THUMP!
THUMP!
THUMP!
The sound carried down the narrow hallway behind Lincolnville High's gym. Each impact was dull and wet, the kind that made your stomach knot just hearing it.
The storage wing was always half-dark, half-forgotten. Cracked windows let in pale light that turned the dust into floating ghosts.
From outside came the faint hum of the Autumn Festival — music bleeding through cheap speakers, bursts of laughter, the smell of fried dough drifting in on the air.
In here? Just the sound of fists meeting bone.
Three boys in school jackets circled a body slumped on the dusty floor. Shadows stretched long across the walls, twitching when one of them moved.
Every blow came with laughter. Not angry laughter. Not even nervous. This was the kind you heard from people enjoying themselves.
The boy on the ground wore white — or it used to be white. Now it was streaked with red. His temple was split open, blood sliding down his cheek. His nose bent the wrong way. He tried to move his fingers and felt… nothing.
A tall one with a mullet haircut crouched in front of him, blocking what little light there was. Liam Drake. Even his grin looked lazy, but his eyes were sharp and bright.
"You get it now, don't you, Noah?" His voice dragged like he had all the time in the world. "Next time I tell you to do something, you do it. No questions. Otherwise…" He leaned closer, his smile widening. "…it'll be worse than this."
He straightened, speaking like he was assigning homework. "And I've decided. Next time, you'll give me a thousand. I don't care how. Beg. Steal. Sell yourself. Just bring it."
Behind him, Ryan and Jake chuckled under their breath.
For Noah, those words weren't just a threat. They were fuel.
He clenched his fists, feeling the heat in his chest. Rage. But rage wasn't enough.
Because nobody here knew the truth.
He wasn't from this world.
Six months ago, he transmigrated into this body, the frail shell of an orphan.
Like the novels he used to read, he expected an advantage. A gift. A cheat code.
Instead? Nothing.
Even at the Awakening Ceremony three months ago, when classmates lit the sky with powers that could shatter buildings, he'd stood there with empty hands.
Zero. Useless. Prey.
"You listening to me, loser?"
Liam's foot slammed into his stomach. Pain exploded and he hit the wall hard enough to crack the plaster.
Ryan laughed. "Careful, Liam. You'll break the toy."
"Better that way," Jake grinned.
Noah wheezed, vision swimming.
Anger. Humiliation. Frustration. Pain.
The feelings came all at once, pressing in until it was hard to breathe.
'Why?! What did I do to deserve this?! Even in my second life, I'm still nothing?!' His scream stayed locked in his mind, his teeth grinding until his jaw hurt.
And then—
[System Activated]
Noah froze.
A faint blue shimmer flickered in front of him. A screen. Floating. Real.
[Due to a delay in system synchronization, the host will receive compensation]
[You have obtained an S-Class Super Ability: Starflame]
A shiver ran through him.
'A… system?'
His nails dug into his palms as his body trembled—not from fear, but from the overwhelming rush of vindication.
After months of humiliation, after all the suffering—finally.
Something hot surged through him, coursing through his veins like molten metal. His bones, his muscles, his very soul… burned.
Another line appeared.
[Extreme rage and deep-seated hatred detected]
[Special Skill Unlocked: Devil's Covenant]
[Description: When humans stand on the edge of despair, only the devil listens]
[Skill Effect: Increases strength by 1,000%]
[Additional Effects: Massively enhances speed, reflexes, and endurance]
[Consequence: Only activates when rage reaches its peak. Each activation erodes the user's humanity. If the limit is surpassed… another entity will take control]
"Oi, Liam! Look at him!" Jake laughed. "I think you made him cry!"
Liam smirked. "Good. Let's make sure he never cries again. Ryan, drag him here."
Ryan stepped forward and grabbed Noah's collar—
CRACK!
A sickening snap cut through the air as Noah crushed his hand. Ryan froze, shock flashing across his face—then the pain slammed into him.
"AAAAAAAAARGH!!"
His scream shattered the festival's distant noise.
Jake's grin disappeared. Liam's smirk faded.
Slowly, Noah rose to his feet.
The dust in the air seemed to bend away from him. His once-brown eyes now blazed with a demonic crimson glow. A suffocating aura of dark energy bled from his skin, cold and heavy like a predator's breath before the kill.
"You…" His voice was low. Calm. Deadly.
"…are going to die tonight."
The muffled laughter of the festival outside went on, unaware that in this forgotten corner of the school, something monstrous had just awakened.