Victor was flabbergasted.
He had just been kidnapped.
What is going on here?
One of the figures lurking in the shadows frowned before rubbing his forehead.
'Is this guy really that dense?'
What troubled him wasn't Victor's lack of awareness, but the way he carried himself. The look in Victor's eyes made it clear just how little he thought of everyone present. To the man, it was nothing short of an insult.
Still, he brushed it off.
"Your face looks kind of familiar though... Oh—"
It suddenly clicked.
"Samuel."
Samuel was the man who had brought him to the academy and even shown him to his room.
What truly made Victor remember him, however, was the suspension Samuel had given him. Even though it had lasted only a day before he was allowed back to class, Victor still hadn't let it go.
"It's you..."
"Yes, it's me," Samuel replied with a sigh. "I gave you a suspension, and now you're out past curfew."
Victor immediately cut him off.
"What is this place?"
Samuel paused, unsure of how to answer.
This place was an underground fighting club, hidden even from the academy's board. Officially, the academy was overseen by the principal, vice principal, and several military organizations responsible for preparing candidates for war.
The fight club violated nearly every safety regulation the academy stood for. It was far too dangerous and, if exposed, would destroy the academy's reputation as a place that trained future soldiers in a controlled environment.
The academy's purpose was to raise disciplined fighters who could master their abilities and survive on the battlefield—not to throw students into brutal, life-threatening matches for entertainment.
If candidates died before graduation, who would fight in the war?
That was the organization's reasoning. Better to lose soldiers on the battlefield than in meaningless underground fights.
Besides, gambling on students' lives was strictly against academy regulations.
Samuel, despite serving as the academy's vice principal and overseeing the new recruits, secretly operated this underground arena to make a fortune.
Which meant Victor was a problem.
Samuel had to tread carefully. If Victor exposed the fight club, everything would collapse.
For a brief moment, the thought of eliminating him crossed his mind.
'I could kill him outright... but disposing of the body would be troublesome.'
"To answer your question, Victor," Samuel finally said, "this is a place where people can let loose and improve their combat skills."
"Yeah..." Victor replied with a faint smirk. "And an illegal gambling ring that you run. Pretty sure that's against the rules."
Samuel remained silent.
Victor had already seen through everything.
"Fine." Samuel let out another sigh. "Let's cut the crap."
"What do you want?"
A disturbing smile slowly spread across Victor's face, sending a chill through Samuel.
"Now you're speaking my language."
Samuel sighed.
"Just tell me already," he said, surrendering. "What a headache..."
Hmm... I need to think carefully.
What would be the most useful thing for my current situation?
Victor pursed his lips as he considered his options.
This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. He needed to choose something that would help him survive in this unfamiliar world.
His goal was simple.
Power.
He needed to become stronger because, in this cruel world, strength was the only thing that could guarantee his safety.
Maybe his way of thinking was selfish.
But what else could he do?
Humans had made him this way. They had used him, discarded him, and treated him like worthless trash—as if he were nothing more than a toy they had grown tired of.
After everything they had done...
Who wouldn't want revenge?
"Give me the core of a two-bladed Drak."
"Untainted."
The room fell silent.
Nobody expected that request.
What would a novice ability user even do with something like that?
A Drak core was already considered a weapon because of the terrifying energy contained within it. Yes, it could be refined into a powerful weapon, but Victor wasn't asking for one.
He wanted the raw core itself.
And everyone understood why that was shocking.
The most dangerous part was an unrefined core.
In the hands of a skilled craftsman, it could become a devastating weapon.
But on its own...
It was practically a miniature nuke waiting to explode.
Samuel sighed once again.
"Fine. But a two-bladed core is extremely difficult to obtain unless you extract it directly from the beast itself."
Victor raised an eyebrow.
"So you only have a one-bladed core?"
Samuel looked toward Ricky, who stood silently in the corner of the room.
Ricky immediately understood.
He brought both hands together.
A flash of white light erupted between his palms.
When he opened his hands, a crimson orb appeared.
The core released an intense heat that spread throughout the room. Almost instantly, the temperature began rising until it reached a staggering seventy degrees.
"Hehe... I'll take it."
Victor chuckled.
His eyes reflected the same crimson glow as the core.
Ricky hesitated, but he maintained his usual calm expression and tossed the orb toward Victor.
Victor caught it effortlessly.
Without wasting a second, he placed it inside his pocket.
With a single thought, the core disappeared into his inventory.
"I guess that'll be all..."
"Wait."
Samuel frowned as Victor interrupted him.
"This should be enough to keep your secret, right? After all, exposing this place would cause a huge scandal for you."
Victor smiled.
"I just want one more little thing."
'This motherfucker...'
Samuel forced himself to remain calm before asking:
"And what would that be?"
Victor slowly raised a finger and pointed directly at Ricky.
"I want to finish what I started with that guy..."
Ricky's expression remained unchanged.
He simply grunted.
"Bring it on."
The moment those words left his mouth, Victor activated Lunar Dash.
His figure vanished.
In the next instant—
BOOM!
Victor's fist slammed into Ricky's chest.
This time, the attack connected perfectly.
The impact sent Ricky flying backward, crashing through the dark-tinted glass behind him. The reinforced window shattered instantly, sending countless fragments scattering through the air.
Ricky's body was thrown out of the second-floor window, falling toward the ground below.
"Hahaha!"
Victor burst into laughter as he heard the heavy collision.
He looked back at Samuel.
The vice principal simply stared at him in silence.
Then...
Victor smirked.
Without hesitation, he jumped.
His body descended from the second floor, landing perfectly beside Ricky.
Before Ricky could even process what had happened, Victor was already above him, a disturbing smile stretching across his face.
Then—
BAM!
His fist slammed into Ricky's face.
And he didn't stop.
One punch.
Then another.
Then another.
A relentless storm of fists descended upon Ricky as Victor laughed in excitement, savoring every single moment.
Every impact.
Every sound.
Every second.
Samuel watched the scene unfold, his expression slowly becoming more serious.
"This guy..."
"He's a madman."
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