Chapter 22

To reiterate, the 'Beast Group' is a large group that spans multiple regions.

Even though Area A is the area where the 'Beast Group' has the strongest influence, it is still only a small part of the 'Beasts'.

As the highest-ranking member of the 'Beast Group' in Area A, Eagle also enjoyed many benefits and privileges because of this status. Even when they recently lost a 'match' against the 'Snake Group', they paid the price of losing a year's worth of 'status' as a result.

However, this still did not have a particularly significant impact on him, the highest-ranking member of the 'Beast Group' in Area A.

After all, even if they sacrificed their 'status', the sheer size of the 'Beast Group' remained unchanged. The only ones who truly dared to ignore the 'status' of the 'Beasts' were the 'Official' and other 'large groups' and some 'elite groups'.

However, that only lasted until yesterday.

Ever since he learned yesterday that some rumors had been circulating, he has found it difficult to feel happy.

Speaking of this 'rumor,' it all started yesterday when he accidentally discovered that several members who had left 'Beast,' and several members who were still in 'Beast,' were gathered together, quietly chatting about something.

Out of curiosity, he activated his 'Quirk' to enhance his eyesight and hearing, enduring the deafening noise around him that had suddenly grown louder, and squinting slightly to conceal his suddenly sharpened vision.

Then he finally heard what those guys were talking about.

"... It was all because that guy had something on us that we had no choice but to give up the competition and even turn around and help him!"

A guy who has broken free from the 'beast' is saying this.

"Moreover, it is said that the 'high-ranking' member with a less-than-ideal 'Quirk' was persecuted by that guy, forcing him to leave the 'Beast Group' and join the 'Snake Group' during the 'competition'."

Then, after this guy finished speaking, another guy who had also broken free from the 'beast' continued to say the same thing.

The two men's words made the two remaining members of the 'Beasts' somewhat skeptical. Although they didn't know the specific details, they had indeed heard similar things many times in the past two days.

The two guys who said these words were once members of the same "small group" before joining the "Beasts." However, this "small group" was later forced to disband and join the "Beast Group" due to the oppression of the "Beasts," and was essentially absorbed by the "Beast Group."

It's fair to say their relationship is quite good.

Logically speaking, given this situation, they shouldn't be so skeptical.

However, the leader of Area A of the 'Beast Group,' 'Eagle,' had always performed exceptionally well, especially in front of them, the 'lower-level' members, making it difficult for them to believe that this was true.

"How could Boss Ying do such a thing! Boss Ying, he..."

One of the skeptical men shook his head and muttered a denial. Eagle had once done him a favor by testifying when the guards almost mistakenly put him in a solitary confinement cell, ultimately saving his life.

He genuinely didn't want to believe it, and even wondered if there was some misunderstanding. However, upon careful consideration, he couldn't find any evidence to prove that the facts weren't as they claimed.

Then another person who hadn't spoken before, also someone who had broken free from the 'beast', spoke up and shattered his hopes.

"If you're unwilling to believe it because he protected you and prevented you from being locked in a solitary cell, then you're incredibly naive. That guy has always presented a facade to us. In fact, what happened to you back then was very likely orchestrated by him, and he then stepped in to protect you, using this method to win people over."

One of the members who had spoken earlier, and who had also left the 'Beast,' agreed with the last person to speak.

"Think about it carefully. After that incident, he did similar things quite a few times. Aren't you curious why he always appeared at the critical moment? Why he always had the ability to prove your innocence? Why he always seemed to have everything under control?"

It was at this moment that Eagle finally couldn't hold back any longer and walked towards the group, interrupting their slander against him. The few members who hadn't yet broken free from the 'beast' were also prevented from being swayed by the group because of his timely appearance.

At least that's how it seemed at the time.

However, during the break after morning study this morning, Eagle suddenly learned some news.

Those members of the 'Beast Group' who were with the group of guys who had broken away from the 'Beasts' yesterday officially left the 'Beast Group' this morning and joined the 'Snake Group' instead.

What angered him most was that the members who left the 'Beast' as soon as possible were not just those few guys, but only a small part of them.

It was the fat, obese man who told him this when he asked the "management" staff member in charge of managing and counting the members of the "Beast Group" in Area A.

Even when he angrily pressed him for details, the obese man impatiently told him that members leaving the 'group' had been happening for days, and that he had even quit the 'Beast Group' in front of him after telling him this.

Now, the fat man who was once forced to withdraw from the competition with him for the position of leader of the 'Beast Group' in Area A has also joined the 'Snake Group'.

And it doesn't just include the fat guy who's in charge of managing and counting the 'beasts' members in Area A.

In fact, apart from a few who could be considered his confidants, all of the "management" members of the "Beast" group in Area A had already left the "Beast Group" and joined other "groups".

Eagle, of course, also reacted and took corresponding actions, and his primary target was the 'Snake Group', which had the largest number of 'Beast' members.

Little did he know that his real enemy was that clever fellow who had once held a high position among the "beasts" thanks to his intellect and intelligence. In fact, even Uraraka Shige was merely a tool used by this guy in this matter.