Chapter 125

From a noble family hailing from the Two Kingdoms, Pianke.

He was a third-year student at Eden Academy and quite the renowned figure. Last year, during the demon extermination operation, he had played a significant role in Pantera Squad’s success, wiping out the most demons. His character was also upright and just, so much so that his juniors trusted and followed him, his peers got along with him smoothly, and the teachers placed their confidence in him.

Now, this Pianke, who wasn’t exactly perfect but was called a model student, had one trait unknown to others.

“Pianka! I’m here!”

“Brother! That took forever, didn’t it?”

“It’s because the escort evaluation got in the way.”

“Ugh… hurry up next time! I missed you, ya know!”

“Haha, understood. You little brat. I’ll move faster from now on.”

That’s right; he had a close-knit sibling—a younger brother two years his junior. Their bond was incredibly strong. Those who knew them would unanimously agree that they were like characters straight out of a fairytale.

“Brother! I got accepted into Eden Academy!”

“Really? That’s amazing! Now we can live academy life together!”

“Yeah! It’s all thanks to you! I’ll work hard so I don’t fall behind your reputation!”

“Hahaha! My proud younger brother!”

Pianka, the younger sibling, was always cheerful and full of laughter. Following her brother earnestly, she even enrolled in Eden Academy to walk the same path as him.

Pianke was proud of such a sibling. Eden Academy wasn’t a place where discrimination existed, but it certainly had high barriers. And yet, this sibling had managed to enroll solely with the determination to attend school alongside him.

As an older brother, how could he not feel proud? He looked forward to their school life together.

It should have been enjoyable and peaceful—no, it had to be.

“Uwaaaahhh!”

Clearly, it should have been.

“Uuuuhh… Brother? Is that really you? Is that truly our brother?”

“Pianka… Speak clearly! Who dared to harm my sister like this!”

Dreams and hopes are always shattered by accidents. And Pianka, the younger sibling, had met with an accident.

“Tooo… Too dangerous! We need to run away! Brother, you need to escape too! There’s a monster, a terrible monster…”

“Pianka! Calm down! Look directly into my eyes! You’re safe here!”

“Aaaaah! Run! Everyone, run! There’s a monster at the academy! A horrifying monster that kills people…!”

“Pianka!!”

Pianka was not in her right mind. For Pianke, it was like a bolt from the blue. Just this morning, hadn’t she cheerfully shouted to him, “I’ll get an A class like you!”? What exactly happened during the class allocation exam to reduce her to this state? Pianke couldn’t understand.

“The monster! Everyone will die at the hands of that monster! We must flee before it’s too late! Before we become its ‘prey’…”

Pianka was sedated with tranquilizers and sleeping pills to calm her down. However, Pianke had a duty to uncover why his sister had gone mad.

Fortunately, finding the reason wasn’t difficult. Several other freshmen were similarly convulsing in the infirmary like Pianke’s sister.

And they all shared a common factor.

“Dog beast?”

“Yes, yes…! During the sparring match for the class allocation exam, they sparred against the dog beast and got injured… All of those brought here…”

“Grrr…”

Physical injuries weren’t a problem. With the ever-advancing medical technology and the healing powers of the church priests, even broken bones could be healed perfectly.

The issue was the mental trauma. Wounds carved into the soul couldn’t be healed with holy power.

Word has it that the sparring was brutal. A freshman beastkin wielding a single dagger dominated every student in one strike, so fast that no one even saw the blade move.

Pianke understood that accidents happen during sparring matches. Even in Eden Academy, which values righteousness and cooperation, when people cross blades in heated competition, accidental cuts can be considered mere mistakes.

Especially for inexperienced freshmen.

‘But this isn’t something that can be excused as inexperience!’

Rage surged to its limit. He wasn’t unaffected by the thought that his younger sibling might have crossed a point of no return. But what angered him most was the attitude of the beastkin.

Listening to the terrified victims’ testimonies only confirmed how far beyond normal this freshman beastkin was. A level that couldn’t possibly belong to a first-year, perhaps even surpassing the elite third-years like himself.

At that level, subduing students without causing any injury would be child’s play. If there was no malice, then that’s how it should’ve been.

However, the infamous beastkin went too far. Severing tendons, flaying skin, breaking bones—all while ensuring the students’ lives were spared but leaving them utterly crushed.

Pianke easily guessed the reason: intimidating the newbies. When some newcomers underestimated things upon entering the academy, a few would roughly overpower their opponents to show off their strength and ruthlessness.

‘A guy with this kind of power… and yet inflicts such excessive wounds just for intimidation?! Clearly, his character needs adjustment!’

What a devilish guy. The frightening part was that someone so green possessed terrifying talent and strength.

Pianke judged that he couldn’t let this slide. Before it was too late, before this twisted personality became firmly established, he needed to correct it as a senior.

Thus, driven half by emotion and half by reason, Pianke set out to track down the beastkin, gripping a steel staff loaded with fighting spirit.

Finding the beastkin wasn’t difficult. As a hot topic, everyone’s eyes were always following her.

