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Martial Arts.

Literally, it’s the study of mastering martial arts.

The principle of Martial Arts at Jerion Academy is simple.

“Kill the enemy before I die.”

Today, the hungover professor, Veganon Mercia, let out a big yawn in her scruffy attire.

“That’s the basic stance when dealing with the apostles you face in the academy’s dungeons.”

In the underground dungeon.

That place where the evil entity spawns apostles.

Stopping these guys before they come out of the dungeon is the role of the academy’s students.

“After the upcoming mock battle, you’ll form groups based on your level and enter the first dungeon as second-year students.”

In the first year, there were casualties.

Yet someone has to venture into the dungeon again.

If we can’t take down the apostles, the surface will be in danger.

A world where the responsibilities of the world are placed on the shoulders of children.

That’s why the professors strive to help the kids grow capable enough to face the apostles.

They too, once attended the academy and entered the dungeons, so it’s within their capacity to teach.

“Just remember one thing.”

Veganon said as she looked at the students.

“If you can’t kill them, run away.”

She turned back to the drawing of the apostle displayed on the chalkboard.

The apostles are strong.

Especially, the more perverted they are, the more dangerously powerful they become.

“If you survive, there’s a next time.”

Many of those who died alongside Lucas were students of martial arts.

Even though Veganon shows up every day reeking of alcohol, she is still a professor who raises her students.

She didn’t want her students to die any more than they already have.

On that day when Lucas died, the professor, who usually appeared hungover, came to visit Lucas and his group’s graves without taking a sip of alcohol.

The students felt a lump in their throats as they grasped her sentiment.

“That’s it, class is dismissed for today.”

She turned off the magic chalkboard.

Then, stifling another long yawn, she turned her body.

Dressed in wide, loose pants revealing a good deal of her underwear strings, she waddled out.

It’s honestly a wonder she isn’t scolded for her attire.

“She must be used to getting scolded and just walks around like that.”

With the class over, I stood up.

The upcoming mock battle.

I had to achieve a good outcome here.

“I need to somehow get into a high-ranking group after the mock battle.”

Though I accidentally secured a training opportunity with Aisha.

That alone didn’t feel like it would be sufficient.

This is the world after the bad ending ensued from protagonist Lucas’s death.

To continue without Lucas in the storyline, I had to somehow become a part of it.

To do that, I had to use any means necessary.

At that moment, I felt a gaze on me.

As I turned my head, I found Isabel glaring intensely at me.

Instead of the shadowy somberness that had recently been apparent.

Venom and anger were starkly evident.

Things are going well.

Moreover, the females siding with Isabel were glaring at me with equal displeasure.

Now it’s only the second day at the academy.

I was starting to grow accustomed to receiving such stares.

“Humans are creatures that adapt, they say.”

The more sharp-eyed they were, the higher Isabel’s chances of survival seemed to rise.

Thinking this way eased my mind instead.

From now on, let them look at me like that.

“Time to get things done.”

It was lunchtime now.

I needed to prepare for the mock battle ahead.

As I was rising from my seat.

“Hey.”

Hearing a voice calling me, I turned my head.

Around me, a group of girls had encircled me.

They all glared at me with incredibly intimidating expressions.

I belatedly realized one thing.

The people here were students of Jerion Academy’s martial arts program, known for their stellar reputation.

Be they male or female.

Those who wield physicality inherently possess a strong sense of pride and a foul temper.

Someone from such a group had been slandered.

What do you think would happen?

“Wait, come with me.”

It’s group lynching.

“I’m in trouble.”

Honestly, I couldn’t express anything other than that.

Sure, I exercised, but these folks had trained with their lives on the line.

Even so, if they initiated a group lynching now, I’d be beaten like a dog.

Creeeak—

But I too, am a martial arts student who enrolled at Jerion Academy.

They wouldn’t underestimate my skills.

So—

“What do you need?”

Feeling bold, I spoke up.

Back in the day, whenever I showed fear in a match, the opposing fist would surely connect.

