The forest went quiet for a split second after the strike landed.
Jason crashed forward, his feet catching on loose dirt before he dropped to one knee. A sharp gasp tore from his throat as blood spilled from his mouth and stained the ground beneath him.
Raze watched it happen.
He didn't feel satisfaction. Just confirmation.
"What?" Michael spun around, eyes wide, disbelief flashing across his face.
Raze was already facing them.
The mask sat cold against his skin. His breathing was steady, controlled. He could feel his heartbeat slow, heavy, echoing through his chest.
Jason pushed himself up, shaking. Pain finally caught up to him, twisting his expression.
"You" Jason coughed, wiping blood from his lips. "You think that was enough?"
Raze didn't answer.
When Jason's eyes locked onto the mask, all he saw was a student wearing black, with faint cyan light glowing from the eye slits.
"Who the hell are you?" Jason blurted out.
Raze stayed silent. Answering would only waste time since he had a feeling that curfew was getting closer. He couldn't afford to waste time.
Raze sprinted forward.
Michael stepped in between them instinctively, throwing himself into Raze's path. Raze drove his fist forward and when his punch landed, it felt like he was punching solid rock.
[-5 HP]
Raze's eyes narrowed as he leapt back just in time, narrowly avoiding the punch Michael threw a second later.
'Is that his awakening?' Raze thought.
Michael grinned. "Running away so soon?" he taunted.
Raze clenched his fist and glanced down. The skin across his knuckles was torn, blood seeping through the cracks.
Jason moved.
The air around him distorted as his body split into motion. Three afterimages scattered outward, each one moving slightly out of sync.
Raze looked up.
Four identical figures rushed him.
'Afterimages?' The thought barely finished forming before a punch flew straight toward his head.
Raze raised his arm to block, twisting his body to redirect the blow. At first he felt nothing.
Then pain slammed into his left side.
The impact staggered him back several steps.
"Gotcha," Jason said, a confident grin spreading across his face.
"You thought just because you got the first hit, this would be easy?" He scoffed. "Think again."
Jason lunged forward, repeating the same pattern.
Raze narrowed his eyes, forcing himself to stay focused, trying to identify the real body among the shifting figures.
He didn't have time.
Michael was already behind him.
Raze twisted away at the last second, barely avoiding the strike aimed at his back—but before he could recover, Jason's real body surged forward.
A punch slammed straight into Raze's stomach.
The force sent him flying.
His back collided with a tree, bark splintering as the trunk shook from the impact.
[-10 HP]
[85 / 100 HP]
Raze pushed himself off the tree, ignoring the dull ache spreading through his body.
Jason and Michael stood in front of him, both breathing hard now.
'This isn't going to end quickly,' Raze thought.
'And I can't afford to drag it out.'
His gaze shifted to Michael.
Then a plan formed.
Raze ran forward again, but this time slower.
Deliberate.
'If I can distract Michael for just a moment… I can deal with Jason first.'
[Skill activated: Piercing Slash]
Black and white energy shot out from his hands in rapid succession, multiple slashes tearing through the air, all aimed at Michael.
At the same time, Raze suddenly burst forward at full speed, closing the distance toward Jason.
Jason reacted immediately, raising his arms just in time to block Raze's punch.
Michael scoffed and moved to assist, clearly dismissing the slashes as harmless against his hardened body.
Then they landed.
The slashes carved clean, shallow cuts across Michael's arms and torso. Blood spilled instantly.
Michael gritted his teeth, stumbling back a step.
"What the hell are those slashes?" he shouted. "I've never seen an awakening like that!"
Jason's eyes widened slightly.
'That black and white energy.'
His mind flashed back to the Beast Combat Weapon class. To the moment during drills when he thought he saw something flicker around Raze's hand.
'Wait…'
'That energy…'
'Could it be him?'
Jason's gaze darted toward Raze's wrist.
'If he's really a student, then I just need to see his level.'
But Raze was already moving again.
