Quest - Part 3...

~ Ayano Pov ~

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"Thank you, Keiji... for doing this for me." Sekai wiped her tears.

I waved, "It's not a problem, really... I was just looking out for a fellow classmate."

She nodded at me, "I see..."

We must have stood there for the past half a minute of not saying anything to each other, "Alrighty then. If you need anything, you can talk to me anytime, I'll be up on the roof with my friends though."

Sekai managed a small smile, though her eyes still held a trace of exhaustion. "The roof, huh? Funnily enough, it sounds like a typical spot for you."

I chuckled. "What can I say? Nice breeze, good view, fewer people... It's nearly the perfect hideout."

She shook her head lightly, almost amused. "Maybe I'll take you up on that offer sometime."

"Feel free to." I gave her a casual wave off as I turned to leave. "Just, don't go overthinking things too much, alright?"

She hummed in response, but I could tell my words wouldn't be that easy to follow. Still, she looked a little lighter than before...

As I made my way back toward the school building, I let out a quiet sigh. The system had roped me into another emotional mess, but... maybe this one wasn't so bad.

At the very least, Sekai wouldn't be carrying all of this on her own anymore. Though, I looked back, seeing her make her way towards the school's exit, and I caught a glimpse of what really was in her bag that shined earlier...

And what I saw gave me the chills.

'A-A knife...? Just what the hell was she gonna do with that?' I didn't even want to think further on it. I just hoped it wasn't something as bad as I thought it would be, or would've been. I shook my head, still feeing a bit creeped out. I checked the time, and of course... It's already near 4 PM.

I had to make my way back to that school again, there should be at least seventy guys there...

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While I walked through their school's entrance, the air felt thick with something odd—like a place where violence wasn't just expected, but also a routine. I could tell, this wasn't some ordinary school anymore; it was practically a breeding ground for these kids, and I was pretty much stepping right into their den.

Seventy guys... That was my goal here. A mix of wannabe gangsters, delinquents, and straight-up bullies who thought they could do whatever they wanted without consequence... The system hadn't given me a specific target, but I already knew what I was here to do.

Hunt... Interestingly, ever since the first time. I found myself coming around the idea of just beating their asses. Maybe I was becoming a bit sadistic? Regardless, I was definitely enjoying how much I improved in these bouts...

I stepped into the dimly lit hallway, scanning my surroundings for a bit, I needed to get the general layout just in case something went south, but... I doubt it would, personally at least. The few students still lingering around gave me quick glances before looking away... They weren't the ones I was after... No, the real trash would be a bit deeper inside—probably near the gym or out behind the school, where teachers rarely, or never patrolled.

As I turned the corner, a loud thud echoed through the hallway, followed by a low groan...

I didn't even hesitate.

Pushing forward past the corner, I found exactly what I had expected—a group of three guys standing over some poor kid slumped against the lockers. One of them had his foot pressed against the kid's side, applying just enough pressure to make him squirm but not enough to leave any lasting damage.

"Oi!!!" I called out.

The three turned to face me, their expressions shifting from amusement to mild annoyance.

"The hell do you want?" the tallest one sneered, stepping forward.

I tilted my head slightly, sizing him up. He was bigger than me, probably the type to rely on his size to intimidate people... His two friends weren't that much different either—thick-headed, overconfident, and completely and utterly unaware that they had essentially just become my first targets...

I slowly cracked my rather stiff knuckles. "Don't worry... I was just passing through, but now that I'm here... why don't we have a little chat?"

One of them scoffed at me. "Yeah? And what exactly do you wanna talk about? Huh! Shrimp?"

I smiled, "The fact that all you fuckers were still standing."

"Hah??? Did you guys hear this little midget?" He came closer, "Say that shit. One. More. Ti-Plrush!"

My fist crashed into his gut before he could even finish his sentence... His body jolted, and for a second, it looked like he forgot how to even breathe. His eyes widened in shock, his mouth hanging open as he stumbled back, clutching his stomach...

I stepped forward, my presence towering over his crumbling confidence. "What's wrong? I thought you wanted me to say it again?"

