Leveling Up With My Deviant System

The principal’s office was cold and imposing as usual, causing Micheal to shift uneasily in his chair. Next to him, another student sat with a smug expression.

Micheal gritted his teeth in silent fury. He looked bruised and battered, his uniform torn in various spots, yet the other one looked crisp and devoid of injuries. Well, except for the dried splatters of blood that stained the Academy’s pristine white shirt.

His blood.

Merely seeing both of them, it was obvious who was the victim in the fight, yet Micheal’s heart palpitated when the principal’s voice tore through the silence:

“Ah, this is a troublesome matter. Haven’t I warned you against getting into fights, young man?” The man’s gaze was directed at Micheal.

“What?!” Micheal blurted. “I didn’t do anything! I was preparing to go home when–”

“Silence.” The principal declared coldly, causing Devon, the obvious assaulter, to snicker.

Micheal clenched in fists. Still, he obeyed and remained quiet. After all, this was how it had always been. Due to Devon’s father being one of the biggest sponsors of Winchester Academy, he barely got scolded for misconduct. He was often indulged, even.

“Do I need to remind you that you’re here on account of your late mother’s request?” The principal continued. “I am honoring her wishes by having you study at this prestigious academy without having to pay a single dime. And this is how you repay my kindness? By being a nuisance to other students?!”

Bullshit. Micheal thought, but didn’t dare voice it.

Beside him, Devon feigned pity as he began spinning lies. “All I did was try to help him carry supplies to our head teacher’s room. Yet, he suddenly flared up and attacked me. Perhaps he’s mentally unwell? Do we need to be worried? If this academy is a threat to my safety, my father might need to withdraw his support.”

The principal quickly cleared his throat.

“Ah, Mr. Robinson, there’s absolutely no need for that! Micheal will be on his best behaviour from now on! I’ll personally see to that.”

Could you be a bigger ass-kisser? Micheal scoffed, which immediately earned him a very hostile glare from the man.

The principal said in a bleak tone, “This is your final warning, Mr. Baker. Any further misconduct from you will result in immediate expulsion. Do you understand?”

Micheal nodded solemnly.

Frankly, he was tired of it all. He was tired of the school’s obvious prejudice towards the less privileged like himself. And, he would’ve left a long time ago, if it wasn’t for the fact that he wanted to uphold his mother’s final request to finish his education.

Moreover, he needed to take care of his frail sister. And so, he couldn’t afford to divert the money from his part-time job into another school.

So, Micheal could only keep enduring.

After getting dismissed by the principal, he left the office without a word. In the hallway, Devon caught up to him and swung his arm over his shoulder like they were day-one buddies.

“What’s up, M to the A?!”

Seeing no response from Micheal, Devon chuckled. “Oh, come on. Don’t tell me you’re still angry? It was just a joke.”

“Leave me alone.” Micheal was struggling to contain his rage. He was small and weak compared to Devon’s muscular frame, but he had never been one to back down from a fight. No matter how many times he was pummeled, he always got back up.

Devon was silent for a moment, before laughing. He said, “Alright then. I’ll let you be… for now. See you tomorrow.” He patted Micheal’s head, before jogging off.

Micheal clicked his tongue and continued his quiet walk to his classroom. When he arrived, his eyes glossed over the overturned desks and scattered chairs.

There were two other students in the class. One was a tall male with a scholarly disposition. He approached Micheal and said, “You’re on class cleanup duty today, right?”

Micheal immediately shook his head. “What? No, I’m not.”

“That’s what it says on the roster.” The student merely shrugged as he left.

Micheal rushed to the shelves behind the class and read through the pinned poster. It was a Thursday, and the name attributed was Darryl, but it had been crossed over with a pen and overwritten with Micheal’s name in bold.

“Those bastards!” Micheal’s fists clenched.

This isn’t fair… It takes nothing to be kind, for hell’s sake! Basic human decency! The teenage boy bit down on his lip to vent his frustration.

His first idea was to grab his bag and leave, but after remembering the principal’s words, he realized it would only come back to bite him in the leg. So, he could only take a long exhale and begin cleaning the class.

The other student present was a girl. She sat close to the window, staring at the beautiful scenery outside. When she noticed Micheal re-arranging the desks, she said, “Why do you allow them to do this to you?”

