"Damn it, bastard, just attack alre—" Eunjo's warning was cut short as Jinu appeared in front of him in a blur, faster than any eye could follow. With a brutal kick to his stomach, Eunjo was sent hurtling backward, landing hard into the still water pooling at the cave floor. '
Crap! He's fast! Hirua thought, his eyes widening in surprise. Jinu crouched on the ground where Eunjo had been just moments ago. His tail swayed lazily side to side, like a cat playing with a mouse.
"A copycat, a microphone, a refrigerator, and a… what should I call you, Mr. Enhancer?" he teased playfully, eyes gleaming with mischievous challenge.
Before anyone could react, Crystal slammed a massive crystal boulder summoned from beneath the earth down where Jinu had been crouched on. The enormous weight cracked the ground with a thunderous bang.
"Ahahaha!" Jinu laughed, unfazed by the assault as he easily smacked Liarah to the side with one hand, sending her staggering.
Hirua narrowed his eyes, studying Jinu closely as he dodged and moved effortlessly. What exactly is this guy's Gift? Superhuman speed? Strength? Those devil horns and that tail… are they part of his power, or a quirk? They move like they're part of him, almost like an extension. His mind raced, piecing together what little he could observe.
Suddenly, a great wave of water surged toward their group. They braced themselves—but Jinu was already above it, levitating in midair.
Hirua blinked in disbelief. How is he able to hold himself still up there? he wondered. His gaze flicked to the tail—almost imperceptibly, it was fastened to the cave ceiling, anchoring him in place like a living grappling hook.
But where did the water come from? As the group absorbed the oddity, more figures appeared slowly from the shadows: a red-haired young man with a fierce gaze, a tanned male with striking white hair, and a girl with piercing blue hair and emerald green eyes. It was Kai, Daesan, and Seren.
Kai's eyes flashed with determination as he stepped forward, fists clenched. "We'll take this guy down—together." Daesan cracked his knuckles, muscles tense. "He's fast, but not fast enough."
Seren's voice was calm but fierce. "Stay sharp. Don't underestimate him." Before they could move, Jinu's laughter pierced the air.
With a sudden, whip-like flick of his tail, he lashed at Kai, catching him off guard. The red-haired boy stumbled backward, a sharp sting blossoming across his side. "Gah!" Kai grunted, clutching the wound, face contorted in pain.
Daesan lunged to help, but Jinu was already closing the distance, his black horns gleaming in the dim cave light.
In a blur of movement, he delivered a crushing blow to Daesan's ribs, sending him crashing against the jagged wall. Daesan gasped, wind knocked out of him, struggling to rise.
Seren darted forward, her blue hair flowing as she aimed a precise strike, but Jinu twisted effortlessly, grabbing her wrist and launching her across the cavern floor. She groaned, struggling to push herself up, eyes fierce but clearly hurt.
Hirua's heart pounded as he moved instinctively, readying to enhance his team's strength and speed—but the damage was done. Jinu stood tall, tail flicking with satisfaction, a smug grin plastered on his face. "Not bad, new faces. But you'll have to do better than that."
Crystal hissed through clenched teeth, brushing dirt from her arm. "He's playing with us!" Eunjo and Liarah exchanged grim looks, their earlier confidence shaken. Hirua kept his voice steady. "We can't let up. We need to think smarter, work together." Jinu's eyes glittered dangerously. "This next part will be fun."
Kai's fist ignited with roaring flames as he charged forward, heat rippling through the air. "Let me handle this!" he shouted, swinging a blazing punch toward Jinu's chest.
With lightning-fast reflexes, Jinu dodged, twisting his body with unnatural speed. But before Kai could recover, Jinu's tail lashed out like a whip, striking Kai's side.
Pain exploded, and Kai staggered back, the fire sputtering out as he gasped in agony. "Gah!" Kai gritted his teeth, clutching the burning sting across his ribs.
Daesan stepped in next, his fists crackling with electric arcs. "Let me try. Volt fist!" he roared, hurling a charged blow aimed directly at Jinu's head. But Jinu was drawing strength from the cave's shadows.
With a flash of those sharp black horns, he blocked Daesan's punch, countering with a brutal knee to Daesan's ribs. The wind rushed out of him, forcing him back against the jagged wall with a sickening thud.
Daesan struggled for breath, pain searing through his body.
Seren's voice cut above the chaos, steady despite the tension. She raised her hands, and the air shimmered as water coalesced into a sharp whirling blade. "I won't let you hurt my team." She lunged forward, striking at Jinu's arm.
With uncanny agility, Jinu grabbed her wrist, twisting and hurling her like a ragdoll across the rocky ground. Seren gasped, pushing herself upright, water droplets dripping from her soaked hair. Hirua's heart slammed in his chest.
