Combat

“Should be here, right?”

Cohen gazed at the massive school gate, his heart filled with mixed emotions – a sense of profound emotion tinged with utter helplessness.

Remiande was proving to be incredibly troublesome.

Cohen had struggled to get Remiande back to the student council on the way here.

She had even used Cohen’s violation of school rules as a pretext, mobilizing unsuspecting student council members to forcibly bring him back.

Is this the power of capital?

If he were taken back, he would surely be subjected to all sorts of… things, right?

Seeing this, Cohen had directly used Haste and made a run for it, leaving everyone behind.

No one had anticipated that this kid Cohen could actually run so fast.

All that remained was a devastated Remiande and the others left in disarray, windswept.

Ghana~

Cohen trudged towards the physical arts department’s classroom with a massive backpack.

The oversized bag made Cohen look small and rather comical.

In reality, Cohen hadn’t packed much himself. The vast majority of the contents, even the bag itself, had been stuffed in by Remiande, item by item.

Was she trying to be his mom?

Some of the physical arts students couldn’t help but laugh and look on with curiosity.

“Here for a sightseeing trip?”

“Take care of yourself there, shorty!”

Even after transferring departments, he couldn’t escape the ridicule?

Perhaps this was the fate of a weak, villainous character.

Cohen felt a little numb, accustomed to walking with his head lowered.

The laughter was theirs; he had nothing.

The physical arts department’s area was still quite large and well-equipped, although it couldn’t compare to the magic department’s opulence.

However, a fresh start might be something Cohen couldn’t have hoped for.

In the end, it was all because he was too weak. If they picked on him, it would be like they were kicking a cotton ball.

Cohen had briefly observed the surrounding students along the way.

There were quite a few beautiful girls after all. He’d thought there would be an appalling number of hulking men.

Arriving at the classroom during the break, he noticed that the surrounding students were chatting and laughing.

When they noticed Cohen coming in with a large bag, everyone’s attention was drawn to him.

Many people expressed surprise, not only attracted by Cohen’s strange appearance but also by his good looks.

A new face, but so handsome.

How awkward, please don’t stare at me like that.

I don’t want to die socially!

“Uh… Hello everyone, I’m a new student. My name is Cohen.”

Immediately, many female students approached Cohen to talk.

“Hello, Cohen! I’m…”

“Cohen! And me, my name is…”

Cohen was immediately surrounded by a dense crowd, his face flushed by the constant chatter of the female students.

“Stop! You’re bothering the new student!”

Cohen managed to escape from the sea of flowers.

He almost suffocated.

The one who spoke was a large guy, with well-defined muscles all over his body.

Like Cohen, he also had a standard V-shaped physique, incredibly manly.

Cohen wasn’t gay, but he still couldn’t take his eyes off the man’s muscles.

“Let me help you find a seat. By the way, my name is Pond.”

“That’s very kind of you, thank you.”

Pond, huh? What a friendly person.

Unlike the magic department’s large lecture hall, the physical arts department’s classroom was much smaller, with usually one person sitting in one seat.

This differed from the magic department, where students could sit together and discuss.

This was what Cohen wanted, after all, he had always sat alone in the magic department.

Cohen had become accustomed to differential treatment.

The seat was at the back, by the window. Cohen was very satisfied with this location.

In his previous life, his presence at the back was greatly reduced. He wouldn’t be called upon by teachers and would have plenty of quiet time.

After taking his seat, Cohen sorted through the items in his bag, but there was a shadow blocking him. He looked up and found that Pond hadn’t left.

“Is there anything else, Pond?” Cohen asked in confusion.

“I want to fight you.”

“Huh?!”

What the hell? Why does he suddenly want to fight me?

Are the people in the physical arts department all so violent?

I take back my words; you’re not friendly, Pond!

“Why?”

“It’s our class’s way of welcoming new students.” Pond said with a straight face.

What kind of way is that?

Someone sighed, saying:

“Oh, Pond’s at it again. He always tries to find his own shortcomings in new students. The last new student was beaten into the infirmary.”

Seriously?!

Cohen looked at Pond, whose body could completely cover him. If a fist the size of a sandbag hit him…

He would probably turn into a pile of snow.

“Can I refuse?”

“You have no right to refuse. I’ve already applied for sparring.”

When did you do that?!

Crap!

As he spoke, he grabbed Cohen and his bag and dragged him to the training ground.

The huge training ground was, figuratively speaking, a coliseum.

Pond settled Cohen on one side, then went to the other side to warm up.

Pond’s application also attracted the attention of the other students, and soon the stands were packed.

“Pond’s found an opponent again, go and see!”

Pond was such a social butterfly in the physical arts department; only through actual combat could he improve.

However, there weren’t many who could beat him.

“Since you just arrived, I won’t use any weapons. There are no restrictions on this duel. You can take out any special skills or weapons you have.”

Cohen was now in a difficult position. He didn’t have any weapons at all.

Poverty limits my imagination.

“Um… I don’t have any weapons.”

“I thought your bag was so big because you stuffed a lot of weapons in it?”

Pond raised an eyebrow and retorted.

“Forget it, let’s just start!”

Pond opened his arms and charged towards him, arriving in front of Cohen in an instant.

So fast!

Cohen reacted quickly, using Haste to dodge Pond’s attempt to grab him.

He hadn’t expected Pond to be so huge yet not clumsy at all.

“Then I’ll play along.”

Cohen used Haste again to come behind Pond.

Pond quickly turned around and swung his right hand, wanting to use the momentum to strike Cohen’s body hard.

Cohen then jumped up and stood on Pond’s arm, using it as a springboard to deliver a heavy punch to Pond’s face.

“Ha!”

“Too slow!”

Pond used his head to ram Cohen, but Cohen’s fist hit Pond’s head, which was as hard as a block of iron.

The sudden movement caught Cohen off guard, and the headbutt left him momentarily airborne.

“Ugh—!”

Pond then grabbed Cohen’s head with his left hand, preparing to smash him into the ground.

“It’s over!!”

Cohen’s head was gripped tightly. If he didn’t break free soon, he might become paralyzed.

But a villain who isn’t killed by the protagonist isn’t a villain!

Cohen immediately focused his energy on his fingers.

The excessive use of Qi made him nauseous.

He was about to use the second unique skill of a veteran player, “Sealing Qi and Dispersing Strength.”

Simply put, it was acupressure. To use unconventional power in the game, one needed to channel Qi.

Blocking the flow of Qi would weaken the affected body parts.

Cohen remembered the human acupoints and accurately struck Pond’s arm several times.

Pond felt his left hand suddenly go numb and weak, so he released his grip on Cohen’s head.

Pond couldn’t help but exclaim, “I didn’t expect you to actually have some skills. Those two moves are called Haste and Sealing Qi, right? Those are techniques only high-level students know.”

“You flatter me…”

Cohen faced Pond, realizing that this would be a tough fight.

And in the distance, a graceful figure with silver-black hair watched Cohen’s movements, a gentle smile gracing her face.

Interesting.