The words sent a chill down everyone's spine.
"What!?" Rudi and his lackeys muttered at the same time, clearly irritated.
"I never expected someone would dare threaten me," Rudi sneered.
The boy looked at Al in panic. "Big brother… don't tell me you're planning to…?" he asked, thinking Al was about to do something terrible to Rudi right here.
Al simply shook his head.
"I said might. That doesn't mean there'll really be blood," he replied lazily. "But who knows. Hehe."
Then he gave his friend a light push.
"Just go. Stop asking questions. I want to finish this quickly. I need my morning sleep," he added, sounding completely unbothered.
"O-Okay, big brother…" the boy said helplessly as he started walking away.
"Hey! Who said you could leave whenever you want?" Rudi shouted.
His burly lackeys immediately moved to block the boy's path.
But in the blink of an eye, Al appeared in front of them. With a lazy movement, he stood between the boy and the lackeys, blocking their way instead.
"Don't bother him," Al said flatly. "Just deal with me and let's end this waste of time."
"You brat!" the big lackeys growled.
Meanwhile, the boy had already moved quite far, occasionally glancing back at Al.
"Big brother… you're really the best. I think I might start worshipping you like a god after this," he muttered softly.
Then he looked toward Rudi.
"But… can big brother really face someone on Rudi's level?"
He could only shake his head helplessly.
"Huff… I hope nothing bad happens to you, big brother. I don't even know if the entire afternoon class could help you. Norvalien is still a sky too vast for us to face."
Back to Al.
He looked at Rudi and his lackeys with sleepy eyes, one hand still tucked inside his pocket.
"I really wanted a quiet morning," he muttered lazily. "But I guess cleaning up trash counts as light exercise."
Rudi's expression darkened instantly.
"Trash? Did you just call us trash?" he blurted out, clearly not expecting that. "Wow. Since when did an orphan get bold enough to act arrogant in front of the elite class?"
As if a brilliant idea had just struck him, he let out a mocking laugh.
"Ohh, don't tell me just because you managed to study here, you actually think you're on the same level as us? That you can talk however you want?" He laughed louder. "Dream on!"
The two lackeys burst out laughing as well.
The skinny one with glasses stepped forward, pointing straight at Al with a sneer.
"Know your place. You're just a lucky brat who got in here on a scholarship. You think that cheap scholarship makes you equal to us? Huh? No—and you never will be. Lowly class."
Rudi nodded in agreement. "Exactly."
Then he looked back at Al sharply, his voice turning ice-cold.
"You don't belong here. Your existence alone stains this school."
Al simply waved at them lazily.
"Hey. Your conversation's too heavy. Elite, lowly class… all that stuff is tiring," he said with a yawn. "In the end, this is just bullying. And right now, you're the ones doing it."
He rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"Still… you guys are pretty brave. Isn't there a myth going around about the fall of the Kalla family? The one that made the elites tone down their arrogance?"
He tilted his head slightly.
"And yet here you are, acting this bold."
He shrugged and shook his head.
"Anyway, upper class or lower class—it doesn't matter. Bullies deserve punishment. So drop the elite-class arrogance and step forward. I'll be your executioner today. Haha."
The moment the Kalla family was mentioned, a chill ran through the three of them.
The myth of The Calamity echoed in their minds.
Two years ago, the Kalla family had been wiped out almost overnight. No witnesses. No solid evidence. Just destruction.
No one knew who did it.
But everyone in Makazhar's elite circle knew the name that followed the incident.
The Calamity.
That alone was enough to make even arrogant heirs restrain themselves—at least on the surface.
Still, it wasn't enough to shake Rudi completely.
After that incident, the major elite families in Makazhar had changed.
Especially the three giants—Virellano, Norvalien, and Tamarvich.
With their immense resources, they had recruited powerful magical combat forces.
Compared to two years ago, their private combat strength had risen drastically—top-notch on a local scale, even nationally competitive.
Because of that, Rudi quickly regained his composure.
"Tch…" He clicked his tongue. "You think dropping that name will scare me?"
His lips curled arrogantly.
"Masked King or Calamity—it doesn't matter. Don't think this Young Master Rudi would tremble over rumors."
He stepped forward slightly, eyes blazing.
"If you can, call both of them here. I'll face them myself."
The two lackeys were slightly surprised by Rudi's level of arrogance.
But as his underlings, they could only put on smug expressions and stand proudly.
Al was a little surprised too.
But all he did was roll his eyes.
