Weak Class of Anti-Hero

As the crowd dispersed, we started walking towards our building.

"By the way," Min-Soo said, trying to change the subject to lighten the mood. "While you were gone... there have been a few changes."

He had a small, proud smile. "I passed the promotion exam. I'm A-rank now."

I was surprised. "A-rank? How? Your power..."

"...is for analysis," he cut me off. "Exactly. The written promotion test was the hardest ever. Almost everyone failed. Except me. They said my analytical skills were so exceptional that they were worth an A-rank on their own."

"That's awesome, Min-Soo!" Bora shouted, giving him a friendly nudge with her elbow. "We're all super-elites now!"

She was as clueless as ever, as if nothing had happened.

As we were walking, a student running down the hall, absorbed in his terminal, bumped hard into my shoulder.

He didn't even stop.

"Hey," I said, my voice cold.

He stopped and turned around, looking annoyed. It was a face I didn't recognize. A boy with red hair and eyes full of a quiet arrogance.

"Aren't you going to apologize?" I asked.

The boy laughed. A contemptuous laugh. "Apologize? For touching you? Watch where you're going, newbie."

He was about to walk away. I grabbed his shoulder.

Min-Soo put a hand on my arm. "Ji-Hoon, let it go. That's..."

The red-haired boy turned, and this time, his gaze was icy.

"Let go of me. Now."

An aura of power, unlike anything I had ever felt, emanated from him. It wasn't raw strength. It was... authority.

Min-Soo turned pale. "Ji-Hoon, that's Do-Yun. He transferred while you were away. He's the new number 10. The last of the Kings. An S-rank."

"His ability," he whispered, "is called 'Law and Order.' It's... terrifying."

Do-Yun, the new S-rank, looked at me with a smug smile on his face. He saw the fear in Min-Soo's eyes and thought I was going to back down.

"So, you heard?" he said. "Now, if you would be so kind as to remove your filthy hand from my shoulder..."

I didn't move. I just tightened my grip.

"I don't care if you're an S-rank, a Z-rank, or the Queen of England," I said, my voice calm and low. "You bumped into me. You apologize. It's basic politeness."

Do-Yun's smile vanished. His face hardened. He wasn't used to being defied.

"I see," he said. "You're that famous Kang Ji-Hoon. The legend's son. You think your father's name gives you the right to challenge me?"

He activated his power.

The air around us grew heavy. I felt an invisible force trying to make me let go. As if a law of the universe had just been written, stating: "You must obey Do-Yun."

So that was his power. 'Law and Order.' He could impose his will on the reality around him.

But my power, my dagger, my Void... it was above the law.

I resisted his pressure effortlessly.

Shock registered on his face. It was the first time anyone had resisted his authority.

"You have two choices," I continued, as if nothing had happened. "Either you apologize politely, or I force you to apologize. And I won't be polite."

He stared at me, his jaw clenched. The situation was drawing attention. Other students were stopping to watch. A clash between two Kings, right in the middle of the hallway.

It was the academy's new top dog against the former outcast turned legend.

And neither of us had any intention of backing down.

The tension in the hallway was palpable. Do-Yun and I were staring each other down, neither willing to give in.

His 'Law and Order' ability continued to press against me. It was like trying to swim against the current of an invisible river. But I was holding my ground.

"You're stubborn," Do-Yun admitted, a growl in his voice. "But you can't resist forever. My will is the law."

He intensified his power. The floor around me began to crack slightly under the pressure.

But he was making a mistake. He thought this was a duel of wills. It was. But he wasn't fighting against mine.

He was fighting against the primal hunger of Xylos's essence, which lay dormant within me. And that hunger hated order. It hated laws. It wanted chaos.

A tiny fraction of that hunger awoke.

My eyes must have changed, because Do-Yun took a step back, his confidence wavering for the first time.

"What the..."

Just then, a loud, authoritative voice echoed down the hall.

"Enough!"

It was Coach Hwan. He arrived, his face an expression of pure exasperation. He was accompanied by Han Jae-Hyeok, the student council president.

"A clash between two S-ranks in a hallway? Are you trying to demolish the building?" the coach barked.

Han Jae-Hyeok looked at Do-Yun, then at me. His expression was complex. There was annoyance, but also a hint of grudging respect.

"Do-Yun. Kang. In my office. Now," he said, his tone leaving no room for argument.

I let go of Do-Yun's shoulder. He stepped back, giving me a look that promised this wasn't over.

I shrugged.

As I turned to follow them, I glanced at Min-Soo and Bora. They were as white as sheets.

I sighed.

It seemed I couldn't go a single day without making new enemies.

Han Jae-Hyeok's office was large, impersonal, with a huge bay window overlooking the training grounds.

Do-Yun and I stood before his desk, like two children summoned to the principal's office. Coach Hwan paced behind us, looking like he wanted to put us both in detention.

"I don't know how things worked at your old academy, Do-Yun," Han Jae-Hyeok began, his tone icy. "But here at Apex, we don't settle our differences by trying to demolish the hallways. We have arenas for that."

He turned to me. "And you, Kang. I know you've had a... tumultuous rise. But you're a King now. You're supposed to set an example. Not fight over a bumped shoulder."

"He didn't apologize," I said simply.

"He's right!" Do-Yun retorted. "Why should I apologize to him?"

"ENOUGH!" Coach Hwan roared, slamming his fist against the wall. The wall trembled.

"You are the elite of this academy! The future protectors of this world! And you're acting like children in a schoolyard! It's pathetic!"

He glared at us, one after the other.

"I don't care who started it. You're going to settle this. Now. And not with your fists."

Han Jae-Hyeok smirked. He seemed to be enjoying the situation.

"The coach is right," he said. "Cohesion among the Kings is paramount. So..."

He stood up, looking at us.

"...you're going to shake hands. And give each other a hug."

A dead silence fell in the office.

Do-Yun and I looked at each other, horrified. It was the most absurd thing I had ever heard.

"Is this a joke?" Do-Yun said.

"Do I look like I'm joking?" the coach replied, his arms crossed. "That's an order. Do it. Or I'll put you both on toilet cleaning duty for a month."

Under the sadistic gaze of the coach and the president, Do-Yun and I, the two new Kings of the academy, had to awkwardly hug each other.

It was the most humiliating experience of my life. And I knew our rivalry had just become even more personal.

The forced hug lasted about two seconds, but it felt like an eternity. It was stiff, awkward, and filled with mutual hatred.

"Alright, you can stop," Han Jae-Hyeok said, clearly choking back laughter. "I hope the lesson has been learned."

We pulled away from each other as if we had touched hot metal.

"Now, get out of my office," he concluded. "And the next time you have a problem, settle it in the arena, like civilized people."

Do-Yun walked out first, without a glance in my direction, but I could feel the fury emanating from him.

I followed him.

In the hallway, he stopped and turned around.

"This changes nothing," he said, his voice low. "It's not over between us."

"I never thought it was," I replied.

And we went our separate ways.

I found Min-Soo and Bora waiting for me a little further down the hall, looking worried.

"So?" Bora asked.

"We hugged it out," I said, my face an expression of pure disgust.

Bora burst out laughing. Min-Soo just shook his head.

"You made a powerful new enemy today," he said.

"Add him to the list," I replied with a shrug.

The list was getting long. The Director. Yoo-Na. Now Do-Yun.

My life at the academy was a minefield. But I was used to walking on eggshells.

The rest of the day passed without further incident. But I could feel Do-Yun's eyes on me. During meals. In the hallways.

He was watching me. Analyzing me.

He was looking for a weakness.

And I was going to have to make sure he never found one.