Rock Bottom Pain. It was the first thing I felt when I woke up. A deep, bone-deep ache that made it hard to move, hard to breathe. My body ached as I shifted, the taste of blood thick in my mouth. I cracked my swollen eyes open, vision swimming as I tried to piece together what happened. The dim, flickering light of my dorm room cast long shadows against the walls. My sheets were stained with crimson, and the sharp sting along my ribs told me something was definitely broken.The memory came rushing back—his smirk, his fists, the feeling of my body hitting the ground again and again. He didn’t just beat me. He made sure I stayed down. I forced myself up, every movement was painful. My phone lay on the floor, cracked and useless. How long had I been out? The clock on my desk read 3:14 AM. No one had come looking for me. Not that I expected them to. I pressed a hand against my bruised ribs, hissing in pain. My body felt like it had been through a shredder. My face was swollen,

Laughter rippled through the hallway of Frontale University, bouncing off the pristine marble floors and the grand pillars that lined the corridors. I could hear it all around me—the mocking whispers, the amused smirks, and the quiet murmurs of pity and disdain. I clenched my fists, my breath ragged as I pushed myself up from the cold floor. My knees stung from the fall, my hands scraped against the unforgiving tiles. My backpack had spilled open, my few battered notebooks lying scattered like fallen leaves. Paul’s voice was the first to cut through the noise, sharp and laced with cruelty. "And down goes the pauper prince again!" he mocked, nudging his polished shoe against my shoulder, shoving me back down with ease. A fresh round of laughter erupted into the thin air. I looked around and I could see their faces, basking in my pain. But I didn't care, all I wanted was to get a shot, a chance to sit for my exam. Frank, Paul, and the rest of their minions stood over me, basking

I stood in front of the receptionist’s desk at the hospital, my fingers tightening around the sleek black card that had mysteriously appeared in my wallet. The Hellish System had given me fifty thousand dollars, and now, it was time to use it."How much is my hospital bill?" I asked, my voice steady but cold.The nurse behind the counter barely spared me a glance. "You were here overnight. The total comes to $3,200, including the emergency treatment and tests."I exhaled slowly. That was a lot of money for a single night, but with my current balance, it was nothing.I slid the card across the desk. The nurse's fingers hesitated over the card before swiping it through the machine. She glanced at the screen, her brows furrowing. "It… it went through?"I smirked. "Of course it did."Her eyes flicked to my hospital gown, then to the worn-out sneakers I’d managed to retrieve from the storage locker. I could see the disbelief on her face."Do you need a receipt?" she asked hesitantly.I sh

Frank stormed through the crowd, shoving students aside as he made his way toward me. His face was twisted in rage, his hands balled into fists. I barely blinked. I could see the disbelief in his eyes, the rage and the unsettling anger, all rising to the surface. But I was not fazed, not when I am on top of my game. "You think just because you’ve got money now, you’re better than me?" he spat, stopping a few inches away from my face. "You’re still the same pathetic loser you were yesterday, Ethan. And I’m about to remind you of that." I tilted my head. "Go ahead, Frank. Try." I said with a smirk on my face. My eyes darted around and I knew this was just the best way and place to have Frank humiliated. Only if he was dumb enough to fall for it. The crowd hushed. The tension in the air was thick, almost suffocating. Frank sneered and pulled back his fist, ready to punch me. But before he could even swing, something strange happened. A burning sensation shot through my ar

Frontale University bubbling with the news of how I had beaten the most ruthless tugs inside the university ground. The fame was new to me. I haven't had so many people give me so much attention after what Selena did to me. " Is that him?" " The kid who single handedly beat up Aiden and Ethan Gray." " Do you think he was lucky?" " Lucky? Why don't you try and see how lucky you can get when you are up close against someone like Ethan and Aiden." The university was in a frenzy mode. While some talked about me being a good fighter, others who were friends with Frank Carter said I was just lucky. If I was lucky then I don't want my luck to run out. Some said I was a freak. They even had the audacity to say it to my face. " Do you think that is normal?" " Don't you see the way he charges at Ethan and Aiden? Does that look normal to you?" " Well, if you ask me then I would say he is done freak. He should be kicked out of the school premises." I walked past