Dohyun stood before the towering façade of Baekho Academy. His suspension was over. He wasn't the same boy who'd been dragged out three days ago. His uniform, though patched and stained from monster blood, felt like a mantle of authority. His Mana pool hummed at its new peak, and his stats were solid—a foundation he'd built through sheer, painful will.
As he walked through the main gate, the air itself seemed to shift.
The whispers started instantly. They weren't the cruel, dismissive snickers from before. These were sharp, stunned, and laced with genuine fear.
"That's Dohyun... He looks completely different."
"Did you hear? He jumped to E-Rank over the suspension. He cleared five F-Gates solo."
"The Plunderer is actually strong now?"
The new reality was a wave of subtle intimidation that rolled off him. This was the effect of the Sung Jinwoo aura—a palpable pressure of power that forced recognition. He walked past Min-jun's cronies, and they instinctively flinched, clearing a path for him without a word.
The New Trash
Dohyun paused by the gymnasium entrance, his gaze sweeping the crowd. He was looking for Ji-woo, but his eyes snagged on a familiar, agonizing scene.
Tucked into a corner, next to the rarely-used gear lockers, a slight figure was pressed against the wall. A group of higher-ranked (C and D) girls surrounded her, their faces contorted in vicious amusement.
The victim was a girl named Yoon Seo-yeon. She wore the same F-Rank emblem Dohyun used to wear. She was small, with thin wrists and hair that partially obscured her face, but the tears glistening on her pale cheeks were undeniable.
"Look at the new F-Rank trash," one girl sneered, knocking a stack of Seo-yeon's textbooks to the floor. "The old one finally grew a spine and left the bottom. Guess you're the new floor mat, Seo-yeon."
Seo-yeon immediately began scrambling to pick up her books, her head bowed low, muttering apologies. She was a mirror image of the Dohyun of three days ago.
Dohyun stopped. This was not his fight. He had no obligation to the new victim. His ruthless instinct—the Madara core—told him to ignore the distraction and focus on his ascent.
But the memories of his own humiliation—the smell of the urine-soaked floor, the ache of the bruises—surged with a brutal clarity. He was no hero, but he was a butcher of those who preyed on the weak.
He walked toward the group. His footsteps were silent on the polished floor, yet they felt like thunderclaps.
Aura Farm
The bullying girls didn't notice him until he was standing right behind them. Dohyun didn't shout. He didn't threaten. He simply let the full, heavy weight of his transformed E-Rank aura wash over them.
It was more than just power; it was the cold residue of killing.
The lead bully, a C-Rank with a fire manipulation skill, turned, ready to snap at the interruption. Her eyes landed on Dohyun. Her practiced, aggressive face instantly dissolved into slack-jawed terror.
She felt it: the suffocating pressure of a predator who had recently tasted blood.
Dohyun looked down at her, the supreme arrogance of Escanor's mentality radiating from him. He didn't need to raise his voice. He didn't need a weapon.
"Move," he commanded. His voice was a low, resonant rumble. "You are standing in my light."
The girl stumbled backward, bumping into her friends. They scattered instantly, not with defiance, but with sheer, panicked flight. They grabbed Seo-yeon's books, dumped them back near her feet, and practically sprinted down the hall. They hadn't exchanged a single punch, yet the victory was absolute.
Dohyun watched them go, satisfied. He had successfully harvested their fear, not for stats, but for dominance—an Aura Farm of intimidation. The message was now crystal clear across the academy: Dohyun is not to be trifled with.
The Unspoken Promise
Yoon Seo-yeon didn't move. She remained huddled against the locker, gripping her textbooks, too terrified to look up. She was used to bullies, but this sudden, palpable wave of power had shocked her to the core.
Dohyun knelt down to her level. He spoke softly, but the intensity in his voice was undeniable.
"Look at me, Seo-yeon."
She slowly raised her head. Her eyes were wide, red-rimmed, and filled with the absolute despair of the perpetually bullied.
"Dohyun Sunbae-nim," she whispered, using the honorific out of fear, assuming he was merely the next high-ranker to torment her.
"Do not mistake me for them," Dohyun said, pointing a finger at the retreating figures. "I am not one of them. I am simply tired of seeing the weak become the prey."
He paused, then delivered his ultimatum—a cold form of protection rooted in self-interest.
"This is my only warning," he stated. "If I ever find you allowing yourself to be beaten like this again, I will deal with you myself. Your F-Rank is not a crutch. It is a starting line. Fight back, even if you lose. That is the only way you survive this place."
He didn't offer a hug or comforting words. He offered a harsh, demanding truth. He had just ensured that no one would touch her, because she was now under the shadow of the 'Plunderer,' whether she knew it or not.
He stood up, leaving the trembling girl alone with his mandate. He had no intention of being her mentor, but he had just secured her protection by making her existence his business.
As he turned to continue his walk, a familiar voice called out, laced with nervous pride.
"Dohyun! You actually did it, you madman!"
Ji-woo stood a few meters away, her eyes sparkling with amazement. She had seen the entire interaction—the terrified flight of the C-Ranks, and Dohyun's chilling control.
"I told you I was done with weakness, Ji-woo," Dohyun said, his voice flat. He was spent on his emotional intervention and needed to recharge his focus.
"E-Rank in three days," she breathed, walking toward him. "The whole Hunter Association is buzzing. They think you cheated. They think it's a fluke."
Dohyun allowed a dangerous smirk—a perfect blend of Escanor's arrogance and the quiet triumph of the newly powerful.
"Let them think what they wish," he said, his eyes scanning the corridor where the bullies had fled. "Their doubt only means they will be unprepared when I decide to take their ranks as well."
His ascent was public now. It was time to find the next milestone.
Next Chapter Tease: Dohyun must navigate the political landscape of the school as the Dean and high-rank students demand answers. He also gets his first communication from the powerful Phoenix Wing Guild.