"Who did this?"
Dark flames flickered in Eddie's eyes, as if ready to murder whoever had harmed Jake. Kyle, however, did not feel such emotion.
He looked down at Eddie's hand and noticed it was covered in a black, smoke-like energy, growing brighter with each passing second. At that point, he spoke, his voice calm:
"I don't know, I just got here. And you'd better calm down, or you might cause some destruction here... and hurt yourself in the process."
He stepped forward to help Peter off the ground, laying him halfway against the wall. After checking his vitals, it was a miracle he was still alive.
Eddie, having calmed down slightly, rushed over to Jake's side and said, "We should take him to the health bay, and fast."
Kyle replied in a flat tone, standing up and walking over to his bed, "You should do that. I've got somewhere to be."
"Huh?" Eddie was momentarily confused by Kyle's indifference, but didn't dwell on it. He quickly hoisted Jake onto his back and rushed out of the room.
As soon as Eddie had gone, Kyle lay on his bed and sighed. It was obvious who had done this to Jake. But really, it was Kyle's fault—for acting so immaturely, almost killing one of the bullies. It seemed they had recognised him faster than he had expected. So, naturally, they had decided to leave a warning by using the weakest of them as an example. If he didn't do something soon, things would only get worse.
"I just got here. No time to even settle, make connections, or earn any money. I haven't even received payment for that raid, and the whole team was nearly wiped out... what a hellish place... pfft."
He began to consider his options, though none seemed appealing. He had three, each more foolish and disadvantageous than the last.
The first was to settle it by foolishly accepting the bullies' rules and submitting to them. But that wouldn't stop the bullying. They would only make the Academy a living nightmare.
The second was to kill each of the bullies and eliminate every last one of them, thereby eradicating the hierarchy system entirely. But of course, he would be caught before managing to take down even two. The Academy's security used tech far more advanced than anywhere else on Tera—apart from the Council Home, where the rulers of the Kingdom resided. Even if he somehow evaded capture, cleaning up afterwards would be impossible. It would bring nothing but more trouble.
The last was to drop out of school altogether and enter child labour. No more chasing goals—just working as a receptionist at some random store, selling products he didn't even understand to people he couldn't relate to.
Naturally, none of these appealed to him, so...
At that moment, a thought lit up in Kyle's mind: the sects within the school. If he could manage to join one, perhaps he could receive some protection—and even a few benefits. But before making any decisions, he resolved to research all the existing ones thoroughly.
And that task would begin... tomorrow.
"Shit. I'm starving. I should get a bath and sleep a bit. I wonder if they've arrived at the health bay..."
---
"Is he going to be okay?" Eddie asked the male healer currently in charge of the health bay. The man had short brown hair, a mature face, and a tall, athletic build—likely in his mid-thirties. He wore a white top and jeans, with a book in his hands.
Healing magic was a different branch of magic. It often required notes or books containing spells, as it involved far more calculation than offensive magic. Naturally, it also consumed more energy than typical damage-dealing spells.
The man, who had introduced himself as Healer Ray upon their arrival, didn't seem surprised—more like someone who had seen worse. He had instructed Eddie to lay Jake on one of the empty beds. Many of them were unoccupied; only one other student was in the room, asleep.
"You can calm down. Your friend will be fine. Seems like one of those rascals was causing trouble again today. I really don't know why the Academy hasn't done anything to fix this problem..." Ray said, opening his healing book. He placed one hand on Jake and used the other to support the small book.
He then began murmuring incantations—so quietly that even Eddie, who stood close, couldn't hear a word. A white, translucent circle appeared on his palm, a triangle at its centre. It glowed brightly over Jake's body, accelerating the healing process.
After several minutes, Ray closed the book and placed it on a nearby table, then gave a reassuring smile.
"He's fully healed now. He just needs to rest for an hour or so, then he'll be back to normal. Just don't go looking for revenge. Many have been injured trying that. Stay calm—it'll all stop soon..." Ray said, though his words did little to ease Eddie's burning anger.
Someone will stop it? Why haven't they done that already? Probably the same story they tell every new student. Someone will end up dead before this 'soon' ever comes... Eddie thought, staring at Jake as he slept.
Don't worry, Jake. It'll all be over soon.
---
"Why don't we focus on getting stronger instead of going after the bullies one by one?" Kyle suggested, after being woken by Eddie stomping angrily into the room.
He had cleaned up and rested for about an hour, only to be stirred by someone entering aggressively. That surprised him. Normally, he was a deep sleeper, rarely waking unless nature itself forced him.
But now, it seemed his senses had sharpened after levelling up. Even his body felt lighter, and he didn't wake with the usual exhaustion.
Still, that wasn't the main issue. Eddie had suddenly raised the idea of hunting the bullies down individually, which Kyle found incredibly immature—especially after what had happened. He had already tried confronting one of them, and Jake had paid the price for it. Jake was the weakest among them and had been used as a warning.
Kyle wouldn't make the same mistake again. He would rather grow stronger, join one of the three strongest sect, and eventually become influential enough to fight back effectively.
How does that sound?