Pummeling the Pretenders
Thud.
A body at least two heads taller than me collapsed from its spot.
"Gasp."
From the side, I heard Katt clap a hand over his mouth in shock.
What's this? Why's he so weak?
I muttered as I lifted my fist and stared at it.
Knocked out in one hit?
I let out a hollow chuckle at the sight of Pasasi sprawled before me. I'd only swung reflexively because the guy had lunged at me with his tongue flicking out. I'd barely put any power into it—just a light tap. Sure, it had landed clean on his jaw, but to drop him cold in one shot?
Sheesh. Even if I've grown ridiculously strong, I didn't expect this much. Or is it the kid who's the problem?
My old standards from when I was a lesser mantis lingered in my mind, making me default to thinking on that level. Not a great habit. Probably because my mind and body hadn't fully synced yet. The only fix was to raise my realm quickly and achieve unity.
"You wanna go next?"
I jerked my chin toward Montiol, ignoring the fallen Pasasi.
"Urgh!"
The guy groaned, his face twisted in discomfort.
"Hoo...."
Then he relaxed his body and assumed a stance. His willingness to fight me head-on was at least commendable.
Shing—!
A sharp spike protruded from his gauntlet.
"Hraaaah!"
With a shout, he charged and thrust his fist straight at me. Impressively nimble for such a burly frame—a trait unique to centipede folk.
He had the skills to rank high among growth-stage mantises, no doubt.
But...
Slow.
To my eyes, he moved slow enough to yawn at. I didn't budge an inch from my spot, just tilted my head to effortlessly dodge every swing.
"Kuh!"
Frustrated that I'd slipped all his attacks, he grew agitated and barreled in wildly with both arms wide.
Thwack!
Crash!
"Gaaack."
My kick slammed into his gut, sending him tumbling across the floor.
"H-how?! How are you that strong?!"
His eyes shook like there was an earthquake.
"Skill gap."
"Grrrn!"
He ground his teeth at my casual reply.
"Wanna keep going?"
"Shut up!"
After one hit, his eyes glazed over in rage. The guy who'd been sneaking glances at me moments ago now threw himself at me heedless of everything.
Fine by me—that made it easier.
Pow, papapapow!
I peppered him with light jabs like a boxer throwing combos.
"Guh, guh, gack, guh."
Grunts exploded from his mouth with each one. A strange thrill hit me every time, and I threw my punches with real zest.
"Uh, ugh? Wh-what?!"
While I worked Montiol over, Pasasi stirred from his knockout.
"You little bug bastard!"
He sized up the situation and clenched his fist, lunging at me.
Thwapapapapow!
They both just ended up getting thrashed together.
Should've stayed down.
"Whew, feels refreshing now."
I stretched, looking down at the battered pair sprawled out.
The old stress melted away, leaving me invigorated.
"Ah...."
A dazed groan came from beside me. I turned to see Katt standing there, mouth agape like his jaw might hit the floor.
"Th-this is...."
"No big deal, right? Nothing to fear from them anymore. Just oversized idiots. Got it?"
"Y-yeah.... R-right. Whoa.... Aleck, you're seriously strong...."
Katt's eyes sparkled as he looked at me—like gazing at an idol he admired.
"So, shall we find out why they called me here?"
I stepped forward and crouched down. As my face drew near, they flinched in terror.
"Guhk!"
"Kuh."
Pasasi's eyes shook violently, like a candle in a gale—total opposite of the feral menace from before.
"What did you guys want with m—"
I started to ask, then froze mid-sentence.
I'd sensed someone approaching fast.
This presence...
Creak.
The warehouse door swung open, and a hulking figure with tousled brown hair strode in.
...Drvito.
It was none other than Squad 5's leader, Drvito of the Amar King Centipede clan.
"Ho?"
Surprise spread across his face as he scanned the warehouse.
"You took these two down solo?"
I unfolded from my crouch and stood.
"Hm...."
I cleared my throat and slowly opened my mouth—but not to answer his question.
"You're the one who told them to lure me here, right? What's your business with me?"
"You? Hahaha! Insane—you're so brazen. Where'd a punk like you even come from?"
