"You serious?" Lee Dojin raised his brows, faced with Oh Sanbaek standing in front of him.
It was now the next day. After some thought, Lee Dojin decided to give school another try. He always regretted in his past life that he never got to experience it. Of course, not only because he dropped out, but also because this was another pillar of a society destroyed by The Mirage at the ends of the apocalypse. He had heard many stories from his companions. Some good, some miserable, but they all remembered the days with great reminiscence. It was like a rite of passage, no matter the feelings one left the place with, it was a chance to grow and turn stronger (at least so it sounded to him).
The optimal time for hunting the shadows was between 12-4 pm, in the afternoon—meaning, there was plenty of time to enjoy a school life without it coming in between what was most important.
Oh Sanbaeks left side of his face had swollen considerably, with his lips bursting and his eye black. Still, there was no doubt that he held a fiery expression, his anger evident. behind him were two other people. One had a lanky build but was tall enough to tower over him. That guy had long flowing hair, tied together like a ponytail. Next to him stood another boy, his height this time average. However, even someone without a discerning eye could tell how muscular he was. The other students all walked a big curve, trying to avoid them. They knew that something was about to go down, but they did not have the tolerance to stop it, so early in the day.
"I didn't know you'd come, honestly." Oh Sanbaek said with a smirk. He then grimaced at the pain.
Lee Dojin knitted his brows as he massaged his temples. "Did you really not learn anything at all?"
"You ass—-" His face turned red from fury. "What learning? Learning how you sucker punched me? Think you are so smart what? Dojin, looks like you've turned mad." He glanced at the two friends on his side. Having those two stand next to him, he felt as if he was leaning against a great mountain; Nothing could make him budge. "This time, I won't let you run away."
The tall guy looked at his friend. "Saemin, do you really think we should do it?" He groaned as if he could not be bothered. "I don't really wanna skip again. If teach catches me, he'll make me sit out this match."
The big guy, Lee Saemin, laughed. "You really think they'd allow that? If you won't take part in this tournament, our school has no chance of winning gold this upcoming basketball inter-high." He brushed his friends' worries aside. "Besides, no one's gonna care about that guy anyway."
"Oh, you are so smart," the tall guy said and cackled. "Maybe you should have done chess instead of judo."
"Shut up, Yujin," Lee Saemin growled. "I'll kick your ass if you continue these sarcastic comments."
"I was serious though..."
Lee Dojin listened to these guys talk. However, after a while, he decided it was nothing worthwhile anyway. If there was one thing he did not miss when it came to school, it was fighting. He had done enough of that in his past life—whether it was before or after the apocalypse. He straightened his backpack and walked through Oh Sanbaek and his friends, without paying them any heed.
"Hey, did I say you can leave," Oh Sanbaek shouted.
Lee Dojin gave him a look filled with pity. That guy, if he knew what was to come, would he still waste his time with mundane stuff like this? It all seemed like a pointless fuss to him. Even without the apocalypse at hand, will this guy continue living his life this way, even after school? As some kind of leech within society? A bout of irritation overcame Lee Dojin. He clicked his tongue. Was it to protect guys like this that he went to fight at the frontlines? "Did I give you permission to talk?" He asked that question with a cold voice.
Oh Sanbaek was rather surprised by this side of Lee Dojin. He had never seen him like that before. The guy balled his fists. His knuckles turned white. "You son of a bitch. Even when we went to the same school, you'd look down on me. Don't stare at me with those eyes, bastard!" He thought back about old times. They've known each other rather well, actually. Not enough to be great friends, but enough for people to associate them together. Well, that came naturally, since the two of them were the same kind of losers. Still, Lee Dojin (in Oh Sanbaeks mind) was always different. Others from far away could not tell, but he knew. He knew with all his heart, how Lee Dojin thought he had a greater future ahead, unlike a waste like him. "I'm not some kind of stairs you have to climb and overcome, damn it!" All these thoughts boiled over his head, and he threw his fist, loaded with all his emotions.
Lee Dojin gently placed his bag down. He blinked twice, then replied. "I really don't give a shit." He caught the upcoming fist with ease, the energy dispersing in his palm. Putting strength into his fingers, he squeezed Oh Sanbaeks hand. Soon, that guy's hand turned red and his knuckles began cracking.
