The entire room fell silent for a brief moment after the boy's head exploded, the horrifying sound still echoing in the air. The blood, the gore—it was enough to freeze everyone in place. But then, like a dam breaking, panic erupted. Screams filled the room as students scrambled to make sense of the chaos, the terror of the situation sinking in.
Seriously? A terrorist attack on the first day of my school life? Is this some kind of twisted light novel? Sam thought, his mind racing through the absurdity of it all. Yet, beneath his sarcastic internal dialogue, he felt a strange sense of relief. He had a plan.
As the panic spread, Sam quickly assessed the situation. The mana levels displayed on their necks weren't just for show; they were part of a curse, a spell designed to monitor and control their mana. The moment a student's mana hit zero, the curse activated, resulting in a gruesome death. But Sam wasn't about to let that happen to him.
With a calm, practiced motion, Sam focused his energy and broke the curse on himself, replacing the glowing number with one of his own making: 681. It was a subtle move, one that would hopefully keep him under the radar. They won't do anything to me, he reasoned. If this is a hijack, their top priority has to be the royal family. So, I'm safe for now.
He leaned back in his chair, feigning disinterest as chaos continued to swirl around him. I could probably sleep through this whole ordeal, he mused, closing his eyes for a moment. But then a thought crept into his mind, disrupting his feigned calm. Sara is part of the royal family too. That means she's in danger.
His eyes snapped open, and for a split second, he was gripped by a familiar concern. But he quickly pushed it aside. She's not the Sara I knew, he reminded himself. I shouldn't get involved.
Just as he was convincing himself to stay out of it, the door to the classroom burst open, and several masked men stormed in. They moved with military precision, quickly assessing the situation before pointing to three students. "You, you, and you," one of them barked, pointing first to the boy sitting next to Sam, then to a girl across the room, and finally… to Sam himself.
Wait, what? Sam's internal monologue screeched to a halt. Why me?
His so-called master plan crumbled in an instant as he was dragged from the classroom, his mind racing to figure out how he had been singled out. Did they somehow see through my curse manipulation?
He was brought into a dimly lit room, where three students already lay unconscious on the ground. As Sam looked closer, he recognized them—they were Imperial Students, the highest-ranking students in the school. Two boys and a girl, all from the second year, the same class as his sister.
Did I mention my sister goes to the same school as me? No? Well, this just keeps getting better.
The girl on the ground was Princess Masha, Sara's older sister. The two boys were Axel and Zane, both from noble families. Sam couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at the situation. So they've knocked out the big shots. Interesting.
One of the terrorists, a man with a scar running down the side of his face, stepped forward, raising his sword above Masha's unconscious form. "This is the end for you, princess," he sneered, his voice dripping with malice.
Time seemed to slow as Sam watched the blade descend. Well, I didn't plan on doing this so soon, he thought, standing completely still as the sword inched closer to Masha's chest. Just as it was about to strike, Sam casually raised his hand, catching the blade between two fingers. The force of the sword stopped instantly, the metal quivering in Sam's grip.
The room went silent.
The terrorist looked at Sam, confusion and disbelief etched across his face. "What the—"
"You know," Sam interrupted, his voice light and almost playful, "it's rude to attack someone who's sleeping. Didn't your mother teach you any manners?" With a flick of his finger, Sam snapped the blade in two, sending shards of metal flying. The terrorist barely had time to react as Sam twirled the broken piece in his hand, then thrust it forward, driving it into the man's arm and causing him to drop the hilt.
The man howled in pain, clutching his injured limb as blood seeped through his fingers. But Sam wasn't finished. Before the other terrorists could react, he moved with blinding speed, his body a blur as he struck each one down with precise, lethal blows. The small, broken piece of the sword in his hand seemed to dance through the air, cutting down his enemies with an almost artistic flair.
At that time everyone woke up. They were shocked by Sam's skill. They just couldn't believe their eyes.
Within moments, the room was filled with the bodies of the fallen terrorists, their blood pooling on the floor. Sam stood in the center, completely calm, as if nothing had happened.
They only thing came out of their mouth was, "Who the hell are you?"
He told Masha and others "Follow the flow of mana in the air and find the main storage, And don't tell anyone what happened here."
With that, Sam stood up, walked to the corner of the room where his backpack lay, and pulled out a black hoodie and mask. The hoodie was old and worn, with several holes and tears in it, but it fit Sam perfectly. The mask covered his face completely, leaving only his eyes visible.
He pulled the hood up, his gaze hardening as he looked back at the bodies on the floor. "Now, time to clean up this mess."
[The Hunt Begins]
Sam moved through the school like a shadow, his every step silent, his presence nearly undetectable. The black hoodie and mask made him look like a specter, something out of a nightmare. The terrorists never saw him coming.
In one corridor, three men stood guard, their weapons at the ready. They were seasoned fighters, but they had no chance. Sam appeared behind them without a sound, his movements fluid and graceful. Before they could even register his presence, he dispatched them with a swift, brutal efficiency, their bodies crumpling to the floor as he walked past.
One after another, the terrorists fell, their lives snuffed out by the boy in the black hoodie. Sam moved with a deadly precision, his mind focused solely on the task at hand. But despite the carnage around him, there was a strange sense of detachment in his actions, as if he were merely going through the motions.
At one point, he found himself cornered by a group of heavily armed terrorists. They sneered at him, confident in their numbers and firepower. "You think you can take us all on, kid?" one of them taunted, raising his weapon.
Sam shrugged, a small smile playing on his lips beneath the mask. "Honestly, I've had tougher fights with my older sister." He moved in a blur, ducking under the first man's swing and driving his fist into the man's gut. The force of the blow sent the terrorist flying into the wall, where he collapsed in a heap.
The others attacked at once, but Sam was already gone, weaving between them with ease. He struck with a ferocity that belied his calm demeanor, each blow landing with the precision of a master. In seconds, the group was reduced to nothing more than lifeless bodies on the floor.
As he continued his rampage through the school, Sam couldn't help but chuckle to himself. This is too easy. They're not even on my level.
But then, something caught his attention. A group of terrorists had gathered in the main hall, where the hostages were being held. The hall had a glass rooftop, allowing the sunlight to stream in, casting eerie shadows across the floor.
Sam stood on the roof, looking down at the scene below. The terrorists were organized, disciplined, their weapons trained on the hostages. But what caught Sam's eye was the figure standing at the center of the room, a man exuding an aura of authority and menace. Must be their leader, Sam thought.
Without a second's hesitation, Sam smashed through the glass, plummeting down into the hall like a falling star. He landed with a thud, right in front of the leader, and before anyone could react, he drove his fist into the man's chest. The force of the blow was immense, sending the leader flying across the room and crashing into the far wall.
The other terrorists froze, their eyes wide with shock. Sam straightened up, brushing shards of glass from his hoodie. "Sorry to drop in unannounced," he said with a grin. "But I'm here to kick ass and… well, mostly just kick ass."