"I…" John gritted his teeth, glaring at Evan's mocking face with anger. "Don't get cocky, Evan!"
"My cousin is Dean from the Honors Class. You wouldn't dare mess with me, would you?"
"Dean from the Honors Class?" Hearing that name, Evan's eyes narrowed slightly.
Of course, he knew of him. In his past life, the name had become infamous. Dean, who possessed a B-level talent, had been one of the top students in the Honors Class back then. After graduating from Blue River, instead of going to college, he'd stayed in town, gathering a gang known as the Dragon Force Gang. They were notorious for harassing locals and extorting "protection fees" from businesses.
In his last life, Evan's parents had owned a small restaurant in Blue River, which had suffered under their extortion. They'd barely scraped by with the money he sent back home. Once he graduated and returned, the scum had fled to Fire Cloud City and stayed away for years.
"So, the worst types always gather together." Evan muttered, then kicked John.
Though he'd only practiced the *Sanctified Breath* technique twice, the results were already evident. John tried to dodge, but Evan's kick sent him crashing against the wall.
As John struggled, Evan planted his foot on him—just as he'd done to Yates earlier.
Nearby, Dean's lackeys hesitated, shocked at the sight, and started to step forward. But Evan's cold gaze stopped them.
"You. Stay where you are and don't move."
The moment he spoke, they froze in place, too intimidated to approach.
Evan smirked. When it came down to it, these guys were nothing but bullies. He might not have his king-level aura anymore, but a true Beastmaster's presence was something that couldn't be erased. Intimidating a few kids was no trouble at all.
"John," Evan bent down, his tone icy, "in one hour, you either send one of these lackeys to fetch me a Firefruit seed, or you get your cousin to bring it. Your choice."
"You've got one hour, not a second more. Any delay, and you'll bear the consequences."
With that, Evan pressed his foot harder, and John, unable to endure it, waved his hand frantically. "Go get my cousin, quickly!"
Relieved to be spared, the lackeys dashed out of the classroom as fast as they could.
In the now-empty room, John lay gasping on the floor, staring at Evan with wide eyes.
"Maybe we should drop this…" Yates whispered nervously, tugging at Evan's sleeve. "People in the Honors Class aren't to be messed with. They all have at least C-level talents."
"C-level? Even if an A-level shows up today, I'm getting that Firefruit seed." Evan scoffed, keeping his foot planted firmly.
Hearing this, Yates shrank back, staring at Evan in surprise.
He remembered Evan as someone much more easygoing. No matter the situation, his friend had always preferred to avoid conflict and let things go. But today, he was acting with uncharacteristic boldness.
"Yates, constantly backing down only makes people think you're an easy target." Noticing his friend's thoughts, Evan spoke up. "If people don't cross me, I won't cross them. But if they do, they'll pay the price."
"Understood." Yates nodded after a moment, though a hint of fear lingered in his eyes.
Evan noticed his reaction, a slight smile crossing his face. Yates was naturally timid, and with his poor grades and D-level talent, it was only natural he'd avoid trouble whenever possible.
Boom!
Not long after, the classroom door burst open. A man wearing a leather jacket with a grim expression strode inside.
The moment he saw John gasping for air under Evan's foot, anger twisted his face. "Let him go!"
"Where's the item I requested?" Evan glanced at the so-called "infamous" Dean, his voice calm.
"Item?" Dean was taken aback, then turned to the lackeys as they quickly filled him in on what had happened.
"A Firefruit seed?" Hearing this, Dean's brows knitted together as he looked back at Evan.
After a brief pause, Dean finally said, "Since it's me asking, how about we call it even?"
"Call it even?" Evan laughed, lifting his foot only to press it back down again. "A man should honor his bets, no exceptions. And by the way, how much do you think your reputation is worth?"
"Damn you!" Dean's rage flared, and he clenched his fist, raising it to strike.
Evan looked at him, unflinching.
Seeing Evan's calm expression—perhaps even a hint of anticipation—Dean's heart skipped a beat.
Why wasn't he afraid? Did he have something to back him up?
As this thought crossed his mind, Dean hesitated, lowering his fist after a moment.
"I'll give you 10,000 credits if you let my cousin go," he said, swallowing his anger.
Seeing Dean back down, Evan was a little surprised, but he nodded. "10,000 credits will do."
"Give it to him." John handed a stack of cash to one of his lackeys, who then brought it to Evan.
"Now that the deal's settled, you can have your cousin back."
Accepting the money, Evan lifted his foot. John scrambled to his feet, crawling toward his cousin.
"Cousin, you've got to get revenge for me!" John's face was red with rage. Never in his life had he endured such humiliation.
"Shut up!" Dean barked. "This is school!"
John was stunned; he hadn't expected his cousin, who was usually close to him, to scold him so harshly.
"Anything else can be dealt with *outside* of school!" Dean whispered, patting John's shoulder. "Here, we're all students. Outside, there are plenty of ways to handle things."
John's face lit up, and he nodded eagerly.
"Let's go!" With a wave, Dean led the group out, giving Evan one last glare as they left.
As soon as they were gone, Evan leisurely counted the cash in his hands.
10,000 credits. At this stage in high school, that was nearly enough to cover his expenses for half a year. He'd been considering using some tricks to make extra cash on the side.
After all, here in Blue River City, while he was still starting out, money was often the most convenient way to obtain resources.
"Well, that saved me some effort." Finishing his count, Evan stuffed the money in his pocket, finding it to be exactly 100 bills.
"Did you hear what Dean said just now?" Yates asked cautiously, edging closer. "It sounded like he plans to ambush us outside of school!"
"Let him try." Evan was unfazed. The whole reason he'd provoked Dean was to set himself against him, a way of settling old scores.
The best Dean could do would be to find a few low-level thugs, none of whom would be above Black Iron rank—a laughable threat.
"Ugh, what are we going to do?" Yates, without Evan's confidence, was in a full panic. "I have to go home this weekend!"
"Just come back with me."
"But what if you're not around? If it's just me, I can't even take on John…"
Watching Yates fret, Evan felt a pang of sadness.
In all fairness, Yates had always treated him well. Through Evan's hardest times in high school, Yates had never changed his attitude, regardless of whether he'd plummeted with his D-level talent or later risen as the "Light of Blue River City."
The only shame was that Yates's Beastmaster Talent wasn't anything special. In his last life, as their skill levels grew farther apart, they'd rarely had the chance to even meet, let alone fight side by side.
Evan chuckled at the thought.
"Yates." Seeing his friend about to panic again, Evan spoke up. "Do you want to become a powerful Beastmaster?"
Yates hesitated, then answered, "Of course I do, but with my talent…"
"Talent isn't an issue. I just need to know if you *want* it or not." Evan's gaze was steady and unwavering.
"Yes!" Yates replied without hesitation.
"Good." Evan nodded, clapping Yates on the shoulder before heading out of the classroom.
"Come with me."