*Knock.*
*Knock.*
*Knock.*
The sound of knocking echoed through the room.
Inside, darkness filled the entire space.
Kyle, Myra, and Doran stood frozen with tension.
But Kim alone...
Sat quietly.
His eyes half-closed.
> "Open it."
>
He said calmly.
The three grew flustered.
But Doran stepped forward and opened the door.
*BOOM!*
Fifteen students stormed inside.
Led by a tall, blonde young man.
A sneering smile played on his face.
> "Oh?"
>
> "I thought you'd be shaking with fear."
>
But...
No one answered.
His eyes narrowed.
Then, the rest of them stepped in.
And one of them shut the door.
As for the blonde young man...
He looked down at the seated Kim.
> "So, you're Kim."
>
> "Listen up."
>
> "Hand over all your points."
>
He glanced at Kyle and the other two.
> "And you guys, too."
>
Then, he smiled.
> "Consider this a mercy."
>
Silence fell.
As for Kim...
He looked back at him calmly.
Then, he spoke:
> "How many of you are there?"
>
The young man was caught off guard.
> "What?"
>
Kim repeated.
> "How many of you are there?"
>
> "Fifteen."
>
Kim smiled.
> "Good."
>
Then, he looked at Doran.
> "Lock the door."
>
Everyone froze.
As for Doran...
He didn't understand.
> "Huh?"
>
Kim raised his eyes.
> "I said..."
>
> "Lock the door."
>
And for some reason...
A shiver ran down Doran's spine.
So, he turned the key and locked the door.
The blonde young man looked at Kim mockingly.
> "Have you lost your mind?"
>
But...
Kim smiled.
A smile that made Myra tremble.
Because for the very first time...
She saw something incredibly dark.
Not anger.
Nor malice.
Rather...
Stillness.
The stillness that precedes a catastrophe.
Then, Kim stood up.
Slowly.
He took a single step forward.
> "Do you know..."
>
> "What annoys me the most?"
>
The blonde young man frowned.
> "What are you babbling—"
>
> "Noise."
>
*BOOM!!*
In a split second...
Kim materialized right in front of him.
Everyone's eyes widened.
They didn't even see the movement.
Not even the young man himself.
Then...
A single strike.
*BAM!!*
His body slammed into the wall.
The table shattered.
And he collapsed, unconscious.
Silence.
Absolute silence.
As for the remaining fourteen...
They froze completely.
Impossible.
He didn't use magic.
Nor mana.
Nor a skill.
Just a raw physical strike.
Meanwhile, Kim...
Turned his head toward them.
And smiled.
A very gentle smile.
Yet, it terrified them even more.
> "Is there anyone else..."
>
> "Who wishes to speak?"
>
Three of them retreated backward instantly.
One of them, however...
Screamed.
> "Attack him!"
>
But...
In the next instant.
Kim vanished.
Then...
*BAM!!*
*BAM!!*
*BAM!!*
Within a mere five seconds...
Everyone was on the floor.
Groans.
And eyes filled with pure horror.
As for Myra...
She was shaking.
> "Impossible..."
>
Even Doran.
Who admired raw power.
Began to swallow hard.
As for Kyle...
He felt pity.
Not for them.
But for anyone who would ever make an enemy out of Kim.
And at that exact moment...
Another person walked in.
Someone no one expected.
Leon.
He stood by the doorway.
Then, he looked at the scene.
Fifteen unconscious students.
A wrecked room.
And Kim, calmly adjusting his clothes.
Silence fell.
Then...
Leon burst out laughing.
He laughed.
And laughed.
Until tears streamed from his eyes.
> "Hahahahaha!"
>
> "You absolute monster!"
>
> "I was only five minutes late..."
>
He looked down at the passed-out students.
> "And I missed the show!"
>
As for Kim...
He sighed.
> "You are annoying."
>
But...
In a far-off place.
Inside Reinhardt's office.
A smile appeared on the professor's face.
Because he had been watching everything unfold.
Then, he whispered.
> "Interesting."
>
> "You used the absolute minimum amount of force."
>
> "Even while breaking them..."
>
His eyes narrowed.
> "Who are you really, Kim?"
>