Oh Sanbaek screamed due to the excruciating pain and fell down on his knees. With his other hand, he tried prying off Lee Dojin, but could not muster any strength. Lee Dojin tilted his head and added even more pressure. "You're too loud," he said, placing his foot on Oh Sanbaeks face and pushed him to the ground. At the same time, he pulled at the guy's arm.
"Hey, hey, if you continue this, you'll dislocate that boys' arm." Lee Dojin felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned around to see the big guy, Lee Saemin, giving him an amicable smile. He held his hands up as if telling him that they gave up. "He might never be able to use that again."
"That is the plan," Lee Dojin answered.
"Yo, Dojin, right? I get it. If I was you, I'd love to beat that bastard up to. And you did it, so I won't blame you for it. It's our loss alright? I'm sure you don't want any problems with the teacher either." Lee Saemin pressed down on Lee Dojin's shoulder. "So why don't we stop it for today?"
He chuckled, listening to that guy talk. It reminded him of that encounter he had with those gangsters at the mall. There was this one guy who said the same stuff. "What if I don't?"
The smile on that big guy slowly faded away. At the same time, the firmness of his shoulder pat increased. "You don't want to find out."
"Oh, but I'm so curious though." Lee Dojin smiled. Oh Sanbaeks screams turned more intense
"Cheeky bastard," Lee Saemin said, thinking how great of a fool that guy was. It was likely that he had gotten overconfident after beating a nobody like Oh Sanbaek. He grabbed Lee Dojin by his collar and prepared to throw him over the shoulder.
However, contrary to all expectations, Lee Dojin did not budge. "Same to you," he said calmly.
Yu Yujin looked at his friend in confusion. "Hey, Saemin, why are you holding back?"
At the same time, Lee Saemin was greatly shocked. He could not even begin comprehending the situation. Never had he felt anything as heavy as this guy before! It was like lifting the earth itself. How was such a thing possible? No, it wasn't possible, a person that's unliftable did not exist. Otherwise, he'd have become the world champion long ago. He must have used some trick. Lots of questions formed in his head, but there was no time to ask them. Because Lee Dojin answered first:
"Though you probably would not understand for now. But it's a rather simple technique. You'd be able to gain this skill without an Affinity at all. And after successfully training it to level 12, it turns into a passive ability. It's become part of you, and you'd be able to use it even if the skill itself was sealed. To you, I suppose it must feel like I've become gravity itself." Lee Dojin lectured him, while the big guy's head turned red from exhaustion. Even the clothes started ripping by its seems, but Lee Dojin's feet remained firmly on the ground. "It's one of the basics. That just shows the insurmountable difference between a Player and an NPC." Lee Dojin lifted his hand, about to chop down onto Saemins face.
Feeling the dread coming from that simple move, Lee Saemin immediately let go. He changed his plans. "Teacher! Teacher!" Lee Saemin shouted. "There's a guy assaulting the students!" This thing was above his paycheck. Oh Sanbaek that bastard. How'd he get in trouble with such a monster? God help him if he didn't beat him to death himself.
Lee Dojin stopped his hand. The three people used that as a chance to escape. Yu Yujin tucked Oh Sanbaek away and ran for it. Though he did not feel Lee Dojin's might himself, he saw enough. In the first place, he did not even practice any martial arts, he was just some tall dude. But his long legs really were good for running away.
Lee Dojin let these guys go. "Man, what a complete waste of time." He picked his bag up, and turned away. In the distance, a teacher was already approaching. He felt a headache creeping up.
Yet, that feeling would disappear, aggressively, as a tornado ripping out a bush, as he saw the face of said teacher.
"Hey, who's fighting? Who's fighting?" A young woman with short curly hair, the color of charcoal, ran towards him. She gasped for air, as she placed herself down on the ground. "Oh, Dojin, hah, it's you. Are you alright? Haa."
Lee Dojins' mouth turned agape. He grew incredibly vigilant, cold sweat running up his back. "Mother of Ravens, Ji-ah?"