The two others tensed, their earlier smugness fading. One of them clenched his fists, stepping forward aggressively. "You little—!"

I didn't let him finish either.

BAM!

Twisting my body slightly, I threw a sharp kick straight into his right knee. A sickening crack echoed throughout the halls, and he let out a strangled yell as he dropped onto one leg. Before he could even hope to recover, I grabbed him by the collar and drove my knee straight into his face, sending him rag dolling onto the floor...

The last kid was hesitating... His eyes darted between his downed friends and back to me, realization creeping in. He must've realized that he wasn't dealing with some random student who didn't know how to throw a punch—he was dealing with someone who had been through this before.

I rolled my shoulders, flexing my fingers... "Come on, don't tell me you're done already?" At this rate, he'll make me look like the bad guy here.

He took a step back. Then, another.

'Coward.'

I sighed. "Tch... What a damn waste..." Before he could fully retreat, I lunged forward and grabbed his wrist, twisting it as I slammed him into the lockers. His skull bounced off the metal, and he slumped down, groaning...

I exhaled sharply, looking down at the three bodies at my feet.

"Pathetic." I turned to see the kid they had been bullying was still sitting against the lockers, his wide eyes darting between me and the guys I had just taken down...

I turned to him... "You good?"

He swallowed hard and nodded at me quickly.

"Then hurry and get going, this place will tun into a bloodbath real soon."

He scrambled to his feet and ran off without another word... 'It would've been even a little nice to get a small thank you at least...' I watched him disappear down the hallway before turning my attention back to the unconscious and groaning idiots on the ground.

This was only the beginning... There were still at least sixty-seven more of these absolute idiots to go on my to-do list... And, I was only just getting warmed up. Though, since there's no one really around anymore, I might as well use my golden key while I'm at it. Like usual, I took it out and twisted it, seeing multiple cards flashing before my eyes.

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Finally it landed, called, Multi-Strike Destruction, is says it's a technique that allows the user to strike multiple times with their fists to deal massive damage. The cost was the exact same as the Charge shot skill. Meaning I've only got 5 shots in me for both, individually.

Footsteps~

I turned to see a few more of those thugs, 11 more, give or take

I took a slow breath, steadying myself as the eleven thugs closed in. They weren't like the last three—these ones were bigger, meaner, and looked like they actually had some experience in fights. Some even carried makeshift weapons, pipes, and wooden bats...

One of them, a tall guy with a scar over his lip, pointed his bat at me. "You're the bastard who just took out Yuto and his guys, right?"

I was confused here, "Took out? Wait a minute... I don't think you all even understand your situations here... All of you kids are worse than scum to me."

A few of them bristled at that, one even cracking his knuckles. "You cocky little shit, you think you're tough just because you got lucky?"

"I don't need that crap. My life doesn't run on something like luck. But, since you have that much talk; Why don't you come find out?" I flexed my fingers, feeling the surge of energy from my new skill ready to go. Multi-Strike Destruction—five uses, and potentially five chances to put them down, hard.

The Scar-lip one growled. "Get em'!"

They rushed in as a group, trying to overwhelm me all at once. Big mistake.

The first one swung his bat at my head. I sidestepped, grabbed his wrist, and crushing it near completely—he howled in pain as I slammed my knee into his ribs. Before he could even scream anymore, I activated Multi-Strike Destruction.

BAM! BAM!! BAM!!! BAM!!!!

A literal flurry of rapid punches hammered into his gut and chest, each strike landing with the force of a sledgehammer. His body jerked violently before he collapsed onto the floor, coughing and left wheezing...

'Oh yeah. It's definitely strong. Nor did it have a cooldown either.' There must have been ten to fifteen hits in one use of the skill. Despite me holding back my strength, it's still stronger than what I held back with, and faster too.

Another thug came from behind, aiming to bash my head in with a metal pipe. I ducked just in time, spinning low and sweeping his legs out from under him. He hit the ground hard, but before he could move, I stomped down on his arm, forcing him to drop the weapon. Grabbing the pipe for myself, I slammed it into his shoulder.

