Rico stood in front of the wolf's corpse, his body still trembling from the power of the last battle, and the calm after the storm filled the place.
The ice armor around him had completely disappeared, leaving the mark of the battle engraved on his torn clothes.
The poisoned daggers were automatically stored, and all active skills were canceled, and his body began to heal automatically, as if the wounds themselves were retracting under a strange power of regeneration.
Rico raised his right hand, and the red aura around him intensified greatly, as if all the defeated wolf's power was transferring to him at once.
The aura suddenly spread around the wolf's corpse, turning into a dense cover, pulsating with power, sending a deep sense of danger and absolute strength.
'I wonder… what is this wolf's technique?' Rico whispered silently, his eyes observing every part of the corpse, every detail of the energy still trembling around it.
[Acquired Skill: "Wolf Ruler"]
[Skill Information: You can transform your hands into wolf claws, or any part of your body into a part of a wolf at your choice, and you can summon wolf soldiers using the "Summon the Dead" skill.]
'What a useful skill… If my dagger breaks, I can turn my hand into a wolf's hand… this is very useful.'
Rico recalled the last fight, how the wolf was the tower's guardian, and how its power affected him in an astonishing way.
Rico moved away from the tower due to facing the "Absolute Wolf King," but now he approached it again, observing its massive size from afar, huge and tall, as if every corner of the tower was telling him that entering would not be an easy task.
He stood in front of the tower's massive door, his hand trembling slightly with anticipation, and his eyes tracking every detail of its strict design.
'Is it wise to enter at my current level?' he wondered, his voice echoing internally.
'But really… how can someone like me kill the tower gatekeeper with difficulty… is it logical to enter now?'
He remained standing, contemplating every corner and every shadow, feeling the weight of the upcoming task.
'I must leave and return later when my level is fully suitable.'
Rico stepped away from the gate, his clothes torn and the battle scars visible on his body, breathing slowly, trying to calm his heart after the fierce fight with the wolf.
He thought of ways to increase his level quickly, searching his mind for any method to achieve faster progress, but he couldn't find a clear idea.
He decided to return home immediately, the feeling of delay pressing on him, and his eyes sensing the path in the darkness.
After half an hour, Rico arrived home, finding everyone asleep: his sister, his brother, and his mother. The night still enveloped the place, and calmness dominated everything.
'Seems they are asleep… I shouldn't disturb them.' he muttered silently, feeling a temporary relief.
Rico lay in the bathtub, naked, the water touching his body, flowing over the marks of the last battle with the "Absolute Wolf King," every muscle gradually relaxing under the warmth of the water.
And his eyes did not stop thinking about the path to increase his level, new plans and moves, searching for any way to enhance his power.
'How will I increase my level now?' he whispered, filled with excitement and curiosity.
Rico's eyes narrowed slightly, recalling that damn wolf…
'Truly… it was useful… I've leveled up tremendously.'
He smiled confidently, a sense of satisfaction filling his heart.
'Indeed, this fight was worth all the suffering… everything was worth it.'
The sun bathed Seoul in warm light three days after Rico entered the Demon World gate, and the morning calm flowed through the streets as if nothing had happened, while Rico's inner world had completely changed.
Rico was sleeping deeply until the sound of the alarm pierced the silence of his room; he reached out slowly and stopped it, his eyes half-open as if his body refused to return to the old routine.
"Oh my… I'm going back to school."
He got out of bed with difficulty, yawning as he ran his hand through his hair, a heavy feeling of boredom creeping in with the thought of returning to exhausting days.
'I'm going back to the tiring school days…'
He looked at his hands for a long moment, remembering the battles, the blood, the power he had gained, and compared it to the school environment that no longer suited him.
He knew he wouldn't stay long, as he had previously said he would leave this school; he had already become a Hunter and was no longer just a student learning the basics of magic.
The school was magical, aimed at training students and preparing them to become Hunters, but Rico had already surpassed this stage, and that made him feel that his presence there was only temporary.
He washed his face with cold water, gradually shaking off the traces of sleep, then dressed quietly, descended to the bottom of the house, and sat on the stairs to put on his shoes.
His mother, Selena, appeared, looking at him with a faint smile, as if she hadn't noticed the profound change that had occurred to him.
"Rico, where are you going?"
"I'm going to school… it's already reopened."
"Alright, I hope your first day goes well."
Rico smiled lightly, calmly, differently from his previous smiles.
"Thank you, Mom."
He left the house, finding the school bus in front, stopped as if waiting for him alone; he quietly boarded it, and once seated, the bus moved toward the school.
