"You've had too much to drink."
"Hehehaha! If they hadn't stopped me, that whore would have been mine already!"
Two young men were walking down the street at night, both drunk. The one with dyed blond hair kept mumbling about something.
"Let's leave that for later. We have plenty of time." The one carrying the blond smirked, but the blond laughed even louder.
"YOU'RE RIGHT! THAT BITCH'S BOYFRIEND? ONE PUNCH FROM ME AND HE'D BE OUT! HAHAHA!!"
Definitely not the kind of people you'd want as friends. Just a bunch of bad boys.
"Hey, why don't we plan it now? I really want to have fun with her. I'm afraid I can't—huh?"
The blond felt strange. He no longer sensed his friend beside him.
Looking around, he realized he was alone.
"What?! Are you messing with me?! You dare ditch me?! You bastard—"
Crack.
The sound of breaking bones made him flinch. His eyes darted toward a dark alley.
"...Gulp."
He swallowed hard. For some reason, he had a feeling his friend was in that alley.
Steeling himself, he stepped forward. The darkness swallowed him whole.
He kept walking—until he stumbled upon something horrifying.
His friend… was being eaten by something.
His friend's lifeless eyes stared straight at him.
Fear overtook him. He bolted, running as fast as he could.
"Guhuhuhh..."
Saliva dripped onto the ground from bloody teeth.
The creature stood up and rushed toward him.
"STAY AWAY FROM ME!!!"
His eyes lit up with hope as he saw a light ahead.
Unfortunately... he couldn't make it.
In an instant, he realized—his legs were gone.
"AGHHHHHHHHHH!!!"
Blood gushed from the stumps as he screamed, looking at the thing before him.
It wore the uniform of a mental patient, arms bound tightly, rubber straps wrapped around its entire body, leaving only its grotesque mouth exposed.
It looked human, but it was anything but.
"Help!! Somebody, help!!!"
His cries for help echoed, unheard.
The creature opened its mouth, revealing chunks of flesh and blood still being chewed.
"HEEEELP!!"
The sound of tearing flesh filled the night.
***
Wake the fuck up, isekai man, we have school today.
"Ughhhhh... don't wake me up..."
Oh? You don't wanna get up? Then don't blame me for being cruel.
In just a second, my leg exploded in pain.
"Agh?!"
I clutched my right leg in agony.
"What the fuck?! I didn't do anything intense yesterday, so why the hell does my leg hurt so much?! Ugaahhhh!!!!"
For some reason, surgeries, broken bones, every injury I'd ever had in this world—none of them compared to this damn leg cramp.
Looks like my Spirit stat is completely useless against this.
I collapsed off my bed, panting, drenched in sweat, still clutching my leg.
I watched the muscles in my calf twitch violently, making me feel like passing out on the spot.
Even before coming to this world, leg cramps were my worst nightmare because I used to overwork myself for money.
Now, with Kai's body having shit-tier physical stats, it hurt even worse than before.
After a while, the pain finally subsided.
"..."
I tried standing up, but the aftershock was still too much, so I had to drag myself to the bathroom.
My luck really damn sucks…
Looking in the mirror, I noticed my messy green hair.
I sighed, brushed my teeth, washed my face—did all the normal morning stuff.
Throwing on my school uniform, I grabbed my bag, stepped out of my room, and locked the door.
Then, I headed to the academy. As usual, it took ten minutes to get there.
Walking past the higher-ranked classes, I finally reached my own—Class F.
Nobody was here yet. I was earlier than I thought.
The janitor nearby gave me a confused look.
"Why are you... here at this hour?"
"Huh? Am I that early?"
"Yeah, it's 5 AM. Class starts at 6:45."
"...motherfucker."
So, I sat at my desk and went back to sleep while waiting for class to start.
One hour later...
A blonde girl entered the classroom, only to see someone was already there.
"Huh?! I thought I was early!"
Then, she recognized the guy—he was the one who got bullied by those three thugs yesterday and ended up in the infirmary until nighttime.
"He woke up early? Does he really love school that much?"
She started coming up with all sorts of ridiculous theories before shaking them off. After all, she barely knew him.
Soon, more students started trickling into the class.
Finally, the homeroom teacher of Class F, Tyler, arrived.
He smiled at the whole class, then noticed Kai.
"Rudy, wake him up."
Rudy obeyed, shaking Kai gently. Kai opened his eyes, still groggy.
"Sleep well, Kai?"
"..."
"It's okay if you don't answer. As long as you're doing well! I have a lesson today, so I'll make sure to teach you the best I can!"
