"Huh?" Dylan and Amy stared in disbelief, their eyes widening as they saw Ren lying motionless on the ground. For a brief moment, confusion clouded their minds—they couldn't understand what had just happened.
A few seconds ago, Ren had been attacking with confidence, yet now he was crumpled against a tree, completely defeated. Surprise quickly turned into fear, then concern. Something felt off. Just two days ago, they had easily overpowered Daemon, beating him whenever they wanted. But now… something had changed.
The three of them—Ren, Dylan, and Amy—were at the bottom of the academy's ranking. They had grouped together, bound by a shared sense of inferiority. Realizing their lack of talent compared to others, they constantly struggled with feelings of worthlessness.
Then they found Daemon.
He was weaker, even lower in the ranks than they were. To them, Daemon had been an easy target, someone they could vent their frustrations on—a convenient outlet for their pent-up anger and insecurities. They had beaten him repeatedly, using his helplessness to feel stronger.
But now, as they stood there watching Ren defeated with a single strike, fear crept into their hearts. Daemon wasn't the same person they used to bully. Something about him had changed, and they could feel it.
"Now, now, let's not get hasty, shall we?" Daemon's voice echoed through the forest, his tone laced with a mocking edge, his smile sinister. "We still have two more people waiting their turn." His words sent a cold shiver down Dylan and Amy's spines.
For a moment, fear gripped them tightly. But then, as they glanced at each other, they began regaining their composure. He's still just one person, they thought. If we attack together, we can overpower him.
As their confidence returned, Daemon's voice cut through the air again, sharper than before. "Done regaining your composure?" he asked, his tone dripping with derision.
Anger flared in their eyes. "You bastard!" Dylan roared, charging at Daemon from behind in an attempt to catch him off guard.
Daemon didn't even flinch. With a swift spin, he delivered a precise kick to Dylan's chest, sending him sprawling backward, crashing into the ground with a painful grunt. Before Daemon could turn his attention fully back to Amy, he caught a faint glimmer in her eyes—something was off.
She's using mana.
In an instant, a wave of mental energy shot toward him, aimed at disorienting his mind. However, before it could take hold, a notification appeared in his vision:
[A mental attack has been detected.]
['Cold-blooded' has been activated.]
[You have nullified the mental attack. Your resistance towards mental attacks has risen.]
Daemon's smile widened, becoming colder. Amy's eyes widened in shock when she realized her attack had failed.
"Nice trick," Daemon said, stepping forward slowly, his voice calm but menacing. "Too bad… it didn't work."
Amy's heart pounded in her chest as she instinctively took a step back, trying to create some distance between herself and Daemon. But no matter how far she moved, he seemed to close the gap with each step, his wide smile never fading.
The smile itself sent a chill down her spine. It wasn't just a smile; it was something more unsettling. Daemon's face, handsome and composed, twisted into something that made her feel sick. It was the kind of smile you'd expect from a child who found a new toy—innocent and yet terrifying. It was the kind of smile that made you realize the toy was never meant to be treated gently.
Before she could make sense of the fear building up in her chest, Daemon was standing right in front of her.
Without a word, his fist swung toward her face. The blow landed brutally. Amy's world spun as she felt the sickening crack of her nose breaking under the force. Blood shot from the wound, splattering across her face as she was knocked backward, her body crashing into the hard ground.
Daemon stood still, watching as Amy groaned on the ground, her face twisted in pain. He raised his gaze to the other two, taking in their sorry state. Ren had finally managed to get to his feet, leaning against one of the trees for support. His head tilted slightly, as if still dizzy from the kick that had sent him crashing to the ground. He was struggling to keep his balance, his legs unsteady beneath him.
Daemon's eyes shifted to Dylan next. The boy was clutching his chest, his face pale and strained, as if each breath was a battle. His body was trembling, clearly unable to recover from the force of Daemon's earlier kick.
A sense of disappointment washed over Daemon as he looked at them. He had been hoping for more of a challenge, a true test to see just how far his abilities had come. But these three? They couldn't even stand after a single blow. The fight had been over before it had even truly begun.
Though disappointed, Daemon wasn't surprised. In fact, he had expected this outcome. Hidden pieces were meant to be game changers, after all. And this fight was the perfect proof of that.
Daemon's determination only grew stronger as he looked at the three of them. He was more motivated than ever to gather the hidden pieces. With a deep sigh, he looked at Ren and Dylan, his gaze cold. "Okay, you two, come here."
At the sound of his voice, Ren and Dylan's bodies tensed, a shiver running through them. They were in no condition to move towards Daemon. After all, it was Daemon who had caused their current state. But despite the fear gnawing at them, neither made a move.
Daemon's eyes narrowed, his voice taking on a chilling tone. "If you don't come within five seconds, I will make sure it gets even more painful for you."
The threat was clear, and it sent another shudder through them. The humiliation was unbearable, but they knew they had no choice. They were awakened, so their bodies healed faster than normal humans, and though their bodies still ached and their faces were pale, they slowly forced themselves to move.
Reluctantly, they made their way toward Daemon, each step heavy with the weight of their pride and pain.
The three of them slowly made their way toward Daemon, standing before him, their bodies still battered from the previous exchange. Daemon glanced down at Amy, still lying on the ground, blood staining her face.
"Do I need to give you a special invitation?" he asked coldly.
At the sound of his voice, Amy scrambled to her feet, wincing in pain, blood still dripping from her face. She tried to stand, but the pain was clearly too much for her.
Daemon turned his gaze to Ren, who was standing before him. Without warning, Daemon's fist shot out and landed squarely in Ren's stomach. This time, Daemon used his full strength. The impact was brutal—Ren immediately coughed up blood and collapsed to the ground.
Daemon walked over to the fallen Ren, who was gasping for air. He looked down at him with a cold expression and said, "Didn't I tell you to come within five seconds?"