Chapter 4 - Kiril

STARTER HIGH.

A school for normal humans. The same one Uncle Wren enrolled Haruno in, so he could "live a normal life"—because "he deserves a normal childhood despite his power."

"Listen, Haruno. You have powers, true. But you mustn't use them selfishly. Your powers are just a trait. You shouldn't abuse them, or they'll consume you."

"If used in the wrong hands... it's like a knife."

"Don't make that mistake, Haruno. Always be humble."

Bullshit.

Yuuto walked the halls, his thoughts sharp.

'Man, why did I even read that stupid manhwa?' He scoffed to himself. 'I guess I kept hoping for a payoff. But I should've seen the signs—the same bullshit Uncle Wren spews, and Haruno just eats it up.'

As he walked, his eyes landed on a classroom door.

2-2.

'Haruno's classroom.'

'Well, whatever. I've got nothing better to do. Might as well wait here in his seat till school starts.'

--- 1 hour later ---

"Haruno."

A voice called out, and the seat beside Yuuto shifted.

'Ah... him.'

Yuuto's gaze softened as he looked at the silver-haired teen beside him.

Kiril Baranov. A Russian foreigner. His homeland was wiped out by an SSS-rank gate—a disaster so massive that the ruins still stand, untouched - as well as the gate and monsters that are still being held-off by top-ranked hunters from invading other countries. The survivors scattered across the globe.

His parents died in the war. Now...

"Happy to see you! Did you sleep well?" Kiril smiled warmly.

... Haruno and Wren were all he had left. Not by blood, but Kiril was the kind of friend you only found in stories.

"Yeah. How are you?" Yuuto asked calmly.

'Right.'

'It's today.'

Yuuto's gaze darkened.

'Kiril's death. I'm kind of angry about that, since he's amongst the very few characters who were okay in the story, and didn't deserve to get shit on.'

"I'm doing great... It's just—haha—why did they even make us come to school today? We're nothing like hunters..." Kiril laughed awkwardly, rubbing his temple.

"The whole day's gonna be dedicated to the exam too," he muttered, already exhausted.

Yuuto scoffed. "Dumbass, do you really not know why they called us in? Who's gonna stroke their ego if we're gone?"

Kiril's eyes widened. His head snapped toward Yuuto.

"Haruno... that's—"

'Ah. Right.'

'I'm Haruno.'

'While I'm against being the punching bag, I'd rather not make him suspicious… How do I salvage this—'

"Hilarious!! Hahahaha!" Kiril suddenly burst out laughing. "I didn't even know you could be that funny!"

Yuuto exhaled slightly, watching him crack up.

'Also 'Ah, right'…'

'Kiril was really lenient with Haruno. That's how he kept his powers a secret from him—even after a decade of friendship.'

"Hearing you swear… wow. I think I have better odds winning the lottery," Kiril quipped, finally calming down.

A pause. Then, his tone shifted. "Nothing happened to you, right?"

"Oh, don't worry about it." Yuuto leaned back. "I guess I'm just mad. Misaki's dating Hojin, after all."

"WHAT!?" Kiril shot upright, eyes wide. "Why the hell would she date that Мудак?!" His face twisted in disbelief and disgust.

"No idea," Yuuto murmured, resting his chin on his palm. "Guess there's some hidden charm to him?"

"Charm of the penis breath, cyka?!" Kiril spat.

Yuuto tried to keep a straight face.

…But even he wasn't ready for that one.

"Pfft—god...damn it..." His smirk cracked as he lowered his head, struggling to stifle a chuckle. "Wouldn't that have passed onto Misaki, though?" Yuuto added, still grinning.

"Didn't smell anything when I saw that тупица. Maybe it moved back to Hojin when they made out?" Kiril exhaled, giggling along.

Then, his eyes widened.

"Ah, Haruno, I'm... I'm sorry, I didn't mean to insult—"

"Don't worry about it," Yuuto waved him off, steadying his laughter. "I know you always hated her guts, and yesterday I understood why. You're not cussing at her enough, if anything."

Kiril blinked. Then, his face lit up like a firecracker.

"Ах, ты даже не представляешь! That сука (bitch), that шлюха (slut), that грязная обезьяна (filthy monkey)! I swear, I see her and I wanna vomit—"

His voice picked up as he started ranting in pure Russian fury.

