Chereads / Leveling up for revenge! / Chapter 14 - Level 10?!

Chapter 14 - Level 10?!

I stood there, staring at the shattered bathroom door, my breath ragged, my hands still trembling from the force of whatever had just happened. The last thing I remembered was the rising wave of anger—red-hot fury lashing out at the cruel voices mocking me.

But now... the aftermath was a blur.

A sudden gust of wind, born from the explosion of the door, sent one of the boys flying across the room, his body slamming into the tiled wall with a sickening thud. The sound was almost drowned by the rush of wind and the echoes of my own pulse pounding in my ears.

The other boys who had been laughing stood frozen, wide-eyed, staring at me like I was something... monstrous. I could hear them muttering in disbelief.

"What the hell was that?!"

"I—I don't know, man... It was like—like something exploded!"

The panic in their voices made the pit in my stomach grow deeper. I was still in the middle of processing what had just happened when I noticed their eyes were locked on me. There was something wrong. Something about the way they were looking at me—it wasn't just fear. It was... like they saw something else. 

I blinked, my vision swimming in and out of focus. And then, as if on cue, everything went black.

---

When I came to, my head was pounding. A sharp, intense ache that made me groan as I shifted on the bed I was lying in. The sterile smell of the infirmary filled my nostrils. For a moment, I wasn't sure where I was, but then I noticed the fluorescent lights overhead and the familiar white walls. My eyes flickered over to the side—there were the guys from the bathroom. All of them. They were lying unconscious, groaning softly, looking as though they had been knocked out cold.

The sound of someone eating drifted over from the corner of the room, and I turned to see the school doctor casually sitting at his desk, eating his lunch like nothing was amiss. A small smile tugged at my lips despite the pain in my skull. Only in this messed-up world could a kid knock out a group of bullies and get sent straight to the infirmary like it was an everyday occurrence.

I rubbed my head and winced. The headache was unbearable.

"Sir?" I croaked. My throat felt dry. "What happened?"

The doctor looked up, chewing his sandwich. His eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "A kid found you all in the restroom. You were all out cold. You care to explain what happened?"

I opened my mouth but hesitated. My thoughts were still scrambled. What *had* happened? I could barely remember anything after the door broke. Then everything went black. But... I *had* to have done something, right? My fists were still clenched, my palms sore from... I didn't know what.

The doctor leaned back in his chair, eyeing me with a bemused look. "I'm guessing some kid hit all of them except you. They were hit pretty hard. Whoever it was, they were strong."

The words hit me like a slap. I gulped nervously, feeling a lump form in my throat.

"Um... sir," I began, my voice trembling. "I—I think I was the one who hit them."

The doctor blinked. Then, he did something that threw me off completely. He started laughing. 

"Hahaha! You?" He wiped a tear from his eye. "You're telling me that *you*—the smallest, skinniest kid in this whole school—punched them all out?"

I felt the heat rise in my cheeks, my face turning red. "Yes..."

But the doctor wasn't listening. His laughter grew louder, until the sound was almost unbearable. I could see the bullies starting to stir on their beds, their groans cutting through the doctor's laughter.

Just then, one of the boys who had been thrown by the force of the door slammed into the wall began to stir. He groggily blinked his eyes open, rubbing his head. He was still in shock, clearly not understanding what had happened. He looked around, eyes narrowing as he locked onto me.

"You?!" he spat, his voice venomous. "What the hell did you do?!"

He pushed himself up, glaring at me as if I was the one who had caused his misery. His fists clenched, and I could see the rage building in his eyes. Without warning, he lunged at me, throwing a punch with all his strength. 

My heart skipped a beat as I instinctively threw up my arms, and... I caught his fist. With both hands.

The boy froze. I froze. My mind screamed, *What the hell?*

His expression shifted from shock to confusion. "What—?" 

I felt the strength of his punch pulse through my arms, but I held on, somehow, inexplicably. My hands, which should have been weak, felt... *strong*. His second punch came before I could process what was happening. But again, I caught it, this time with my other hand. 

His eyes widened in fear, and I could feel my own pulse quickening, adrenaline rushing through me.

"What the hell is going on?" I thought to myself. This wasn't normal. This wasn't me. I shouldn't be able to do this.

Then, a holographic window flashed in front of me.

**"Congratulations, you have unlocked the skill: *Bloodlust*."**

I blinked. *Bloodlust*? What the hell was that? I could barely process it when another window appeared.

**"Warning! Due to the use of a skill not accessible to users below level 10, you may face severe consequences."**

Consequences? My head swam as confusion and panic clawed at me. What was this? Was this *my* power? How had I—?

And just like that, my vision blurred. My limbs grew heavy. My eyes closed, and everything faded to black.

---

When I woke up again, I was back in the infirmary. The boy who had just tried to punch me was now lying in a bed beside me, looking out cold, just like the others. But his face—his cheek—had a distinct fist print. I swallowed hard. I wasn't sure if it was from me or something else, but it made me feel even more unsettled. 

The doctor was still there, and this time he was quietly observing me, chewing on his sandwich as though I hadn't just knocked out a bunch of kids with my fists.

"Guess you're alright," he said casually. "No permanent damage. But you might want to explain what happened at some point." 

I nodded slowly, still feeling the throb in my head. The room felt strangely cold, and I wasn't sure if it was because of the consequences or the power I had just unlocked—or both.

*Bloodlust...* What did it even mean?

I glanced at the kid on the bed, still unconscious. I was starting to feel a strange sense of power rising within me. What else could I do with this?