Bloodshot eyes stared straight at him without fluttering. It made him feel like he weighed tons and couldn't move, rooted to the ground like a tree.
He was sure that even thinking about shaking could cost him his head. Whether it was true or not, he wasn't brave enough to test that theory.
"This is my true form..." a voice echoed, barely a whisper.
The voice did not come from its mouth, nor did its lips move. Instead, it echoed from the surrounding area. The enchanting rhythm at which it vibrated was alluring and, at the same time, deafening.
If someone else had been in this situation, they would have freaked out in horror from the sight they beheld. However, the protagonist did not feel such fear toward this creature.
In fact, it felt like this creature was part of him—a remnant, a forgotten piece that must be recovered to complete himself.
'Borack's real form… it's beautiful.'
Whoosh
Bing!!
[Phantom Howl]
[Unleash a spectral howl that blankets the area in absolute silence, nullifying all sound within its range for a limited time. Communication, movement, and even spells that rely on sound are rendered useless.]
[Effect: Silences all sound in a designated area.]
[Duration: 1 minute]
[Cost: 5H]
[You have been rewarded 100 EXP for defeating the target.]
Level 2 [100/200 EXP]
His eyes stared at the reward for a while. He hadn't really placed much thought into his experience points (EXP). Yes, it helped him level up, but besides that, what did it actually do?
[PP: 2]
[You have two unused Power Points.]
'Speak of the devil,' he commented. 'What exactly is this PP?'
The system was quite annoying to him. It just showed him something he had no idea about out of the blue, without even an explanation.
Although, he already had a clue what it could be.
[PP, or better known as Power Points, are given every time the host builds up enough experience points to level up or is acquired as a reward.]
[Mainly, it is used to increase your attributes or level up your skills.]
'Now was that simply too hard, system?'
[-_-]
While Victor questioned the system, his mind rummaged through different ways [Phantom Howl] could be useful in a fight. Something like this could be a real cheat in a locked-in battle.
But then, without any warning, his consciousness was forcefully pulled back to his body, almost knocking the air out of him.
Immediately, he snapped his eyes open as two legs wearing black trousers stood in his line of vision.
He would have wondered who the shoes and trousers belonged to; however, he couldn't help but think instead:
'Why am I on the ground?' he thought, utterly confused.
Moving his gaze to the side, there was Malik, clinging to whatever life he had left. His face was tattered with blood, and each time he inhaled, he also choked on his own blood.
His eyes had rolled back into their sockets, displaying a complete white surface, and his wide-open mouth—swollen—at least helped with breathing.
When one looked closely, flesh seemed to have slightly peeled off his face, showing parts of his cheekbone. It looked like whatever hit him—probably a fist made of iron—had caused this much damage to a human face.
The unsettling fact was that the one who caused this smiled in satisfaction upon seeing the disfigured face.
'That's more like it, haha.' The devil's cheeks rose even more, exposing pointed fangs for teeth.
"Please take this student to the clinic to get patched up before he dies here," said a man with a tone of voice that clearly showed he was less than concerned.
The man crouched down almost to Victor's level, surveying his body for a while before finally speaking.
"It's quite unexpected for someone like you to be that strong. Fascinating." He then clicked his tongue. "But still, I can't ignore the fact that a student could have been killed if I hadn't arrived to stop you."
It was true. The wolf had shown no intention of stopping and had kept battering Malik. It got to the point that the spectating students had to call someone in to intervene.
What was meant to be a friendly combat match had almost turned into a murder scene.
"Who... are you?" Victor struggled to say.
For some reason, he couldn't move his limbs. Even speaking felt like a challenge.
"Forget me so soon? Hehehe," Samuel taunted. "I knew you were a wild card. If I hadn't neutralized your movements, there was a clear chance you might've fought me too—and that wouldn't have ended well for you."
'Oh, I remember now... the bastard who directed me to my room. I'm sure he used some kind of ability on me, which explains why I can't move.'
Frustration simmered beneath his skin. What is he going to do to me now?
Malik was quickly carried to the clinic department, though even that offered no guarantee of survival.
Even in Victor's fading state of mind, he could feel the shameful stares of everyone burning into him like hot iron on flesh. Yet he could do nothing but lie there, succumbing to his injuries and letting the pain take its pleasure.
'Is this how I die?' he wondered before the world went black.
---
After Malik was taken away, Samuel turned his attention back to Victor.
"Now then, Victor Nellis. What should I do with you?" he said cheekily.
"As punishment for fighting a fellow student without proper supervision and outside of the designated combat area, you are hereby suspended—confined to your dorm room for one week."
The gathered students clearly heard the verdict, and whispers immediately began to spread among the crowd.
"Wow, what a light punishment..." someone mumbled.
"Yeah, I expected him to get expelled. Looks like luck's on his side..." another added.
"I hate this school," someone else grumbled with disinterest.
"Isn't he the Captain's lackey? Who gave him face?" some arrogant fools say from the crowd.
*
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