Alex slowly opened his eyes. The world around him was blurry at first, then gradually sharpened into the white ceiling of the academy's medical ward.

To his surprise, there was no pain left. Only a faint dizziness when he first woke up, and even that faded quickly. He raised his hand and touched his own face. Smooth skin. No bruises. No swelling. His body had been completely restored thanks to the academy's high–tier healing facilities.

But what could not be healed was the humiliation burning in his chest.

"That... trash," he muttered under his breath, voice trembling with boiling hatred.

Isabel, who had been sitting in a chair beside his bed, immediately turned toward him.

"Alex! You are awake. How do you feel?" Her beautiful face, once filled with worry, softened with relief.

"I am fine," Alex replied, sitting up straight. His movement was smooth, painless. Physically, he was perfectly restored. But inside, the wound was still fresh and bleeding.

His mind flashed back to the fight earlier, to how Adam had deliberately let himself get injured, lowering his guard just to create an opening for a counterattack. A suicidal tactic, the kind of trick used by someone who did not care whether he lived or died.

And the worst part: Alex fell for it. He fell for it and lost. Lost to the loser of the academy, the boy everyone had trampled on for years.

"Where is Yukie?" he asked suddenly, eyes scanning the room. "Did she... come to see me?"

Isabel clenched her jaw, though her expression remained controlled.

"No," she answered, sounding irritated. "She did not come at all."

Alex exhaled slowly. The disappointment on his healed face was impossible to miss. Isabel studied him for a moment before speaking.

"Why are you looking for Yukie?"

"I want to discuss Adam," Alex replied quietly. "About how he suddenly changed so drastically. And how we should... discipline him again."

In truth, Alex had never cared about Adam personally. Yes, he mocked him, stepped on him, and took part in the bullying. But it had never been out of personal hatred. He only did it because everyone else did, especially Yukie.

To Alex, Adam had always been background noise, trash that happened to exist around them. What he really wanted was Yukie's attention. The cold girl with white hair and emotionless eyes was obsessed with tormenting Adam, and Alex believed that by joining in, he could get closer to her.

Besides her chilling beauty and talent, Yukie was the daughter of the Winter Knight, an SSS–Rank Hunter. Being close to her meant opening the door to the upper circles of Hunter society. And if he could win her heart...

But now everything was different.

Adam, the boy who had always been beneath their feet, dared to fight back. Dared to hit back. And then dared to beat him senseless in front of everyone.

Alex's pride as the second ranked student in their year had been publicly crushed.

Even worse, it happened in front of Yukie.

This was no longer about following others. This had become deeply personal.

Alex reached into his pocket, pulled out his phone, and dialed a number he had memorized.

The call connected. Alex spoke with quiet, icy anger.

"I need help. There is someone in this academy who needs to be handled."

.

.

.

News of my awakening must have already spread throughout the academy within hours. A loser, a failure, the trash of society they liked to call me, suddenly awakened as a Rank A. And not only awakened, but also defeated Alex Rutherford, the second–ranked student of the third year, in a brutal fight.

The scandal must have hit the academy like a bomb.

I would not be surprised if outside media were already picking up the story. After all, my late father was the legendary Sword Saint, and my stepmother was the Star Witch, one of the few SSS-rank Hunters in the world. The story of their "failure" of a son suddenly awakening after years of ridicule was more than enough to draw attention.

As I walked through the academy's grand corridors, I could feel dozens of eyes following me. But this time, those stares were different. No longer filled with mockery or contempt.

Now they watched with fear. Unease. Curiosity.

Faces that once laughed at me now looked pale. They avoided eye contact. Their whispers trembled.

And their whispers were no longer about how pathetic I was—they were about what I had done to Alex, about my fight with Yukie, about this sudden and drastic change in me.

Turning into a quieter corridor, I was suddenly surrounded. About ten students—some I recognized, some I didn't—stood around me with uneasy expressions.

I stopped and looked at each of them calmly. I recognized many of their faces. These were the same people who once delighted in my misery, piling on insults or standing aside and watching as others tormented me.

Just as I wondered what they intended to do, one of them, a female student with brown hair, stepped forward with trembling hands.

"A-Adam," she whispered. "We... we want to apologize."

I raised an eyebrow, surprised.

A male student beside her, one who used to insult me every time I fell, quickly added, "Yes. We are sorry. For... everything. For every insult, every time we mocked you."

Then the others followed, one by one like falling dominoes.

"I am sorry I never helped you," another girl whispered, voice small. "I was scared. We all were. If I defended you, they would target me next."

I looked at them with a cold, unreadable expression.

Inside, I understood their real reason. It was not guilt. It was fear. They were afraid I would avenge myself. Afraid after seeing what I did to Alex.

They had been brave only when they believed I would never amount to anything. Now that I had awakened and proved my strength, their fear turned toward me.

A bitter irony.

Why did the academy treat me like trash to begin with, when I was the son of the most powerful Hunters alive? In the beginning, no one dared to touch me.

Everyone respected—or more accurately, feared—my stepmother, Delilah.

But everything changed when Yukie entered the academy. That white-haired girl started tormenting me almost daily, and nothing happened to her. My stepmother didn't react. The academy didn't intervene.

They all saw that even after I was beaten half to death, Yukie faced zero consequences.

Then Maximus joined in. A poor orphan with only an older sister. He entered the academy through sheer talent and hard work. When people saw that he could torment me without consequences, they realized the harsh truth: my family didn't care. My stepmother wouldn't protect me.

That was when everything changed.

Now, seeing them tremble in front of me, with apologies dripping in fear and desperation, disgust curled in my chest. But I kept my face neutral.

"I forgive you," I said at last.

A lie.

I would never forgive them. Not until the day I died.

Their faces lit up immediately.

"Thank you, Adam!"

"We really are sorry!"

"We promise we will never do it again!"

"..."

I nodded once and walked past them, not bothering to look back.

Inside, my hatred remained untouched. But for now, it was better to let them believe I had accepted their apology.

As I walked alone, my thoughts returned to Alex and Yukie. They were probably already planning something. Alex with his wounded pride. Yukie with her cold curiosity.

But something else mattered more right now.

I slipped my hand into my pocket, pulled out my phone, and scrolled through the contacts until I found the name I wanted.

Ruth Anvilhart.

I pressed the call button without hesitation.

The phone rang several times before someone picked up. A familiar woman's voice came through the line.

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