The next day, Vernon went to the cafeteria for breakfast. Laughter and conversations filled the room, which was packed with all the Vagon boxers.
However, the cafeteria suddenly fell silent when Vernon walked in. Every eye stared at him with hate and confusion.
"Wasn't he supposed to be in a coma at the hospital?" Oliver whispered to Colin, but Colin didn't respond, too busy eating his sandwich.
Now, Oliver understood why Colin seemed upset today. It turned out Vernon, his rival, was perfectly fine after Oliver had beaten him up.
But how could Vernon recover so fast when Colin had nearly left him for dead? Were the rumors true that Vernon had some kind of regenerative ability?
It really bothered him.
'We'll never know unless we test it out ourselves, right?' Oliver smirked slyly. He stood up and confidently walked over to Vernon.
Vernon ignored the stares and smirks, grabbed a tray with a sandwich, milk, and a few boiled eggs, and sat at an empty table.
He ate hungrily.
"Wow! This is amazing!" Oliver clapped sarcastically with a fake smile. "How did you recover in less than 24 hours, man? Tell me your secret." He sat next to Vernon, wrapping his arm around him without asking.
"Get off me," Vernon said coldly, his voice full of threat. He glared at Oliver's hand on his shoulder. "I don't want to be bothered."
"You're so arrogant. I was just trying to be friends with you," Oliver pretended to look sad.
Vernon's jaw tightened, and his fists clenched. He was sick of dealing with two-faced guys like Oliver and Robinson, but he fought to control his anger.
"Are you deaf?" Vernon said mockingly. "Get off me, now!"
"Wow! The nerve of you to talk back to me," Oliver chuckled darkly. "You're just an F-rank boxer. Even your teammates don't dare talk back to us, their seniors, after living here for years."
"Oh, is it because you think you're a big shot now since you managed to beat your coach?" Oliver added.
His comment stirred up tension in the cafeteria.
Vernon could tell what Oliver was trying to do. He was baiting him to get angry and throw a punch, just so Oliver would have an excuse to start a fight.
Robinson had added a new rule yesterday that Vagon boxers couldn't fight or attack each other recklessly.
Vernon chose to keep eating instead of responding to Oliver. He didn't want to make any mistakes that would mess up his revenge plans.
'He is bastard! How dare this loser ignore me!' Oliver cursed in his mind.
Oliver turned to Vernon's three groupmates sitting at the table across from him. He grinned slyly as an idea formed.
The red-haired guy with an Edgar cut walked up to Tian and the others, then threw their plates onto the floor, spilling their food everywhere.
The sound of breaking plates echoed through the cafeteria, bringing everything to a standstill.
Oliver stomped on the food, smashing it into a dirty mess.
Tian, Tony, and Antonio stayed silent, not daring to protest.
"Pick it up!" Oliver commanded arrogantly.
"Y-yes." Tian, Tony, and Antonio quickly obeyed Oliver before he could beat them up.
After they picked it up, they went to throw it away.
"Who told you to throw it away, huh?! Eat it!"
"W-what?! Eat it?!"
"Do I need to repeat myself?!"
All the other boxers laughed at them. Reluctantly, they began eating the dirty food.
Oliver grinned when he saw Vernon's face turn red with anger, though he didn't make a move to help them. At least he managed to get under Vernon's skin.
'You're good at controlling your emotions. But I doubt you'll hold out much longer if you see this,' Oliver taunted in his mind.
"Hurry up!" Oliver harshly forced them to eat, making everyone laugh louder.
'Hold yourself, Vernon! Don't fall for it!' Vernon fought with all his might to control himself.
He couldn't stand seeing bullying right in front of him. His body always acted on its own whenever he saw someone being picked on.
"Chew faster, or I'll beat you up!"
Tian, Tony, and Antonio did as they were told without hesitation. Their bodies trembled violently.
Oliver smiled in satisfaction, watching them suffer. "You must be thirsty, right? Now, lick the milk off the floor like dogs."
"But—"
"You still want to enter the Vagon tournament, right? If so, do it, or I'll break your arms and legs!"
"O-okay, boss." They crouched down and bent over to lick the milk near Oliver's feet.
BANG!
Oliver stumbled as a hard punch landed on his cheek. He was shocked to see Vernon standing in front of him, exuding a deadly aura.
'Damn! When did Vernon move? How didn't I notice?'
Blood dripped from Oliver's lip onto the floor. He wiped it with the back of his hand, smearing blood all over.
'No way I got hurt from his weak punch!' Oliver growled in rage. His pride was wounded, having been injured by such a simple hit.
"Do you feel powerful when you bully the weak!?" Vernon shouted. He stood tall in front of Tian and the others like a shield.
Colin was stunned. Those were the exact words his savior had said back in high school.
"Vernon, stop. Don't be stupid. You'll be eliminated or killed if you fight him," Tian whispered, warning him.
"Do you know why boxing is divided into weight classes?" Vernon glanced at Tian.
Tian didn't answer.
"In order to prevent stronger boxers from hurting weaker ones, there should be balance and fairness. But what I see here is not justice, it's bullying."
"Impressive words. Are you planning to switch careers and become a superhero now?" Oliver mocked as he cracked his knuckles.
Suddenly, a transparent screen appeared in front of Vernon.
[Main Quest Appear: Save Your Friends]
[Reward: Silver Card System]
Vernon smirked. "This is what I've been waiting for."
"I'm flattered you've been looking forward to fighting me. Unfortunately, this will be your last match!"
Oliver dashed at Vernon like lightning.
'Shit! He's fast!'