In Classroom of the Elite, but in the Underworld 49

Ryuen forced himself to calm down.

Years of experience told him that the calmer he remained at a time like this, the more it would benefit him.

After all, the opponent did not know his true strength; if he acted reckless and unhinged, the other party might actually be afraid to make a move.

Furthermore, there were the restrictions of the watches; attacking people indiscriminately would result in point deductions.

Called out by him, Joker stopped in his tracks and turned to face him:

"I have a peculiar hobby. I love the night, taking walks alone in the quiet forest, and cleaning up those chirping bugs along the way. How unfortunate that I ran into you two... no, is it three people?"

Joker tilted his head and glanced toward the distant forest.

There was no movement from the forest, yet a strange smile appeared on the face beneath Joker's mask.

[Found you, Ayanokoji-kun.]

"Ibuki, go test him."

"Oh."

Ibuki did not sense anything unusual; she just thought this person wearing a mask in the middle of the night was a lunatic.

But given Ryuen's cautious tone, she dared not be careless, so she set aside her contempt.

She slowly approached the target, waiting for an opening.

However, the opponent stood there motionless, showing no sign of fighting back, and even tilted his head to look at her.

[why?]

The opponent's movements were as if he were facing a harmless puppy, completely disregarding her.

Ibuki grew angry and swung her arm toward his body.

The elbow was the strongest weapon in the upper body; being struck by her force would leave an average person groaning on the ground for a while.

This was the consequence of underestimating her.

Yet, she quickly realized she was wrong.

The opponent easily blocked her attack with one hand, while his other hand gripped her throat and lifted her up.

He leaned close to her face and said:

"Do you know why I wear a mask?"

"I don't know, and I don't want to know—you, let me go!" Ibuki kicked her legs wildly, only able to brace her hands against his arm to reduce the pressure on her neck.

"Well, it's like this," Joker said to himself. "I once had a beautiful lover. Her beauty drove me mad. I painted portraits of her every day and slept with her photo every night... until one day, her beauty suddenly vanished. She was very sad, and she even became jealous of my beauty... To prove my love for her, I took a knife and sliced off my own skin, one stroke at a time... and then, she left me."

"You—" Ibuki stammered, "What on earth are you talking about?"

Joker's calm words carried an indifference and a hint of madness, and the absurd story made her scalp tingle.

"Do you want to see the ugly face beneath my mask?"

Joker's hand reached toward his mask.

"No, I don't want to see it!" Ibuki pushed against his body with one hand, squeezing her eyes shut for fear of seeing something she would find repulsive.

"Oh?"

Joker's movements suddenly stopped. He looked down toward the figure fleeing in the distance and released his grip, setting Ibuki down:

"Heh, the cat-and-mouse game has begun. Ryuen, are you ready?"

Ibuki looked at his disappearing back, patting her chest with lingering fear.

"What kind of monster is that?"

She swore she never wanted to see that person again.

Wearing a mask in the middle of the night, spouting such sensationalist nonsense, and possessing such immense strength.

However, strength?

This suddenly reminded her of someone.

"No, how could it be?"

It could never be that person; he was just a pervert who spoke in such a frivolous manner.

If the person just now had been him, he would have pinned her to the ground and humiliated her, so why would he have shown absolutely no interest in her?

Shaking her head, Ibuki cast aside that unrealistic thought.

For now, she should just get on the ship.

She didn't want to stay on this island for another second.

Chapter 62: More, Much More

Ryuen took advantage of the moment Ibuki was struck down to flee the scene.

The opponent's movements were too fast, and with his own fighting experience, he knew clearly that he would absolutely not be able to defeat that person.

And so, he chose to run.

In the eyes of Ryuen, running was not an act of cowardice; only a brute would recklessly charge at an enemy they could not defeat.

The one who survives to the end is the true winner, and even if he could not win in a fight, he could defeat his opponent in other ways.

By now, he had been running for half an hour, and with his familiarity with this island, combined with the cover of night, it should be difficult for the other party to find him.

Leaning against a tree, Ryuen let out a long sigh of relief.

Just then.

"Found you--"

A comical voice appeared right by his ear, carrying a mocking tone.

