Jin's Struggle
The more Jin resisted, the more exhausted he became. Glancing toward the entrance of the room, he slowly moved in that direction.
He had to escape.
He couldn't defeat them. He had to survive.
He was the future of the Horton family. He couldn't die—not when so many people had expectations of him.
As he advanced toward the door, Jin continued to fight against the relentless attacks of the black-clad men.
He had to live.
He wanted to live…
Just as he neared the exit, Jin faltered.
…Wasn't he already running away?
Jin Horton, trained since childhood with the best resources and potions—was he really thinking of fleeing?
…Was this truly the extent of his ability?
As thoughts of Kevin and Amanda filled his mind, Jin's grip on his daggers tightened with renewed force.
Since entering the Academy, Jin had faced constant setbacks.
Losing first place to both Melissa and Kevin had struck a heavy blow to his pride. Though angry, the defeat fueled his desire to grow, to become stronger, and reclaim the top rank.
He longed for the summit—no, he craved it.
…Then, just as he felt himself nearing his goal, news spread throughout the Academy: Amanda had killed a ranked villain.
A seemingly impossible task, one Jin could never achieve no matter how much he prepared, had been accomplished.
This setback wounded him even deeper, for now there was someone above him. And it had come from none other than Amanda Stern—the daughter of the rival guild Demon Hunter—to whom he had been compared since youth.
From that moment on, Jin felt as though the world was laughing at him.
"Wasn't he the Horton family's once-in-a-lifetime genius child?"
"How could he lose to an orphan and a handful of girls?"
"Was all of it just empty hype?"
"Ahhh!!"
With a scream from the depths of his lungs, Jin's bloodshot eyes fixed upon the black-clad men before him.
"There's no way I'm weaker than people like Amanda and Kevin!"
Jin lunged forward, his attacks growing more intense and merciless. He abandoned all defense, wildly swinging his daggers.
Slash after slash, as if he had gone mad.
—Clang! —Clang! —Clang!
Even as his body filled with cuts, Jin ignored the pain and pressed on.
"I'm better than them!!"
Locking onto one of the black-clad figures, Jin hurled one of his daggers.
—Whoosh!
The dagger whistled through the air, appearing before the enemy in an instant.
—Clang!
Barely deflecting the dagger, the man staggered back several steps.
—Strike!
Jin appeared behind him, plunging a blade into his throat and killing him instantly.
Without looking back, Jin retrieved his weapon and threw it again at the nearest black-clad man.
—Whoosh!
—Strike!
This time the dagger struck the man's head, killing him instantly. It was clear he was weaker than the one before.
Turning his attention to the remaining three, Jin took advantage of their broken formation and rushed at them once more.
Blending into the shadows, he slipped out of their sight.
The three black-clad men pressed their backs together, waiting for Jin to reappear.
—Whoosh!
Hearing a sharp whistle to their side, the trio spun around and thrust their blades in that direction.
—Crack!
Wood fragments scattered as they struck a solid object, and a shattered lamp came into view.
"Got you!"
Appearing behind one of them, Jin's dagger pierced straight through the man's neck.
—Strike!
—Thud!
Pulling back from the last two, Jin looked up and muttered,
"Huff… huff… only two left."
But just as he prepared to attack again, he staggered, losing control of one leg, and collapsed to his knee.
"Ahhhh… damn it, not yet!"
Jin screamed curses as every muscle in his body convulsed uncontrollably.
An electrified agony surged through him, threatening to shatter his sanity.
The pain was so intense he could barely even scream anymore.
His body was covered in cuts, his clothes drenched in crimson.
…but this wasn't the only reason he suffered. His muscles, constantly spasming and trembling, made his state even worse.
"NO!"
Clenching his teeth, Jin tried to suppress the agony coursing through him, his mind flashing back to the endless days of training.
To catch up with Kevin and Amanda, he had increased his training intensity.
…As a result, his overtraining had left his body weaker and more fatigued than ever.
Despite consuming potions constantly, they couldn't fully heal the micro-tears in his muscles caused by overexertion.
The only cure had been rest.
But blinded by the hunger for power, Jin had ignored it—leading to the condition he now faced.
Every movement was torment, and though he tried to block out the pain, it only grew sharper and harsher with each passing second.
