Daniel rushed down the hallway toward the ground floor, his footsteps echoing sharply.
"Daniel!"
A familiar voice called out.
He stopped as Ellie ran toward him, breathing heavily.
"Ellie?" Daniel asked. "Are you alright?"
She grabbed her knees, gasping.
"In my class… Jack attacked," she said quickly. "Max and Kasey—he was hurting them."
Daniel froze.
His eyes widened.
His expression hardened.
"…Jack."
He clenched his fist.
"Come with me," Daniel said. "I can't leave you alone."
Ellie nodded, and they both sprinted toward the classroom.
---
Upstairs, in an empty room, Kasey gently laid Max down.
The hallway was quiet.
Too quiet.
She looked at him, her hands shaking.
It happened again, she thought. Whenever I'm in danger… he changes.
And yet, she still didn't understand why.
Max stirred slowly.
"Kasey…?" he muttered. "You okay?"
She smiled weakly.
"Yeah. We're safe now. It's peaceful up here."
Max exhaled in relief.
"…Good."
His eyes closed again.
---
Daniel and Ellie burst into the classroom.
They stopped.
Bullies lay scattered across the floor.
Unconscious.
Bloodied.
But no Jack.
No Max.
No Kasey.
"Where are they?" Daniel muttered.
Ellie looked around anxiously.
"Did Jack take them?"
Daniel shook his head slowly.
"That doesn't make sense."
"…Maybe they escaped."
Ellie clasped her hands.
"I hope so."
---
Outside.
Coner's eyes widened.
Jack was approaching.
Bob and Andrew noticed him too.
Jack's gaze swept the grounds.
"How's it going?" he asked casually.
Bob smirked.
"Perfectly. With this chaos, even Daniel can't handle everything."
Andrew nodded.
"If that new guy joins him, maybe it's a problem."
"But he hasn't moved at all."
Jack scoffed.
"Who cares?" "I'll beat anyone who gets in my way."
His underlings joined him, forming a loose group as they watched the chaos unfold below.
---
Daniel glanced at Ellie.
"I'll take you upstairs."
"Okay," she replied.
Anyone who crossed Daniel's path was struck down instantly.
"These are just F and E ranks," Daniel muttered. "Ants trying to swarm a lion."
Ellie chuckled.
"That was… kind of cool."
"Don't say that," Daniel said. "Daisy would kill me."
Ellie smirked.
"Relax. I don't have a crush on you."
"…That was harsh."
"I'm sorry."
---
They reached the empty classroom.
Ellie rushed forward.
"Max! Kasey!"
"We're fine," Kasey replied.
Daniel nodded.
"Stay here. I'll handle the rest."
---
From an upper-floor classroom, Alan watched.
Jack.
His men.
Their arrogance.
He didn't move.
He simply observed.
---
Daniel stepped onto the ground floor.
Jack stood waiting.
"So it was you," Daniel said. "What do you think you're doing, Mr. Bald?"
Jack smirked.
"Sorry, Daniel." "Today, you won't reach me."
Several students jumped Daniel from behind.
In one fluid motion, Daniel flipped them into the air and knocked them out.
"You misunderstand," Daniel said coldly. "I'm not the same Daniel you knew."
Jack's eyes widened slightly.
He had grown.
"…Impressive," Jack muttered.
He gestured.
"Let's see how you handle them."
Bob, Andrew, and Coner stepped forward.
"He's B-rank," Bob said. "I'm C. They're D."
"Together, we win."
"Attack!"
Daniel moved.
He grabbed Coner and slammed him into Andrew.
A kick.
Another.
Both dropped.
Bob attacked desperately.
Too slow.
Daniel kicked him once in the stomach and walked away.
"I'm not wasting energy on you."
They collapsed to their knees.
---
Jack laughed.
"My underlings are still here," he said, spreading his arms slightly. "Four of them."
Four figures stepped forward.