Micheal raised his head. He chuckled softly and responded with a question of his own, “Amy, your father is one of the city’s most powerful bankers, right?”

She nodded.

Micheal continued, “Everyone in this class comes from a wealthy background. All but one. Me. So, how exactly am I supposed to properly fight back when even the principal has chosen to turn a blind eye to their harsh treatment towards me?”

“All he cares about is receiving donations from your parents. All the teachers care about is steering clear from trouble so they do not get fired. I have to graduate from this Academy at all costs, so simply leaving isn’t an option. With all these factors considered, I am left with no choice but to put up with being treated like a slave.”

“It sucks. It really does. But I know there’ll come a day when they regret ever treating me this way. I swear on it."

The girl, Amy, didn’t speak after that. She simply watched as he diligently cleaned the class.

Once Micheal finished, he immediately grabbed his bag and left the school premises. The other students usually had their chauffeurs picking them up, so the concept of a school bus never really occurred to the administration.

Due to this, Micheal had to walk from the private estate, all the way to his humble home in the city. It was an arduous walk, but he was used to it by now. When he arrived on the street where his house was located, he bought some chocolate to give to his sister.

As he handed the money to the cashier, Micheal’s attention was drawn to the luxury cars parked by the roadside. He frowned slightly, then asked, “What’s going on? Is there a party or something?”

This was one of the poorer districts in the city, so such cars were an extremely rare sight.

The old lady shook her head. “The cars arrived about thirty minutes ago. What’s strange is that it was a few kids who alighted from them.” Her eyes suddenly widened. “Come to think of it, they wore the same uniform as you right now.”

“Winchester’s uniform?!” Micheal exclaimed, feeling a sudden wave of dread.

He rushed out of the supermarket immediately, even forgetting to grab what he had bought. Paying no attention to what the old cashier was saying, he bolted straight for his house at the end of the street.

When he drew closer, he saw the door suddenly fly open. Five students came out laughing and hollering. One of the students–whom he recognized all too well–held a little girl by the hair. He disregarded her cries of pain as he threw her onto the cold ground.

“Where’s your idiot brother, is what we’re asking?” One of them cackled loud enough for Micheal to hear.

They did not care that she was just a little girl. They kicked her around like a ragdoll.

One of them placed their foot on her head, grinding mercilessly.

“Awn, she’s crying…” The girl amongst them mocked. “She looks so ugly. Just like her brother.”

The poor girl’s cries intensified.

“I think we overdid it, guys. We should go before the brat makes a scene.”

Bastards… Micheal’s head buzzed.

“LEAVE HER ALONE, YOU BASTARDS!!” He yelled on top of his lungs.

But when he dashed across the road to stop them, he heard a sudden and frantic honk.

Micheal had no time to slow down as felt the crushing weight of a truck ram him from the side. His brain rattled in his head, and he felt his bones turn to mush as he hit the granite floor.

W-what just happened…

Micheal found breathing difficult. He heard a number of muffled screams, but the one that stood out the most was the voice of his sister.

Blood trickled down his forehead, staining his vision. He blinked so he could see properly. In front of his house, his sister had collapsed, yelling his name on top of her breath. The poor girl looked like she was about to go mad with horror.

And the culprits, Devon’s group, wore a myriad of expressions. Some were alarmed, some were terrified, but some laughed. As though they found his misery entertaining.

Ah, this sucks….

I promised to make them regret it… but reality is often disappointing…

He took one final look at his sister as his body went completely limp.

I’m sorry, Kara. Your big brother is a failure.

His vision slowly went black.

And in that moment, Micheal’s fading consciousness suddenly felt an explosion of rage.

How dare they touch my sister?! How dare they humiliate her?!

How can they act like we’re mere items for their amusement?!

I cannot forgive them! I can never let this go! Devon, Mia, Khalid, Josh, Dan…

I swear on my life that I’ll never forget your faces! I’ll wait for you in the depths of hell, until I pay you back for everything you’ve done! I swear it!

Eventually, even his mind went quiet. Micheal Baker had died.

…Until, a voice suddenly whispered:

“Poor human, do you seek revenge? Do you seek power?”

Even in death, Micheal’s raging obsession made him answer, “Yes.”