In the darkness of the forest, with Raze's speed and constant pressure, getting a clear look was impossible.
Jason clicked his tongue and activated his awakening again.
Three afterimages split off from his body, spreading outward as they rushed forward together.
This time, Raze didn't panic.
He watched closely.
Not the bodies.
The weight.
The sound.
The real Jason's footsteps pressed heavier into the ground. His movement disturbed the air differently.
'I see it now,' Raze thought.
'That's how it works.'
Jason attacked.
Raze dodged cleanly, slipping past the false image and driving his fist straight into Jason's stomach.
Before Jason could recover, Raze followed up with an uppercut under his chin.
Jason's head snapped back as he staggered.
Behind him, Michael was already swinging.
Raze sensed it just in time.
He ducked under the punch and crossed both arms.
A black and white cross-shaped slash erupted outward.
The attack tore across Michael's chest.
Blood sprayed, splattering against Raze's mask.
Before Michael could even process the pain, Raze stepped in and drove his fist into his jaw.
The punch landed clean.
Michael's eyes rolled back as his body collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
Raze turned toward Jason and began walking toward him.
"Who… who are you?" Jason asked, his voice tight. "You're not a level one. There's no way."
Raze stopped a few steps away.
For a moment, he considered giving a name. Something Jason would remember. Something that would stick.
But that wasn't the point.
"I am… no one," Raze said.
Jason clenched his teeth and forced himself upright.
"That's bullshit!" he snapped. "Once I find out who's behind that mask, I'll get my revenge!" He pointed straight at Raze, his hand shaking.
The moment Raze stepped forward, Jason reacted.
His awakening activated again.
Afterimages split outward, surrounding Raze from every angle.
Raze didn't move.
He ignored the figures completely.
Instead, he focused on the ground beneath his feet. The subtle vibrations. The pressure. The sound of movement. Ever since becoming a half-ling, his senses felt sharper—far beyond what they used to be.
The moment he felt Jason's movement, Raze lunged forward.
He passed straight through the afterimages without hesitation, rushing directly toward the real body.
Jason tried to retreat, but his foot slipped on the blood-soaked dirt.
Raze closed the distance instantly.
His elbow drove into Jason's ribs.
The impact crushed the air out of Jason's lungs.
Before Jason could recover, Raze grabbed his wrist, yanked him forward, and delivered a final punch straight to his head.
Jason went limp and collapsed to the ground.
The forest fell silent.
[Quest Completed.]
[Defeated Jason and Michael.]
[EXP Gained: 150]
[Level: 4]
[150 / 800 EXP]
Raze stood still for a moment after the system notification faded.
The forest was quiet again.
He exhaled slowly and reached up, wiping the blood off his mask with the sleeve of his jacket.
Dark red streaks smeared across the fabric before disappearing into it. The cyan glow in the eye slits dimmed slightly as his breathing grew heavier.
His body felt wrong.
Using Piercing Slash that many times had drained more energy than he expected. He glanced at his status.
[HP: 85 / 100]
The number didn't bother him as much as the feeling behind it.
'That took more out of me than it should've…'
He turned away from the unconscious bodies and moved quickly, keeping low as he exited the forest. The sky had darkened completely now. Distant lights from the academy flickered on as curfew approached.
Raze slipped the mask off once he was far enough away and shoved it into his jacket, slowing his breathing until it steadied. He adjusted his pace, forcing himself to look normal.
Just another student heading back late.
By the time he reached the academy gates, guards were already ushering students inside.
"Curfew in five minutes," one of them called out.
Raze passed through, scanning his wristwatch without issue.
The moment he stepped back onto academy grounds, relief washed over him.
Then he collided with someone.
"Hey!" a voice snapped.
Raze stumbled back half a step, catching himself just in time.
Felix stood in front of him.
For a split second, neither of them spoke.
Felix's eyes locked onto Raze's face, sharp and searching. His jaw tightened almost instantly.
"…Raze," he said slowly. "Where the hell have you been?"