Drvito approached, grinning like he was dying of amusement. Towering three heads over me, he bent at the waist and thrust his face close.
Our faces were near enough to feel each other's breath.
"You seem a bit special. But relying on one measly trick and mouthing off like that? Won't last long. Got it?"
"...."
I met his gaze steadily, ignoring his words. Beyond those long, vertical-slit pupils, I saw thick madness churning.
...This guy's not right in the head either.
No wonder I despised King Centipede folk. From Craig on down, they were crawling with lunatics.
"You're not scared of me at all."
He smirked, realizing I wasn't intimidated.
"Guess I gotta break that stiff neck first."
Heat haze rose from his body—the precursor to ether manifestation.
Hoo.
I was a bit surprised, honestly. To show voluntary ether signs at growth stage? Only a select few with elite talent could pull that off. Especially manifesting it visibly like this? Arrogant, but he had the aptitude for it.
Wasn't going all-out when testing his punch, huh.
I twitched an eyebrow, gauging his power.
Vwooom.
Wind ether stirred in my body too.
Shhh.
The air crackled with tension. Our auras clashed fiercely, making the temperature feel like it plummeted.
"What're you all doing here?"
Just as a fight seemed inevitable, a familiar voice pierced our ears.
"I-instructor...."
Katt stammered in panic.
Who else? Squad 10's instructor, Phines.
"Hmmm...."
He narrowed his eyes, sweeping the warehouse. Always so affable, this was my first time seeing him truly expressionless.
Situation's got issues, yeah.
I glanced around. Montiol and Pasasi a mangled mess in the corner. Me and Drvito squared off, ready to throw down. Obvious something went down.
We might all catch disciplinary heat for rule-breaking.
Why's this guy so chill?
Drvito stepped back casually, arms crossed, looking bored—like a total bystander.
Damn it....
Then it hit me: he was from one of the Four Great Clans. Their influence reached even Chung Hak Gwan. If he was from a high house in Amar King Centipedes, slipping out of this would be easier than a salt bug floating.
"You seem to have an idea what happened. Handle it by the rules?"
He yawned hugely, sounding annoyed.
Typical—planning to weasel out and screw us over.
"D-Drvito!"
"What? Problem?"
"....No."
Montiol snapped his name, but Drvito's smug grin shut him down. Their hierarchy was crystal clear.
Anyway, me and the others might not dodge punishment.
"Hmm, this isn't a place trainees are allowed, you know. Great to get along, but use somewhere else."
"...!"
Phines's response blew past my expectations.
He's letting it slide.
I hadn't known him long, but Phines wasn't dumb or shortsighted. This was his roundabout way of covering for us.
"Hmph, lucky bastard."
Drvito muttered at me and sauntered out.
"Tch.... Let's go."
Montiol and Pasasi ground their teeth and slunk away too.
Left were me, Katt, and Phines.
"Thanks."
I bowed gratefully to Phines for the pass.
"No biggie. Everyone grows up messing around like this."
He flashed a warm smile and left.
One thing was clear now.
He's on friendly terms with me.
"Ah, Aleck! What a relief."
Katt had been frozen stiff; now alone, he sighed in relief and approached.
Must've been awkward as hell for him. But bringing him hadn't been pointless.
"How was it, Senior Katt?"
"Huh? What?"
"The guys."
"Oh.... It was so satisfying when you smashed your fist into their faces! Felt like it washed away what they did to me. Seeing them helpless against you? Pure catharsis."
His eyes lit up as words poured out—total flip from his earlier reluctance to even meet their eyes. He'd overcome a near-lifetime trauma in minutes.
"Right? They're nobodies."
I grinned, pleased at his reaction.
"Yeah! Thanks to you, I realized they're just trainees like me. Fleas! Next time, I'll...."
He clenched his fist, eyes blazing.
Gotta grow fast and free the mantises from these punks.
King mantis pride couldn't let us get pushed around by non-mantis lackeys.
Anyway.
I grabbed the near-recovered Katt's arm.
"Next time, you land the one-shot on them. But let's head to where we were going."
"Oh! Right, Chung Hak Library! Let's go!"
With the troublemakers gone, time to check those Megaera Mantis books.