Just as Dio was about to stand up, a soft voice came from behind him.
"Dio?"
He turned around and saw a beautiful girl with long black hair tied in a ponytail.
Her eyes were deep and dark, like twin pieces of polished obsidian, and her red school uniform, shirt and skirt perfectly matched, gave her an almost regal air.
Her figure was graceful, dangerously so.
Worry flickered across her face as her gaze fell on Dio's bruised, swollen features.
"Oh, Evelyn. You came today?"
Dio said casually, standing up as if nothing had happened.
Evelyn was the girlfriend of that "good kid," and also the one who'd taught Dio there were things that were as entertaining as bullying.
She frowned as she helped him up.
"How did you get beaten up so badly?"
She asked, her voice gentle, her eyes filled with quiet tenderness.
Dio shrugged.
"It's nothing. You don't have to worry," he said, steadying himself on his feet.
He sounded casual, but it wasn't true.
The "good kid" had really done a number on him this time.
Evelyn studied him for a moment, then sighed.
"You were trying to awaken again, weren't you?"
She said with a worry stricken face.
She'd known him for a long time and, once upon a time, she even liked him.
But Dio was… eccentric.
He'd do anything to get his kicks, usually by bullying others, and sometimes even her.
That was when her feelings began to fade.
Though he eventually stopped bullying her, claiming she wasn't "fun to bully."
After that, his attention turned to her boyfriend, whom he tormented relentlessly, until the day that boy awakened.
When her boyfriend finally fought back and beat Dio senseless, Dio stopped coming to school altogether.
Most people thought the lunatic had finally gotten a taste of his own medicine.
But what they didn't know was that the so-called lunatic hadn't vanished in shame.
He'd been training like a man possessed, all for one absurd goal: to awaken, just so he could bully that "good kid" again.
After a few months when Dio finally showed up at school, he was completely transformed.
Some girls actually fainted at the sight of him, blood trickling from their noses like a scene out of a bad anime.
What they didn't realize was that beneath the new face and sculpted body, Dio hadn't changed at all.
He was still the same lunatic, just stronger, and more determined than ever to awaken… all for the sake of revenge-by-bullying.
When Dio started pestering the "good kid again," the boy didn't rise to it.
Instead, he stayed calm, patient even, trying to talk Dio out of his nonsense like some kind of saint.
That's when Dio turned his attention to Evelyn.
He thought seducing her would be the perfect way to provoke his old victim.
But when he approached her, something unexpected happened.
The feelings she thought had faded began to stir again, and before she could stop herself.
She did something that completely caught Dio off guard.
From that reckless moment, their strange, tangled relationship began to grow.
Breaking free from her thoughts, Evelyn tried to reason with him.
"Look, Dio… the chances of awakening are really slim." She explained with a calm voice.
She was right, the chances of awakening as a hunter was very slim like 1 in a hundred.
But Dio didn't even glance at her.
His eyes turned cold.
"No matter how slim the chances are," he said quietly, "I will definitely awaken."
She let out a long sigh.
Reasoning with this lunatic was impossible.
But still… she couldn't help asking, "Dio, why do you want to awaken so badly?"
It was really odd because he didn't show any interest in hunters before getting beaten senseless by her boyfriend.
So she asked this question, uncertain.
"Huh?" Dio gave her a confused look, as if wondering why she even needed to ask.
"Obviously, to bully him," he said, as if stating a universal truth.
Evelyn sighed again, shaking her head.
"Listen, Dio. Awakeners who become Hunters don't use their strength for bullying. They use it to protect people."
Dio raised an eyebrow, unimpressed.
She continued anyway, her tone growing serious.
"For fifty years now, planet Nebula has been under attack by mysterious dungeons and the creatures that come out of them."
"Hunters are the ones standing between us and extinction. They risk their lives every day to protect civilians and keep the world safe."
Dio listened, or at least, he looked like he was listening.
Then he shrugged.
"Whatever. I'll save people… after I'm done bullying him."
Evelyn just stared at him, speechless.
At this point, it was clear something was deeply wrong with this guy.
His primary goal in life was still, somehow, bullying.
But Evelyn didn't give up.
She opened her mouth to say, "Listen, you can't be so reck—"
Before she could finish, Dio cut her off.
"Okay, I'll see you tomorrow," he said casually.
Then, without another word, he sprinted toward the window and jumped.
"Gasp…."
Evelyn gasped, rushing to the edge, only to see him tap his wristwatch.
The device morphed into a sleek, wheel-less skateboard that roared to life with a jet burst and carried him off into the sky like some delinquent superhero.
She just stood there, watching him disappear into the distance.
This guy never listened to anyone, not her, not the teachers, not even common sense.
Despite all the punishments, he never changed.
"Now only God knows what this idiot's planning next," she muttered, sinking into her desk while rubbing her temple.
Meanwhile, Dio soared through the air, the wind rushing past his face.
Below him sprawled the shining city of Nebula, a breathtaking maze of glass and steel.
Towering skyscrapers stretched toward the clouds, their sides glowing with neon veins of light.
Flying cars zipped between them like metallic birds, and even floating shops hovered lazily in the sky, serving customers who stopped by midair.
He passed over floating stations where people waited for their public sky-transports, chatting, scrolling, or sipping drinks as if this gravity-defying chaos were perfectly normal.
As he sped through the air, Dio's thoughts churned with wild ideas.
"There's a dungeon in the city," he muttered to himself.
"It was cleared long ago… but if I sneak inside, take down a few leftover monsters, maybe even drink their blood…"
A grin spread across his face, full of reckless excitement.
He imagined the moment of his awakening, the power, the glory, and most importantly, the look on that good kid's face when he bullied him again.
"Hahaha! Just you wait," he shouted into the wind, laughing like a madman.
"Your grandpa Dio will show you the final stage of bullying!"
His laughter echoed through the sky as he vanished into the horizon, a blur of chaos and misplaced confidence.