Chapter 16: A surprising ally

Jelo slammed against the wall and fell to the ground, pain shooting through every inch of his body. He could feel the broken mask pressing agaisnt his back, it had divided into two clean pieces.

His vision blurred, and for a moment, all he could see were dark shapes moving toward him. He tried to get a sense of where he was, tried to orient himself, but his head was spinning. He knew that if he stayed down too long, the boys would keep attacking him. They wouldn’t stop. They wouldn’t show mercy.

Struggling to his feet, he barely managed to regain his balance. His legs felt like jelly beneath him, trembling with the effort of just standing upright. His ribs screamed in protest, and every breath was a struggle.

But before he could even steady himself, one of the boys was already on him.

A fist slammed into his gut, hard and brutal.

Jelo wheezed painfully, doubling over as the air was forced out of his lungs. He staggered back against the wall, his hands clutching his stomach.

Xino stepped forward, stopping just a few feet in front of Jelo. His expression was calm, almost bored, like this whole thing was beneath him.

“You know what’s funny?” Xino said, his voice sharp. “Us three haven’t even used any abilities. Just fists.” He gestured lazily at the other boys. “And yet we’re beating you this badly.”

Jelo coughed, tasting blood in his mouth.

Xino tilted his head slightly, his eyes cold. “Understand the gap, Jelo. Not just in powers, but in raw strength. If you want to survive at this academy, you need to act accordingly. Know your place.”

Then Xino struck.

His fist came fast, catching Jelo across the jaw. Jelo’s head snapped to the side, and stars exploded across his vision. He stumbled, barely keeping his footing.

Jelo tried to fight back. He threw a punch at Xino, catching him in the shoulder. It wasn’t a clean hit, but it connected. For a moment, Xino looked surprised.

But before Jelo could follow up, one of the other boys was there. A fist slammed into his side, making him gasp. Then another hit from behind, driving him forward.

He was surrounded. Cornered against the wall.

He tried to swing again, landing a glancing blow on one of the boys. But for every punch he threw, two came back at him. They were relentless. Coordinated. Working together to keep him pinned, to keep him helpless.

The blows rained down on him, fists hitting his arms, his ribs, his face. Jelo could feel himself weakening with every hit. His arms grew heavy. His movements grew sluggish. He couldn’t keep up.

And then, suddenly, a voice shouted through the corridor.

“Three versus one? That’s not exactly fair, is it?”

Everyone froze.

Jelo turned his head, his vision still blurry, and saw a familiar figure standing at the end of the hallway.

Atlas. His roommate.

For a moment, gratitude washed over Jelo. Atlas had come. He wasn’t alone anymore.

But then fear followed immediately after.

He knew Atlas was weak. Just like himself. What could Atlas possibly do against three Class 2 students? He’d just get beaten down too. Or worse.

“Atlas!” Jelo shouted, his voice hoarse. “Get out of here!”

But Atlas didn’t move. He didn’t run. He just stood there, his expression calm, almost eerily so.

And then, without a word, he raised his hand.

The ground trembled.

A golem rose up from the floor beside Atlas. It wasn’t huge, maybe five feet tall, but it was solid, heavy, and very real.

Atlas sent it crashing forward.

The golem slammed into the first boy with the force of a truck, knocking him clean off his feet. The boy hit the ground hard, skidding across the floor with a grunt of pain.

The boy scrambled back to his feet, his face twisted with anger. “You little…!” He rushed at Atlas, fists raised.

But Atlas held him off. The golem moved to intercept, swinging a heavy arm that forced the boy to dodge. Atlas was controlling it with small gestures, his fingers twitching as he directed the construct’s movements.

The second boy saw what was happening and broke off from Jelo, rushing toward Atlas to help his friend. Now there were two of them attacking Atlas, and Atlas was struggling to keep up.

But that meant Xino was alone.

Jelo turned to face him, his heart pounding in his chest. This was his chance.

All the rage that had built up inside him, all the humiliation, all the pain, all the fear came surging to the surface. It burned in his chest like fire, hot and unstoppable.

He threw a punch.

It wasn’t elegant. It wasn’t precise. It was raw, fueled by nothing but pure fury.

And it connected.

His fist slammed into Xino’s face with a satisfying crack.

Xino went flying backward, his body spinning as he hit the ground. He skidded across the floor, his eyes wide with shock. For a moment, he just lay there, stunned.

Jelo didn’t give him time to recover.

He raised his hands and channeled everything he had into a pair of dragon claw attacks. The translucent, claw-shaped projections of flame shot forward, one after the other, hurtling toward Xino.

The first one struck Xino in the chest, driving him further into the ground. The second hit his shoulder, spinning him onto his back.

Xino let out a choked gasp and then went still.

He wasn’t moving.

Jelo stood there for a moment, breathing hard, his hands still raised. His body ached. His ribs screamed. But Xino was down.

He turned toward the boys fighting Atlas.

One of them had managed to get past the golem and was swinging at Atlas, who was barely dodging. The other was circling around, looking for an opening.

Jelo raised his hand and sent two dragon claws at the first boy.

They struck with precision, hitting him square in the back. The boy let out a cry and collapsed, unmoving.

Atlas saw his chance. He stomped his foot, and the earth beneath the third boy’s feet shifted suddenly, making him stumble. His balance gone, he flailed his arms wildly, trying to stay upright.

Jelo followed up immediately with another dragon claw.

It hit the boy in the chest, and he went down hard, crashing to the floor in a heap.

The corridor fell silent.

All three attackers were defeated. Xino lay motionless near the staircase. The other two boys were sprawled on the ground, groaning faintly but not getting up.

Jelo stood there, his chest heaving, his body trembling with exhaustion.

And then a notification flickered in his mind.

[Quest Complete: Get Revenge Against Xino]

<Reward: +40 ESS>

<New Skill Unlocked: Scaled Guard>

The system didn’t stop:

<Opponent defeated, +40 Ess>

<Opponent defeated, +40 Ess>

Jelo blinked, the words registering slowly through his exhaustion. He’d done it. He’d actually done it.

Atlas walked over, his golem crumbling back into dust behind him. He looked at Jelo with an incredulous expression.

“What were you thinking?” Atlas asked, his voice a mix of disbelief and exasperation. “Taking on three Class 2 students at once? Are you insane?”

Jelo coughed, still catching his breath. “How… how did you find me?” he asked, ignoring the question.

Atlas crossed his arms. “I was following you,” he said flatly. “You were acting strangely. Sneaking around, avoiding everyone. I knew something was off.”

Jelo stared at him.

Atlas sighed. “I would have gotten here earlier, but there were two teachers nearby. I had to redirect them so you wouldn’t get into trouble.” He shook his head. “You’re welcome, by the way.”​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

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