As for it . Absolutely!
These newbies, not even thirteen years old, relying on their numbers, acted indiscriminately, without considering right or wrong, probably without much thought, solely focused on bullying others.
How is this any different from school bullying?
Their minds are still immature; they haven't grasped the seriousness of the matter, thinking it's just child's play.
In his previous life, Link hated school bullying the most.
A bunch of scum, unable to distinguish right from wrong, lacking understanding of good and evil, indulging their own nature, enjoying the morbid pleasure derived from bullying others, acting recklessly, oppressing classmates, taking pleasure in it, showing no remorse—they were simply unworthy of being human.
Link never expected to see such a thing again in this new world, and that he himself would be the victim of this bullying.
How could this be tolerated?
For a long time, Link had deliberately kept a low profile, avoiding conflict, but that didn't mean he had no temper.
If he hadn't activated "Brain Lockdown" in time, the anger in his heart would have exploded just now.
A slight smirk played on Link's lips as he lunged forward, taking advantage of the men's stunned disorientation. He clenched his right fist and unleashed a powerful uppercut, striking the man's jaw with the force of a rising dragon punch.
*Thud*.
The man saw stars, his head buzzing, and he was instantly knocked unconscious.
Link didn't stop there. Twisting his hips, he used his left foot as a pivot, raising his right leg high and sweeping it across the two closest men.
*Thud, thud*.
These two men were struck hard in the head by Link's kicks, the timing less than half a second apart, instantly stunning them and sending them sprawling to the ground.
Link's right foot landed, his long leg instantly tensing. He twisted his hips again, his left leg rising in a battle axe-like spinning slash.
The remaining two men were struck in the chest, falling to the ground without any resistance.
If these five weren't all fifth-tier geniuses, already promoted to first-tier wizard apprentices, their bodies imbued with magic, their physical abilities skyrocketing, Link's punches and kicks would have killed them instantly.
Link crouched down, gently patting the faces of the newly recruited students, his tone calm as he softly said, "Don't worry, I just gave you a beating. As long as you don't report it to the academy, you'll be fine. If you do report it, there will be a lot more trouble later." With
that, Link's eyes remained indifferent as he met the gazes of each of the five fallen recruits.
That indifference, that as if he could kill them at any moment without any emotional reaction, sent chills down the spines of the five recruits. How many people had he killed? This question simultaneously surfaced in the minds of the five recruits. Of course, Link hadn't killed anyone. He had simply activated "Brain Occupation," simulating the gaze of a serial killer he'd seen on a legal program in his previous life. Link wasn't a serial killer, nor would he become a bully himself, despite hating school bullying. He only taught the five troublemakers a lesson and intimidated them a little for the sake of future peace. After dealing with the five, Link took out his personal smart device and messaged Jasmine, asking where she was. Since last night, he'd found things increasingly strange. Although he hadn't looked into Rivers Francis, the fact that he was the vice president of the "New Blood Mutual Aid Association" suggested he wasn't completely mindless. It made no sense that the news of someone teaching Link a lesson yesterday would leak to Jasmine. Unless there was a mole within her ranks, someone who had colluded with someone seeking revenge on Rivers. Jasmine quickly replied, telling Link she was having breakfast in the cafeteria. Link thought for a moment and told Jasmine to come directly to the library after breakfast, not to accept any invitations or go anywhere else. Jasmine agreed. At this moment, the five new blood members who had fallen to the ground recovered one after another, slowly getting up, but stood frozen in place, unsure of what to do. Get revenge? That was a joke. The five had good reason to suspect that if they dared to provoke them again, they really would die. Link glanced at them casually, and the five immediately shivered, a little afraid. Smiling, Link asked, "Tell me, what exactly happened today?" The five hesitated for a moment, then the one who had spoken up earlier stepped forward and stammered, "It was Rivers Francis, the vice president of the 'New Blood Mutual Aid Association,' who contacted us yesterday. He said you're the third person in our cohort to be promoted to First-Class Wizard Apprentice. If we don't teach you a lesson now, to make you respect us, you'll become increasingly disregardful of us Fifth-Class geniuses." Upon hearing this, Link couldn't help but look utterly bewildered. He was already mentally prepared for his promotion to be exposed. The key question was, what were these five thinking? He frowned and asked, "You came to cause me trouble just because you heard one sentence?" "Well... not exactly." The one who had spoken first stammered even more, finally gritting his teeth and revealing the truth, "Vice President Rivers promised to give each of us two magic stones." "Oh." Link nodded. The bustling activity, all about profit and profit, that made sense. After a while, Link asked, "How are you going to respond to that vice president?" "This..." The five looked at each other again, unsure what to do. They 'd already messed things up; of course, a response wouldn't be good. Link smiled, "Here's an idea: say you've already beaten me up and forced me to promise to avoid that vice president from now on." "This... is that okay?" The five hesitated to agree immediately, afraid of being exposed later. "Why not?" Link's smile widened as he continued to offer their advice. "Just say you were worried I'd report you to the academy, so you didn't slap me. If he asks for evidence, say that if the evidence leaks out, it'll be troublesome if the academy investigates. Anyway, just insist you've already beaten me up." He paused slightly, and seeing that the five understood his meaning, Link continued explicitly, "As for the magic stones…" "They're all yours!" the five immediately shouted in unison. "No, no, no." Link waved his hand, his tone serious and firm. "What's yours is yours. I don't want a single one. You can take them without worry." "This…" The five hesitated for a moment, and seeing Link's smile gradually fade, they reluctantly agreed, "Okay… alright."
Next, under Link's "witness" notice, the five replied to Vice President Rivers via their personal smart devices and received a receipt for ten magic stones.
The magic stones would be delivered directly to the mailbox outside their dormitory, eliminating the need for them to collect them in person.
Link was finally satisfied.
By tricking Rivers out of his magic stones, they wouldn't continue to be his "mercenaries."
Moreover, having received a benefit, their resentment towards Link would lessen considerably.
After all, there was no deep-seated hatred; they had only been beaten up.
Link didn't want his peaceful study life to turn into a monster-fighting, level-up adventure; one less enemy was better than one more.
The only remaining issue to deal with was the trouble with Jasmine.