Against the Odds

The system update was an enormous step toward success. Shay stared at the notification for a while without changing his mood. It was a useful feature. However, he was unable to use it, as he was inside the city walls, where no monsters appeared.

As he shifted his gaze, closing the prompts, he looked at the battered Flint in front of him. "I'd say this training was a success," he said, and gave a thumbs-up gesture.

Although just a second ago, he lied on the ground in an utmost throbbing pain, the high spirits in him never died, showing a positive result of their progress after recovery.

Flint still gasped for breath, clenching his knees, and was bent over. When he heard Shay express his view on their drills, streams of success overflowed from him. He yearned to shout his lungs out, yet he kept his excitement locked inside.

"From the first day, I wanted to ask you… Why did you choose such intriguing numbers for the four exercises?" Flint asked.

"Well, I can't say more than that it relates to my self-development, sorry. I'm glad you agreed without needing further details. And I was further surprised by your determination over the two weeks."

Although they stopped talking, they both knew how pleasing quietness could be. Thus, they didn't even notice the gap in their conversation.

"Shay… what are your next plans?" Flint said, breaking the deathly silence, noticing his friend's outstretched palm and his blazing, focused red eyes. "I can sense other ambitions are on your mind."

Shay looked at him, inhaled, composed himself, and spoke. "Okay, I think it's time to tell you my goals for this semester. You are a dear friend to me now, and I hope this won't change."

He needed to take another break before completing his speech, while his pal waited.

"I want to dominate the pyramid hierarchy. As I stand at the bottom, none of the people around even glance at me. And It's not like I care that much about it. What I dislike the most, both inside and outside, are the egotistical children of famous powerhouses. I plan to provoke and oppose those that come under my nose, but without support, it would prove unmanageable. And I don't wish for you to fight alongside me. I just desire a genuine friendship. Someone who will help me reach my goals not only by his abilities, but in regard to psychological state too."

Although prolonged talks were not his best field, this way, he couldn't miss out on any point.

Shock paralyzed Flint, leaving him rooted to the spot. Even his hand muscles tightened up.

"I know I might ask too much with so little to offer, but I believe in myself more than ever."

"Shay, I've considered you a relative the moment we met. Which means we both share the same enemy, the hierarchic society."

After this verbal exchange, they clapped their hands together, showing off their strong bond.

******

"Tsk, do you see those losers over there? Apparently, they've been running around the school multiple days straight. I swear to god they are just show-offs, thinking they can gain some recognition through hard work, ha."

The one who watched them from afar for a few minutes was a round built guy. Most people wouldn't be able to recognize where his hip and torso started, resembling a gigantic soft cannon ball. His head was shaped similarly, short brown hair sticking out like a fuze. Even his ears were like circular whirled discs, while his narrow eyes sank inside his thick skull.

"I mean, you can teach them the principles of life, no? I heard that the long-haired guy had beaten a second-year student. However, she never used her full force, so his power is questionable."

The other guy standing by was a lot thinner than his comrade. It's possible to say he was so slender, only bones supported his appearance to a recognizable human shape. The strangest part about him were the oversized clothes he wore, held by adjustable belts all over his limbs, looking like a straight up psycho from an asylum. His head was thin, and his other parts were flat. Only the black eyes in his sockets peeked out below his gray hair.

"Hmmm, sounds good! I think it's time to have some fun! A while has gone by since my last fight. Ha ha," sinister and deep laugh escaped his lips, almost unable to part.

The other guy smirked, waiting to witness the hilarious play to unveil. His body grew, clicks of belt configuration sounded through the air.

******

"Flint? You remember how I stumbled, right? It reminded me of one thing. When you ever see me injured and you won't be able to reach me, pour some water over me. You will soon fi—"

Crash!!! Boing!

Shay couldn't finish his words, as something soft engulfed his entire physique, being propelled at a high speed. The impact didn't hurt, rather it felt as if a trampoline shot him to the side.

