Declaration of War!
I needed to clarify a few facts before getting to a quick resolution.
Do I want to beat the shit out of the academy cadets?
Yes.
Are the academy cadets total fucking assholes?
Yes.
Does that mean I hate every single one of them?
Honestly, no.
Right now, there's Ha-eun sitting next to me—cute, pretty, kind, and making me want to kiss her.
And yeah, most of the cadets bullied and humiliated me, but there were definitely some who didn't. This is a place where people live, after all, so there's a whole spectrum of humanity here.
Some were the typical cool guys who couldn't care less about others, muttering lines like "Tch, what a hassle." A few were just naturally kind and never badmouthed anyone.
And another case.
The weak ones who get looked down on.
The bullying they face isn't on the same level as mine, but in the hunter world where the strong prey on the weak, the powerless are always easy targets.
And my opponent, Nam Yeon-woo, was one of those cases. A kid with a soft heart who gets picked on by others and just takes it like a punching bag.
Of course, even if Nam Yeon-woo was weak, he was still stronger than I was back when I couldn't even awaken.
But the fact is, he never bullied me or whispered behind my back.
That said, he never stepped in to help when I was getting tormented either. He was basically just a bystander, indifferent at best.
So it's ambiguous.
This is the perfect timing to ramp up my hostility and start getting revenge on the cadets, but he's not someone I particularly hate or have strong feelings about.
Whatever. I still have to do what needs doing.
The next day.
Just like last time, I headed to the auditorium and waited for my turn. I was fifteenth, dead last.
But there was one big difference from before.
"Sunbae, want some of this? Ah... but eating before a match might not be good...?"
"I'll have it after the match. Thanks, Ha-eun."
"Hehe...."
Today, Ha-eun was sitting next to me, watching together. That alone gave me a huge boost.
The rank battles so far had been pretty standard.
Intense enough, with decent teamwork, but nothing special.
"Next up: Class 1, Nam Yeon-woo versus Class 2, Yoo Ji-min."
My turn at last.
"Sunbae, fighting! Do your best!!"
"Thanks, Ha-eun. Be right back."
Ha-eun's cheering me on. Gotta win this cool.
I grabbed a standard-issue sword like last time and headed up to the arena. Nam Yeon-woo followed, picking up a staff.
But the guy climbing into the arena looked tense from his expression to his footsteps.
"P-please take care of me...."
His voice was practically a crawl.
"Haa...."
Despite being a guy, Nam Yeon-woo had such a naturally timid personality. That's why everyone looked down on him.
But he was C-class. How did a weakling like that climb to C?
The secret was in his ability.
Nam Yeon-woo had a very special talent.
"C-come out!!"
Flash—
Two animals popped into existence with his chant.
And that was his ultra-rare ability.
The skill to command summon beasts.
A ridiculously overpowered technique that lets you fight without getting your hands dirty. That's why the academy rated his potential so highly and fast-tracked him to C-class.
But the problem was elsewhere.
The two summon beasts he called out didn't look strong at all. One was like a baby Shiba Inu, the other a plain white rabbit. Adorably cute as hell.
The guys I beat end up getting trashed like this.
Because I'm a loser. Losing to a loser like me makes them look like idiots.
Fine by me.
But you know what? I've got a burning question.
I wonder if you'd laugh the same way if it was you up there?
I took my stance, thinking that. First things first, I had to beat the Nam Yeon-woo in front of me.
The start signal hadn't come yet, so I was ramping up my tension. Then suddenly, Nam Yeon-woo spoke to me.
"I... I... know you didn't do anything wrong...."
"What...?"
"I know... about the false accusation...."
Common sense deduction, probably. Not that the others think that way, but at least Nam Yeon-woo could use his brain. But.
"Then why didn't you say something earlier?"
"Huh...?"
"Why not come talk to me? That would've been great. Knowing even one person believed me would've helped a ton."
"......"
"And honestly, I don't get why you're bringing it up now. We're supposed to be fighting."
"Y-yeah... sorry...."
No need to apologize. We're about to go at it tooth and nail anyway.
"Forget it. No hard feelings toward you anyway. I'll just give it my all."
"...Okay... got it...."
And the match began.
Flash—
I kicked off the ground and charged at Nam Yeon-woo.
I'll end this quick.
But that moment.
Hop! Hop!
One rabbit bounded toward me energetically and jumped.
And then.
Flash—
What? Flash?
Crisis Detection has been activated.
Danger detected!
"Fuck!!"
Boom—!!!
An explosion went off right there.
"Argh! Hot as fuck?!"
If Crisis Detection hadn't kicked in and let me harden in time, I might've been knocked out cold. The blast, heat, and steam blocked my vision too.
"Go! Split! And bite!"
No sooner had Nam Yeon-woo's desperate shout landed than.
"Woof! Woof! Woof! Woof! Woof!"
A bunch of Shiba Inus charged at me, making cute little barks.
