"Hah... that was a good punch," the man chuckled, blood in his spit as he threw back his hood.
Curly black hair. Golden eyes. Sharp and predatory, like a lion on the hunt. He grinned.
"But that's as far as you'll go."
Without warning, he moved.
His heels scraped the dirt, then boom—
He exploded forward, blinking across the space and appearing right in front of Zen.
Zen barely had time to duck, the wind from the strike whirling past his ears.
Thank god he hadn't taken this guy lightly.
Anyone else would've passed out from the punch he landed earlier—
But not only had this guy endured it, he was still able to move this fast!
Zen's eyes flicked around. Damn. How many were there?
Ruined houses dotted the terrain, but Zen could see them. Creeping figures slipping through the debris like ants on sugar.
And there were less than forty people in their class!
Some had gone with Hako and Fabasa.
No matter how he looked at it, they were seriously outnumbered.
"Don't get distracted, buddy!" the golden-eyed man shouted, slamming a punch into Zen's gut.
Zen grunted, staggered a step back.
Right. He couldn't afford to drift, not now.
He took a sharp breath and launched his offense again.
No way was he letting this bastard walk away thinking he had the upper hand.
They exchanged a flurry of blows, but then—
Zen felt it. The air shifted behind him.
Shit. He forgot. This guy wasn't alone.
Was he a fool?! Why had he assumed it was a one-on-one?
Zen braced for impact, elbow pulling back, ready to hit whoever it was when—
Snap!
Zen's eyes widened. The attacker flying in from behind was suddenly flung like a ragdoll into a patch of brittle branches.
"Perfect timing," Pawen drew his foot back, clicking his tongue. "Tsk... Just when I was feeling shitty."
Zen turned back fast and threw a no-look punch.
He definitely poured his heart out into it.
Right on the same spot he'd hit earlier.
Go break a tooth, idiot.
He didn't wait for a reaction—jabbed the guy in the stomach.
A clean shot.
"Ugh..." The man staggered, clutching his gut, somehow still standing.
"Ptch! Damn..." he spat blood with a sneer.
Zen had to admit: this guy was tough. Too tough.
Were all the intruders like this?
By now, the surroundings had erupted into full-blown chaos.
A total brawl.
Zen was worried about his new classmates. Hako. Fabasa, too.
Were they okay?
He glanced away just a moment — too long.
A sharp kick swept out his legs.
"Keep your eyes front!" the golden-eyed man snapped, aiming a fist for Zen's face.
Zen caught it, barely, gritting his teeth. "Goddamn it."
This guy was relentless.
He didn't even have time to pay attention to Pawen or anyone else.
The next exchange was already starting.
Pawen, on the other hand, kicked through opponents like they were stacked building blocks.
With sharp hearing and legs like battering rams, he could bring someone down in one move.
He leapt into the air and landed a crushing kick, sending another attacker hurtling through the air.
"Come back after ten years," He snarked flatly.
He glanced at the groaning heap of enemies around him and added with a sneer, "With that skill, maybe a thousand."
Zen's eyes followed Pawen's retreat.
"I said eyes front!" his opponent barked and lunged.
Zen's eyes shifted and a small smirk tug at the corner of his lips.
Baited.
His body twisted, knuckles coiled tight, and he slammed a brutal punch into that same sweet spot he'd been aiming for all along.
Bang.
The guy hit the ground hard, coughing blood.
Zen cursed under his breath.
Come on, pass out already. Damn it!
The man stayed down, wiped the blood from his mouth, but didn't get back up.
Amidst the chaos, he asked calmly, "So this is Zero's territory?"
Zen glanced at him vigilantly. What the hell is he upto?
"I thought I'd get to kill a few pests," the guy muttered.
Then he sat up with a bored expression and added, "I'm heading back. You win."
He yawned. Yawned!
"I just tagged along to pass time."
Zen choked, utterly baffled.
"Huh? What do you mean you're just going back?"
It made no sense. After all that ruckus, he's just done? Who was he kidding?
The man casually crushed another guy's stomach as he walked past, dropping him like trash.
Zen stared. Wait—weren't they on the same side?
The guy coldly dropped the guy and turned around, his fiery golden eyes gleamed in the moonlight.
"Don't lump me in with these losers."
Zen flinched.
Well, that… sounded too familiar.
The guy smiled lazily. "We'll meet again. Until then, keep working on your half-baked punches. Maybe one day you'll knock me out."
Zen grimaced.
Yeah… there's a canyon between us.
"Hey!" he shouted after him.
But the guy just waved, vanishing into the ruins like mist.
What a fucking strange person.
Thud!
A body suddenly dropped from the first floor, landing right in front of Zen: bloody, beaten, and very much out cold.
Zen instinctively looked up.
And saw Kozen jump down like a damn Tarzan.
Kozen groaned like he always did, looking mildly annoyed yet completely unfazed, still capable of handling a 1v3 without breaking a sweat.
Guess he won't be needed.
Zen glanced around, catching the sound of chaos echoing from upstairs.
Hell no, he wasn't going to clean up again.
He bolted up the stairs, punching the first guy who got in his way.
"Get out of the way!"
The man stumbled back and tumbled down the steps like a sack of bricks.
"Whew…" Zen stared at his fist. Was that always this strong?
Or maybe... is this the taste of being outclassed?
.
.
.
Meanwhile, outside the ruins, in front of the house—
A blond-haired man lounged on a thick tree branch, lazily watching the fight unfold below.
Next to him, a man in a beanie raised an eyebrow.
"Rei, why don't you go help your precious juniors? You're not getting that reward if you just sit there..."
The blond man, Rei, replied flatly, not even glancing over.
"What about you, Yata? Trying to freeload again?"
"Tch. Glib bastard." Yata scoffed and crushed the candy in his mouth.
"I'm just being considerate. Letting you play the hero."
Rei tapped his phone casually. "Captain's going to blow a fuse. Just wrap it up. It's almost done over there."