Pianke rushed to the cafeteria. Normally, he’d go there with a calm heart to fill his empty stomach, but today, he was determined.

His opponent was a master who had subdued most of the first-years in the blink of an eye. Of course, Pianke could achieve similar feats, but this wasn’t someone to take lightly.

Moreover, the students who faced the beastkin suffered irreversible trauma, falling into panic—it wasn’t ordinary cruelty.

With courage mixed with fear, Pianke opened the cafeteria door and roared loudly.

“Beastkin! Step out!”

The students dining peacefully in the cafeteria jumped in surprise. Some even dropped their utensils, splashing soup onto their clothes.

Regardless, Pianke scanned the room for the rumored beastkin. There weren’t many students in the academy with animal ears standing tall on their heads. Pianke quickly spotted the beastkin.

Thud-thud-thud-thud!

With heavy steps filled with intimidation, Pianke approached. The beastkin’s eyes narrowed.

“That guy… isn’t that Pike, the ‘Living Staff’? He’s a third-year!”

“It’s not the third-year’s lunch period. Why is he here?”

“He’s definitely huge. So, why is this third-year senior here during the freshmen lunch hour?”

“Just now, didn’t he shout, ‘Beastkin, come out!’? Could the person he’s calling… be ‘that beastkin’?”

“…! That’s right. Come to think of it, Pike’s younger sibling was on the list of this year’s freshmen. What was the name again? Pianka?”

Understanding the situation, the students deduced on their own. Pianke advanced, his forehead veins bulging red as he moved forward step by step. Finally, he stood in front of a beastkin girl.

The beastkin girl, Aru, furrowed her eyebrows. Growing up in the wild, she immediately recognized the clear challenge directed at her.

“Hmm? Are you looking for me?”

“Are you the beastkin who excessively harmed the freshmen during yesterday’s class allocation exam and ended up second?”

“Second? Probably? If I had made it to the finals, wouldn’t I be second, huh?”

Aru glanced questioningly at the boy sitting beside her, Evans. Evans smiled mischievously, amused by the situation, and replied.

“That’s right. Seems like our third-year senior has business with you, Aru. You should greet him properly?”

“Meeh… It’s annoying. I want to eat.”

“Is that so? Senior.”

Thus, Evans passed the ball back to Pianke. Clenching his teeth, Pianke forced out a suppressed voice.

“Freshman, I have one question.”

“Hmm?”

Boiling anger surged beneath the surface like molten lava.

Yet Pianke restrained himself. As a senior, if he was going to ‘educate’ this misguided junior, there were certain things he had to clarify first.

“Why did you inflict unnecessary and excessive injuries?”

“Hmm-hmm?”

“Don’t act dumb! Every student who faced you yesterday is now trembling in fear, unable to even pick up a spoon!”

“So what?”

“You could have! Easily subdued them safely! Am I wrong? There was absolutely no need to scar these young ones so harshly!”

Pianke shouted sincerely at the much shorter Aru, veins popping out. Among the students forming a circle around them, a few nodded.

“Yeah, sure, he’s strong, but it was definitely excessive.”

“With skills to knock everyone out in one move, he could’ve done it much safer!”

“My friend is still bedridden. They’re completely traumatized and can’t even feed themselves. Sigh, what on earth did he do…?”

Most students, though surprised by Pianke’s sudden appearance, generally agreed with his opinion.

In fact, they had harbored similar thoughts. They just didn’t dare speak up due to fear of Aru. But now that Pianke had appeared as their spokesperson, a group mentality kicked in.

“Hmm?”

But Aru, who grew up in the Demon Forest, thought differently.

“What nonsense are you spouting?”

Aru couldn’t relate to their claims. It was a difference in philosophy and upbringing.

Aru grew up in the Demon Forest, or the wilderness. To her, the concept of sparring was vague, replaced instead by life-and-death battles.

Fighting and sparring may seem similar at first glance, but they are fundamentally different.

The purpose of fighting is survival. Repelling threats that invade and advancing toward life, while pushing death onto others.

On the other hand, the purpose of sparring is victory. Striving for the sweet fruit of triumph by driving the opponent into defeat. No one stakes their life during a sparring match.

Whether noble or commoner, the students lacked experience in real fights. Instead of life-or-death battlefields, they had frequently graced arenas where victories and defeats were decided.

Conversely, Aru had traversed the genuine battlefield of the wild instead of sparring arenas. To begin with, the very concept of “sparring” was foreign to her. Why save someone you’ve already defeated?

Aru had shown mercy. She had bestowed the rare kindness of sparing her opponents. In her worldview, where defeat equates to death and victory to growth and survival, saving her opponents a few days ago was an immense act of compassion.

“You bastard! Do you even realize what you’re saying!”

“Hmm! Why not!”

“What? Do you even know how hard it is to save someone? How arrogant! Do you think you’re some unstoppable powerhouse whose punches split skulls?”

“Splitting skulls? I can crush heads if I want. Show me?”