Arf!
In an instant, five dogs latched onto me everywhere and started biting.
Bite force is pretty strong...?
Even with hardening, their teeth dug in, drawing blood all over my body.
But the real issue was something else.
Ugh... they're too damn cute....
They were tearing into me, but the Shiba Inus were just so adorable. As an animal lover, it was hard to fight back.
No. Don't go soft.
I hardened even more.
Grrrrrind—
And started beating the Shiba Inus one by one. Grabbed them by the scruff mercilessly and hurled them, stomped them underfoot.
"Mocchi!! Nooo!!!"
Mocchi my ass.
After quickly dealing with the dogs, I charged at Nam Yeon-woo again.
"Coco! Come back!!! Split!!"
The white rabbit from before multiplied and came at me again.
The exploding ones, right? Too many, and it'd be dangerous.
No way to handle them with the sword. So I waited for them to close in, then dodged right before explosion. Getting close and swinging could've triggered a chain reaction—too risky.
Bang! Bang! Boom!!
I let a few go off, tanked some with hardening, and closed in on him.
I see his problem now....
Summoning beasts guzzles mana. Being able to spam them means Nam Yeon-woo has insane mana reserves.
But still too weak. Summons are cute but useless, low attack power.
That means one thing: weak mental imagery.
The total opposite of Ha-eun. He has massive mana and talent, but poor imagery. And why?
Because of his personality....
Skills manifest through mental imagery, which is ultimately about imagining harm to others. No matter how you dress it up, that's the truth.
But Nam Yeon-woo's too soft-hearted. He has the talent but can't bring himself to hurt others badly.
You're a good person, Nam Yeon-woo.
Nothing like the other academy scum—not even comparable. If he ever strengthens his imagery, he'll make a great hunter. One who protects and stands up for the weak.
But that doesn't mean I'll go easy.
The dogs bit me so much my whole body stung like hell. Explosions burned and tore my clothes to rags.
"Time to pay you back! Nam Yeon-woo!!"
I raised my sword high to strike down hard. But then.
"Aaaah!! I-I surrender!! Surrender!!!"
Huh? What?
"Stop! Match over!"
Nam Yeon-woo suddenly surrendered, ending it just like that.
"What the...."
I stood there comparing us. He let his summons do all the work—no scratches. Me? Covered in blood from blasts and bites.
"You crazy fuck!! I got mauled and you're surrendering spotless?!"
"I... I did my best.... I couldn't win... couldn't...."
What kind of guy is this?
"Sorry... Ji-min... didn't wanna hurt you that bad... sorry...."
Nam Yeon-woo hunched his shoulders like he was terrified, apologizing over and over.
Bloody and standing there like an idiot. Me. Him, teary-eyed and apologizing nonstop for hurting me.
And the cadets ripping into him for it.
Why? I was furious.
Momentum building, then fizzling out empty? Yeah, that pissed me off too.
But no. It was seeing this timid guy unable to say a word, head bowed. Everyone pointing fingers, hurling insults.
It felt like looking at my past self in a mirror.
And I couldn't stand watching it.
Was that why?
"Don't you fucking laugh!! You goddamn bastards!!!!!!"
My sudden roar shut the cadets up like I'd dumped ice water on them.
"Don't mock the weak!!! Don't think soft-hearted means easy pickings!!! Don't look down on other people's efforts!!!!"
I kept screaming.
"You claim to stand for the weak? Follow justice? Serve as hunters? Bullshit!! Shut the fuck up!!!!!"
My voice was almost a howl now.
"You're demons!!! Cowards who bite anyone showing a hint of weakness!!! Human trash who bully and demean people even knowing they're innocent!!!"
"Yeah!!! Face me in rank battle, and you'll all see hell!!! Or if you're pissed, come at me anytime!!! I won't dodge!! I won't run!!!"
The curses, jeers, and murmurs aimed at me grew louder. But I kept yelling.
"You fucking bastards!! The one who framed me for sex crimes is probably listening right now too, right?! I didn't do it!!! I didn't!!! Never committed any sex crime you yapping about!!! Never filmed hidden cam shit either!!!! I will never forgive you!!! So brace yourselves!!! I'll make you beg me to kill you!! You fucking pieces of shit!!!!!"
I was so hyped I nearly charged the stands.
"Fuck this!!! I'll kill you all right now!!! Come at me all together!!!! You fucking bastards you fucking bastards you fucking bastards you fucking bastards you fucking bastards you fucking bastards you fucking bastards you fucking bastards you fucking bastards you fucking bastards!!!!!!"
But Ha-eun and Nam Yeon-woo rushed in from both sides to hold me back, and professors grabbed me too, dragging me off the arena.
"Let go!! Get off me!!!!"
"Sunbae! Calm down!!"
"J-Ji-min... hold on...."
Just like that, I howled like a madman and declared war on every cadet in the academy.