The next morning, I headed to the training camp alone. Sylvia isn't following me this time around, my sister dragged her away to go shopping with her.
Well, she is a dragon. It's better for her to go with my sister then wasting her time coming to the camp with me to "awaken" her core.
When I arrived at camp. Some people were already here, chatting with each other. I looked around but couldn't seem to find Kaelon anywhere.
There's no way he ran away right?
I shook my head, I doubt he's the type to do that. I guess I was early, seeing that the instructor hadn't arrived either. I decided to take a quick nap under a tree while waiting for Kaelon and the instructor.
After a few minutes a loud voice suddenly interrupted my nap.
"Wow, look who I found here."
Opening my eyes, I saw Zarek followed by 3 lackeys coming toward me. I sighed inwardly, not this guy again. I was wondering where this brat went after getting humiliated by Lyra back at Ascension Rite.
"If it isn't this trash, I'm surprised that you even made it here." he said mockingly
Why is this brat so obsessed with me? I don't recall doing anything to him, even in my previous life. I felt a pang of sympathy for his father—having a son like this couldn't be easy.
"Too scared to say anything?" he taunted.
"Sorry, what's your name again? Oh! I remember, how are you doing, Shirek?"
The color drained from Zarek's face before quickly flushing red, his veins bulging so prominently they looked ready to burst.
"Who the fuck do you think you are right now?"
"I'm just a chill guy." I said coldly with the chills of an ocean during the cold winter up north.
Zarek started walking closer, his three lackeys spreading out to surround me, clearly trying to block any escape route. Not that I was planning to run in the first place.
The surrounding people had already begun shifting their attention to the commotion, but none seemed to have any intention of stepping in to stop it. In fact, I could even see a few of them snickering to themselves. I guess something just doesn't change even after I regress back.
"I want to see how long you can keep that smug look after I beat the shit out of you," Zarek sneered, his face twisting into a nasty grin.
"Man. Can't you find some real hobbies to do?"
"My hobby is beating up trash like you," he growled, lunging forward and instantly launching a kick straight toward my face.
I swiftly dodged, feeling the gush of wind brush past my face. I slowly picked myself up.
I yawned, "Are you just standing there or was that supposed to be an attack?"
Zarek seemed to take my provocation, as he instantly lunged at me.
I began to circulate mana inside my body toward my hand before throwing a punch straight toward him. He didn't have time to react as my fist landed perfectly on his face, sending him flying back.
"!?"
Zarek holds his face in disbelief at what just happened. Blood began flowing down his nose but that seemed to only anger him further.
"What the fuck are you guys doing?! JUMP HIM!"
Right on cue, his 3 lackeys all launched themselves toward me.
This sucks, I should've gone shopping with my sister and Sylvia.
Around us, the onlookers grew louder. Some people exchanged nervous glances, while others seemed far too entertained by the unfolding chaos.
"Um, shouldn't we get the instructor to break this fight up?" one murmured.
"Hell no! This is way more entertaining than his boring lectures!" another replied, grinning as they watched the scene escalate.
One of them tried to grab me from behind, but I ducked at the right moment, using his momentum against him. I sent him flipping over my shoulder, slamming him hard into the ground with a heavy thud.
He wasn't getting up anytime soon.
Lackey 2 and 3 lunged forward simultaneously, each aiming to land their punches. I effortlessly dodged their attacks, delivering a swift kick to lackey 2's solar plexus before catching lackey 3's fist and twisting his arm, as he fell down.
Seeing that I was distracted, Zarek seized the opportunity to attack from behind.
"I've got you now, you fucking trash!"
"Are you an idiot? Don't yell if you're trying to land a sneak attack."
I grabbed lackey #3 positioning him between us, using him as a meat shield. I watched as his face contorted, absorbing the full force of Zarek's punch. His pupils turned milky white as his body collapsed to the ground, motionless.
Damn, that would've stung a little if it had landed on me.
"Bastard! I want to see how long you can keep dodging!"
Holy shit, this guy just doesn't know when to quit, I'm starting to feel annoyed.
"Are you done?"
"SHUT THE FUCK UP"
Zarek launched one last desperate punch toward my face. I sidestepped effortlessly, then delivered a roundhouse kick straight to his face, sending him crashing into the tree.
Shit. Did I use too much power there?
I turned to the crowd. The silence was deafening, everyone still processing what they had just witnessed.
"What the heck just happened?"
"D-did that guy really just win against 4 people?"
Whispers and murmurs spread throughout the crowd, some with a mix of awe, disbelief, and admiration.
I saw Kaelon standing among them, his eyes wide in shock and his jaw hanging open.
Moments later, the instructor finally arrived, as he pushed his way through the crowd making his way toward the scene. His stern eyes locked onto me
"What the hell happened here?"
"These 4 were trying to attack me," I said, "You can ask those people watching, they saw everything."
The instructor frowned upon hearing that. He looked down at the four comatose bodies twitching on the ground, their limbs spasming slightly.
"What's your name?"
"Caelith"
"Don't you think it's a bit excessive beating them up to this state?" he questioned sharply.
"Correct me if I'm wrong, but weren't they the ones who tried to gang up on me with 4 people? I think it's completely justified."
The instructor let out a sigh, while rubbing his temple, muttering something under his breath.
"What?" I tilted my head.
"Forget it," he said with a resigned tone. "I won't punish you for your actions today, but there won't be a next time."
"I'll keep that in mind."
The instructor shifted his attention to the crowd, his voice cutting through the murmurs.
"Alright, everyone, break it up! Class is about to start!"
The crowd began to disperse, though a few lingered, their gazes filled with a mix of admiration and fear as they looked at me.
As the instructor turned to walk away, his thoughts lingered on the boy's face—his calm, nonchalant expression. A slight smile crept onto his lips, hidden from view.
"Looks like we've got someone interesting this year," he muttered under his breath.