”People get hurt all the time, Ethan. This is how the world works.”
“But, father. How can I ignore others’ misfortunes if I call myself a good person?”
“Good person, huh?”
Remembering the conversation he had with his father, Ethan couldn’t help but smile a little at the approaching fist.
Even though he said that he wouldn’t ignore other people’s misfortune, just right before, he acted indecisively and let someone other hurt.
‘Pathetic.’
But, he was no longer going to do that. Whether someone else’s past was strained, unless the said person had committed a crime and wasn’t unpunished, it was not his room to judge.
Especially if that said, the past had concerns like this.
“Sorry, handsome guy…..”
SWOOSH!
As the first girl lunged at him with a fist charged with Aura, Ethan’s expression shifted from a passive smile to a focused determination.
SWOOSH!
His blue eyes locked onto the approaching threat, and with swift reflexes, he sidestepped the attack. The girl’s punch missed its mark, and Ethan seized the opportunity to counter.
THUD!
His movements were calculated, his spear-like precision evident as he delivered a precise strike to the girl’s side.
“Burghk-“
A surge of Aura accompanied the blow, sending her staggering back. The other two girls hesitated for a moment, surprised by Ethan’s agility and counterattack.
“Rhonda!”
But they soon came to their senses as they realized that her friend was lying on the ground grabbing her stomach.
“You little jerk! How dare you!” one of the girls shouted, her fists clenched in fury. The anger in her eyes mirrored that of her companions, and they closed in on Ethan with a renewed sense of aggression.
SWOOSH!
A swift kick was aimed at Ethan’s midsection, but he deftly evaded it, stepping back with nimble footwork.
The calculated movements showcased his trained combat skills, leaving the girls momentarily taken aback.
“Get him, Yvonne! Don’t let him think he can just walk away!” another girl yelled, encouraging her companion to join the fray.
As Yvonne lunged forward, Ethan anticipated her move. With a quick sidestep, he avoided her attack and swiftly retaliated with a counterstrike, a precise jab to her shoulder.
THUD!
The forceful blow elicited a yelp of pain, and Yvonne staggered, momentarily thrown off balance. The other girl, fueled by a mix of anger and determination, lunged at Ethan from the side.
SWOOSH!
Ethan, however, was prepared. With a swift spin, he dodged the attack, leaving the third girl stumbling forward. Seizing the opportunity, Ethan delivered a sweeping kick, causing her to lose her balance and fall to the ground.
CRASH!
The clash of bodies echoed in the secluded corner, the tension escalating as the confrontation unfolded. The girls, now more enraged than before, were relentless in their pursuit of retribution.
The three girls, now more determined than ever, exchanged glances that conveyed a mix of frustration and acknowledgment. The realization that Ethan was no ordinary opponent had dawned upon them.
Well, considering how naïve he looked and his aura, they thought he was only a handsome guy with a hero complex, but it seemed he had the talent to back it up a little.
“You’re not as pathetic as I thought,” the girl named Rhonda grumbled, still recovering from the blow to her side. Her tone carried a begrudging respect for a fellow Awakened that she couldn’t conceal.
“He’s good,” Yvonne added, rubbing her shoulder where Ethan’s precise strike had landed. The sting of pain was accompanied by a newfound understanding of the challenge they faced.
The third girl, who had stumbled in her attempt to attack, struggled to stand up, but her eyes remained fixated on Ethan. A mix of frustration and admiration lingered in her gaze.
Ethan, on the other hand, maintained a focused demeanor, his blue eyes unwavering. He could sense a shift in their approach as they prepared for a more coordinated assault.
‘This….’
He also knew that facing seniors like that wasn’t optimal. Even if they were girls, the power of stats was the thing that was detrimental when fighting.
“Enough playing around,” the first girl declared, her voice now devoid of mockery. “This had already taken too long.”
She threw a quick look at Emma, looking at the fight with her arms crossed.
‘This bitch doesn’t help either.’
She was following her because she was one of the heirs of a high-standing corporation in the field, and she was strong as a mage. But, for some reason, this guy before him also felt familiar. Even though she couldn’t put the exact name, it felt like he was famous as well.
“Leave this to me.”
However, she was getting sick of it. She also didn’t like Mia; no, she hated her, but this circus play had become way too long for her own good. Right now, things were getting a risky turn; she could feel it.
In fact, she had been getting a weird feeling of being watched for a while, even though she couldn’t pinpoint where exactly. Knowing Emma’s temper, she knew things would get out of control.
“B-“
“….”
With one last glare to Yvonne, she made her quiet. And then, she instantly channeled her aura onto her legs, taking her stance.
As a sophomore-year student, she was already familiar with how to coat herself with mana to the point where it was like breathing.
SWOOSH!
Then, with an instant kick, she followed. , wi
THUD!
‘What?’
The speed of the kick was insanely fast, almost incomparable to what Ethan had encountered so far in his life.
Even when he was sparring with Julia or others, he never felt such a speed.
Ethan’s world blurred as the sudden speed of the kick caught him off guard.
THUD! THUD! THUD!
The impact was relentless, a flurry of blows raining down on him with astonishing speed.