"Focus! Use the Gifts together. I'll enhance your abilities. We can do this." The group exchanged determined glances, battered but not broken. Jinu's grin widened, tail flicking with feline grace.
"He could kill us if he want to, we must be careful." Crystal tightened her grip on her crystal boulders.
Jinu's grin deepened as he twirled his tail, eyes gleaming with cruel amusement. "You're making this too easy," he taunted, crouching low before springing forward like a coiled spring released.
He moved with lightning speed, his fists striking like black comets. Kai barely had time to raise his flaming fist before Jinu's punch slammed into his stomach, knocking the wind out of him.
Kai doubled over, flames flickering weakly around his hand. Daesan barely had a moment to react before Jinu spun, delivering a brutal uppercut charged with the weight of his strength. Daesan hit the cave wall with a harsh grunt, pain radiating through his ribs, but he forced himself to stay conscious.
Seren tried to summon a wave of water to shield the group, but Jinu was relentless. He barged through it effortlessly, grabbing her arm and twisting hard enough to make her cry out.
She collapsed to her knees, gasping for breath, water dripping from bruised skin.
Hirua clenched his fists, voice urgent. "Don't let him pick us off one by one." Before they could regroup, a shadow flickered where Eunjo had been struggling to rise.
Jinu was already there, crouched low with a wicked smile. "You're last," he whispered, voice low and mocking.
Eunjo barely had a chance to brace himself before Jinu launched at him, delivering a vicious barrage of blows—precise, punishing, and fast. Each strike landed with bone-jarring force, and when Jinu's fist connected with Eunjo's jaw.
As Eunjo struggled to push himself up, blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. His eyes burned with pain—and something else: fierce determination.
The rest of the group watched helplessly, the sting of their wounds grounding them as Jinu stood tall, victorious for the moment.
Hirua blinked, his thoughts racing. Is this allowed?
He recalled the papers he'd signed—something about the school only sending the body to it's family once the examinee dies. But this... this was far from what he expected.
Before he could fully process the thought, a blur shot toward him. Jinu suddenly appeared right in front of him, delivering a swift, brutal kick to his jaw.
Pain exploded across Hirua's face, and he stumbled backward, barely managing to stay on his feet. "Damn it!" Hirua growled, shaking off the blow as best he could.
Crystal reacted immediately, summoning a large crystalline barrier that erupted from the ground, encasing everyone inside.
The clear, jagged wall shimmered, trapping Hirua and his teammates in a tight space—every surface gleaming with sharp facets—except for Jinu, who stood just beyond the shimmering prism, free and unrestrained. Jinu smirked, tail flicking lazily.
"Now, this is more like a proper fight," he teased, eyes gleaming with dark amusement. Inside the barrier, the group exchanged quick glances, their injuries fresh but their resolve hardening.
Hirua wiped blood from his lip and met their gazes. "We're not done yet. Not by a long shot."
Seren wasted no time, pulling flasks filled with shimmering water from her bag and handing them out to everyone. "This should help us heal—for now," she said calmly.
Crystal carefully forced a flask between Eunjo's lips, who was still unconscious. Slowly, Eunjo drank, the liquid glowing softly as it worked its magic beneath his skin.
Hirua chugged down his own flask, wiping the blood from his mouth with the back of his hand. "What are we going to do?" Hirua asked, glancing at the others while their eyes fixated on Jinu's shadow lurking just beyond the crystalline barrier.
"That guy's a second-year student from Class X—the highest tier at Hero Academy."
"Should we just surrender?" Seren's voice trembled slightly, uncertainty flickering in her eyes.
Hirua shook his head firmly. "No. I've got a plan." He gathered the group together once Eunjo was fully restored, determination burning clear in his gaze.
Minutes later, Crystal's crystal barrier shattered with a resonant crack, sending shards sparkling across the cave floor.
Seren and Eunjo, now standing side by side, lifted their hands, commanding the still water pooled around the cave to rise into the air, swirling into countless droplets suspended like diamonds catching the faint light.
Hirua shouted, "Now!" At his signal, Crystal summoned massive crystal boulders, hurling them fast and true to shield their team.
Simultaneously, the droplets sparked and exploded into jagged crystalline spikes, erupting violently all around Jinu's surprised form.
Darkness fell as the cave echoed with the sound of crashing stone and silence. When the dust settled, the group exchanged triumphant smiles, thinking their plan had worked.
As the dust settled, an eerie silence filled the cavern. The group held their breath, expecting to see Jinu defeated or at least struggling beneath the spiked crystal trap.
But then, their eyes widened in shock.
There, perched casually atop the jagged crystalline spikes they had summoned, sat Jinu. His legs crossed with a relaxed air, and in one hand, he delicately held his cracked glasses, inspecting them as if mildly annoyed.
"What the..." Hirua muttered, disbelief coloring his voice.