The oppressive smell of the bathroom was replaced by the crisp, sterile air of the academy hallway, a stark contrast to the boiling fury that now coursed through Dohyun's veins. He took three steps out and stopped. The faint whispers and averted gazes of students passing by weren't directed at him, but at the memory of the beaten boy he'd just replaced.
Then, a voice—loud, arrogant, and laced with cruel delight—shattered the quiet.
"Well, look who decided to crawl out of the drain pipe."
Kim Min-jun. The bully. C-Rank Hunter hopeful. A face Dohyun had already cataloged from the memories: entitled, weak-willed, and a master of hitting people when they were down. Min-jun was flanked by two of his cronies, both D-Rank, all three wearing the smirk of predators who'd found their easy prey.
Min-jun took a step forward, his shadow falling over Dohyun. "I thought maybe we'd finally finished the job, F-Rank trash. Did you think hiding in the toilet stall would make me forget you owe me a little… gratitude?" He made a show of cracking his knuckles. "You owe me for the therapy I need after seeing your pathetic face."
The old Dohyun would have frozen, mumbled an apology, or perhaps tried to bolt. The new Dohyun simply stood, his eyes—usually downcast—now fixing Min-jun with a cold, unwavering stare.
The change in the F-Rank's presence was immediate and unsettling. Min-jun's smirk faltered, replaced by a twitch of confusion. He didn't see weakness; he saw a wall.
Dohyun spoke, his voice low, steady, and utterly devoid of fear. It cut through the hallway's ambient noise.
"You mistake the sun for a flickering candle," Dohyun declared, his gaze sweeping over Min-jun and his pathetic cohort. His tone wasn't a threat; it was a simple, confident statement of fact. "You mistake my patience for weakness. Know your place beneath my shadow."
Min-jun blinked, then exploded in a fit of genuine rage, his confusion overridden by the audacity of the boy he had mentally enslaved.
"What did you just say, you beggar? Did you hit your head harder than I thought?" Min-jun reached out, intending to grab Dohyun by the collar.
This was the opportunity. Dohyun's body moved not on instinct, but on calculated impulse.
Activate System.
The blue screen flashed, visible only to him. Dohyun focused his Mana—the pitiful 7 points he possessed—and pushed the activation command for his skill.
[ Skill: Plunder (F) – Target: Kim Min-jun ]
A sickening wave of nausea hit him. The skill pulled on his meager Mana pool, draining it rapidly. He was attempting to Plunder from an un-defeated human, a huge risk he had to take to goad the fool.
[ WARNING! Plunder Mana Cost: 10/second. Current Mana: 7. ]
[ Mana Insufficient! Plunder Failed. ]
[ System Intervention Required: Deploying Emergency Protocol – Mana Overload. ]
The failure confirmed the memories: the skill was a death sentence for a low-rank Hunter. But before the fatigue could set in, a sudden, searing heat erupted in his Mana core, a brutal spike of energy that momentarily blinded him. The System was forcing Mana regeneration, overwhelming his small channels.
The burst of energy was enough. Min-jun's hand, reaching for Dohyun's collar, suddenly felt heavy and sluggish. Min-jun himself staggered back a step, a flicker of genuine shock on his face.
"W-what was that?" Min-jun stammered, feeling an inexplicable and terrifying dip in his own stamina.
Dohyun was weak, but he was furious. He used his momentum to step into Min-jun's space, the terrifying aura he had cultivated mixing with the raw power of the sudden Mana boost. The sheer intensity was paralyzing.
This wasn't just confidence; it was absolute conviction.
"You were seeking to punish me?" Dohyun's voice dropped to a chilling whisper. "You have earned your reward."
Dohyun's right hand shot out—not to punch, but to deliver a focused, low-power strike to Min-jun's solar plexus. The strike was precise and efficient, draining the air from Min-jun's lungs.
Min-jun crumpled, gasping for breath, clutching his stomach. His cronies finally moved, stepping forward to intervene, their minor E-Rank Fire Manipulation skills sputtering to life, little more than sparks of light.
Dohyun didn't even look at them. He fixed his gaze on the crumpled Min-jun, his eyes burning with the cold ruthlessness of Madara Uchiha.
"You harm the weak. You feast on the vulnerable. You are a cancer," Dohyun stated, his words like polished ice. He planted his foot on the ground next to Min-jun's head, not out of rage, but to make a statement. "The only place for creatures like you is beneath my heel."
He pulled his foot back, but before he could deliver a decisive blow, the shrill whistle of a monitor sounded down the hall.
"Stop this fighting immediately! Min-jun! Dohyun! To the Dean's office!"
Dohyun didn't flinch. He glanced once at the approaching school monitor, then back at the sputtering Min-jun, who was now being dragged away by his whimpering cronies.
I am the one who gives punishment.
As Min-jun was hauled away, the blue screen flashed a small, quiet message:
[ Plunder (F) – Minor Trace Absorption Successful ]
[ Status Update: Stamina: 3 → 3.1 ]
[ Mana: 7 → 0.2 (Drained) ]
The gain was negligible, a drop in the ocean, but it was a gain. And he had done it un-defeated. The old Dohyun failed because he was afraid to take the risk. The new Dohyun was terrified, but he was willing to pay the cost.
He staggered slightly, his Mana pool empty, leaving him incredibly fatigued. But as he turned to face the monitor, he straightened his back, radiating the intensity of a true Hunter. Even depleted, his aura was overwhelming.
The monitor, a tall, burly D-Rank student, took an involuntary step back. He didn't see F-Rank trash; he saw a nascent predator.
Dohyun merely adjusted his uniform, his face calm and unreadable. He had paid a heavy price, but the message had been delivered.
The Nobody was gone. The Plunderer had arrived.
Next Chapter Tease: Dohyun faces the Dean and deals with the fallout of the fight, all while meeting the worried eyes of the one person who never abandoned him: Ji-woo, his childhood friend.