Each strike carried the weight of the senior’s mana-coated limbs, making it nearly impossible for Ethan to predict or counter.
His instincts screamed at him to defend, but the onslaught was too overwhelming. The calculated precision that had served him well in previous exchanges was rendered useless against the relentless assault.
‘It hurts.’
It hurt, but Ethan didn’t mind. He had already taken into account that it would hurt before acting.
‘It is fine.’
Again, he wasn’t delusional enough to think that he could beat three seniors alone while he was without his weapon, where he could show the difference between lineages.
But then again, he at least thought he could put up some sort of fight and could at least stall for some time.
THUD! THUD! THUD!
The blows connected with merciless precision, each kick calculated to disarm and disable. In a matter of seconds, Ethan found himself disoriented and defenseless, unable to counter the onslaught.
THUD!
“Burghk!”
The final kick struck with devastating force, and Ethan spurted blood from his mouth as he crumpled to the ground. The world spun around him, his senses overwhelmed by the sudden and ruthless assault.
As he lay on the ground, battered and bloodied, Emma approached with a triumphant smirk. The moonlight cast eerie shadows on her face as she reveled in the moment.
“Looks like your shining knight act didn’t last long,” Emma taunted, her voice dripping with condescension. “Maybe next time, think twice before interfering in someone else’s business.”
‘It is fine.’
However, he thought it was fine since he at least didn’t ignore someone else’s misfortune. This was the basics of being a human being in his mind.
However, his thoughts changed as Emma stepped on Ethan with her expensive boots, looking down at him with a triumphant glint in her eyes, and Ethan’s face underwent a subtle transformation.
‘What is this feeling?’
While he believed in the honor of looking out for others, he would not tolerate having his pride trampled upon, especially considering his status as a Hartley.
‘I am on the right, but I am still being trampled upon.’
“Little Nephew. If the world worked in the right person’s favor every time, then we wouldn’t need the word ‘justice’ in our world.”
He felt something was missing.
“Even the Justice always favors ‘strong.’ So be strong, Ethan. Be strong for your justice.”
Remembering the words that had left the most impact in his mind, Ethan’s face changed. He looked at the girl lying on the ground right beside him. Now, he was no longer in a different state.
He was also bruised and tattered.
‘I couldn’t change anything, huh?’
At that moment, Emma’s victory was met with a sudden shift in Ethan’s expression. His blue eyes, once clouded with pain and defeat, now bore a fiery determination.
‘That’s right. I need to be strong.’
The smirk that had adorned Emma’s face began to fade as she sensed a change in the atmosphere.
TUCK!
Ethan’s hand shot out, gripping the edge of Emma’s boot with a firm grasp. The unexpected resistance caught her off guard, and her triumphant expression wavered for the first time.
Ethan smirked, his teeth stained with his own blood, a defiant glint in his eyes. “At the end of the day, you’ll never win. Because next time, I’ll be stronger.”
Emma, for some inexplicable reason, flinched at his words. A sudden wave of discomfort washed over her, a feeling she couldn’t quite comprehend.
There was a weird feeling…A weird aura covering Ethan. As if he was shining, not because he was a knight shining in armor but because he was someone who was a star.
‘This….’
She couldn’t put the feeling, but it made her bothered so much. She felt like insects were crawling upon her skin.
The smirk on her face faltered as an unsettling sensation gnawed at her confidence. ʀᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛʀs ᴀᴛ ovl_Fir.et
THUD!
Reacting instinctively, Emma kicked Ethan in the face one last time, the force of the blow causing him to lose consciousness. As he lay on the ground, the moonlight cast a pallor over his battered form, and Emma regained her composure.
“Learn your place, dog.” She muttered, her voice laced with a mix of irritation and lingering unease. The other girls, still recovering from their encounter with Ethan, were observed in silence.
As Ethan lay unconscious on the ground, Emma, determined to erase any traces of their encounter, ordered the other girls to beat him further. The moonlight cast shadows that danced around the cold backyard as the girls hesitated, exchanging uneasy glances.
“Emma, isn’t this too much?” Rhonda voiced her concern, eyeing Ethan’s battered form. Yvonne and the third girl nodded in agreement, their unease mirroring Emma’s own.
Emma, however, remained resolute, her irritation transforming into a steely resolve. “He needs to learn his place. Do it.”
Reluctantly, the girls followed Emma’s orders.
‘Sorry….’
Even though it was not honorable to hit someone when they fell down, they had abandoned that ‘honor’ way long ago in their minds anyway. Though even they felt some sort of remorse for what they were about to do.
CREAK!
The sudden sound of creaking and approaching footsteps shattered the uneasy silence in the secluded backyard.
“Wait, someone is coming.”
The girls, in the midst of carrying out Emma’s ruthless order, froze as the reality of their situation sank in.
From the corner of the wall, they noticed who was coming.
“Guards.”
Realizing the identity of the approaching guards, they immediately signaled Emma.
SWOOSH!
After the girls exchanged furtive glances, a collective realization that they had crossed a line and that consequences were imminent.
Without a word, they fled the scene, disappearing into the night like shadows seeking refuge from the approaching light.