Vincent stiffened, his fingers twitching slightly.
The cold chill creeping through his veins wasn't from the wind—it was him.
Daniel.
The moment he had spoken his name, a shift had occurred.
The air tightened.
The other students looked horrified, their faces drained of color.
King.
It was a name they all knew.
A name that carried weight.
Daniel had once been hailed as the King of the Ring—a prodigy in boxing before even stepping into high school.
Before coming to Mereung, he had fought under the alias KING, his reputation spanning far beyond the walls of a mere academy.
Every teenager idolized him.
And when he suddenly quit and enrolled at Mereung, the whispers never stopped.
Some revered him. Some feared him.
But no one approached him.
He wasn't friend to anyone. Not to the bullies, not to the teachers, not even to the girls who swooned over him.
Daniel was cold to everyone equally.
And the only thing he ever did with joy—
Was fight.
He was unpredictable.
Sometimes he picked fights with the strongest, giving the weak a flicker of hope—
And then, other times, he would beat the weak into the ground, shattering that hope entirely.
No one ever understood him.
He wasn't just a gang leader.
He was an authority.
A single force, stronger than any army of thugs.
He was King.
The King of Mereung.
Vincent swallowed hard.
His breath hitched as realization crashed over him.
The system's quest had triggered the moment Daniel arrived.
That meant—
This wasn't just some random opponent.
It meant the system recognized him as a true challenge.
The reward for victory was an Epic Card, something he had never received before.
Which could only mean one thing—
This was going to be the hardest fight he had ever faced.
His hands trembled slightly.
He wasn't ready for this.
He had expected to gain strength over time.
Not to fight the strongest in the school on Day Two.
The others cowered, barely daring to breathe.
None of them had ever seen Daniel in person before.
Levi, however, had a different reaction.
His brows furrowed, his fists clenching.
He was scared, but something else burned beneath it.
Maybe it was cockiness.
Maybe Vincent's speech had stirred something in him.
But for the first time, Vincent saw something in their expressions that wasn't just fear.
Even if their courage was small, it was fighting desperately to exist.
Vincent felt it, too.
He was terrified, yes—
But he wasn't going to run.
"So… what do you want, King?"
Vincent's voice was even, though his heartbeat pounded in his ears.
Daniel tilted his head, amused.
"What I want?" His grin widened. "Revenge. You beat up Ferdinand and Roger. Now, I'm here to return the favor—and put you in your place."
Vincent stared at him.
No reaction.
For a few seconds, he was completely still—then, he let out a small sigh.
"I see… so they ran to their boss, huh?"
Even Vincent was surprised at his own words.
Something about having all these people watching was making him bolder.
Daniel's grin sharpened.
"How audacious of you."
His voice dripped with mockery, but his eyes glowed with something else entirely.
Excitement.
"Please," Daniel said, "keep that insane audacity till the very end, okay?"
Vincent didn't reply.
He simply exhaled, flexing his fingers.
"You want vengeance, don't you?"
Daniel blinked slowly, pausing before responding.
"Yes."
Vincent lifted his hands—
Raising them to his jaw level.
A stance.
A basic boxing stance.
His fingers tensed, preparing to block or strike at a moment's notice.
The other students gasped softly.
"Is he really going to fight King?"
"That's insane. King is in a completely different league—he's a champion."
Whispers of disbelief filled the air.
But one person didn't doubt.
Levi.
His eyes glowed with excitement, his face flushed red.
'Finally! I'll see his superpower again!'
Levi hadn't let go of the idea that Vincent had awakened powers.
Even with Vincent's convincing speech, he refused to believe that this was just bravery.
He was convinced that Vincent had an ability—and this was his chance to witness it firsthand.
Daniel snorted.
Then—
He laughed.
It started as a small chuckle—
Then escalated into full-blown hysteria.
His shoulders shook. His stomach clenched. He stomped his foot on the ground, laughing like a maniac.
The air grew awkward as everyone stared in confusion.
Seconds passed.
Then, as suddenly as it began, his laughter stopped.
Daniel wiped his eyes, sighing dramatically.
Then, his gaze darkened.
"What the hell is that?"
Vincent blinked. "What?"
Daniel pointed at him. "That stance. What the hell are you doing?"
Vincent frowned. "I…?"
Daniel shook his head.
"Ferdinand and Roger swore it was you who beat them up. So I came here expecting something interesting. But now?"
He grinned cruelly.
"You can't even put together a basic boxing stance?"
He laughed again, shaking his head.
"Bro, you look like a reptile about to breakdance!"
Another round of hysterical laughter.
Vincent checked himself, confused.
'What's wrong with my stance?'
Daniel's laughter died abruptly.
His face grew serious.
He studied Vincent for a long moment.
Then—
"You really don't know, do you?"
Vincent scowled. "Know what?"
Daniel's brows knitted together.
"They called you a martial master. You don't know how a boxer should stand?"
Vincent's expression didn't change.
"Martial master? What the hell is that?"
Daniel's eyes widened slightly.
"You… have you ever learned martial arts before? Any fighting style?"
Vincent frowned, shaking his head. "No."
Daniel stared at him.
The silence stretched.
Then, Vincent spoke.
"Did you come here to ask me dumb questions, or are you going to fight?"
Daniel's grin returned.
"Okay then."
His voice turned low, menacing.
"Let's hope you're ready for it."
Then—
He lunged.
A blur.
A movement so fluid it was almost unnatural.
Vincent barely had time to react—
A fist shot forward—a strike as sharp as a razor, fast as lightning.
Instinct kicked in.
Vincent blocked sloppily—
But the force sent him stumbling backward.
His heartbeat spiked.
Everything had happened too fast.
He had barely managed to react.
His shoulders trembled.
'Did I… underestimate him?'