The sound of brutal punches and kicks echoed throughout the deserted classroom.
Thud! Whack!
"You dirt-poor loser! What makes you think you can chase the school's prom queen? Only Big Boss Peter is in her league. A piece of trash like you isn't even fit to carry our shoes!"
As the words left his mouth, the gang burst into a triumphant roar of laughter: "Hahaha...!"
"Drag him up! I want to crush his groin!" ordered the ringleader, a boy with a garish mohawk and a face twisted with malice.
Two lackeys immediately grabbed Leo by the armpits, hoisting him up from a pool of blood. He was currently drifting in a semi-conscious state. The "Mohawk" stood in front, casually raising his fist and rotating his wrist, aiming directly for Leo's crotch.
[Notification: All skills have successfully fused!]
[Notification: Half-Dragon bloodline awakened!]
Instantly, a wave of destructive power surged through every cell. Leo felt a rolling tide of energy so immense it felt as though he could shatter the void with a single punch.
"This must be an illusion, right? Like those anime characters who get delusional about their power the second they receive new energy..." Leo thought, sighing inwardly.
[Hatred System linked successfully!]
[Host Choice: Do you wish to renounce the system and continue being a 'good person' as before, or do you accept the link?]
"What does this system do?" Leo asked curiously.
[Function: Hatred Attraction. The more resentment and enmity the Host provokes, the more your power will advance. Accumulated Hatred Points can be used for the lucky draw or to purchase rare equipment and items from the System Store.]
"Be a good person? I've had more than enough of that title."
Leo's gaze turned steely as he roared within his consciousness: "I choose to accept the system!"
[Link Successful!]
[Host awakening in: 3... 2... 1...]
Inside Leo's mind, the darkness collapsed, giving way to a sudden explosion of brilliant golden light.
Leo's eyes snapped open. The "Mohawk's" punch, racing toward his groin, froze mid-air as the bully flinched at the piercing intensity of that gaze. Seizing the moment, Leo planted his feet and launched himself upward, delivering a devastating double-kick squarely to the opponent's face.
The speed was so blinding that no one could react. The power within Leo surged like a violent tide, so abundant it felt as if it could never be exhausted.
The Mohawk flew backward onto the floor, his face completely mangled: teeth shattered, lips torn, and a gruesome mess of blood and flesh staining a patch of the classroom tiles.
The two lackeys stared at the horrific scene, their souls nearly leaving their bodies in shock. Before they could recover their senses, Leo moved like a phantom, circling behind them with movements that held zero wasted effort. He crouched low, thrusting his hands through their legs and clamping his fingers around their "weak spots" with a crushing grip.
The lackeys' faces instantly turned from pale to a deep purple. Their bodies went rigid, their expressions contorted in an agony beyond words. Leo thought to himself: "Those 'marbles' must have shot straight up into their throats."
When he released his grip, both men collapsed, clutching their groins and writhing on the ground. They let out wretched screams:
"Leo... we're gonna kill you! We'll kill you a thousand times!"
"You piece of trash! You dare hit us?"
"You dead dog... I won't let you get away with this!"
Meanwhile, the colorful-haired ringleader could only lie there gasping, blood bubbling from his mouth, unable to utter a single word.
[Ding!]
[Received 10 Hatred Points]
[Received 10 Hatred Points]
[Received 5 Hatred Points]
...
"That felt amazing!" Leo stretched his arms, a look of pure satisfaction on his face.
He had never imagined that fighting back could feel this good. Previously, when he stubbornly clung to being a "good person," he had received nothing but bitterness.
"Well, I've definitely 'gone dark' now..."
Leo let out a cold, sharp smirk. In this world, there were no shackles, and with the power of the system in his hands, wasn't he free to do exactly as he pleased?
Leo left the group lying sprawled on the floor and casually turned his back on them. As he walked, he sifted through the memories of this body. After a long moment...
"Dammit!" Leo cursed under his breath.
"This bastard was dirt poor but spent all his time being a 'simp.' Every bit of savings he had went toward buying gifts for the school's prom queen. She accepted every single gift, but she tossed his feelings aside, never giving this idiot a second glance."
Aside from those pathetic romantic memories, this guy's knowledge of the world was extremely limited. He only knew the basics: this was a place where "Awakeners" existed, featuring a ranking system and bloodthirsty monsters that preyed on humans.
"Gross, this idiot's life experience was truly pathetic."
Walking down the street, Leo noticed quite a few people pointing and mocking him, but he didn't care in the slightest. Looking down at his tattered clothes, he reached into his pocket and found nothing but three meager coins.
Leo sighed. "I forgot—no matter the world, money is king. If I'd known, I would've stripped those guys of their cash back there. Would it hurt my dignity to go back and rob them now? Forget it; next time I'll make sure to take full advantage. For now, I need to head to the library to download some knowledge about this world."
Following his memory, a massive structure gradually came into view. At this hour, the flow of people was thin. As soon as he stepped inside, Leo ran into a stout woman sitting at the front desk with a sour expression.
"Stop right there! You think you can sneak in without paying?"
Leo stopped and asked curtly, "How much?"
"One coin for one hour of reading."
Leo pulled out a coin, tossed it onto the table, and walked straight past her without a single glance. The interior was vast, filled with thousands of book titles and rows of neat desks and chairs.
"With a place this big, how long will it take to find anything?"
Leo scanned the room and noticed small octopuses with multiple tentacles wrapped around the heads of several people. They seemed to be transmitting a sort of purple light into their brains. He found a seat and followed suit. The octopus immediately extended its tentacles, latching onto Leo's head. He didn't resist, allowing himself to be submerged in the incoming stream of information.
"Find me information about this world," Leo commanded with his thoughts.
"How modern!" he thought to himself.
The octopus vibrated, the purple light from its tentacles glowing brightly. As it turned out, the laws of this world were simple: survival of the fittest. Awakeners hunted monsters to absorb "Mana Cores" and level up; monsters ate living creatures to evolve. Furthermore, this world was home to many different races. Inside the "Gates," there were countless rare resources: skill books, equipment, energy stones, medicines... everything could be converted into money.
"Hey, Leo you freak! Crawl over here and lick my shoes. They're getting dirty."
A mocking voice abruptly shattered his train of thought. From a distance, a fat guy and his lackey were strolling over with an arrogant swagger.