"Эта тупая пизда! Эта ебаная дура! Ссаная мразь! Гниющая корова! Полная безмозглая хуета! This блядь probably can't count to ten without using her fingers! Я ебал её в рот—"

Kiril stopped mid-sentence, then waved his hands. "—No, no, I take that back, I wouldn't touch that сраный мусор with a ten-meter pole! Even if she begged me!"

By the time he finished, his face was red, breath heavy, and hands gripping the desk like he just had a war flashback.

Yuuto watched in amusement, resting his chin on his palm.

"In Russia, we have a saying for girls like her," Kiril spat.

"Pretty sure you already named all of them." Yuuto smirked.

Kiril scoffed. "I barely scratched the surface. If you really wanna curse, learn Russian—there's an unlimited supply of swear words."

Yuuto chuckled but then tilted his head. "... There's something I wanna ask."

"Why did you hate her so much? Even before what I just told you?"

"Ah..." Kiril's eyes widened for a split second, caught off guard. "That's because—"

"ALRIGHT, EVERYONE, BE SILENT!" The teacher's voice cut through the room.

Kiril and Yuuto turned their attention to the front.

"Today, our humble abode—along with other schools—will have a joint session. We're heading on a field trip into a C-Ranked Gate! This will be the ranking evaluation test!" The teacher announced proudly. "Our goal today is to support one of our own as he gets his rank evaluated—our very own Hojin Daisuke!"

He gestured grandly toward the door, welcoming Hojin inside with open arms.

'That oaf was always late in the manhwa for normal lessons, but when it came to stroking his ego? Right on time.' Yuuto thought as he watched him enter.

Buff. Tanned. Piercings. Hojin soaked in the cheers from the classroom. Misaki wasn't here, but if she were, she'd be cheering too. His chin lifted slightly as the teacher continued.

"A B-Ranker from OUR SCHOOL!"

"Please, please, teacher..." Hojin raised a hand modestly. "I'm still not a B-Ranker yet. They need to evaluate me first..."

And the class erupted in admiration.

"He's so humble!"

"A real role model!"

The teacher bowed slightly. "Don't be so modest. You'll shock the other schools to their very core with your strength. Please, look out for us in the Gate."

Hojin smirked. "Of course, teacher! Who the hell do you take me for?!"

Then, his gaze slid toward Yuuto and Kiril.

Neither of them clapped.

'Heh... Guess he's still pissed about that bitch. Forgot his place for a second…'

Hojin's smirk lingered.

'Fucker... The Gate is a dangerous place. Anything could happen in there. If I were to accidentally slam my fist against that Rusky friend of yours instead of a monster...'

Hojin flexed his fingers as he stood.

'Everyone will be on my side.'

'I'll make sure of that.'

Kiril was one of the few who knew that Hojin tortured Haruno just for fun. But even among those who knew, he was one of the rare ones who actually hated him for it.

"I'll look after everyone. Just come to me!" Hojin nearly roared. The classroom exploded with cheers.

'...I need to enter that Gate.' Yuuto's mind sharpened. 'In the manhwa, Haruno stayed home—just like good old "wise" Uncle Wren advised. And that's where Kiril died.'

His eyes narrowed.

'200 students. Only 4 casualties. And Kiril was one of them? It almost feels like 3 students were killed just to cover up for one. Kiril being a casualty was too specific, considering he's Haruno's best friend.' 

Yuuto's fingers tapped against his desk.

'So, before I reveal that I'm a hunter and secure my future... I want to test something, as well. A theory I had while reading this manhwa.'

He stood up. "Teacher."

Kiril flinched. "Haruno?!" He whispered urgently. "What are you doing?"

Yuuto's voice was calm. "I want to go to the Gate as well."

Silence. The teacher's eyes widened, and students' heads snapped in his direction.

"Haruno's going...?"

"Isn't he dead-scared of dungeons? He can barely look people in the eye..."

Whispers spread like wildfire.

The teacher exhaled, shaking his head. "Haruno, I can't make last-minute changes. I'm sorry, but you should've thought about this at least two days ago. I already relayed the student count to the association—there's no room for mistakes."

Yuuto glanced at Hojin.

Hojin remained silent, his gaze flickering between Yuuto and the teacher. After a few beats, Yuuto sighed. "Alright… Sorry for interrupting."

He sat back down beside Kiril as the teacher resumed Hojin's praise.

