Caleb's breath came heavy.
The air around him warped as power spread from deep within his body and veins along his neck glowed as his bloodline awakening stirred. Muscles tightened. Bones creaked. His posture shifted as the first signs of partial transformation began to take shape.
Everyone nearby knew what came next.
Caleb's awakening was public knowledge.
A bloodline-based ability.
Partial transformation.
Brute force amplified by inherited power.
Once the transformation completed, anyone Tier 0 in his vicinity wouldn't stand a chance.
Students screamed and scrambled backward.
Phones came out.
Teachers shouted... but didn't move.
Caleb's lips curled into a savage grin as his body began to change.
"Like I said... you should've stayed—"
He never got to finish the sentence...
All he saw was black.
A sudden blur cut through his vision, fast enough to register only as movement, not form.
West was suddenly right in front of him.
Caleb didn't even have time to react.
West's fist drove into his ribs with terrifying force.
A sickening thud echoed unnaturally loud across the vicinity.
Caleb's eyes bulged and air exploded out of his lungs as his body was sent skidding backwards.
His boots scrapped uselessly against the ground before he slammed hard onto the pavement.
A mouthful of saliva sprayed from his lips as he gasped violently with his hands clutching at his side.
The partial transformation collapsed before it could get completed.
Caleb screamed hoarsely as pain spread through his midsection causing his power to evaporate mid-activation.
Utter silence fell as every student stared in disbelief.
Someone whispered, "Did… did West just—?"
That punch shouldn't have been possible.
Not from him.
Not from a Tier 0.
Caleb wheezed on the ground in shock as pain tore through his body in waves. His awakening had been forcibly interrupted... something that almost never happened unless the damage was severe.
Lena screamed his name and rushed toward him, dropping to her knees beside him.
"Caleb—! Caleb, are you okay?!"
She reached for him desperately but he slapped her hand away.
"Don't touch me!" he snarled through clenched teeth as his face twisted with rage and humiliation.
Lena recoiled with a stunned look.
Caleb forced himself onto an elbow with his eyes blazing as he locked onto West.
"I'll kill you," he spat. "I'll fucking kill you, West—!"
West stood still.
Outwardly he was calm but internal he counted; 'Thirty seconds.'
That was all he had left.
The adrenaline was burning through him like wildfire.
His heart hammered violently in his chest. His muscles felt unnaturally alive and every fiber burnt with potential... but he could already feel the price forming beneath the surface.
Sweat slid down his spine.
His breathing stayed controlled — barely.
What no one else knew was that West had made the decision the instant he saw Caleb begin to transform.
'I can't win... not in a real fight. Not against a full Tier 1 bloodline awakening...'
So he didn't try to...
The moment Caleb activated his branch, West had triggered the system.
> [Skill Activated: Adrenal Control]
All Sub Stats Temporarily Increased (+10)
Duration: 60 Seconds
This was the skill he got as a reward for the achievement of completing his quest.
The world had sharpened instantly...
Sound became crisp and movement slightly slowed.
His fear burned away.
West didn't aim to defeat Caleb.
He aimed to interrupt him and deal enough damage since this would give him a better fighting chance.
And it worked.
But now... the clock was ticking.
Twenty-eight seconds.
Caleb was already trying to rise.
If the adrenaline wore off and Caleb managed to activate his awakening again…
West knew exactly what would happen.
He'd be torn apart.
He scanned the surroundings quickly.
Too many eyes.
Too many phones.
No clear exit without running.
And running wouldn't work once the crash hit.
'Think... Think...'
All of a sudden...
Pah!
A single, slow clap echoed from the left.
Pah!
Another rang out and footsteps followed.
The claps continued to ring out as a youngster stepped forward from the edge of the crowd.
Everyone turned.
He was well over six feet with a broad, muscular build that strained the seams of his uniform.
However, it wasn't their uniform... it bore different colors and patterns.
It obvious belonged to a different school and everyone around seemed to recognize it.
"Is that Jin from Starclove High?" One whispered from the crowd in shock.
Behind him walked two other youngsters, both equally imposing with wide shoulders and thick neck.
And on their necks was a tattoo.
A simple tattoo of a flaming chain.
The entire crowd went cold.
That tattoo belonged to a gang everyone knew.
The same gang Caleb had been boasting about.
The same gang he was desperate to join.
Which meant only one thing...
These three were awakened.
"Interesting," the tall one leading the three voiced casually before clapping again. "Very interesting."
His voice was calm... Almost amused.