The "job" of being their target dummy.
For months, the bullies had used him as a moving practice for their combat skills.
Punches, kicks, mock duels, sometimes in public, sometimes in shadowed corners. And Elion had let them. Back then, he didn't have the strength or the will to fight back.
But that was before the dungeon.
Before the fire that refused to die inside him.
He lifted his gaze slowly, meeting William's grin with a calm, unreadable expression.
Mira noticed him looking and immediately scowled, twisting her face in disgust.
"Don't look at me, you creep!" she snapped, her voice sharp enough to draw the attention of nearby students.
A few chuckled under their breath.
William's grin widened. "You heard her, trash. Eyes down when you're in the presence of actual people."
His lackeys laughed on cue, their voices echoing down the hall.
Elion exhaled softly through his nose. Something inside him, the same thing that had made him run two hours without stopping, the same thing that had made him stand in the dungeon when death was all around, snapped into focus.
He met William's eyes again, steady and cold.
"You'll have to find another person for your target practice, William."
The corridor went still.
Every snicker, every whisper, every laugh died instantly.
For a heartbeat, even the sound of footsteps from other students faded into silence.
William's grin froze in place.
"I'm sorry," he said, his tone a dangerous mix of mockery and disbelief. "What did you just say? I think I misheard you."
Elion's voice didn't waver. "I said, find someone else."
The words weren't loud, but they cut through the hallway like a blade.
Kane blinked, confused. Dru's laughter faltered. Even Mira turned her head, eyes narrowing in disbelief.
Elion stood there, his face calm but his eyes burning with something none of them had seen before, resolve.
William pushed off the wall slowly, his grin fading into a sneer. "You've got some nerve, gutter rat. Think because Selene said a nice word to you, you're suddenly worth something?"
He took a step closer, his lackeys following suit. "You don't get to say no to me. You never have."
Elion's gaze didn't waver. "Then maybe you should learn to live with disappointment."
A sharp intake of breath swept through the bystanders gathering at the edge of the hall.
William's hand twitched at his side. His face darkened, veins bulging along his neck.
"You—"
But before he could finish, Elion turned his back on him.
And walked away.
Just like that.
William's words choked off in his throat, replaced by sputtering rage. "Hey! Don't you walk away from me!"
Elion kept moving, his footsteps echoing calmly down the corridor.
"You think this is over?! You think you can just—HEY! I'M TALKING TO YOU!"
He didn't look back.
Profanities followed him like stones thrown at his back, but Elion didn't flinch. His shoulders stayed square, his head high.
The crowd watched, wide-eyed, some whispering among themselves.
"Did he just—?"
"He told William to shove it?"
"Holy crap."
Mira's lip curled, her voice sharp as she snapped at William. "Are you just going to let him walk away like that?"
William slammed his fist against the wall, cracking the plaster slightly. "Shut up!"
But his voice was shaking. Whether from anger or disbelief, no one could tell.
...
By the time Elion reached the dorm building, the adrenaline had begun to ebb, leaving behind a strange calm.
He climbed the stairs quietly, passing a few students still chatting about the gym session or their dinner plans.
Most barely noticed him, nothing new there, but one or two gave him curious looks.
He reached the upper floors. His room wasn't large, but it was private, something he was thankful for.
The hall was dim, lit only by the soft glow of runestones embedded in the walls. He fished out his key, turned it in the lock, and pushed the door open.
The quiet hit him instantly.
He stepped inside, closing the door behind him, and let himself exhale fully for the first time.
His small dorm room was tidy: a bed, a desk cluttered with notebooks and mana-crystal lamps, a wardrobe, and a narrow window that looked out over the training grounds.
The faint orange glow of sunset spilled through the glass, painting the room in warm hues.
Elion dropped onto his bed, the mattress creaking under his weight. He lay there for a long moment, staring up at the ceiling.
"Looks like I'll have to wait a little bit longer for those system points," he muttered.
A faint, humorless chuckle escaped him.
He just remembered the little spectacle he had had with Tessa. Not part of his plans, but not unwelcome either.
If I can make her mine, she will be another system point farm.
On another note, the System hadn't rewarded him for standing up to William. Not that he expected it to, but part of him had hoped.
Maybe courage counted for something.
Maybe the system did more than just function as a harem system.
After all, it is supposed to have a store; maybe it had more functions, but he was just not aware of them?
I don't know what I was expecting, but it would have been a nice addition.
Still, the satisfaction of defiance was its own kind of reward.
He hadn't realized how heavy the chains of silence had become until he'd broken them.
You'll have to find another person for your target practice.
The words echoed in his head, clear and sharp.
He hadn't planned to say them.
They'd just… come out.
Most likely, it wouldn't be long before the backlash hit him.
William was not the type to sit around.
It is most likely to get worse from now on. He sighed.
But he didn't regret it.
Not one bit.