"Each one is C-rank," Jack continued confidently. "So tell me, Daniel."
He leaned forward.
"Can you handle four C-ranks at once?"
Daniel stared at them for a second.
Then he smiled.
"Why are you hiding behind them?" Daniel asked mockingly. "If you're really A-rank… come fight me yourself."
The words hit Jack harder than any punch.
"…What did you say?"
"Or are you scared?" Daniel added.
Jack stepped forward, veins popping.
"Fine," Jack growled. "I'll fight you head-on."
They faced each other.
Jack swung.
Daniel dodged.
A kick landed on Jack's face.
Jack barely moved.
"…I underestimated you."
The next punch was faster.
Daniel barely avoided it.
He's not holding back anymore, Daniel realized.
A blow landed.
Blocked—but painful.
"…Monster," Daniel muttered.
He countered, raining kicks.
Jack endured them.
"Speed and technique," Jack thought.
I just need to slow him down.
Jack struck again.
Daniel blocked—
—but staggered.
"You're worthy of your rank," Daniel admitted.
"The strongest bully."
"Rank A."
"Jack."
Jack smirked.
"Exactly."
---
Then—
A shift.
Bob noticed it first.
Jack was breathing heavily.
His shoulders rose and fell.
Sweat ran down his body.
Andrew and Coner exchanged glances.
So did the four C-rank underlings.
No words were spoken.
But everyone understood.
Now.
The strongest bully was tired.
For the first time.
Bob's fingers tightened around the wooden bat.
Andrew swallowed.
Coner nodded slightly.
One by one, the four underlings also adjusted their grips, their eyes flicking between Jack and Bob's crew.
An unspoken agreement formed.
Opportunity.
"Sorry, Jack," Bob said suddenly.
Jack's eyes widened.
"What?"
Before he could react—
They moved.
Wooden bats swung.
From all directions.
They jumped Jack together.
Daniel's eyes widened.
Jack staggered, blocking instinctively, but the attacks didn't stop.
Wood cracked.
Pain exploded across his arms.
Jack bit down hard on his lip.
Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.
Something snapped.
His breathing changed.
His eyes widened, veins bulging as rage completely took over.
"YOU BASTARDS…" Jack roared.
He grabbed one of the bats mid-swing and snapped it like a twig, smashing the broken end into its owner's head.
Another came from the side—
Jack caught him.
A punch.
Then another.
Like a beast unleashed, Jack tore through them, fists flying, bodies crashing to the ground.
"You dare betray your leader?!"
Blood splashed across his chest as he stood over them, shaking with fury.
Then—
His eyes locked onto Daniel.
Daniel stepped forward despite the pain.
"Stop it, Jack," he said firmly. "Give up. Or I'll force you to."
Jack answered with a scream.
He charged.
Daniel barely dodged, but Jack grabbed his leg and smashed him into a pillar.
CRACK.
Concrete split.
Jack didn't stop.
He grabbed Daniel again and hurled him into another pillar.
Another crack echoed.
"Daniel!" Daisy screamed from above.
---
From the upper floor, Alan stood.
Hands in his pockets.
He jumped down.
The impact was light.
Every student froze as Alan calmly walked toward Daniel.
"You did good work," Alan said.
Daniel looked up at him, surprised.
That was when Jack noticed him.
Alan.
The sight of him twisted Jack's rage even further.
"AAAAAAH!"
Jack charged like a mad bull.
Alan turned slightly.
At the last moment—
His left leg moved.
A clean kick.
It connected directly with Jack's face.
The force sent Jack flying across the ground.
Straight toward the entrance gate.
Beside it—
A brick wall.
Jack crashed into it.
The wall shattered into pieces.
Dust filled the air.
When it cleared—
Jack lay there.
Unconscious.
Silence swallowed the ground.
No one spoke.
No one moved.
Alan had one-shot Jack.
The A-rank.
The strongest bully in school.
To be continued.
( Season 1 Finale )