Night of Rebirth, Peak of the Dormitory

On the other side.

Class 1-C classroom.

Dragon Garden opened his eyes; the sky outside the window was already cloaked in twilight.

"Pah..."

Dragon Garden spat, trying to moisten his parched throat.

He quickly organized the situation at hand.

His memory stopped at the moment he was humiliated by Prince Ganlongdao; he must have been knocked unconscious and dumped here until he woke up.

Without a doubt.

He had definitely missed the entrance ceremony.

An entrance ceremony where he had to listen to the principal drone on was pointless anyway, so missing it didn't matter, and he couldn't care less about the consequences.

"Haa..."

Having cleared his thoughts, Dragon Garden let out a sigh of relief, walked to the back of the classroom, grabbed a disposable paper cup from the water dispenser, filled it, and downed it in one gulp.

After drinking.

Dragon Garden's eyes turned icy.

He crumpled the paper cup in his hand and tossed it onto the floor.

It was just one defeat.

No harm done.

As long as he was the one who won in the end, that was all that mattered.

As for being beaten up by Prince Ganlongdao and Albert, Dragon Garden didn't take it to heart at all.

Since it was a struggle.

Using any means necessary was normal; Dragon Garden had at least that much breadth of mind.

He was very clear.

This university was certainly not as simple as it appeared on the surface.

He wasn't some kind of maniac.

Who would have nothing better to do than go around beating people up on the first day?

However.

Dragon Garden knew very well that there was a necessity for doing so.

Unifying the class first would definitely provide a greater advantage; the most important thing now was to consolidate the class so he would have a better grasp on handling future challenges.

Besides.

Class C alone already had people like Albert and Prince Ganlongdao.

Thinking of this.

The corners of Dragon Garden's mouth curled up slightly as he licked his lips; this university was even more interesting than he had imagined!

He left the classroom.

The time was nearing nightfall.

Dragon Garden still toured the entire university to confirm the layout first; other intelligence would have to wait for later.

After buying a bento and some simple daily necessities at Keyaki Mall.

Dragon Garden headed straight back to the dormitory.

As soon as he entered, he saw a note at the entrance.

He picked up the note.

It read.

[Freshman night, the peak of the dormitory.]

Dragon Garden scoffed.

He didn't need to think to know who wrote it.

The only people he had offended today were Ishizaki, Albert, Kaneda, and Prince Ganlongdao.

First, he ruled out Ishizaki and Kaneda.

Dragon Garden didn't believe they had the guts for this.

Next, he ruled out Albert.

Albert was just a naive kid with nothing but brute force; it was impossible for him to take the initiative to provoke him.

That left only one possibility—

Prince Ganlongdao!

Due to falling unconscious midway, Dragon Garden did not get to see the outcome of the fight between Prince Ganlongdao and Albert.

Yet in his eyes, Prince Ganlongdao was far stronger than Albert.

Albert had a gentle and indecisive personality, lacking resolve; given enough time, Dragon Garden was confident he could win sooner or later.

But Prince Ganlongdao's heart was ruthless enough!

That was where his true strength lay.

Sheer physical power alone would never be enough to make Dragon Garden submit.

Looking at the challenge letter in his hand, Dragon Garden knew clearly that he was by no means the opponent's match; this was a battle of wills.

He wanted to beat him up again.

Who's afraid of whom?

Thinking of this, Dragon Garden's lips curled into a cold sneer as he hurriedly shoveled down his bento.

Could he really kill him?

If this were any other university, Dragon Garden might have had some reservations, worrying that Ganlongdao might actually throw him into the sea to feed the fish.

However, This was Advanced Nurturing, which had state backing.

Even if people from Yamaguchi came, they would have to behave themselves, let alone a mere Ganlongdao.

Clearly, Dragon Garden's understanding of the yakuza was not very high.

Night fell.

On the rooftop of the dormitory building.

Prince Ganlongdao leaned against the railing, gazing into the distance.

He wasn't worried at all that Dragon Garden wouldn't show up or would be late; if that were the case, it would mean his character was only so much.

Then Prince Ganlongdao would no longer regard him as a rival.

He would just have to beat him up a few more times.

Creak.

The iron door to the rooftop was pushed open from the inside.

Under the moonlight, Dragon Garden's figure was revealed. His cold eyes, like those of a venomous snake, swept across the surroundings before finally settling on the surveillance device by the water tank.

