The originally off-limits annex area, a territory of the delinquents, had now become Shinnoda’s domain.
“What are you doing?” Shinnoda asked, his voice low and menacing, growling as he repeated the question.
“A-Ah, we were just talking amongst friends,” replied Jang Nayoung, the de facto leader of the group of delinquents. Though visibly scared at Shinnoda’s tone, she tried her best to appear calm.
“Yongcheonhwa. Let’s go, lunch break is almost over,” one of them urged Yongcheonhwa.
“Eh, uh-huh…” she mumbled.
They were about to signal Yongcheonhwa subtly to get up and leave, but suddenly, they couldn’t move a muscle.
“Telekinesis.”
Jang Nayoung immediately connected the dots. The skills of Shinnoda were well-known, not only from his performance in tournaments but also through rumors.
“Why are you pestering us?”
“It’s not like that….”
Shinnoda rapidly closed the distance, leaving Jang Nayoung no time to react. She was only a C-rank, and his speed was far beyond her perception level.
Slap.
Shinnoda slapped Jang Nayoung across the face. She tumbled to the ground with no resistance, overwhelmed by the power of his strike.
“Gaaaaah!”
The force of his A-rank physical strength was incomprehensible—something Jang Nayoung had never experienced before.
Nayoung’s once proud, porcelain skin was now darkened with broken blood vessels, staining her cheeks a ghastly blue-black.
“Aren’t you going to answer? I’m asking you, kid.”
“It’s not like that… We weren’t trying to extort her. She lost a bet and didn’t bring the money…”
Jang Nayoung peeked up at him from the ground, her excuse delivered in a dazed tone.
“Yowww…”
Shinnoda kicked her in the stomach, bending her body into a ‘ㄱ’ shape.
“Is that what you call words? You want to make a bet with me from now on? Shall we see who wins in a duel? The stakes are 500,000 won.”
He wasn’t stupid. The evidence was clear; these delinquents were picking on Yongcheonhwa.
“Ah, I understand. I won’t do such a thing again. Let’s act like nothing happened… I’m sorry, Shinnoda.”
Jang Nayoung promised humbly, bowing her head, vowing never to try to extort money from Yongcheonhwa again.
“Why are you apologizing to me? You should be apologizing to Yongcheonhwa, right?”
Truthfully, Shinnoda felt a twinge of guilt towards Yongcheonhwa. Originally, Yongcheonhwa was the one destined to meet the dragon Laurakis and gain the “Succession,” a growth cheat. But the story had taken a different turn:
‘If the original plot still held true, she’d already be under the control of Shaks, indiscriminately killing Awakened Ones as a villain…’
Even if the end would still be destruction, it was undeniable that he had interfered with her fate.
“Apologize to Yongcheonhwa.”
Shinnoda demanded firmly.
Jang Nayoung looked up at him with an anguished expression. Though she briefly considered resisting, the memory of seeing Shinnoda’s overpowering strength during the tournament quickly dissuaded her.
“I-I’m sorry, Yongcheonhwa.”
She gave a slight bow to Yongcheonhwa, hoping it would be enough.
‘This won’t do.’
Shinnoda thought. There was still a risk that Nayoung or her group might retaliate against Yongcheonhwa someday. He decided to instill an overwhelming sense of fear.
“Kyaahk… Heheek.”
His telekinesis tightened around Jang Nayoung’s throat, cutting off her airway.
‘Oh, so this is what Oh Haena felt like.’
The omnipotent sensation of ending someone’s life without raising a finger sickened him.
Just as Nayoung’s breath was about to give out, Shinnoda released his telekinetic grip.
“Heheek… Heheek.”
As she struggled to breathe, tears welled up in her eyes.
‘What the hell is this? What did I do wrong? Did I provoke him or something?’
Jang Nayoung couldn’t comprehend why this was happening. To her, Yongcheonhwa had merely been an excuse; she convinced herself she must have somehow offended Shinnoda in the past.
“Get down on your knees and apologize.”
Shamed, Jang Nayoung knelt down.
“Kyuuuh….”
Shinnoda turned his attention to the rest of the delinquent gang watching from behind her and slapped their faces.
“Have some tact. What are you doing? Honestly…”
With swollen cheeks and torn skin, they dropped to their knees in front of Yongcheonhwa. Their D-rank durability was no match for his power, and blood started to seep from their faces.
“Mr. Shinnoda, that was awesome! Could I possibly suggest something? I have a great idea!”