Thus, my former champion instructor beat my abdomen countless times in the name of “expression control.”

I still remember the nightmare of that day.

So, expression control became my art.

Maybe my face looked too indifferent.

The girls frowned with disdain.

Their eyes were filled with contempt.

“Apologize to Isabel right now.”

The girl standing in the center shot back at me.

Hearing her voice, I pressed the back of my neck to shield the cold sweat.

“What am I apologizing for?”

“For the harsh words you said to Isabel! Apologize for all of it!”

“You’re pretending not to know. That’s really disgusting.”

“I’m gonna puke.”

The girls behind her yelled in agreement.

The atmosphere in the group turned hostile in an instant.

Some watched with interest.

Yet, some were on board with the nasty comments.

Among them.

There were no allies to be found.

I had just lashed out at Isabel, the focal point of the group.

It was only natural.

“Why should I apologize for saying something obvious?”

“Wow, are you really okay? I knew you were dense, but you’ve exceeded even that limit.”

“What a piece of trash.”

“Is that thing even human?”

The slandering intensified.

But when it comes to a battle of nerves.

“At least if it were Isabel herself, I could understand. But why are you demanding an apology from me?”

I wasn’t going down without a fight.

If they merely came to demand an apology, I held the responsibility of saving Isabel’s life.

Thus, I absolutely couldn’t lose this battle of nerves.

“Well, you see, Isabel and I are friends! If a friend is in trouble, it’s only natural to help!”

“Look at the gall on you.”

“You probably won’t have friends for life.”

Who the hell just said that?

I truly hadn’t expected to be hit by a lethal blow just like that.

I had never imagined such wicked slander existed.

I hastily managed my expression again.

Seriously, my face almost crumbled.

“How laughable. The ones who couldn’t even care for a kid who looked like she was on the brink of death suddenly think they can call her a friend.”

And suddenly, my tone turned sharp.

From earlier, she had stirred my ire when she spoke about helping friends in trouble.

In the end, none of them could assist Isabel, and she took her own life.

“What?”

The girls were stunned, seemingly taken aback by my words.

I advanced a step toward the leader of the group that had been glaring at me.

“Isn’t that right? Isabel Luna, even from the first time I met her, she seemed like she was already long gone.”

Various signs of suicidal tendencies could be seen in Isabel.

Just looking at the shadows around her eyes and her body, which had grown significantly thinner than before.

Anyone could tell Isabel’s condition was far from normal.

This was proof that death was tightening its grip around her neck.

With no will to live, she was slowly letting go of her life.

“It seems that the ‘friends’ couldn’t care less about such things.”

“Stop twisting! Because Isabel is struggling, she needs her moments alone…”

“That’s not giving her time; that’s neglect.”

The leader flinched.

“If she looked like that, it’s obvious Isabel would follow that Lucas guy sooner or later.”

I could tell this from the first time I met Isabel.

Yet the ‘friends’ didn’t realize this.

I utilized this point to lash out at them.

If I had skirted around it, they might have protested in their own right.

But I spoke with conviction.

That certainty silenced them.

Isabel’s death is a preordained future.

Therefore, my confidence carries even more weight.

“We… we took care of Isabel too!”

“Yeah, at first you did. But seeing no signs of improvement, you grew tired and let her to become like this.”

These girls stood together defending Isabel.

But in reality, Isabel suffered alone and ultimately took her own life.

Just as they looked at me with similar contempt.

Contempt was also reflected in my eyes.

Months have passed since Lucas’s death.

Yet Isabel still remained ensnared by Lucas’s demise.

Those who initially helped her grew weary of her unchanged condition.

Thus, they only pretended to care, but their sincerity was nowhere to be found.

In truth, they couldn’t be held accountable for that.

Though not present, Isabel’s close friends still watched over her to this very day.

The ones who had just left with Isabel were those friends.

Even so, Isabel did not improve.

At this point, there was no one to blame.

