all…" Juan kept smiling, "We would love if you could join us, you will be granted money, fame, women, anything you want!"
Anyone would of jumped in joy at such an opportunity, but Stark didn't even think of accepting for even a second.
He slapped the katana that was in front of him away, then looked at Juan dead in the eyes, "Sorry, but I think I have too much potential to be stuck in such a lame organization," he smiled back.
For a fraction of a second, Juan's eyes twitched, surprise visible in them.
And then…
~FWISH, CLANG, WASH~
The four people that were behind him suddenly appeared around Stark, all their weapons pointed at him.
Yui, the purple-haired mage, stood on the table, her staff pointed at Stark, and visible particles of magic glowing at the edge of it, meaning she was ready to throw another arrow.
The buff bald man was behind Stark, his hands, as large as the boy's head, glowing with a crimson aura, indicating that he could crush him any second.
The black-haired woman pulled out two daggers from god knows where and stood to his side, one blade against his neck and the other pointed at his crotch.
And as for the last grey-haired man with the glasses, his face turned dark, his glasses being the only visible feature in his face because of the white glow in their reflection, his left hand was also glowing with a golden color, and it was opened, facing Stark, it almost felt like he was about to lift him up using psychic powers.
"..." Stark had seen them get closer, but he didn't for a single second show any surprise.
Knowing that he was a clone somehow boosted his confidence to the max.
"Know your place," the woman with the daggers got her weapons closer to his vital areas.
"Should we teach this kid a lesson, boss?" the tall man put his hands against Stark's head, ready to crush it.
But Juan wasn't convinced, even if Stark was a prodigy, he shouldn't be so calm against people who could actively kill him in one strike.
"Prodigie's Eyes!" he activated his skill, and suddenly...
[Stark Heartsouls HP: 1/1]
The clone was so well-made it didn't only copy appearance, but also even tricked skills, if it wasn't for the one HP, even Juan would have fallen for it.
But now he knew...
"There is no point," he smiled, talking to his friends, not Stark, "That kid is smarter than you all."
Of course, he wouldn't admit that he had fallen for this trick too.
"What do you mean, boss, how can he be smarter than us?" the man with glasses spoke to Juan, confusion on his face.
"There is no point," he repeated, "This is not the real Stark, it is a mere clone, if not an illusion, basically, this kid knows what he is doing."