His dazzling smile lit up the whole classroom, even waking up my half-asleep brain.
And so, his 45-minute lecture began.
Tyler taught literature, and literature was… a unique subject.
Honestly, I liked literature. It let me understand people's emotions and thoughts through their writing.
Plus, I needed to study to pass. Who knows? Maybe I'll land a high-paying job in the future. Then I could send money back to Kai's family.
The bell rang, signaling the end of the lesson.
Since it was still early, the cafeteria only sold light breakfast and drinks—no proper meals yet.
Even so, students crowded in, fighting over food.
Luckily, I didn't go to the cafeteria.
Next period began…
...and it was P.E.
"Gahah... Hah... Hah...."
I gasped for breath, running alongside my classmates.
Our P.E. teacher was a fat bastard—someone I definitely did not trust in this goddamn Cuck Hell World.
He made the boys run five laps while the girls only ran two.
Where the heck was the fairness?!
After a while, I couldn't take it anymore and collapsed, drenched in sweat.
No matter how high my Spirit stat was, it didn't do shit for my weak-ass body…
But I had to keep running. You know what kind of world this is. If I didn't push myself, I'd never survive.
As I ran, I overheard some students talking behind me.
"Hey, have you noticed that guy?"
"Which guy?"
"Over there." The student pointed.
"MUHAHAHA! WHY RUN WHEN I CAN JUST WATCH OTHER PEOPLE RUN FOR ME?"
"Uh… Baron, aren't you supposed to be running too?" The P.E. teacher asked.
"Shut up, you fatass. What I do is none of your business."
"But—"
Baron suddenly pulled out a wad of cash and smacked the teacher's face with it.
"Too much talking. Here's your money, now fuck off!"
"...You!!"
Though his face was full of anger, his hands were very honest as he took the money and scurried away.
"MUHAHAHA! IF YOU CAN'T BUY SOMETHING, IT JUST MEANS YOU DON'T HAVE ENOUGH MONEY! MUHAHAHA!!"
"..."
He was definitely a noble's kid.
"I think his name is Baron Libert, the second son of a count."
"A count?! Why the hell is he in Class F?!"
"No idea, but rumor has it… his family doesn't really like him. Apparently, he's the son of a servant."
"Ah, I see where this story is going now…"
"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU GUYS MUMBLING ABOUT?! WANT ME TO FEED YOU TO THE LIONS?!"
"AHHHH! WE'RE SORRY!"
The two students sprinted away at full speed, overtaking me.
Baron snorted, then turned his gaze toward me.
It was his first time seeing Kai. After all, Kai had just returned to school yesterday—on the same day Baron took a leave of absence.
Seeing Kai run as if his life depended on it made Baron feel… annoyed.
If you weren't strong enough, you could just give up. No one would blame you.
Yet this guy kept running. It was kinda dumb.
"Hey, commoner. Come here."
Kai heard him and looked over.
"Yeah, you. Who else would I be talking to?"
Kai walked over, still holding his water bottle.
"You're weak as hell, yet you keep running. Aren't you afraid of passing out?"
'Funny you ask. I almost did if not for my Spirit stat,' Kai thought.
"Of course."
"Then why the hell are you running if it's pointless? Hard work won't make you any stronger, especially with that weak-ass body."
Kai sighed. This guy was nosy as hell.
"Well… to make my body stronger."
"You're weak."
"I know, but I still have to try. For my family."
At the word family, Baron's expression darkened.
"Family? You're joking, right?"
"No joke. I'm serious."
"... You know what? Just keep running. I don't give a shit anymore."
Baron flicked his coat and turned to leave.
Judging by his reaction, he probably had family issues.
Just as he was about to walk away, Kai added,
"Hey, I don't know what problems you have with your family, but remember—there will always be someone who loves you."
Baron kept walking. He'd clearly heard that line before.
So, Kai threw in one more.
"Or, you could give your love to someone else. You won't regret it."
Baron abruptly stopped, then turned back.
"You talk too much, commoner."
"Just a reminder."
"Not your business."
Kai watched as Baron walked away, took another sip of water, and resumed running.
Other people's family issues aren't mine to meddle in.
But don't let family sorrow consume you—there are always other ways to find warmth.
For me, earning money to support my little brother and seeing his smile is more than enough.
That's the beauty of giving love.
Unfortunately, the price can be unbearable when the ones you care about suffer.
So, I hope he finds something—something he can be proud of, something he can truly call family.
I hope he finds it.