Kiril leaned in. "What were you thinking, cyka?! You want him to bully you even more?" His voice was urgent, his glare sharp.

Yuuto muttered, "I just wanted to test something..." His gaze bore into Hojin, who looked satisfied.

Kiril scoffed. "Hope that was worth it."

Yuuto grimaced faintly. "…You have no idea."

Then, as if flipping a switch, his tone turned completely casual. "By the way, totally off-topic—you're not gonna swap seats with me, right? 'Cause I really wanna go on that trip."

"No way, I wanna see it." Kiril's gaze sharpened. "Those fucking things that ruined Russia—I wanna look at them up close as they get slaughtered." His fists clenched. Then, his tone shifted. "That aside, if your uncle knew what you just asked, he'd be very disappointed! You know he doesn't want you in danger!"

"Yeah, you're right. He really cares about me," Yuuto muttered with a shrug, his tone dripping with sarcasm.

"Боже мой... Something's really wrong with you today, Haruno." Kiril exhaled.

LATER

The bus had just left, rolling out of the school gates with two A-Ranked Hunters escorting it. Needless to say, the students were buzzing with excitement. Misaki had avoided Yuuto's gaze all day.

And now?

Yuuto sat alone in the empty classroom, watching the bus disappear in the distance. The substitute teacher had left minutes ago, scrawling a lazy "SELF-STUDY" note on the chalkboard before heading out.

Yuuto exhaled as he pushed his chair back.

'Alright…' He rose from his seat.

'Time to go.'

With a deep breath, he murmured:

"COLD BREEZE [LV.9]."

His form shimmered—then vanished.

He took a step, raising a palm to block the sunlight—only to watch the rays pass right through it.

'I can still see myself clearly… but to the ordinary eye? I'm invisible. Even most hunters wouldn't notice me... At least, that's how it worked in the manwha.'

His gaze flicked to his MANA bar.

MANA: 4,890/5,000

'Just enough to slip out of the school unnoticed.'

As he approached the hallway, groups of students walked past him—chatting, laughing, completely oblivious to the invisible figure standing just a meter away.

"Brr… Felt a chill just now."

"Odd… The windows are all closed."

They shrugged it off and continued walking.

Yuuto smirked. 'Neat.'

'Alright, Kiril. You won't die. Not if I can help it. Consider it a reward for being loyal.'

He slipped back into the classroom and approached the window.

'I'm a hunter. I need to get used to supernatural strength now—if I want to be efficient inside the Gate, or, any gate, really.'

Yuuto peered down. A 15-meter drop.Enough to shatter his legs if he were normal.

But he wasn't.

'I'm a hunter.'

He clenched his fists, forcing his shivering to stop.

'An S-Ranked hunter. I could fall off a skyscraper and walk away mostly unscathed… So come on. Jump… JUMP.'

His breathing quickened.

His body refused to move.

'Nah.'

Yuuto let out a slow breath. Then, a smirk.

"I'm Yuuto Sakurai first. Hunter second."

Then, with one powerful push, he launched himself out the window.

The force dented the window frame behind him as he soared through the air—higher than the school building itself.

'Fuck…' His breath hitched.

Now 30 meters up, he took in the view—the school shrinking beneath him, the city stretching beyond. He had done this. He had launched himself into the sky.

A rush flooded his lungs. His eyes widened.

The feeling of being a giant in a world of ants.

The cold air slapping against his face.

'Haha… Fuck… This is awesome…'

A barely restrained chuckle escaped his throat.

Then—gravity called. The air pressure roared against his ears as he plummeted.

"Okay, okay, okay, okay!! F-Fuck—MILFS, MILFS—MIIIIIIIIIIIIILFS!!!"

He crashed onto the school's grounds.

A shockwave of dust burst around him.

'That… HAAAH… That was…'

He stared at the ground, chest heaving, still in awe.

"Hey, did you hear that? I heard a boom outside!"

"Something landed here…?"

"A monster?!"

The students gathered near the dust cloud, murmuring anxiously—completely unaware Yuuto stood invisible right before them.

His pulse still pounded.

'That was fucking awesome… I barely feel anything… Oh, haaah… Now… hAAAH…' His head snapped up.

'Time to follow that bus.' He flexed his fingers.

'It left barely a minute ago.' His legs bent.

'One more jump, and I'll spot it.'