The summons came without warning.
One moment, Jack and I were walking through the crowded school hallway, discussing the logistics of Isabel's new training bootcamp. The next, a shadow fell over us. It was Hughes Jackson, the vice-leader of the Ruthless Animals, flanked by a who's who of my personal nightmare committee: Lina, Friedrich, Charles, and Joey. Their faces were a mixture of smug satisfaction and cold, simmering rage. Charles had a fresh bandage on his temple, and Joey walked with a slight limp. Souvenirs from our last encounter.
"The boss wants to see you," Hughes said, his voice a low, menacing rumble. It wasn't a request.
There was no point in resisting. We were surrounded, and I knew a public brawl would only end badly for us. Without a word, Jack and I fell into step, escorted by our own personal parade of tormentors. They led us away from the main school building, towards a part of the campus I'd never been to before—an isolated, single-story annex that was probably used for storage. The Tiger's Den.
The air grew colder as we walked, the usual sounds of school life fading behind us. My heart hammered against my ribs, a frantic drumbeat of anxiety. I glanced at Jack. His face was pale, but his jaw was set in a stubborn line. He was scared, but he wasn't going to show it. We had to be strong, not just for ourselves, but for the members of our guild who were counting on us.
Hughes pushed open a heavy metal door, revealing a large, dimly lit room. It looked like an old, abandoned workshop. The air was thick with the smell of rust and stale cigarette smoke. And in the center of the room, sitting on a makeshift throne of stacked wooden crates, was him.
He was a mountain of a man, at least 6-foot-5, with a physique that made Charles look like a child. Long, dark hair was tied back in a messy ponytail, and a lazy, arrogant grin was plastered on his face. This had to be him. The ghost. The final boss of Northwood High.
As my eyes met his, a cold dread washed over me, so intense it felt like being plunged into icy water. My [Advanced Appraisal] skill activated automatically, and a translucent white panel flickered into existence before my eyes, visible only to me.
Status:
Name: Kevin Lucas
Strength: 400
Agility: 366
Endurance: 340
Mentality: 390
Intelligence: 190
Mana: 0
Potential: S+
Skills: [Mastery in Taekkyon], [Mastery in MMA], [Tactician]
Passive Skills: [Cunning], [Dominating], [Toxic]
Superpower: [None]
My blood ran cold. The numbers were monstrous, on a completely different level from anyone I had ever seen. My own stats, which I had been so proud of, felt pathetic in comparison. He wasn't just strong; he was a master of multiple martial arts, a tactician, and his mentality was almost as high as his strength. Fighting him and Hughes together wasn't just impossible; it was suicide.
My first instinct was pure, unadulterated panic. My mind screamed at me to run, to find a way out. But then, a strange, cold calm washed over the fear. A thousand thoughts, a thousand strategies, began to churn in my mind, a whirlwind of possibilities and calculations.
System, activate all passive and analytical skills. [Great Leader], [Napoleon], [President], [Chanakya], [Experienced Strategist].
The world seemed to slow down. The panic receded, replaced by a sharp, analytical focus. I was still terrified, but the fear was now a tool, something to be managed and controlled. I was no longer just a scared kid. I was a leader. A king. And kings do not show fear.
"Sit," Kevin commanded, his voice a lazy drawl that still managed to echo with absolute authority.
Two rickety chairs had been placed in front of him. Jack and I sat down, our movements stiff. The rest of them—Hughes, Lina, Friedrich, and the others—fanned out, forming a silent, intimidating circle around us.
Kevin leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, his grin widening into something truly horrible. It was a predator's smile, full of cruel amusement.
"Adam Wilson," he began, his voice a terrifying, purring sound. "I am amazed. Truly. Most people would have broken after what you've been through. First, the little mental breakdown from Lina and Friedrich. Then the family threats, the emotional, physical, and mental damage… and yet, here you are. You didn't just stand back up; you formed your own little army, called it 'The Hunter's Guild,' and you actually managed to defeat some of my very core members."
He chuckled, a low, rumbling sound that did nothing to ease the tension in the room. "I won't beat around the bush. I'm impressed. It takes a certain kind of person to not only change themselves so drastically but to inspire that same change in others. You have some capabilities, kid."
"But boss, what the hell are you saying?" Charles suddenly interrupted, his voice a furious snarl. "He humiliated us and the Ruthless Animals! We need to beat him to death!"
Kevin's gaze, which had been fixed on me, slowly shifted to Charles. He didn't say a word. He just gave a slight, almost imperceptible nod to Hughes, who was standing behind Charles.
In a blur of motion, Hughes's hand shot out, grabbing Charles by the back of the neck. With a single, brutal movement, he slammed Charles's head into the nearby concrete wall.
CRACK!
The sound was sickening. A dark line of blood immediately started to trickle down Charles's forehead. But Hughes wasn't done. He slammed his head against the wall again. And again. And again, until Charles's body went limp and he slid to the floor in an unconscious heap.