He honestly didn't expect that kind of bold declaration from someone like Rudi—who had no magical ability of his own and relied entirely on his family's power.
Troublesome.
And he was getting sleepy.
He didn't want to drag this out any longer.
"Yeah, yeah. You're strong. You're the greatest. Whatever," Al said flatly. "Then I'll step up myself. Let's finish this."
"Tch." Rudi hadn't expected Al to remain just as arrogant.
That also the last straw for him.
Without another word, he shot a glance at his large lackey and gave a subtle gesture.
Execute him.
The big guy nodded and stepped forward. He was already standing about two meters away from Al.
But just as he was about to move—
Al suddenly raised a hand.
"Wait."
The word came out fast enough to make the big guy pause instinctively.
"I didn't realize you actually wanted to fight," Al continued lazily. "I already said you just needed punishment."
He slowly reached into his pocket.
"In that case… your punishment increases."
The three of them tensed.
They thought he was pulling out a weapon.
Instead—
He pulled out a folded napkin… and a pen.
He scribbled something casually, then flicked the napkin toward Rudi.
It hit Rudi's chest before sliding down to the floor.
The skinny one quickly picked it up.
Written on it:
"Additional penalty: 10 kicks to the butt each (Rudi + lackeys). Payment deadline: next week."
Below it was a messy signature.
The three stared at it in disbelief.
Rudi's face flushed red.
"What the hell is this?!"
"A debt note," Al replied calmly. "For your extra punishment. It was supposed to be settled today, but I'm too lazy and I want to sleep. So I'll collect next week."
He tucked the pen back into his pocket.
"So keep that note safe. Remind me to punish you properly. If it's overdue… there might be interest."
The hallway went completely silent.
Several nearby students who had been secretly watching the confrontation were stunned by the absurd concept.
Even Al's friend, who was peeking from afar, could only facepalm.
"Big brother is still as eccentric as ever… He's really… impossible to predict."
Rudi's jaw tightened, teeth grinding as his anger spiked. He crumpled the paper in his hand and tossed it aside before barking an order at his lackeys to go for Al.
"Stop messing with me, you orphan!" he snapped at Al, his voice thick with fury.
"Teach him a lesson!"
The big lackey stepped forward with a faint smirk. No more talk. He swung his fist straight at Al's face without warning.
A heavy punch cut through the air, aiming right for Al's head.
Rudi and the skinny lackey watched with eager smiles, already imagining the outcome. To them, this punch would cement their status in front of the low-class students.
In their eyes, Al was as good as dead.
Among all the students at HIHS, this particular lackey was one of the strongest when it came to raw brute force.
He was only slightly below the members of the school's martial arts club—mostly because he lacked proper technique.
But when it came to bullying other students, especially someone like Al, Rudi's thug was more than enough.
As for Al…
There was no trace of worry on his face, nor did he feel the need to do anything extra.
In his mind, there was only one thought—if they fight back, then the extra punishment he gives them will be completely justified.
He only looked on with that same lazy gaze. To him, the punch was painfully slow—sloppy, amateurish, and almost laughable.
Before the punch could land—
Al only tilted his head slightly.
The massive fist sliced through empty air.
In the same motion, Al casually tapped the big man's wrist with two fingers.
A tiny movement.
Almost lazy.
But it was so fast that no one even realized he had moved at all.
Crack.
The big guy suddenly felt something heavy slam into him from the side.
His entire arm went numb, hanging uselessly by his side.
And even though the counter looked light, his body was sent stumbling sideways like a drunk who tripped over nothing.
He crashed into a trash can, landing face-first, hips awkwardly raised in the air.
He didn't even understand what had just happened.
Al curled his lips into a sly smile.
"There we go. See? You finally listened," he muttered.
The big lackey froze, suddenly aware of the humiliating position he was in.
And of course, by the time he realized it—Al was already behind him, one leg lifted and ready.
"Hehe."
The lazy chuckle echoed out, but it sounded more like the voice of an executioner.
"Tiger Butt Kick!"
Smack—
The kick landed clean, sending the big guy rolling forward across the ground before finally stopping in a miserable heap.
Al lightly dusted off his hands while glancing at the big guy sprawled on the ground.
If you weren't just some ordinary student… that butt of yours would've exploded by now.
Heh. Consider yourselves lucky. You're getting a bit of my mercy today, he thought.
"Well then… the first one has received his punishment," he said casually.
He turned around slowly, his gaze landing on Rudi and the skinny lackey.
"Now there are two left."