Clenching his teeth, Jin glared at the two remaining black-clad men.
"I can't lose."
Gathering every last drop of mana in his body, he prepared to unleash his skill [Mana Fusion].
He knew it would kill him.
…but at least he wanted them to die with him.
Growling, Jin's thoughts drifted back to his childhood.
"You'll be the best."
"No one will ever defeat you."
"I'm proud of you."
"You are the pride of the Horton family."
He remembered how everyone praised his talent and perfection. Maybe he grew up believing they were right.
…Maybe he really was chosen.
Maybe he was a step ahead of others, destined to lead humanity against demons.
He remembered imagining people erecting statues in his honor, worshiping him.
This was supposed to be his future…
After these thoughts, Jin could only growl bitterly.
Chosen? Genius?
He was merely a gifted individual with every resource handed to him. In truth, the only reason he stood ahead was because of the superior resources granted to him since youth.
Looking back now, that was probably the truth.
…but realizing it came too late. He was about to die—what did it matter if he wasn't as talented as he believed?
Jin rose to his feet, taking a stance against the last two.
Talented or not, what did it matter on the brink of death?
If he was going to die, he would at least take his pursuers with him.
With a crazed glare at the two, Jin screamed,
"Come at me, bastards!"
—Swish! —Swish!
Heeding his challenge, the two black-clad men lunged forward, aiming their blades at Jin's head and heart.
Jin closed his eyes, gathering all his mana, preparing to unleash his skill.
—Click!
But before he could act, the world around him turned white, followed by the sound of two heavy bodies collapsing.
—Thud! —Thud!
"What?!"
As Jin slowly opened his eyes, the sight before him froze him in shock.
—Step —Step
Standing before him was a young man with jet-black hair and dark blue eyes, holding a sword.
The youth turned his back slightly toward Jin, his gaze cold and expressionless as he spoke:
"How pathetic…"
Arthur's Perspective
On the dormitory grounds, hundreds of weak but numerous enemies were storming the students' rooms. Screams and mana explosions filled the night. Professors and a handful of heroic students tried desperately to stop them.
At the center stood Arthur and Donna.
As soon as the first three criminals fell, five new A-rank figures emerged from the shadows. Each radiated a different aura: one's body was as hard as stone, another's hands dripped with poison, and another cloaked the area in shadow magic.
Donna bit her lip.
"This number… it feels endless."
Arthur's cold voice came from behind the mask:
"They hid for decades. Now they reveal them all in a single night."
Arthur spun Shinkai no Yari. With a single strike, he split the sky, yet his power was so finely controlled that only the enemies were cut down; though the students behind him trembled, they were unharmed.
Donna watched this mastery with admiration, yet whispered with suspicion:
"To wield power so precisely… that's not something a normal teacher could do."
Arthur gave no reply. His blue eyes flashed as he felled the A-ranks one by one.
Donna no longer held back either.
Enormous circles of magic opened in the sky, violet chains of starlight descending upon the streets.
She sealed three A-ranks at once, then turned them to ash with an exploding thunderous spell.
Arthur muttered quietly:
"You're not holding back. The students will notice."
Donna lifted her head, eyes blazing.
"If my students are being led to death, I have nothing to hide."
The attacks never ceased.
Every hour, a new wave of A-ranks appeared, each with different abilities:
One shattered students' eardrums with soundwaves.Another lashed out with massive chains of fire.Yet another used illusions to turn students against one another.
Arthur and Donna fought back-to-back.
Arthur always controlled himself, suppressing his power and delivering blows with surgical precision. Donna, on the other hand, unleashed pure destruction; buildings crumbled, the sky lit up.
By dawn, both were drenched in sweat.
Arthur's mask was cracked, Donna's hands were bleeding. Yet they still stood.
During the brief lulls between clashes, they spoke.
Donna: "Why do you restrain your power? While these students see you as a hero… you choose to remain in the shadows."
Arthur: "…Because my truth would shatter their hope."
Donna: "Then I won't stop until I learn that truth."
After a short silence, Arthur lifted his blue eyes to the sky.
"If you find out what you seek… perhaps you'll regret it."
Donna smiled, tearing an A-rank apart with her chains of magic as she replied:
"Regret… is a luxury for those who fight."