Guo Shuai stood at the locker room entrance, feeling the brand-new power in his left eye.
It was the legacy that old bastard Albert had left him before falling asleep.
[New Ability: Learn and Apply]
[Source]: A fusion of the analytical abilities of the A-Class Supernatural Ability "Elemental Resonance" and the "Eye of Calamity."
[Effect]: Allows him to analyze the principles behind other people's moves and use elemental power to forcibly "pirate" a low-grade version.
[Currently Loaded]: Wind Pressure (pirated from Jiangnan).
"Hey, hey..."
Guo Shuai's lips curled upward, his eyes blazing with excitement.
"Like boss, like lackey."
"If boss can make rain kneel, then it's only reasonable that I make this horde of zombies kneel too, right?"
He straightened his ill-fitting black school uniform, imitating Jiangnan's casual air from memory.
He shoved his hands into his pockets, lifted his chin, and strode out with an I-don't-give-a-damn swagger.
Behind him, Wang Meng waddled out too, his belly out front and cabinet-door bracers strapped to his arms, looking utterly cocky.
They walked one behind the other.
At that moment, if there'd been background music, it would have to be Pacific Rim's Attack Theme Song, complete with booming bass.
"Grr?"
The Wandering Corpses feeding in the hallway heard the commotion and stopped chewing. Mouths bloody, they turned to stare.
They fixed their eyes on the two transfer students who didn't know what was good for them.
More than a dozen cloudy eyeballs gleamed with bloodthirsty hunger.
"Hmph."
Guo Shuai snorted and slowly raised his right hand to cover his right eye, leaving only his glowing red left eye exposed.
The pose was chūnibyō—and seriously showy.
"Get down on your knees!!"
He spread his fingers and pressed down on the horde of Wandering Corpses with an invisible hand.
"Wind Pressure!!"
Boom!
It wasn't as terrifyingly powerful as Jiangnan's move, which could cave in the ground.
But a visible torrent of violent air exploded through the narrow hallway!
It was as if an invisible giant hand had slammed down on the Wandering Corpses' heads!
"Crack! Crack!"
A flurry of bone fractures rang out.
The dozen or so aggressive Wandering Corpses didn't even have time to scream!
Their kneecaps shattered in an instant, and they all dropped to their knees in unison!
The floor tiles cracked beneath them!
"That's badass!!"
Wang Meng stared in astonishment behind him, unable to stop himself from giving a thumbs-up.
"Guo Shuai! You've got some moves! Who knew you had that in you? You're exactly like the Big Boss!"
"I..."
Guo Shuai held his cool pose, but his eyes reddened.
He was about to cry.
Ever since arriving in the Barbaric Realm, he'd been getting the short end of the stick.
The Scarecrow had scared him shitless, Albert had possessed him, and his teammates had used him as bait...
Even his one and only big win had come while he was lying on the ground like a maggot.
He'd been so damn wronged!
But now...
Looking at the monsters kneeling before him, he finally got a taste of what it felt like to win a real fight!
That was the taste of being strong!
"Wuwuwu... Old Yang, did you see? I've made something of myself..."
Guo Shuai was so moved, he was about to wet himself with tears of joy.
However...
He really did look cool.
And the side effect was just as real.
Although the Wandering Corpses' legs were broken, they weren't dead.
These monsters didn't feel pain. They exchanged glances.
"Grr!"
A few of the stronger Wandering Corpses suddenly grabbed their companions by the arms, like they were about to throw shot-put.
Then they hurled two Wandering Corpses straight at Guo Shuai, who was still caught up in the moment!
"Look out!!"
Wang Meng reacted in the nick of time, grabbed Guo Shuai by the back of the collar, and yanked him backward.
Thud!
The two Wandering Corpses crashed down where Guo Shuai had been standing. Their claws reached forward, but hit his bracer and failed to pierce it.
"Guo Shuai! Quit spacing out! Kill them!"
Wang Meng shouted.
"I... I can't..."
Guo Shuai's face was deathly pale. His legs trembled as he spoke weakly.
That last Wind Pressure move might have been a pirated copy, but with his F-class physique...
It was like it had drained his entire Mana Bar in one go.
Now he was as limp as someone who'd just been a pilot ten times in a row. He couldn't even lift a hand.
"Grrr!!"
