(Rodova Military Academy, The Mess Hall â Present Time)
After Yu Shen and the other circuit team members exited the mess hall, a heavy silence hung in the air.
All eyes shifted toward Leo and Su Yang, the two first-years who had just been publicly humiliated and overpoweredâand the gazes that fell upon them today were not something they were accustomed to.
They were used to admiration. Fear. Respect.
But today?
The stares directed at them carried none of those things.
Instead, they were filled with pity. Mockery. Satisfaction at their downfallâthe same kind of looks that had been cast upon the unfortunate first-year Su Yang had crushed on the very first day.
But now, it was their turn.
Leo could feel the weight of those stares pressing down on him, his male pride burning from within as he winced at the bitter taste of helplessness.
He had faced many things since arriving at this academy.
Fights. Threats. Insults.
But never had he experienced such complete and utter powerlessness.
It gnawed at his insides, twisting his stomach into knots.
Yet, as much as it stung for himâhe could tell that for Su Yang, it was so much worse.
The prideful golden boy of the first-years, always so composed, always carrying himself like a king among menânow stood unnaturally stiff, his jaw clenched so tight it looked like it might shatter.
His hands were trembling, his entire body tense with barely contained fury.
And thenâ
"Fuck thisâ" Su Yang hissed through gritted teeth, his voice laced with seething rage.
Without another word, he stormed out of the mess hall, leaving behind his half-eaten plate of food, refusing to meet the eyes of anyone.
*Giggles*
*Chuckles*
The moment he left, a ripple of muffled laughter followed.
Soft at first.
Then, louder.
The quiet snickers turned into whispers. Then murmurs. Then outright chuckles of amusement.
It was like watching the mighty fall.
And as Leo followed after himâhe heard it.
The hushed voices, the barely restrained snickers, the amused smirks forming in his peripheral vision.
It burned.
It burned so fucking much.
But he didnât react.
He wouldnât react.
Because right now? Right now, anything he said, anything he did, would only make it worse.
So he just walked.
Step after step.
Keeping his face blank, his eyes cold, his movements steadyâas if he didnât hear, as if he didnât care.
But inside?
Inside, his blood boiled.
Inside, he replayed the moment over and over.
Yu Shenâs condescending smirk.
The unbearable weight of his power.
The helplessness. The humiliation.
And as he made his way through the academy corridors, heading toward his dormâone thing became very, very clear.
This feeling?
This unbearable, gut-wrenching, rage-inducing powerlessness?
He never wanted to experience it again. No matter what.
********
(Leoâs Dorm Room, 22C)
After reaching his room, Leo slammed the door shut as he began pacing around the room like a maniac.
He couldnât stay still, because he was far too agitated to sit without motion, and hence pacing around became his only option to vent.
"Fucking cock-sucking, motherfucker!" Leo snarled, his voice low but venomous, as his mind spiraled into an endless loop of rage-fueled scenarios.
Continue reading on Freewebnovel
At first, all he could think about was how he would hurt Yu Shen if he had the power to do so.
He imagined smashing that smug grin off his face.
Imagined turning the tables the moment Yu Shen dared to look him in the eye.
Imagined making him feel the same helplessness that he had inflicted on him.
But then, the scenarios shiftedâ
Instead of what if I had the power?
It became what if I had outplayed him?
As the scenarios he cooked up in his head became even more delusional.
He thought about how he should have countered the humiliation.
How he should have flipped the situation on its head.
How he should have made Yu Shen look like the fool instead of standing there like a frozen fucking idiot.
But none of it mattered.
Because him cooking those scenarios was not going to change what had already occured in reality.
And it wasnât until half an hour later, when his rage had simmered just enough for his mind to regain some semblance of clarity, and when he looked at his own crazed reflection in the bathroom mirror, that the weight of it all truly hit him.
This was pointless.
It didnât matter how many ways he reimagined the scenario, for it was not going to change what had already happened.
No.
It would only make him weak.
As instead, what he needed to do wasnât to stew in useless what-ifs, but rather accept it and move-on.
What he needed to do now was to plan, to figure out exactly what it would take to ensure that this never fucking happened again.
Because whether he liked it or notâ
Yu Shen and the entire second-year circuits team were stronger than him.
And that?
That was an undeniable fact.
âFreaksâŠ. Theyâre freaksââ Leo thought, as he recalled the gaze of the members standing behind Yu ShenâŠ.
Those who had not even acted today, as he recalled how even they exuded a power that Leo couldnât hope to easily match.
"They want to face me this SundayâŠ. The whole academy will be watching.
Thatâs my chance to fight backâ
If I can show a strong performance there, then I can send a message that Iâm not to be trifled with," Leo mused, as he began psyching himself up for the fight to come.
"I need to re-practice my skillsâŠ. all of them! I need to get back to my peak.
I need to become âTheBossâ yet again.
If I wish to have any hope of defeating them, then I need to get back to my martial peak!" Leo mused, as grabbing a couple of daggers from his storage space, he rushed out of his dorm room, headed straight for the practical combat training field.
**********
(Meanwhile Su Yang)
Unlike Leo who managed to regain his calm after a few minutes, Su Yang failed to do the same, as the destroyed furniture in his room served as a proof of his bubbling anger.
"Who the fuck does he think he is? That fucking second year cunt! Iâm the Su Family Blood Descendent.
Someday I will be the Su Family Patriarch.
Yet he dares lay a hand on me?" Su Yang spat, as he lifted his half broken bed and smashed it to the ground yet again.
"To suffer such humiliation publiclyâŠ. They must pay a priceâŠ. This Sunday, I must reclaim my honor, or what good is the Su Family blood flowing through my veins?" Su Yang muttered, as looking towards the ceiling, he let his rage dry out the tear forming in his eyes, preventing it from falling down anyhow.
"I swear I will make it to the Rodova circuits teamâŠ. I swear Iâll prove to everyone that had laughed at me today that the Su family is not to be disrespected.
I may not be able to touch Yu Shen today, or anytime in the near future.
But I swear I will return the humiliation I faced today, in this life or the nextâ" Su Yang said, as he too rushed out of his room.
His destination, the swordsmanship training ground, specially created for swordsmen to test their power.