The room was dead silent. Jack, beside me, was frozen, his face a mask of pure horror. I forced myself to remain calm, to keep my expression neutral, but inside, my stomach was churning. This was a power play. A demonstration.
"Thank you, Hughes," Kevin said, his voice still calm and pleasant, as if he had just asked for a cup of tea.
"It's my pleasure," Hughes replied, wiping a smear of Charles's blood from his knuckles.
Kevin's gaze returned to me, his eyes glinting with a cold, analytical light. "Now, where were we? Ah, yes. Adam."
"What do you want from us?" I asked, my voice surprisingly steady.
"Listen, Adam," he said, ignoring my question. "You have so many capabilities, and a capable team. I'll offer you two things. Either join me as a high-ranking official, or fight against us after one month. I know what you're thinking. Why did I give you one month? Why didn't I just clean you and the Hunter's Guild out? Because you are my amusement. And you know, I think it's better to give your enemy a little hope, then shatter them to their very core. What's your thought?"
Just as he finished speaking, two familiar, glowing green screens popped into existence in my vision, side-by-side.
[Side Mission]: Alliance
[Objective]: Become a core member of the Ruthless Animals.
[Duration]: 5 minutes
[Penalty for Failure]: [None]
[Reward]: 3x Random Skill Vouchers
OR
[Side Mission]: Rival
[Objective]: Accept the challenge to fight against the Ruthless Animals.
[Duration]: 5 minutes
[Penalty for Failure]: [None]
[Reward]: ???
My mind raced, weighing the options. The first choice, Alliance, was the logical one. The safe one. Join them, bide my time, and maybe, just maybe, find a way to dismantle them from the inside. The reward was tempting, too. Three random skill vouchers could be game-changing.
But then I looked at Kevin's face, at the smug, arrogant certainty in his eyes. I thought about Anna, about Rio, about the years of pain and humiliation that everyone in my guild had endured. Joining him would be a betrayal of everything we stood for. It would mean bending the knee. And I don't bend the knee.
My skills, my new kingly mindset, all screamed the same answer. A king does not serve. A king rules.
I took a deep breath, letting the cold, analytical calm wash over me. I met Kevin's gaze, and for the first time, I let a sliver of my own power, my own authority, bleed into my expression.
"Okay," I said, my voice low and steady, but laced with a new, dominating and suppressing tone that made the very air in the room feel heavy. "My answer is this. I accept your challenge. And in one month, I will defeat the Ruthless Animals."
The moment the words left my mouth, the room exploded. Friedrich, Lina, and the other goons all surged forward, their faces contorted with rage. "How dare you!" "Kill him!"
But Kevin didn't move. He just raised a single hand, and the room fell silent. He stared at me, his grin gone, replaced by a look of genuine, chilling interest.
"I will wait for you, Hunter's Guild," he said, his voice a low, dangerous promise. "Adam Wilson, I will make sure to put my feet on your head, then crush your face. Let them go."
Hughes stepped aside, and the path to the door was clear. I stood up, my legs feeling surprisingly steady. I walked out of the Tiger's Den, Jack right behind me.
We didn't speak until we were well away from that place, the cool, fresh air feeling like a blessing on my skin. We walked in silence for a few minutes, the only sound the crunch of our shoes on the gravel path. The tension from the meeting still clung to us like a shroud.
"Do you think I was reckless?" I finally asked, my voice quiet, breaking the silence.
Jack stopped walking and let out a long, shaky breath he seemed to have been holding since we left that room. "Reckless? Adam, my heart was about to pound its way out of my chest back there," he admitted, his voice raw. "When he offered you the chance to join them, for a split second, I thought, 'Take it! Just take the deal and we can get out of here alive.' I was terrified, man. Absolutely terrified."
He looked at me, his eyes searching my face. "But then I saw your expression. You weren't even considering it, were you?"
"I couldn't," I said, shaking my head. The faces of my guild members flashed in my mind—Anna's tear-streaked face, Qasim's shame, Padro's fierce loyalty. "Not after everything. Not after what they did to our friends and me. Joining them would have been spitting on the graves of everyone they've hurt. It would have made us no better than them."
A slow understanding dawned on Jack's face, chasing away the last of his fear. "I know," he said, his voice growing stronger. "And that's when I got it. You weren't being reckless. You were being a leader. You chose the hard path, the right path, even when the easy one was staring you in the face. So yeah… I was scared out of my mind. But you made the perfect decision."
A wave of emotion, raw and powerful, washed over me. It was gratitude, relief, and a profound sense of brotherhood. He understood. He truly understood.
He grinned, a real, genuine grin this time, and punched my shoulder lightly. "So, you're the leader. And I guess that makes me your royal knight or something cheesy like that. Whatever you decide, I'm with you. We're not going to lose this time. We can't."
He wasn't just my friend anymore. He was my brother-in-arms, my first and most loyal knight. The weight of his trust settled on my shoulders, not as a burden, but as a source of strength.
He held out his fist. I met it with my own, our knuckles connecting with a solid, satisfying thud. The pact was sealed. The war was declared. And we were ready.