Surprised by his response, Felix hadn’t expected anyone else to stand up for him, least of all the middle-aged man that he barely even knew.
Meanwhile, the middle-aged man simply looked at the others, a look of barely concealed disgust evident on his face as he glared at them.
“Aren’t you guys ashamed of yourselves? A bunch of self-proclaimed adults ganging up on a single kid? Yet you still have the audacity to justify your actions?”
Pausing briefly as he shook his head, he continued.
“Though I’m not saying what he did was right or wrong. You can’t just dump all the blame on him because of a single mistake, acting like you’ve never made one in your entire lives.”
Having been surprised by Hans’s sudden disappearance as well, it took him a while to gather his thoughts.
Yet, instead of trying to think of a way forward, he found the group trying to find someone to shove all the blame onto.
The sight of this infuriated him, especially when he realized that the one they had chosen was the kid who had been giving it his all at every turn.
Replying to the middle-aged man’s words, someone else said.
“You say it like it’s just a simple mistake. This is a mistake that could very well cost all our lives if not addressed properly. So tell me. What part of this is simple?”
Scoffing at his remark, the middle-aged man retorted.
“In case you’ve forgotten, his Attributes are likely far lower than yours due to his Rank. Yet he’s still far more resourceful than most of you, all while having only ‘one’ job, as you mentioned earlier.
Mind you, Hans initially only intended to find someone capable of telling us whether there were enemies ahead or not. Scout-type Attributes are extremely rare, much less ones actually useful to a group. As such, he was willing to settle for that much.
Yet this so-called ‘weak trash’, as you put it, could not only detect enemies long before we got there, but also locate traps and distinguish between treasure and Monsters, all while possessing Attributes far beyond what someone of his level should have despite being a ‘weak F-Rank trash’.
Or have you forgotten that most Attributes at his Rank are barely usable, much less this effective?
We most likely wouldn’t have been able to prepare in time had he not detected the Thorn Howlers stalking us, waiting till we fell asleep.
He even helped keep the Howlers at bay when most of us were wounded and exhausted, barely able to continue fighting while the strongest members of our group were occupied dealing with the brunt of their attack.
And wasn’t he also the one who located the Alpha, giving Hans the opportunity to defeat it?
Or, correct me if I’m wrong, were you able to hold out against the Howlers while the rest of us barely had the strength to keep fighting?
Were you able to locate the Alpha when we were surrounded by a pack of Howlers?
Or were you able to find us a place to rest after trekking for days with barely any sleep in this godforsaken excuse of a Labyrinth?
No!
Yet you lot have the audacity to blame a kid because he made a mistake?
Most of you ungrateful lot owe this kid your lives!
Yet you still have the nerve to call him trash?
If someone as talented as him can be regarded as trash, then that just means we’re all far worse than trash. Despite being a Rank higher, most of us can barely be half as useful as the kid.”
At this point, most of those who had initially been annoyed at Felix lowered their heads in shame, barely able to even look the middle-aged man in the face.
While some still felt annoyed for one reason or another.
Ignoring their reactions, the middle-aged man continued.
“Like I said earlier, I’m not saying him failing to detect the trap in time was either right or wrong.
But we can’t disregard the fact that our knowledge of the Labyrinth is limited. As such, there’s always the possibility that anomalies like this could occur.
So instead of trying to find someone to shoulder all the responsibility for a mistake that may very well be beyond what anyone with a scout-type Attribute is capable of detecting, we should instead be looking for a way forward.
So I’ll ask you once more.
Is he really trash?
Because the only trash I see are a bunch of overgrown children who can’t even act their age!”
Gritting his teeth in barely concealed annoyance, the one who had spoken earlier found it difficult to counter the middle-aged man’s words.
Unable to endure being insulted directly, and noticing that most of the others who had been annoyed or confused earlier now hung their heads in disappointment at their own behaviour, he grew even more infuriated.
Tightening his fists in rage, he glared at the middle-aged man with undisguised hatred, nearly activating his Attribute in the process.
However, before things could escalate any further, a calm yet slightly irritated voice travelled across the surroundings, silencing everyone.
“That’s enough!”
Emerging from the shadows, the Vice-Leader finally interjected, calmly making his way toward them.
His voice was bored, as though he lacked any interest in the group’s discord.
“This much isn’t enough to kill that man. With that being said, I’ll be taking over in his place for the time being. So let’s get a move on already!”
Briefly glancing at Felix, an unreadable expression appeared on his face before vanishing just as quickly.
The Vice-Leader didn’t bother saying anything else. Simply walking forward, he didn’t even wait for a response.
Hearing his words, the group finally recalled that there were indeed two powerful individuals among them.
With Hans often taking the lead and bearing most of the responsibility while remaining carefree and approachable, it was easy to forget that the Vice-Leader had also been supporting the group from the shadows.
The fact that he often distanced himself from the others while showing little interest in the party’s activities unless they found themselves cornered or facing a dire situation didn’t help matters much either.
However, it was undeniable that his strength was nearly equal to Hans’s, if not comparable. Making him one of the core pillars of the group.
Meaning they still had someone to rely on in Hans’s absence should the need arise.
Despite his distant attitude and intimidating appearance, due to the scar on his face, it seemed he wasn’t as bad as they had initially assumed.
Making them realize that one couldn’t judge a book by its cover.
Deciding to follow him, the rest immediately hurried after him, fearful that he might leave them behind if they delayed too long.
Glaring one last time at the middle-aged man, the one who had insulted Felix narrowed his eyes before following after the others as well.
Turning toward the middle-aged man, Felix expressed his gratitude.
“Thanks for helping out back there... Uhm...”
Realizing he’d never actually asked for the man’s name due to his preference for keeping a neutral relationship with everyone in the party, Felix paused awkwardly.
Understanding his hesitation, the middle-aged man chuckled.
“Haha! The name’s Rayon, kid. But you can just call me Ray.”
Smiling faintly at the response, Felix replied.
“Alright. Anyways... Thanks, Ray.”
Returning with a broad smile of his own, Ray said.
“Anytime, kid. Don’t mind those overgrown babies. All they know how to do is freeload off others while hating on those they once looked down on but later realized were better than them. Whenever you find yourself in trouble again, just ask. As long as I’m able to help, I will.”
His words were lengthy, something Felix realized was probably just part of his nature, considering the speech he had given earlier.
Yet Felix didn’t mind.
In fact, he was a little glad that someone had stepped in before he said or did something he might regret.
Smiling as he said this, Ray added.
“Anyways, we’d best catch up with the others before we get left behind.”
Walking ahead, Ray gently smacked Felix on the back like a lovable Unc before moving on.
Smiling briefly as he rubbed the spot that still stung slightly, Felix couldn’t help but frown soon after as his gaze drifted toward the Vice-Leader’s receding figure.
An unsettling feeling surfaced within him as he did.
Though fleeting, Felix could’ve sworn he had seen the Vice-Leader subtly smirk when Hans suddenly vanished earlier.
However, it had been so brief and faint that it was almost impossible to notice. Coupled with how often the man often remained hidden in dark corners, Felix wasn’t sure whether he had imagined it or whether it had truly happened.
Either way, he decided it would be best to keep his distance from him for the time being.
‘Something is definitely wrong about this entire situation.’
With that, Felix followed closely behind the group while maintaining a healthy distance from the Vice-Leader.