Few Days Later - [33 Days Time Skip Ended]
Present -
Samiul's school day ended, and he was walking home with Smoke perched on his shoulder. The afternoon sunlight bathed Samiul's face as he walked.
"Since your school started, you need to adjust your workout and training routine," Smoke remarked.
"Early morning is fine. The afternoon workouts might be tricky, but unlike my classmates who spend their afternoons hanging out, I have bigger goals to achieve," Samiul replied.
"Even though I'm not originally your assistant, seeing your memories, I know you used to be an extrovert, always smiling. Now look at you-cold and emotionless," Smoke observed.
"You wanted that, right?" Samiul responded.
"Yes, I did," Smoke admitted.
"I will complete Level 02 today. Seeing my clone violate Mom's clone traumatizes me every day. In real life whenever I see mom, the dream incident kicks my brain, " Samiul said.
"Those are just clones, not your real mom or you," Smoke reminded him.
"I know, but when I see it, my brain forgets they're not real," Samiul said.
"After Level 2 ends, you'll enter Level 3. You have no idea what's coming," Smoke warned.
"Forget it, by the way what did you mean by you're not originally my assistant?" Samiul asked.
Before Smoke could answer, Joy called out from the corner of the road. Samiul turned and saw Joy, Nohi, Naem, and Ontor standing there with wooden bats.
The group approached Samiul menacingly.
"Why did you block us on social media?" Nohi demanded angrily.
"Yeah, seems like you forgot who we are," Naem added.
Samiul ignored them and kept walking. Ontor grabbed the back of Samiul's collar and yanked him back.
"What's the problem?" Samiul asked calmly.
"No problem, we just want to break your bones," Ontor sneered.
Samiul grabbed Ontor's hand and shoved it off his collar. Aria, who was passing by, noticed the commotion.
"Look, I don't want any trouble. Just let me go," Samiul said.
"You started it by blocking us. Now you'll suffer," Joy said, swinging his bat at Samiul.
Samiul caught the bat with his right hand. Enraged, Nohi swung his bat at Samiul's chest, but Samiul caught it with his left hand.
Naeem tried to attack from behind, but Aria quickly intervened, punching Naeem before he could strike Samiul. Naeem screamed in pain and fell to the ground.
Samiul looked back, surprised. Ontor seized the moment to swing his bat at Aria, but Samiul kicked Ontor away before he could land the blow. The kick sent Ontor flying backward, and he fell to the ground, dazed.
Joy squinted at Aria, thinking, "Isn't that the new boy who joined the class?"
He turned to see Nohi yank the bat from Samiul's grip and swing it at Samiul's chest. The bat shattered upon impact, leaving everyone stunned-except Samiul.
Smoke, observing invisibly, thought, "This is what happens when normal humans fight a superhuman."
Meanwhile, Naeem stood up and tried to hit Aria from behind. Without turning, Samiul delivered a backward kick to Naeem's lower body, sending him crashing to the ground in agony.
"That's impossible!" Joy exclaimed in disbelief.
Suddenly, Smoke revealed himself to Joy, who recoiled in fear. Seeing Smoke, Joy panicked and started to run, shouting, "Both of you will face something worse. Let me just call my brother!"
Seeing Joy flee, Nohi, Ontor, and Naeem quickly scrambled to their feet and followed him, running away.
Both Samiul and Aria watched their assailants flee.
"Thanks for the help," Samiul said, looking at Aria.
"Oh... Yeah, you're welcome," Aria replied, adding, "What's wrong with them? Why were they trying to beat you?"
"Nothing significant. I just blocked them on social media, and they felt disrespected," Samiul explained.
"That's a lame reason to attack someone," Aria said.
"From your perspective, it might seem lame, but for them, it's very disrespectful," Samiul replied.
"Oh, I see. By the way, we're in the same class. I saw you in class, and those boys were sitting close to me. Actually, I heard them say they wanted to beat you. When I saw them standing here with bats, I thought I'd wait and see what they'd do," Aria explained.
"Why would you do that?" Samiul asked.
"I don't know. I just felt like I should," Aria admitted.
"You said you're from my class? Sorry, I never noticed you," Samiul said.
"I'm Aria, a transfer student. I came from a different school," Aria introduced himself.
"I'm Samiul. I've been at this school since primary grade," Samiul responded.
"Nice to meet you," Aria said, then added, "By the way, that bat hit your head hard and broke, but you're unharmed. That's crazy."
Samiul hesitated, trying to avoid the topic. "I think I have to go now. Got a lot of work at home."
"Oh, alright. We'll talk later," Aria said. With that, they walked in different directions.
**6:00 PM -**
The sun was setting, casting an orange glow over the city.
Aria stood on top of a bridge, looking at the breathtaking sunset. His phone started ringing. He glanced at it and saw the call was from someone named Bristi.
**The Call:**
**Aria:** "Hello, Bristi. I was calling you yesterday and today, but you weren't picking up. Are you alright?"
**Bristi:** "I'm good. Actually, the reason I called is to tell you that I'm breaking up with you."
**Aria:** "What?"
**Bristi:** "Yeah, I'm breaking up. You left the city, and things just won't work out the way they used to."
**Aria:** "Why? What's the problem? We're doing long distance. A lot of people do long distances."
**Bristi:** "It won't work for me. I already have another boyfriend. So, I think we're not lovers anymore. Don't call me anymore."
While they were talking, seven bikes roared onto the bridge. On one bike's back seat, Joy was sitting. He pointed towards Aria and said to the man driving the bike, "Bro, this is the guy who was with Samiul."
Aria, still on the call, was abruptly interrupted as a biker snatched away his phone. He turned to see 17 people in front of him, all wearing helmets.
**Aria:** "Who are you?"
The guy with the red helmet raised his hand to punch Aria. But Aria blocked the punch and pushed the red helmet guy with a swift one-inch punch, causing him to fall back onto his bike.
Seeing their comrade fall, the others started to approach Aria. He effortlessly dodged their attacks and punches, moving with agility and precision.
Aria's movements were fluid, each dodge and block calculated. The gang, despite their numbers, found themselves unable to land a single hit. Aria's training and reflexes outmatched their brute force.
Joy, watching from a distance, realized this wasn't going as planned. "Get him!" he shouted, frustration evident in his voice.
Aria continued to fend off the attackers, maintaining his calm demeanor. He countered their aggression with precise strikes, each move more efficient than the last. As he fought, he remained focused, his mind clear despite the chaos around him.
One of the guys from behind pushed Aria, causing him to fall off the bridge. He landed on the ground beside the bridge, which was fortunately not high enough to cause serious injury. Aria quickly stood up, but the gang members jumped down after him. They began attacking him with their hands, metal bats, and helmets.
Aria dodged the initial attacks and knocked down three guys with quick sucker punches. However, the sheer number of assailants overwhelmed him. They caught Aria and started beating him relentlessly with their hands and metal bats, making him bleed.
Joy watched this with a smirk, thinking, "Great, after this he'll remember this his whole life. My brother is the gangster in the city, and while he's alive, no one can touch me."
Suddenly, Joy felt a shadow loom over him. He turned and was shocked to see Samiul approaching. "How did he escape from there? How did they let him escape?" Joy thought in panic.
---