The Dean's office was less an administrative space and more a gilded cage for the powerful. Polished mahogany, views of the city skyline, and framed awards celebrating the Baekho Academy's S-Rank alumni—all designed to intimidate.
Dohyun stood stiffly before Dean Park, a stout man with a perfectly tailored suit and eyes that calculated mana potential before humanity.
"Dohyun," the Dean sighed, his voice tired and disappointed, "you have been here three years. Three years of silence, three years of accepting your lot. Why, today of all days, do you invite a physical altercation with a C-Rank Hunter like Kim Min-jun?"
Min-jun sat next to him, sniveling dramatically, his hand pressed to his solar plexus. "He attacked me, Dean Park! He... he threatened me! He said he would put me beneath his heel!"
Dohyun watched them both, letting his exhausted Mana pool slowly trickle back to life. He chose his words carefully, filtering the arrogant confidence of Escanor into a cold, factual defense.
"Min-jun initiated the physical contact, sir," Dohyun stated, his voice calm. "He assaulted me yesterday, leaving me severely injured. Today, he attempted a second assault. I simply responded to an unprovoked attack with the necessary force to neutralize the threat. As a Hunter, that is my right."
Dean Park leaned forward, his eyes narrowing. "Necessary force? You, an F-Rank, claim you were merely neutralizing a C-Rank threat? Your records show your Mana consumption was near zero. You should have been flattened."
The System is already obscuring my tracks, Dohyun realized. The skill worked outside the standard Hunter metrics.
Dohyun met the Dean's gaze, letting his nascent aura fill the silent spaces. "My rank is a measure of my current power, not the size of my will. I simply decided that today, I would not lose."
The Dean stared, unnerved. He saw the cold determination, the lack of fear—a monumental shift from the timid boy he was used to. He couldn't risk a scandal involving one of the lowest-ranked students suddenly fighting back.
"Fine," the Dean snapped, slamming a folder shut. "I will call this a mutual dispute stemming from long-term conflict. Min-jun, a week of administrative duty. Dohyun, you will be suspended for three days. You are done here. Go home."
Dohyun bowed respectfully—a sign of discipline, not subservience—and walked out. He felt light-headed from the near-depletion of his Mana, but victorious. He had earned time off to train, and he had established a boundary. The bullying was over.
The Anchor
He pushed through the heavy academy doors into the late afternoon sun. He needed to get home, see his father, and begin his real training.
"Dohyun!"
The sound of his name, laced with a familiar note of relief and frantic worry, made him pause.
Lee Ji-woo ran toward him. She was a pretty girl, with her black hair pulled into a practical ponytail, and her uniform looking slightly worn but spotless. She wore a D-Rank emblem on her shoulder—not powerful, but respectable.
She stopped short, staring at him. Not at his bruises, but at his face.
"Are you okay? I heard everything! Min-jun's cronies were screaming that you went crazy," she said, her voice dropping. "Dohyun, you… you look different."
She was the only person who had consistently shown the old Dohyun kindness. She was his only emotional anchor here. He had to be honest, but subtle.
"I decided I was tired of being stepped on, Ji-woo," Dohyun replied, softening his intense gaze just for her. "The weakness I had before... it's gone. It's been replaced by something else."
She reached out, hesitantly, and touched the fresh bruise on his cheek. "But... it was terrifying. Min-jun looked like he'd seen a ghost. You were radiating such an intense aura. Where did that come from?"
Dohyun allowed a small, genuine smile—a rare moment of vulnerability. "It came from remembering who I am meant to be, Ji-woo. I wasted too much time being afraid. Now, I have a clear path."
"And that path involves getting suspended?" she teased gently, trying to lighten the mood.
"It involves three days of uninterrupted training in a gate," he corrected, his voice hardening with purpose. "I have no time for classroom lectures. I need power, quickly."
Ji-woo frowned, her worried eyes widening. "Dohyun, you can barely clear an F-Rank Gate! You were completely depleted after one goblin last week. Your Plunder skill—"
"My Plunder skill is no longer useless," he interrupted, meeting her eyes with a frightening clarity. "It was only useless for a coward. I simply lacked the will to pay the cost. Now, I have that will."
The Vow
Dohyun insisted on walking home alone. He needed the time to think, to let the Mana spike from the System fully settle.
He arrived at the modest, slightly run-down apartment that served as his home. His father, a man whose hands were rough from years of manual labor, was waiting.
Mr. Han (Dohyun's father's name) was immediately on him, his exhaustion forgotten, his face etched with familiar worry lines.
"Dohyun! I got the call from the school. Are you hurt? Why did you fight? You know that Min-jun boy has connections! I told you, just keep your head down until graduation!"
The old Dohyun's memories showed countless instances of his father swallowing his own pride to beg the school not to expel his son.
Dohyun felt a surge of cold protectiveness—the true emotional core of his current motivation. He reached out and placed a hand firmly on his father's calloused shoulder, stopping his frantic pacing.
"Father," Dohyun said, his voice deep and measured, completely unlike the boy he raised. "Look at me."
Mr. Han blinked, surprised by the commanding tone.
"I will not keep my head down. I will not be trodden upon," Dohyun vowed. "I will not let you worry about school fees or rich bullies ever again. You have carried this burden alone for too long. You deserve rest."
He looked around the small apartment, remembering the years of struggle, the mother who abandoned them for comfort, and the constant fear.
"I have found a path, Father," Dohyun whispered, his voice resonating with an unbreakable promise. "And I will walk it until you can sit on a throne."
He didn't need his father's understanding, only his trust. He had three days. Three days to prove that the Plunder skill, fueled by the new man's will and the mysterious System, was the key to conquering this world.
He went to his room, pulling out the small, rusted sword he used for his pathetic F-Rank training. His eyes fell on the System screen, now showing a full Mana bar.
[ Status: Mana: 7 (F) ]
Three days, he thought, gripping the sword. Let's see how fast I can climb.
Next Chapter Tease: Dohyun risks everything in a solo F-Rank gate, pushing Plunder to its limits. He will learn the devastating cost of his power and earn the first tangible upgrade to his stats.