Chapter 88: Teaching Leon a Lesson! [BONUS - ]

However, Jake had already beaten him to it.

Before Ethan could even reach Leon, Jake wasted no time whatsoever, stepping forward and landing a powerful punch straight across the blonde-haired Sentinel’s face. The sudden attack caught Leon completely off guard, sending his head snapping to the side as the surrounding students gasped in shock.

Leon barely had enough time to recover before Jake was already preparing to land another punch, but Ethan quickly reached out and caught his hands, stopping him before the second blow could connect.

"Calm down," Ethan said, his voice low as he held Jake back.

Ethan had not stopped Jake because he suddenly felt some kind of goodwill toward Leon, nor was he interested in protecting the bastard from the consequences of his own actions. If anything, Leon had continued stepping on his tail for far too long, and the bastard had practically presented himself with a perfect opportunity today.

Ethan was not about to let that opportunity go.

However, he wanted to be the one to hit Leon directly.

He wanted to feel the satisfaction of personally punching that annoying blonde-haired bastard after everything Leon had put him through, and if there were any consequences or punishment afterward, then Ethan would face them himself. He simply did not want Jake taking the blame for something that Ethan wanted to do with his own hands.

Leon, meanwhile, was still recovering from Jake’s punch, his face throbbing painfully as he slowly straightened himself.

Yet, despite the pain, the fact that Ethan had been the one to stop Jake from hitting him again immediately gave Leon a sense of relief.

At least Ethan knew his place.

In Leon’s mind, Ethan had stopped his friend because he was afraid of what Leon would do in retaliation, which meant that despite Ethan’s sudden rise in status, the boy still understood exactly who he was dealing with.

Unfortunately for Leon, that confidence lasted for barely a second.

A terrifying blow suddenly landed on the other side of his face.

Bam!

Leon’s head snapped sideways again.

Before he could even comprehend what had happened, another punch landed.

And another.

And another.

Ethan’s fist moved with frightening precision as he unleashed all the frustration he had been holding in, each punch landing against Leon’s face before the blonde-haired Sentinel could properly defend himself. Leon staggered under the assault, his vision beginning to blur as stars seemed to dance across his sight.

By the time Ethan finally stopped, Leon was barely able to remain standing.

Ethan released him and calmly stepped back, his breathing surprisingly steady despite the number of punches he had just thrown.

The three people who had come with Leon immediately rushed forward to steady him before he could collapse completely.

Blood slowly trickled from the corner of Leon’s mouth, leaving behind a painfully obvious sign of Ethan’s punches.

By then, the commotion had already attracted a crowd.

Students who had been eating nearby had begun gathering around them, while others whispered among themselves as they tried to understand what had happened. The cafeteria, which had been filled with the usual lively chatter only moments ago, was now buzzing with excitement as everyone watched the confrontation unfold.

Leon noticed the growing crowd almost immediately.

There was no way he could allow himself to lose face in front of so many people, especially after being beaten by a Guide.

He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, his expression twisted with anger and humiliation, before glaring viciously at Ethan.

"Ethan, you despicable human! You dare enjoy your meal in a new class while Drey is in a frenzy state because of you!"

Drey?

Ethan’s brows twitched slightly.

He had not seen Drey since their last encounter inside the rift, and honestly, he had not thought about him because he simply did not bother to. There was no reason for Ethan to waste his precious brainpower thinking about someone he had no desire to concern himself with anymore.

However, Leon’s words about Drey being in a frenzy state made Ethan pause.

It might actually be true.

After all, during the rift mission, Ethan had used Drey’s body as a vessel, and considering how much energy Drey had absorbed during that process, it was entirely possible that the aftermath had caused him to enter a frenzy state.

Ethan had indeed been the cause of what was happening to Drey.

But did he care?

Not in the slightest.

If anything, Ethan felt that Drey should take it as repayment for all the evil things he had done to him.

If Drey was suffering now, perhaps it was simply the universe finally collecting a debt.

While Ethan calmly entertained those thoughts, however, the students surrounding them had reached an entirely different conclusion.

"He put Lord Drey into a frenzy state? How?"

"Can anyone recognize the dark-haired boy Leon is talking to?"

"It’s Ethan Ashford."

"Exactly! Everyone, listen up." Leon saw this as an opportunity to ignite a fire and spoke loudly. "This boy here participated in the rift mission, and through underhanded means, he did something that put Lord Drey in a bad situation while he earned merit for helping with the success of the rift mission. How evil is that?"

The whispers immediately spread through the crowd, growing louder with every passing second.

"He caused harm to Lord Drey just to get credit for something? That’s despicable!"

"But how is that possible? He’s merely a D-rank Guide. How could he possibly cause harm to Lord Drey?"

"That’s exactly what I’m thinking too. That should be impossible! Besides, everyone knows Leon has a grudge against Ethan. For all we know, he could be making this up."

"Yeah, until Lord Drey or the academy makes this claim themselves, we shouldn’t just believe anything we hear."

The atmosphere gradually began to shift.

What had initially sounded like an accusation completely in Leon’s favor was slowly turning against him as more students began questioning his words rather than immediately condemning Ethan.

Leon’s expression darkened as he listened to the whispers spreading around him.

Ethan, however, had already lost interest.

His mood had been ruined the moment his peaceful meal was interrupted, and after dealing with Leon, he wanted nothing more than to leave this place.

Turning toward Leon, Ethan gave him one final warning.

"Take those punches as mere reactions to ruining my meal. I’ve tolerated you for long enough, so stop messing with me and leave me the fuck alone, or else it will be worse next time!"

With that, Ethan turned away from him.

He looked toward Lara and Jake, both of whom were still standing there in a daze from everything they had just witnessed.

"Let’s go."

The two finally snapped out of their daze and followed Ethan out of the cafeteria.

The moment they stepped outside, Jake turned toward Ethan with an expression that was equal parts bewilderment and excitement.

"Although I have many questions about how you got the stamina as a Guide to throw that many punches, but it’s better we don’t dwell on that."

Ethan glanced at him but said nothing.

Jake, however, suddenly grinned. "Also, since that has been ruined, I have a better, more dangerous and exhilarating offer."

Ethan’s brows immediately rose.

Jake continued, his expression growing increasingly excited as he revealed what he had apparently been planning all along.

"I was originally planning to go alone, but since we’re all together..."

He paused dramatically before delivering his proposal.

"Let’s raid the Empire’s Research Facility!"