Ryan woke to the dull, throbbing ache of his own body.
It wasn't the sharp pain from a single injury—it was everywhere, deep within his muscles, like someone had implanted small needles inside them.
He tried lifting his arms. It was a big mistake.
A sudden jolt of pain shot from his shoulders down to his wrists and he winced so hard that it made his jaw clench. His ribs joined in, a dull protest every time his lungs expanded as he tried to breathe.
Still, when he pulled his system panel, a flicker of satisfaction broke through his misery.
[Strength: D]
[Endurance: D+]
A small bump, barely a small level up which he just got—but in his current state, it felt like proof that yesterday's hell of training was worth it.
"Heh..." he let out a sigh as a smile appeared on his face.
[Host, don't get too happy because you have to do that all over again tomorrow. (˶˃⤙˂˶)]
Ryan let out a deep sigh as he put his palm on his face. "You, blue mf. You just can't see me happy for a second, right?"
[No, host! It's not like that, I was just trying to tell you the truth, hehe.]
Ryan then went quiet as he realized that he had to do that every single day until the inter-club tournament.
He suddenly let out a loud groan as he put his head back on the ground against the thin pillow. 'Hell... I've basically signed up for literal hell.'
But it was better than sitting in a cramped bathroom stall during lunch just to avoid getting jumped by the bullies.
Better than the bruises which he had to hide with long sleeves. At least now, the pain in his body was from something he chose himself, not from something which someone forced on him.
"Yeah," he muttered under his breath, swinging his legs over the side of the bed. "I'll take this over that any day."
The gym was still quiet when he left. No Arthur today—he'd locked up the place after last night's insane punching bag display.
Morning light spilled through the hallway windows, but it didn't feel warm at all. His legs felt like they were dragging through sand, crying in agony.
His gaze stayed on the floor as he made his way toward the main school building, mind drifting a bit.
He barely noticed any shadows which were falling across his path until—
THUD!
His shoulder smacked into something solid.
Ryan stumbled a step back, lifted his head up as he looked in front—then froze.
Four guys stood in front of him, standing in a loose formation, felt like they were chit-chatting between them as Ryan disturbed their peace.
They were not the friendly type of upperclassmen. These were the kind of students which even teachers pretended not to see.
The one closest to him was tall and wiry, with a buzz of black hair and a tattoo ink curling out from under his rolled-up sleeves. His shirt was half-unbuttoned.
Next to him was a broad-shouldered guy who was wearing a hat, hands were buried in his pant pockets, but his posture was a bit intimidating.
Leaning casually against the lockers was a guy who was chewing gum, jaw working on it slow and steady, eyes scanning Ryan like he was deciding where to start carving.
The last one stood slightly behind him, shorter than the rest but with a stare sharp enough, fists flexed and unflexed like he was warming up for something ugly.
Ryan's pulse kicked up instantly as his body moved before his brain could, taking a couple of small steps back.
"S-Sorry... I wasn't—"
The scarred one stepped forward as he leaned in until Ryan could smell the stale cigarette smoke and cheap cologne on his breath.
"You can't see what's in front of you, chubby bastard?"
His voice was calm, almost quiet—but there was something in it which made Ryan's spine stiffen.
"I...I wasn't paying attention," Ryan muttered, avoiding his eyes.
The buzz-cut guy circled halfway around him, resting a heavy hand on Ryan's shoulder, his grip was firm enough to make Ryan feel like he couldn't even move if he wanted to.
"Yo, newbie," he drawled, drawing out every word of his. "Watch your place, yeah? We'll let you go with a nice one punch each, don't try to resist because it definitely sounds fair, right?"
Ryan's pulse was pounding now. "No, please, just let me—"
The gum-chewer didn't wait for any signal, his fist came up fast, aiming straight for Ryan's jaw.
Ryan's body reacted on its own.
His right arm shot up, palm open, forearm angled towards the right and the punch slammed into it instead of his face.
THOCK!
The shock ran through his arm, but he held firm. For a second, the hallway went silent like the hall was always empty.
The gum-chewer froze mid-step, his eyebrows shooting up.
Ryan blinked as he looked down at his own arm like it wasn't even his. 'I... I blocked that punch?'
A small grin appeared on his face as a bead of sweat rolled down his temple. The other three exchanged quick looks—not fear, not yet, but definite surprise.
A chime echoed inside of his head.
[DING! New Quest: Escape without any scratches.]
[Reward: Information about the school gang hierarchy.]
'Yeah, exactly. I was wondering how you didn't give me an unexpected quest, you just love seeing me in trouble.'
Ryan's eyes darted between the four of them. His heartbeat drummed against his ribs.
'Without scratches, huh? Let's try, I guess.'