A whole hour passed, the long road giving him time to think, while he observed the students on the bus, new faces he hadn't seen before, and none of those who used to bully him.
He realized the school had several buses, and perhaps the bullies were on another bus, but that didn't matter much, as it had become meaningless to him.
Finally, he arrived at school, got off quietly, carried his bag, and began walking through the corridors with clear indifference, his steps firm and his gaze free of tension.
The students who knew him looked at him in astonishment; he had changed a lot, his features sharper, his gaze more confident, as if he were a completely different person.
Some girls glanced at him with admiration from the first moment, while others couldn't recognize him immediately.
He quietly entered his classroom, and when he sat in his usual seat, the students gradually realized he was the same weak person they had ignored.
Shock spread through the class, quiet whispers, exchanged glances, everyone trying to confirm if this person was really Rico Kisaragi.
Rico sat calmly, as if everything happening around him didn't concern him, and some noticed he no longer arrived late as usual.
A girl timidly approached him, standing beside his desk, her voice low.
"Rico… are you really Rico?"
"Yes, I am."
The girl hesitated, doubting, as if her mind refused this sudden change.
"Can you go on a date with me?" she asked shyly, her face flushed.
"I can't."
He raised his hand, showing his engagement ring.
"As you see… I'm already engaged."
The girl embarrassed herself but couldn't respond, and at that moment, a boy stood beside her with obvious arrogance.
"How can a weak guy like you refuse a beautiful girl like her? Forget the engagement and go with her."
Rico's gaze suddenly changed, the red aura around his body intensifying, as if the air itself became heavier, and his eyes glowed a frightening red.
He looked at the boy and girl with a cold gaze carrying a silent threat.
"Don't you dare speak ill of my fiancée."
The boy and girl froze for a moment before retreating terrified, then ran out of the classroom screaming:
"Monster… monster!"
Rico continued watching them flee, his eyes still holding remnants of anger, while calm gradually returned to the classroom, though tension lingered in the air.
The teacher entered the classroom, smiling clearly, feeling true relief after school resumed, knowing that keeping the school closed any longer would have put him in real financial trouble, as if the return of the students had restored his personal balance before his professional one.
He stopped at the door for a moment, surprised to find the classroom full of chatter and laughter, sounds overlapping chaotically, as if a whole month of absence had broken any existing discipline.
The teacher shouted sharply:
"Be quiet!"
The students immediately fell silent, as if the shout had cut the air itself, and all eyes turned toward him at once.
"Students, now we will continue lessons after a month-long closure."
He moved slightly in front of the board, looking at them with a gaze combining seriousness and expectation.
"I believe you took the vacation as if it were summer break, so I expect good performance from you, especially after the rest you had."
His tone changed, becoming stricter as he continued speaking.
"Final exams are approaching, and I want you to study hard during this period. Other schools are ahead of us, and you must put in great effort to compensate for this delay."
He paused for a moment, then added in a sharper tone:
"If any of you fail the exams, you will be expelled from the school permanently and will not be able to enter other schools."
As the teacher was about to continue, his eyes suddenly fell on Rico, sitting calmly in his place, his features different, his demeanor more confident, his calm unusual.
The teacher paused, thinking this was a new student, perhaps Rico had indeed been expelled due to his absence and habitual tardiness.
He said in an annoyed tone, looking at the class:
"Why didn't you welcome this new student?"
A student raised his hand and spoke hesitantly:
"Teacher… this is Rico… not a new student."
The teacher was immediately shocked, as if the words struck him directly, and his eyes widened as he looked at Rico again, trying to confirm what he heard.
He couldn't comprehend it, this person sitting calmly did not resemble the weak student he knew.
Rico was always late, careless in appearance, weak in build, but now he looked completely different; his body became firmer, his features sharper, and his gaze carried unusual confidence.
The teacher wondered inwardly how a weak person could change this much in just one month, and how such a sudden transformation could occur without a clear reason.
"Rico… how did you become like this?"
Rico answered calmly:
"Just training, teacher… after all, I got tired of my weakness."
The teacher continued staring at him, unconvinced, as the idea that training alone could cause this change seemed illogical.
'Nonsense… training doesn't turn a weak person into this shape in a month.'
'There's a secret this boy is hiding.'
Finally, the teacher stopped thinking, took a deep breath, then turned back to the students.
"Let's start the first lesson after a month-long break from studying."
Calm returned to the classroom, but the students' eyes remained fixed on Rico, as if his mere presence had become an unspoken source of tension.
End of Chapter (19)