At this moment, Hitomi interrupted, her sparkling eyes catching Shinnoda’s attention. She’d been impressed by his chivalrous act of saving the victimized student.
“What?”
“In Japan, when you apologize, we do something called Dogeza! Just like this~”
Hitomi dramatically demonstrated the full-body bow by doing a Dogeza in front of Shinnoda, who quickly pulled her up, startled.
“Hmph… You’re a rich girl, they said…”
Always seeing Yang Min-Seo, elegant and polite, Shinnoda had developed a stereotype about rich kids—but Hitomi shattered that immediately.
‘Anyway, this could be a good way to teach these delinquents a lesson. They might attempt to rise again unless it’s handled conclusively.’
He lit a cigarette and put it in his mouth, taking a deep puff.
“You saw what she did, now you do it—Dogeza. That much is required to show sincerity.”
“B-But it’s not necessary. We’re friends, after all…”
Even Yongcheonhwa was trying to stop him. Shinnoda glanced at her, sensing her type—a person who held unwavering trust in friendship.
‘Someone like her… won’t understand straightforward explanations.’
Shinnoda resolved to provide Yongcheonhwa with an alternative so she wouldn’t retreat from reality.
“Yongcheonhwa, from now on, you’re my friend.”
“Eh?”
“That crowd doesn’t treat you like a friend. Let me help you when you’re in trouble.”
Uncertain, Yongcheonhwa hesitated. If she had been more decisive, all this wouldn’t have happened.
“You just need to say ‘yes.’ Do I look like I’m joking? Or do you want a piece of this?”
Shinnoda deliberately intimidated her, pretending to yell, to protect her from becoming ostracized as a traitor.
“Yes, yes!”
Without realizing, Yongcheonhwa bowed her head and spoke respectfully, prompting a small smirk from Shinnoda.
“Finish what you started.”
The delinquents bowed deeply towards Yongcheonhwa, their faces dripping with shame.
“Yongcheonhwa, I’m sorry! I promise it won’t happen again!”
“I-I’m sorry… Sorry!”
“I’m sorry! It… uh, ah it hurts!”
Shinnoda circled around them, singeing the necks of those whose postures faltered with his cigarette.
“How much have you taken from her so far?”
Clutching her hair, Jang Nayoung looked at him with fear in her eyes.
“A-Around one million won….”
“Around?”
“Aaauuugh…”
Without hesitation, Shinnoda slammed her face into the asphalt. Pushing it back and forth, Nayoung’s skin scraped against the rough surface.
“Exactly how much?”
“H-Half a million! 1,370,000 won…” she sobbed, her face smeared with blood.
“Pay her back every penny.”
“Yes, yes…!”
Shinnoda flicked his burnt cigarette butt onto her bloodied face, then stood up. He was reminded of a common trope in movies and webtoons: kidnapping someone and forcing their friends to save them.
‘Maybe if I kidnap Yongcheonhwa and gather delinquents from all over the country, then tell them to come alone if they want to save her…’
Even though he thought it might be excessive for a ‘Hero Academy’ delinquent, it was still wise to issue a stern warning.
“I’ll tell you this in advance—if you kidnap Yongcheonhwa to threaten her, I’ll kill all your friends and family, sparing only one to bring me back here. And right in front of your eyes, I’ll kill them. That’s called equivalent exchange.”
The delinquents stiffened, bewildered by how that constituted ‘equivalent exchange.’ After all, Yongcheonhwa was just one person, while a delinquent’s relatives added up to double digits.
“Yongcheonhwa plus my bruised feelings? It’s about even. So, behave. Are you afraid I might become a villain? I could just go to Russia or China—they’d surely welcome me.”
Overwhelmed by Shinnoda’s menace, the delinquents realized they were dealing with more than just a regular thug. There was no trace of hesitation in his golden eyes when he spoke about killing.
‘Of course he’s killed—this psychopath goes beyond the level of a common delinquent…’
Even while lying prostrate, they sensed the difference in the scale of madness between themselves and Shinnoda. He was truly an unstoppable force.
“Absolutely, we will never do such a thing.”
“Never will we come to the attention of Mr. Shinnoda, or Yongcheonhwa ever again!”
Shinnoda grabbed Yongcheonhwa’s arm and pulled her along.
“Alright. Do good.”
With Hitomi on one side and Yongcheonhwa on the other, he walked towards the cafeteria.
Now it was time to eat.