"How... how did you find me?" Ryuen took two steps back, fumbling for cover behind him.

"It's simple, I just had to run across the entire island."

"..."

Ryuen no longer wanted to say anything, beads of sweat seeping from his forehead.

This was definitely a monster, or perhaps a lunatic.

However, he still had one question:

"What exactly do you want... you aren't just here to toy with me, are you?"

"I've already stated my purpose; I just wanted to take a walk at night and clear out some bugs that I find annoying. You were the one who called out to me, so I figured you must have something very interesting to share."

Ryuen fell silent again, even feeling regret.

If he had known, he wouldn't have called out to the other party; his habitual way of thinking had led him to believe the person was intentionally eavesdropping on his conversation.

After all, normal people wouldn't go for a walk at night, but it was hard to say when it came to a lunatic.

"Don't stay silent, come on, tell me your most satisfying story."

Joker slowly approached Ryuen and stopped beside him.

"What do you want to hear?" Ryuen said, his hand slowly adjusting its position, waiting for a chance for a lethal strike.

"Me? Actually, I love hearing cold jokes, preferably the kind that make it impossible to laugh."

"Is that so? Then this joke will truly make you unable to laugh." As he spoke, a fierce look appeared in the corner of Ryuen's eyes, and his fist slammed violently toward the other's abdomen.

A surging gust of wind accompanied the punch.

At this distance, it was basically impossible to react in time.

Yet, the other party dodged to the side and even grabbed his arm.

"How--could this be." Ryuen's eyes widened, filled with extreme terror.

What kind of reaction speed was this?

"Is it my turn now?" Joker grinned, grabbed Ryuen's arm, and threw his body fiercely, slamming him into a tree with a loud thud.

Straightening his slightly disheveled clothes, Joker walked up to him and patted his cheek:

"Are you still alive? I hate it when people ambush me, except when I'm the one doing it."

"Cough, cough--what do you want?" Ryuen struggled to prop up his body, clutching his chest, feeling as if all his internal organs were churning.

"Me? I want to see the fragile heart beneath your fearless exterior... come on, let me hear the sweet sound of your begging..."

"Heh, I will never beg, even if it means death." Ryuen sneered, a fierce light blooming in his eyes.

He had faced despair time and time again, but he had survived every single time, relying on his spirit of not fearing death.

Only the weak fear death; only the weak are terrified of dying.

This time would be the same; he would surely pull through. By overcoming this insurmountable strength, he would achieve an even more ultimate transformation.

This was--his strength.

And this time.

Clap, clap, clap.

Joker began to applaud.

"I admire you, but in the face of absolute power, everything is useless. The strength in your eyes is just a fantasy created to satisfy yourself; you are not truly strong."

"In other words," Joker pulled him up by his collar, bringing his face right up to his, "you haven't truly seen your own heart. You are a real clown living in delusions, hahaha."

Joker laughed wildly.

Ryuen's face darkened, and he said:

"Then give it a try, and let's see who the real clown is, your lordship, the clown living behind a mask."

"Very well, then I shall satisfy your request."

Joker grabbed his collar and dragged him toward the beach.

Ryuen struggled a few times but couldn't break free, so he stopped bothering to move.

They arrived at the territory belonging to Class C, led by Ryuen.

Joker looked around, picked up a shovel, and tossed it to Ryuen:

"Go find a spot near the sea and bury yourself, leaving only your head exposed."

"..."

Ryuen didn't say a word; he simply found a spot and began digging into the sand. As his feet sank deeper and deeper, the unease in his heart grew stronger.

By the time the sand reached his chest, it was already difficult for him to move.

Joker stepped forward to help him bury the remaining parts, leaving only his head visible in the end.

"Finished. It really is a work of art."

On the beach, a lone head sat exposed, giving off a desolate feeling.

"What exactly are you trying to do?" Ryuen asked. "You don't just want to play a game of sandcastles with me, do you?"

"You guessed it," Joker said. "This is one of my favorite games. The tide on this island rises around 6:00 AM every morning. As the seawater floods over the sand, the mixture of water and grit will compress your body, causing you agony. Eventually, you will be slowly dragged into the water by the mud-like sand, dying slowly amidst the waiting and the fear."