The Wandering Corpse they'd thrown had broken legs, but it crawled quickly on its arms, mouth wide as it lunged for a bite!
"Damn it!"
Wang Meng raised his bracer, smashed the Wandering Corpse's head with a punch, and bellowed,
"Run!! If you're out of mana, don't push yourself!"
Guo Shuai nodded and tried to turn and run, only to find his legs were as heavy as lead. He couldn't move them at all.
Behind them, the horde of Wandering Corpses was crawling over like a rising tide.
"Brother Wang... save me!!"
Guo Shuai practically sobbed the words.
He wasn't afraid of dying. He was just devastated that the invincible image he'd only just built up had been shattered to pieces again.
"Hold on tight!!"
Without a second thought, Wang Meng showed that he was the real deal when it came to loyalty.
Instead of carrying Guo Shuai on his back, he grabbed the back of his school uniform and took off for the stairwell, dragging him along.
"Grr! Grr! Grr!"
Behind them, the Wandering Corpses with broken legs crawled at terrifying speed.
"Come on! You bunch of legless losers! Come chase your grandpa!"
Guo Shuai's body couldn't move, but his mouth was still tough.
He slid along the floor, still turning back to taunt them.
However...
The happy sliding was always over too soon.
Ahead lay the stairs to the second floor.
They were made of sharply edged marble steps.
"Brother Wang... wait... those are stairs..."
Guo Shuai realized something was wrong.
But Wang Meng was impatient—and a surprisingly nimble fat guy.
"Don't be scared! Brother Wang will make you fly!"
Wang Meng darted onto the stairs, gripping Guo Shuai's collar tightly as he yanked him upward!
And then...
Thunk!
A dull impact rang out, with a distinctly shattering quality to it.
Guo Shuai's lower half hit the edge of the first step.
More precisely...
His Magic Core...
had an intimate close encounter with the hard marble.
"AAAAAAAH!!!!"
A scream ten times more agonized than a pig being slaughtered echoed through the entire stairwell.
"No... don't!!"
Guo Shuai's face instantly turned the color of pig liver. His features twisted into a mask even more hideous than the Wandering Corpses behind him.
However...
Wang Meng was charging ahead, and between the wind and pounding footsteps, he completely misunderstood.
"Don't stop?!"
Wang Meng glanced back. Seeing Guo Shuai yelling so loudly, he thought the Wandering Corpses behind them had caught up.
"Don't worry, Guo Shuai!!"
Wang Meng roared, his feet flying.
"I may look heavy, but I'm a nimble fat guy! I ran fifty meters in 7.8 seconds at last year's fitness test!!"
"Since you told me not to stop, I'll speed up!!"
"Hang on tight!!"
Wang Meng went full throttle, dragging Guo Shuai up the stairs!
Thunk! Thunk! Thunk!
Guo Shuai was like a piano being played, repeatedly scraped and battered against every step!
"I... I didn't mean that!!"
"AAAH!!!"
His Magic Core...
was practically throwing sparks.
Guo Shuai desperately reached for the handrail, but Wang Meng was too strong, dragging him along so fast he became a blur.
"Grr..."
The horde of Wandering Corpses reached the stairwell and watched the two "lunatics" disappear into the distance.
They looked at their own broken legs and could only give up the chase.
Outside Class 3-2.
"Huff... huff..."
Wang Meng dragged Guo Shuai all the way to the classroom door without stopping.
He glanced at the countdown on the back of his hand.
[00:39] [00:38]
"We made it!!"
Wang Meng breathed a sigh of relief, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and smiled with the relief of someone who'd just escaped death.
He turned to look at his good buddy, whom he'd dragged all the way up here.
"We're safe! Guo Shuai! That Crowd Control move of yours saved us. Otherwise, we'd really have been in trouble!"
"Guo... Guo Shuai?"
Wang Meng's smile froze.
"What's wrong?!"
Guo Shuai was leaning against the wall.
His arms hung limply at his sides.
His face wore the peaceful expression of someone ready to pass away and ascend to heaven.
A single crystal-clear tear slowly rolled down from the corner of his eye.
And on his pants...
The fabric there had been worn through, revealing the Destined Red underneath.
Even...
A faint wisp of smoke seemed to be rising from it.
Guo Shuai... had burned out.
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