Bang!!!

Hellish pain blazed through and pierced his whole body as he screamed in agony. "Uuurgh! Fuuuuck!"

He demolished the only fountain inside the full academy's school grounds. Chipped chunks of stone scattered around like meteorites, while clear liquid gushed over his form. The water was so pure, when his body sucked at a rate he hadn't experienced before, it mended his broken bones, bringing back an even more immense suffering.

Pant. Pant.

Shay was lying on the wet ground, full of debris. He looked at three distant figures. One was seemingly further than the other two, yet traced around both of them.

'I don't want tor go through this shit again, ever! What happened? Who is that fat bitch and that giant far from them?!' Fury dwelled from within his heart. He clenched his fist and punched the ground, creating an unnoticeable crater under the flowing water.

Ding!

[Mission: You never know when you beat the odds. Achieve an impossible victory. Reward: ?????]

Although his injuries were healed, he waited for his clothes to get fully drenched, preparing for the toughest fight of his life.

Meanwhile Shay's recovery, the round guy, joked. "Ha ha, sorry, I got into a fight with my buddy and didn't notice you were close by."

Flint was shaken from the sound of his friend's impact, leaving him locked in place. He never fought a human being, since most people wanted to get on well with him. Thus, he couldn't do anything but watch the round figure that launched Shay a hundred meters farther.

"Huh? What are you staring at?"

Bam!

Before stepping toward Flint, Shay rushed out to assist him, creating a swift breeze around him. With his 4x speed and strength, even such a big guy rolled a short distance away, but his fist was almost shattered upon clashing with the guy's face. Even if three out of five of his fingers broke, a series of familiar feelings trailed through his hand, consuming some of the water inside his clothes.

'?????'

'Just fucking why! I thought his Bloodline Mastery would do something with flexibility, not that he can change his body's characteristics! Shit!'

"Did you think a mere punch would be enough to beat me? Don't make me laugh!" He shouted, a deep voice coming through others' ears.

"Fatso, you struggle with balancing your obese body. I could probably run around and you would be exhausted! However, I know your friend wouldn't allow that for entertainment purposes, right?"

While the guy tried to process Shay's insults, he whispered to Flint something that was illegible for the person in front of them.

"What did you just say?! A fucking commoner doesn't have the right to insult me!"

He rushed toward Shay; the ground shaking. He closed the distance quickly. One might say, given his weight, he was a 'fast' runner. Although ordinary people would have already died by the first strike, Shay was different.

At that moment, it wasn't a brawl anymore, but a dodging battle. He dodged every torpedo-like attack that might injure him.

Flint, on the side, prepared for an opening, hiding behind their fight to not get spotted by the other dude, who could intervene with their plan.

Shay's thoughts whirled in his mind, each sentence intensifying. 'Please fucking work. Fucking Work. WoRk. PLEASE JUST WORK!'

When he saw a weakness in his footwork, he threw a low kick at one of the legs, knocking him off balance.

"NOW!!!"

Flint sprinted toward the fallen guy, preparing his healing skill to reverse engineer the guy's body structure from being elastic or hardened to a normal state. Simultaneously, Shay jumped high, connecting his fists in a shape of a hammer, striking down with all his might.

Boom!

The land was not able to withstand the pressure, resulting in crackles several meters long. The exposed concrete wasn't reinforced, so it made sense such power would damage a vast area of this material. While the ground tried to stabilize its form, the round guy vomited many mouthfuls of blood.

Shay was ready to knock him out completely, but was stopped immediately.

Multiple teachers appeared in front of him, forcing a stop to the battle.

"I think he has enough." Blarken stood beside him, shooing him away.

"Normally, your homeroom teacher, Galia, would talk to you about it. However, I have something important to discuss with you. Get to my office in the morning the next day, ok?"

After finishing his statement, he picked up the messed up figure under his feet and rushed off.