CRACK!

"GRAGHH!!!! HAAA!!!!!" His scream echoed through the hallway while he cradled his shattered shoulder. That was two down.

The others hesitated, realizing this wasn't going to be as easy as they thought.

"Tch! Stop standing around!! Get him already!" This same scar-lip idiot barked, shoving more of his own guys forward.

Three of them rushed me at once. I took a step back, gripping the pipe tightly. The first one swung at me wildly—I parried his strike with the pipe, then countered with a clean blow to his ribs. He doubled over, and I elbowed him in the jaw, sending him to the ground...

"Damn it!!!"

The second lunged, throwing an incredible wild and predictable punch. I tilted my head just enough to dodge before driving my knee straight into his abdomen. While he was staggered, I activated Multi-Strike Destruction again, this time aiming it the other kid beside him.

BAM! BAM!! BAM!!! BAM!!!! BAM!!!!!

The same series of precise, and absolutely brutal punches sent him flying backward into the lockers. The impact alone easily dented the metal, and he slumped to the ground, unconscious.

The third one was hesitating... I slowly pointed the pipe at him. "You still wanna try?"

He took a step back. "S-Screw, this!"

Before he could turn to run off, I ran forward, catching up and grabbing him by the collar and slamming him face-first into the lockers. He crumpled to the ground, knocked out cold.

Five down...

Scar-lip and the remaining six were still standing healthy, though they looked a whole lot less confident right about now. Still, I wanted to experiment with these guys a bit more though. Plus, I haven't even been using my newly learned martial art either. Time to change that.

"D-Damn IT..." I saw him clenching his fists. "What the hell even is this guy?!"

I didn't bother answering that one. But... Every time I use the skill, it always triggers with my arms... I wonder. Can it also be used with my legs as well?

Scar-lip and his goons were hesitating now, their confidence fading fast. My fists were still tingling from the last few hits, and my body was running hot from the fight. But more importantly—I had a new idea.

So far, Multi-Strike Destruction had only activated through my arms. But what if I really could channel it through my legs? If this skill wasn't limited to just punches, then I had just unlocked a whole new level of destruction.

I flexed my fingers, rolling my shoulders while eyeing the remaining six left. "Well...?" I taunted. "Are you guys gonna keep on staring, or are we actually fighting here?"

Scar-lip bared his teeth, but I could see the hesitation in his eyes... He wasn't as eager to rush in anymore, I was used to it already. "Tch…! You cocky little FU—!" I didn't even wait for him to finish that line. Testing my theory, I shifted my weight a little, and drove my foot into the ground—this time, channeling Multi-Strike Destruction into my legs.

Then I moved in within an instant, I was right in front of him, my knee went rocketing up toward his ribs.

BOOM!

Like it did before, It hit like a damn hammer, and before he could even react, my leg moved off again. A second strike, even faster. Then a third. And a fourth.

BAM! BAM!! BAM!!!

Each one sent literally small ripples through his body, lifting him off the ground slightly before my final knee strike launched him backward like a ragdoll. His body skidded across the floor, slamming into one of the remaining lockers with a heavy CRASH!

For a second, there was absolute silence. Then the other six must have lost whatever nerve they had left...

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"Y-YOU'RE A-A FUCKING MONSTER…!!" One of them yelped, stepping back. I rolled my eyes at that one. It's cringe hearing someone actually say it out loud too, but it's not like I could blame em' either.

Still, I only had around 500 energy points left, right? Fortunately, I think I know exactly where I'll be putting all my bronze keys. A few use of me own skills shouldn't be putting me out of the fight energy wise. 

I charged in, grabbing his mouth, lifting him in the air before he could process what was happening to him, "MPHR-GHHHHH!!!!" His muffled scream barely reached his own ears before I slammed his head into the nearest locker.

CLANG!

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The metal dented inward from the impact, and his body went limp almost instantly... I let go, letting him slide down onto the floor like the discarded he was...

I turned towards them "Now... It's just you five left..."

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END