Chapter 10: "The Silence After Screams"***
> **"Some wars are won without a word spoken. Some kings never sit on thrones."**
> — Jay Hong
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### **\[1] — The Calm After Violence**
The air around Jungho had changed.
Not because he'd made a declaration, or because he boasted about his strength.
But because he'd made *someone disappear.*
People didn't talk about what happened under the abandoned overpass. The thug with a record of twenty-one assaults? Gone. Comatose. No one dared visit him in the hospital.
They said his eyes wouldn't close anymore. As if fear had frozen him mid-scream.
No one could prove it was Jungho.
But everyone *knew.*
And so, for the first time since his reincarnation, Jungho walked through school without even a whisper in his direction.
He wasn't invisible.
He was untouchable.
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### **\[2] — Daniel's Reflection**
Daniel sat beside Vasco on the rooftop, sipping banana milk.
"I thought he was just lazy," he muttered.
Vasco nodded slowly. "He is. But he's also… something else."
Daniel's eyes scanned the schoolyard below.
"You ever seen someone who's so strong that they scare *the strong*?"
Vasco flexed. "You mean like a boss of bosses?"
"Yeah," Daniel whispered. "Exactly like that."
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### **\[3] — Suhyeon's Theory**
Kim Suhyeon sat in his room surrounded by notes, systems data, psychological profiles.
Every time he thought he understood the structure of this reality—the balance between system users, fighters, delinquents, and the invisible rules that governed it—Jungho *broke* the algorithm.
"No system… no stats… yet he's outperforming even tier-two holders."
He tapped his keyboard, pulling up every known incident where Jungho was present.
The overlaps with Yoo Baekho's path were too perfect.
"They're opposites," he muttered. "A test subject… and a control variable."
Jay leaned in through the door. "Control variables don't usually break people's ribs."
"That's the scary part," Suhyeon replied.
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### **\[4] — Baekho's New Play**
Yoo Baekho stood in front of a mirror, straightening his blazer.
"Phase one was reaction," he said softly. "Phase two is *restraint.*"
He dialed a number.
"Deploy the next variable. I want to see if the 'monster' can be made to *hesitate.*"
On the other end, a woman with a voice like velvet replied:
"Understood. The girl is in place."
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### **\[5] — Jiwoo's Kindness**
Jiwoo returned to school after a few days off. No bruises. Just quiet.
She sat beside Jungho at lunch, offering him a new manga volume.
"Thanks," he muttered.
She smiled. "People think you're scary now."
"I am," he replied honestly.
Jiwoo leaned her head to the side. "Not to me."
He looked at her, confused.
"You always eat the crusts I leave behind."
Jungho blinked. "…That's not kindness. That's efficiency."
She laughed. It was light. Innocent. And for a brief second, Jungho felt the storm inside him calm.
Just for a moment.
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### **\[6] — The Test of Mercy**
That night, Jungho passed an alley where a teenager was being cornered.
Three men. Mid-twenties. Too old for this neighborhood.
He stepped in without a word.
The men laughed.
Ten seconds later, they weren't laughing anymore.
But Jungho didn't break their bones.
Didn't crush their ribs.
He simply *looked* at them until they ran.
The teen thanked him.
Jungho said nothing.
Later, a report reached Baekho.
"He let them go?"
The woman on the other end nodded. "Didn't even hit them."
Baekho's eyes gleamed. "So he *can* show restraint. Now let's see what happens when we remove his reason *not* to."
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### **\[7] — Rumors and Shifting Crowds**
In the next few days, students from rival schools came to observe Jungho.
Some from God Dog. Others from Ganghak.
None approached.
Rumors swirled:
* "He took down a pro boxer."
* "His eyes glow in the dark."
* "Even the system users avoid him."
Jungho ignored it all.
He sat under the tree, back to the wall, eyes closed.
Until someone new arrived.
A transfer student with silver hair.
He didn't say anything.
But when their eyes met, Jungho finally opened his mouth:
"…You're not from around here."
The boy grinned. "Neither are you."
And just like that, things began to shift again.
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