However, not the close friends, but rather…

It was hard to listen to the words of those who blindly leaned in with vague positions.

“By that logic, shouldn’t Isabel or you be thanking me instead?”

I laughed at the now flustered leader’s face.

“While you’re getting all worked up, it’s clear she’s not considering dying.”

The whole room fell silent.

Right now, my words had obviously crossed a line.

But if I was to become an enemy, I couldn’t hold back.

I made sure everyone here knew that I was Isabel’s enemy.

At that moment, the girls’ leader raised her hand.

My instinctively followed her hand.

Slap!

As if it were a reflex, my wrist blocked her hand.

That was purely a display of my reflexes.

She hadn’t expected her wrist to be blocked, and her eyes widened.

“What?!”

Fueled by rage, she swung her other hand, but I quickly dodged by pulling my head back.

Like a nimble squirrel, I evaded.

“Oh.”

Looks like I still have some moves left?

In this space, the directions her swings could take were limited.

Just by watching their movements, I could avoid them.

“Ugh!”

Having failed to land two slaps, her temper flared.

I knew it too.

What she just did was merely a jab, and if she genuinely attacked me, I wouldn’t be able to evade easily.

After all, she too was a martial arts student at Jerion Academy.

But perhaps due to the pressure of the surrounding eyes.

Realizing she had resorted to violence, she gradually lowered her hand.

“You psycho…”

The leader of the girls turned away with a look as if she had witnessed something grotesque.

“Enough. Don’t talk to the likes of him.”

“Let’s go. Are you going to dodge just because you’re scared?”

“He’s not worth engaging with.”

Their faces twisted in disgust as they walked away from me.

They didn’t want to exchange even a single word with me.

The same went for the other kids.

Those who had watched with interest now looked at me with cold eyes.

Yet among them.

Only the 3rd Princess, Iris Haishirion, stared at me with a dopey gaze.

Her eyes were the most intimidating out of all.

I hurriedly decided to leave the classroom.

“Somehow managed to avoid the group lynching.”

Today, I seemed to have managed to scare them off with my dreadful words.

But there’s no guarantee that it’ll be that way moving forward.

I felt I had to be prepared on my end as well.

“Hey, Wang Non.”

At that moment, I felt weight on the back of my neck.

The identity was a thick arm with tanned skin.

The arm belonged to the troublemaker, Card Velik.

It seemed he had finished his Magic Arts class a bit earlier today and dropped by.

The name he called me had already changed.

Even as the same guy, he was a big enough man to openly acknowledge it.

“You’re already popular with the girls? Guess being a king has its perks.”

Is he seriously saying this after seeing everything?

He’s impressive in many ways.

I shrugged off his arm.

In response, Card smacked his lips in disappointment.

“Do your eyes see this as popularity?”

“Thinking that way isn’t so bad.”

Playboy is impressive.

Guess bullying could also be enjoyed in a different way like this.

“You wouldn’t gain anything from hanging out with me anyway?”

The eyes of the martial arts class were just as sharp towards Card, who was hanging out with me.

But Card grinned cheerfully.

“It’s fine. The 2nd-year girls don’t like me anyway!”

Given Card’s murky personal history, that was only natural.

The problem was that even so, there were victims who constantly fell for Card’s bait.

He was a remarkable guy.

“And wouldn’t it be okay to have at least one comfortable acquaintance?”

Card flashed a bright smile at me.

It seemed Card thought I had listened carefully to the words he had shared yesterday.

Without intending to, I garnered some form of goodwill from Card.

That’s absurd, but seeing him brought a lighter feeling to me.

“So what’s for lunch?”

“I’ve got stuff to do.”

I pulled out the sandwich I had received from breakfast earlier.

I’ve got a busy schedule.

No time to have lunch facing a dark-skinned guy.

“Pity. Let’s eat together next time.”

Card wasn’t insistent about sticking around.

He merely needed someone to share lunch with.

I bid Card farewell and moved on swiftly.

And at that moment, I remained unaware that Isabel had briefly returned to class.