— "Too easy."

And then, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, a brutal punch to my jaw sent me crashing to the ground.

— "...Marcos, take it easy. We’re still in the middle of class."

— "My bad, my bad... forgot."

— "Hahaha."

— "This guy’s so pathetic it’s almost sad."

— "Let’s go, Marcos. We’ll play with him later."

— "Yeah, yeah... Y’know what, man? I almost feel sorry for you, seriously. People just need one reason to hate someone. But you? You gave us plenty of reasons to keep hating you forever."

Marcos crouched down and whispered in my ear: — "For what it’s worth... I don’t blame you for trying to rape that bitch. She is a piece of ass. But Fabrício’s my friend, and when he gets pissed off... Well, let’s just say his obsession with her isn’t healthy. If Yeda doesn’t break you before graduation, he definitely will."

Marcos stood and walked toward the exit.

— "See you around."

— "...You’re even dumber than I remembered."

I rose slowly.

— "...What did you just say?"

— "Deaf and dumb. Lovely combo."

Marcos’ eyes widened in disbelief.

— "You lost your damn mind?"

— "Hahahaha."

— "This guy’s finally snapped."

— "Marcos, think you hit him too hard..."

I cracked my neck left, then right, spitting out the blood pooling in my mouth.

— "Screw Yeda. I’m killing this bastard right now."

Marcos lunged at me, furious.

— "Hmm... My body’s lighter and stronger than I recalled... Seems I’m far more promising than I thought. But I’ll need to train it until Zero Day."

— "The hell’re you mumbling, shitstain? Pay attention!"

Marcos threw a punch.

My eyes were still closed, seemingly defenseless.

Yet I leaned back effortlessly, letting his fist whistle past.

He hesitated for a second, chalking it up to luck.

He tried again.

This time, as he swung, I stomped on his supporting thigh and shoved—sending him off-balance.

Before he could fall, my knee smashed into his face, spraying blood across the floor.

I grabbed his hair and slammed his face into the ground, knocking him out cold.

The silence that followed was razor-sharp.

The others froze—not just because I’d humiliated Marcos, but because I’d done it with my eyes shut.

I stood, wiped the blood from my lips with my thumb, and then finally opened my eyes—locking onto the rest of them.

— "..."

They shuddered.

My eyes burned gold.

I smiled.

The delinquents couldn’t process what they’d just witnessed.

— "Don’t worry. I’ll leave one of you unharmed... to call for help."

But my words snapped them out of their paralysis—and ignited their rage.

— "Motherfucker!"

— "Think you can take us all just ‘cause you got Marcos off-guard?"

— "Let’s wreck this bastard!"

— "You’re dead, trash!"

They charged.

My body still wasn’t strong enough to tank direct hits, so I dodged—countering with brutal precision.

My movements were so fluid, so effortless, it was like handling children.

Marcos groggily regained consciousness just in time to see me dismantling his friends.

— "You trash! How dare you—?!"

He tried to attack from behind.

I ducked at the exact moment, seized his arm, and drove a kick into the back of his right knee—forcing him to his knees.

In one motion, I pivoted over his falling body, pinned his arm to the ground, and stomped my full weight onto his elbow.

— "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

His scream pierced the air, followed by a tomb-like silence.

The others—broken, bleeding on the floor—felt ice crawl down their spines.

I looked at them and flashed a satisfied smile.

Exactly like the ones they’d given me when I was helpless.

Then I turned to the last one standing.

— "Wanna test your luck... or are you calling for help?"

— "..."

He stumbled back, tripped, and fell on his ass.

Panicked, he scrambled up and bolted down the stairs.

I glanced at Marcos.

He was sobbing, writhing in pain, utterly defeated.

I crouched in front of him.

— "If you or your little friends tell anyone about this... you’ll wish you’d died here."

— "...Y-your... eyes..."

I pressed a finger to my lips, silencing him.

My eyes glowed brighter.

Then I stood and faced the door leading back inside.

— "Well... we need everyone to believe this was just an accident, right?"

— "Huh...?"

I grabbed Marcos by the collar and dragged him toward the door.

— "W-wait... W-what’re you doing?!"

I yanked the door open—and threw him down the stairs.

— "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

— "..."

Marcos’ friends, still trying to stand, froze in terror.

I let my gaze sweep over them one last time—and like a lead curtain, the crushing weight of my presence snuffed out any last shred of defiance in them.