"Clap, clap..."

Prince Ganlongdao clapped his hands, turned around, and said with a hint of admiration:

"To know you're no match for me and still dare to show up for the appointment—not bad."

"You are indeed very strong."

Dragon Garden said coldly: "Judging from your performance this morning, you are even stronger than anyone I have ever met. Both your technique and your mindset are quite good, but didn't I say it before?"

"No matter how many times you win, the one who wins in the end will definitely be me."

"Hmm."

Prince Ganlongdao leaned against the railing and nodded.

He didn't mind chatting with Dragon Garden first to figure out where this confidence of his actually came from.

"Speaking of which, what exactly are you so confident about?"

"What exactly?"

Dragon Garden chuckled.

He likewise didn't mind making the other party submit through words.

"Since you're interested, let's talk. Ever since I was a child, I've known that I was an outlier."

"Hmm?"

Prince Ganlongdao scrutinized Dragon Garden, tilting his head.

"Aside from your hair being rather flashy, I can't tell where you're an outlier."

"..."

Dragon Garden didn't take offense, though his expression grew even colder.

"When I was a child on a field trip, I ran into a large snake during a break. The people around me all stayed far away, whether they were happy, afraid, or simply uninterested."

"But they all had one thing in common: not a single person thought to drive that snake away. Even the adults lost their composure."

"At that time, I used a stone I had on hand to smash the snake's head. I felt absolutely no fear of being bitten. Screams erupted all around me, and the teachers panicked, ordering everyone to leave."

"But none of that mattered. I was just a little confused—why be afraid?"

"And then, I realized something: Fear and Pleasure are two sides of the same coin!"

"From the moment I smashed that snake into a pulp and saw my opponent yield, I felt an indescribable pleasure."

"Ever since then, I have never felt fear. No matter how many times I am beaten down, I only think about how to take revenge, until the other party bows their head and submits to me."

Dragon Garden stared at Prince Ganlongdao opposite him with cold, snake-like eyes, trying to discern something from the other's expression.

Hesitation, fear, terror, excitement, pleasure.

Anything would do.

As long as he could see something, he would have a countermeasure.

However.

Prince Ganlongdao just touched his chin and looked over, his posture lazy. That gaze, as if he were appraising a piece of merchandise, made Dragon Garden feel extreme disgust.

This is tricky...

Prince Ganlongdao rubbed his chin.

He hadn't expected Dragon Garden to be this type. Is he incapable of feeling fear?

Should he just beat him until he's near death?

That doesn't seem quite right.

If he did that, he would only become an opponent that Dragon Garden felt compelled to surpass. Even if he earned Dragon Garden's respect, it would only be the respect one gives an opponent.

Making Dragon Garden submit is almost impossible!

Using too much force.

It would be easy to break Dragon Garden, and if he turned into a useless waste, he would be of no use.

Therefore.

Prince Ganlongdao felt it was a bit troublesome.

Recalling how Dragon Garden checked the location of the surveillance cameras the moment he arrived, Prince Ganlongdao decided to put a bit more effort into him and change his strategy.

"I already understand your situation."

Prince Ganlongdao loosened his shoulders and smiled. "Shall we begin now?"

"..."

Hearing this.

Dragon Garden frowned.

Logically speaking.

Hot-tempered, provocative, annoying, unreasonable.

Dragon Garden had seen plenty of people, and it was impossible for him to be provoked so easily.

However.

For some reason.

Every word Prince Ganlongdao said made Dragon Garden feel incredibly disgusted.

Born enemies?

Clearly not.

It was the arrogance deep in the marrow brought about by a gap in status.

Prince Ganlongdao acted more like he was giving a lecture; he didn't treat him like a person at all.

Today might not work.

He would have to find a chance to beat him up later.

Dragon Garden cast a cold glance at the surveillance camera overhead.

"Are you sure you want to do this here?"

"Does it matter?" Prince Ganlongdao shrugged.

"No."

Dragon Garden grinned.

He knew from Sakagami's behavior today.

As long as the victim themselves doesn't report it, then it doesn't matter.

If Prince Ganlongdao were to tell the teachers, it would only prove he was a piece of trash, and he would just need to be beaten a few more times.

Thinking of this.

Dragon Garden let out a cold sneer and touched the steel pipe hidden in his sleeve.