“Shut up! And follow me quietly to the gymnasium! I’ll fix those bad habits of yours!”

After saying that, Pianke turned and stomped away, imagining Aru following him.

But no one followed. Pianke glared at Aru, who remained seated.

“What are you doing? Hurry up and follow.”

“I don’t have to, right? I’m hungry! I’m eating!”

“You insolent girl! After crippling other students, you dare to…! Stop talking nonsense and follow me!”

“No! Meeeh! There’s no food in the gym!”

Aru defiantly yelled back, clashing with Pianke. Just as Pianke’s fury began consuming him…

“Hold it.”

A soft female voice interrupted. A white-haired saintess tilted her head.

“Miss Aru is a first-year student. Why, Third-Year Senior, are you so enraged that you lose control of your emotions? Even if an accident occurred during the sparring match… Isn’t it improper for a third-year to discipline a freshman?”

“Se-Se-Saintess-sama!”

No matter how furious Pianke was, the Saintess was an extraordinary presence. He hurried to kneel and bow his head, though a boy intervened, preventing it.

“Whoa, wait a moment. Maria, step aside for now.”

“E-Evan-sama?”

“Something seems amiss in this conversation between the two of you… May I interject a few words?”

Once again, the boy sitting beside Aru intervened—Evans.

“What are you?”

“That’s irrelevant. What you desire, senior, is a sparring match with this beastkin, correct?”

“…Yes, I intend to correct her bad habits thoroughly.”

“Aru, aren’t you hungry? Let’s hurry.”

“Yup! I’m starving!”

“That’s why the two of you have conflicting goals, leading to this misunderstanding. How about a compromise? How about sparring here? Aru can finish quickly and eat, and you, senior, can have your desired sparring match. It’s a win-win, isn’t it?”

Saying this brightly, Evans clapped his hands. But Pianke shook his head.

“That’s impossible. This is where other students are eating. I can’t cause trouble for others unnecessarily…”

“Hmm! Fine! I’ll finish quickly and eat!”

“…! You lack restraint! Your arrogance reaches the heavens!”

But with Aru’s subsequent words, Pianke could no longer contain his anger. Already boiling over with worry for his beloved younger sibling lying ill, hearing provocation from a sophomore pushed him over the edge.

“Pick up your weapon! I’ll give you the first move, so come at me with all your strength from the start. Don’t make excuses later about not being able to unleash your full power or your body not being warmed up!”

“Can we really go all-out?”

“Shut up and come! You brat with no sense of decorum! Don’t bring up excuses after the fight!”

Hooowww!

Pianke swung his staff menacingly, creating fierce gusts of wind that revealed the power of his technique.

“Kyaa! Get back!”

“Everyone, move! Pike-senpai is sparring with the beastkin!”

Students hastily moved tables to create space. Despite their confusion, a strange anticipation lingered in their eyes.

Truthfully, everyone was curious about Aru’s true strength.

All the freshmen had been unable to withstand even one strike from Aru. Some hoped to see her full power when she faced the hero in the final match, but she forfeited before the fight began, leaving her true capabilities shrouded in mystery.

But now, a third-year student named Pike had appeared. The gap between first and third years was vast. The students harbored expectations.

Would this senior, ranked among the top third-years, be able to draw out the true potential of this beastkin?

However, such expectations were soon shattered.

“Really? Really? Can I go all-out?”

“Hmph! Don’t complain later!”

“Hmm! Got it! Haven’t used full power in a while! Yay!”

Thrilled at the prospect of unleashing her full power, Aru happily leapt off her chair and approached the infuriated Pianke with quick steps.

Someone seemed to have alerted the teacher, as voices urging them to stop reached their ears from afar. But the sound didn’t register in Pianke’s rage-filled mind.

“Come at me!”

Pianke raised his staff horizontally, adopting a battle stance and shouting.

In response, Aru unleashed her killing intent.

Kwaahhhh!

A dark, ominous energy visible only to Pianke surged upward, reaching the cafeteria ceiling, then struck him with pinpoint accuracy. Like a thunderous waterfall crashing down, Pianke was enveloped by overwhelming pressure, momentarily losing all physical sensation.

The feeling of facing a demon paralyzed his thoughts. His cognitive functions froze, leaving only instinctive judgment in his mind. A loud alarm warning of danger rang incessantly inside Pianke.

Drenched in sweat, every muscle, bone, and joint connection in his body went limp in an instant. Like a stray pup encountering a tiger with glowing green eyes on a dark night, Pianke’s groin became soaked—not with sweat, but another liquid.

Sweat streaming down like rain, another liquid flowing uncontrollably, his eyes wide with the terror of confronting an abyss.

And finally, decisively ending the confrontation, his massive knees buckled helplessly.

“Hmm?”

Aru tilted her head in confusion. Shock enveloped the cafeteria. Teachers rushing in late covered their mouths in shock at the sight of the collapsed Pianke.

Looking back, Aru said with apparent confusion:

“Evans… this guy’s weird. I haven’t even attacked yet, and he fell down. Must be a weakling.”

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