Alex stopped. His trembling hand still clutched the last button of his uniform, as if it were the final barrier between him and total ruin. His red, glassy eyes looked at me, searching for a sliver of certainty in the hell he was about to enter.

"After this… after all of this… you'll forgive me, right?" His voice was hoarse, almost drowned out by the whispers beginning to echo around us.

"Of course," I replied flatly.

"Promise," Alex hissed. He needed a guarantee hanging in the air, something he could cling to so this unimaginable shame would not be meaningless.

I almost laughed. Seeing him, the former golden boy, now begging for a promise like a terrified child, was deeply satisfying.

"Yes. I promise I'll forgive you."

That assurance was like pressing a switch inside him. Alex took a deep, shaking breath, then lowered his hand back to the button. His stiff fingers wrestled with the fabric, undoing one button after another in rigid motions. The faint creak of cloth and the sound of his own breathing were the only noises left in the suddenly silent corridor.

When his blazer opened, revealing the white shirt beneath, the whispers began again. When he took the blazer off and tossed it to the floor, a few small laughs followed. When he started unbuttoning his shirt, unseen hands lifted their phones. Camera lights flicked on, lenses aimed straight at him.

Alex froze. His wild eyes darted toward the source of the light, toward several students openly holding up their phones, their faces twisted with a sadistic delight.

"HEY! DON'T… DON'T RECORD THIS, YOU BASTARDS!" Alex suddenly screamed, his voice shrill with panic. He cursed, his face burning red with profound humiliation. "STOP IT! DO YOU ALL WANT TO DIE?!"

I stepped closer.

"Let them," I said, loud enough for Alex to hear.

"Or did you forget? You recorded me too. You laughed while you tortured me. You shared it. This is just fair payback."

My words hit him like a slap. Alex's face crumpled, and in his eyes I could see flashes of memory, those humiliating videos from the past now turning back to haunt him.

With a muffled groan, Alex turned his face away, trying to ignore the line of phones and staring eyes. He took off his shirt, then his shoes and socks, until only his underwear remained.

Alex bit his lip until it bled. Tears streamed freely. With movements growing ever stiffer, he removed the rest of his uniform, then undid his belt and lowered his trousers. Now all that remained was a pair of white underwear clinging to his shivering body.

He looked at me one last time. His gaze begged for mercy, for an end. I only shook my head slowly.

"Not yet," I said. "I said naked. Everything."

Alex clenched his teeth. The grinding sound was clear in the sudden silence. In his eyes, I saw bitter understanding. The point of no return had been crossed. After this, he would no longer be Alex Rutherford. He would become a joke, a mockery remembered throughout the academy.

With one final motion, he pulled his underwear down.

A collective gasp filled the corridor, a mix of shock, disgust, and disbelief. Camera lights flashed even more now. Alex stood completely naked in the middle of the crowd, his athletic body now exposed, vulnerable and trembling, his hands desperately trying to cover himself as the cold and shame made everything shrink.

From the corner of my eye, I saw them arrive. Yukie Iceblood and her group stopped at the far end of the corridor. Yukie herself showed no expression, but her sharp eyes swept over the scene coldly. Beside her, Maximus, Nerissa, and Isabel could not hide their disgust and contempt.

"Hey, Rutherford!" Maximus shouted loudly, cutting through the tense silence. "I knew you were a coward, but not this pathetic. Stripping naked and crying in front of trash like Socheron? What a mama's boy. Where are those muscles you always show off? Gone soft already?"

The mockery twisted like a knife in Alex's wound. His already pale face flushed deep red with helpless shame and anger. His fists clenched, but he knew he could do nothing.

"Come on, Alex!" Maximus continued, growing more excited by his suffering. "Since you're already naked, why don't you lie flat and kiss his shoes? Make it look sincere. You said you were sorry, right?"

Rough laughter echoed from those siding with Maximus. Alex lowered his head, his shoulders shaking. The tears he had been holding back finally burst, streaming down his cheeks. He knew it. At this point, there was no going back. His reputation was completely destroyed.

Suddenly, Alex dropped to his knees, then bent forward until his forehead touched the cold floor in front of me, a perfect prostration. His naked body looked utterly surrendered.

"I… I'm sorry, Adam!" he cried, his voice hoarse and breaking with sobs. "For everything. For every insult, every punch, every mockery. I'm a bastard. I'm trash. I deserve this. Please… please forgive me!"

All eyes turned to me.

The corridor was silent, filled only by Alex's miserable sobbing.

I looked around, at faces full of anticipation, fear, or even joy at witnessing another's suffering. My gaze finally returned to the trembling body prostrated before me.

"Alright, Alex," I said calmly. "I forgive you."

A loud sigh of relief escaped Alex's mouth. His body slackened slightly.

"But," I continued in the same flat tone, "that's after I beat you."

"Huh…?!" Alex lifted his head, his tear-filled eyes wide with disbelief.

It was too late. My first kick was already swinging down, slamming hard into his ribs.

THUD!

"Gah!" Alex was flung to the side, clutching his stomach.

I did not stop. I stepped closer and stomped on the arm he raised to protect his face. Alex cried out.

"For every kick you gave!" I snarled, kicking him again, this time in the thigh.

BANG!

"For every slap!"

THUD!

A kick to his back.

"For every insult you screamed!" I bent down and punched him in the face.

SMACK!

His nose, which had already been broken yesterday, started bleeding again.

Alex could only curl up, whimpering, not fighting back at all. He had given up. His naked body was now covered in bruises and scrapes, smeared with blood from his nose and split lip.

After beating and stomping on him for a while, I saw that he was barely moving. With one final hard kick, I sent his body rolling across the corridor floor straight toward Yukie and her group.

Alex stopped rolling and lay there naked and battered at Yukie's feet. He looked at her shoes, then slowly raised his gaze to meet her cold, emotionless stare. A shame deeper than physical pain washed over him, and he turned his face away, crying silently.

I stood up straight and adjusted my uniform slightly. Then I lifted my head and looked directly at Yukie. My purple eyes met her pale, icy ones. A thin smile, full of challenge and simmering hatred, spread across my lips.

The message was clear and undeniable: You're next.

Then, without looking again at the helpless Alex on the floor or the crowd frozen by the brutality they had witnessed, I turned around and walked away. My steps were steady, leaving behind the total destruction of a human being in that corridor.

[Quest: Revenge - Successfully Completed]

[You have received 5000 EXP.]

[You Have Leveled Up to Level 56]

[You Have Received 5 Stat Points]

I chuckled inwardly.

[Revenge Quest Generated]

[... ]

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