Chapter 36: Curiousity

Kaya judged things fair and square, those students had gone too far from their actions. It had seemed like the wild and the urban lands were not so different after all, the strong are revered while the weak are preyed at. One reason that Kaya decided to help the timid kid was the glint in his eyes revealed a ferocious predator, one that does not back down even if heavily wounded. Those eyes and anger reminded Kaya of a honey badger that he had fought back in the wilderness, despite its small stature, it didn't back down on a fight, it was fearless and fought till the end. Of course, Kaya killed it very easily, he might have helped the kid from either sympathy or nostalgia or maybe both.

A few minutes later, the kid had woken up from his bed. The bruises on his body had been patched and there weren't any cuts but his face was badly swollen. They had also stitched his gums and cemented some of his teeth since they had been broken into fragments.

His eyes slowly opened, and a silhouette of a broad man loomed over his view. The man was non-other than Kaya who still wore the same appearance but this time, he had removed his face mask which revealed his face.

"Why did you save me, mister?"

The timid kid asked. He had seen everybody watch and ridicule him as he was publicly humiliated. He had grown up to be weak-willed due to the constant bullying and nobody had stood up for him. His only family relative, his mother had sacrificed herself by working tirelessly, 16 hours and 7 days weekly just so he could attend a prestigious University like San Diego until recently, she was diagnosed with cancer. He had to survive for himself and went as far as becoming a modern slave for his rich and self-centered classmates who made him do embarrassing requests just to entertain their needs and give him a spare change of money. Only he could stand up for himself and no one else. He had long gotten used to that fact and seeing that a stranger defended him felt foreign to him. He couldn't make it out to himself if he had to be either grateful or resentful of the man.

"In a world of equality, I can't just stand still and watch a weakling being preyed on by the strong."

"Isn't that just life? Isn't life unfair? Aren't the strong supposed to protect the weak? What do you mean by equality? Why have I become a slave to those bastards who think they are from a monarchy? Why? Why? Why does life have to be this unfair? Where's the justice in that?"

The kid said as tears poured out from his eyes, he pulled out the dextrose tube and removed the bandages from his body. He stood up from his bed but fell on the ground as his body was still currently weakened. Kaya wanted to help the kid but he simply flicked away his hands as he force himself to stand up, limping as he go.

"I'm fine. Thank you for helping me. Please leave."

He walked away with a limp on his leg as his body was still aching. Kaya followed the kid silently from a distance and saw him enter the elevator to the 8th floor so he followed him by the stairs by jumping up the floors one by one.

Soon he saw him enter a room which he entered silently so he wouldn't notice as he saw the kid sitting beside a terminally ill woman that had long lost her hair and a pale complexion that made it look like she had died. Of course, she wasn't dead but was currently in a critical condition and she was only supported by an oxygen tank as her heartbeat was scanned through the monitor. He saw the kid caress his mother's thin arms and softly hold her by the head as he smiled.

"Mom, I'll be sure to graduate and become a doctor. I promise that I'll earn a lot of money so I can cure your disease myself. Did you know mom? The university was so big that I almost got lost finding our room! It was so hilarious when the janitor had to help me look for the building of my department and in which I met this very kind female classmate who was our class Representative! She was elegant and acted like royalty but she was still a down-to-earth human which made me respect her more. I hope that everyone was like her but too bad they aren't. My classmates, well they're not so kind like her but we do get along well, no, we do!"

The kid said with a smile but tears fell from his eyes. He wiped it as he sniffed his nose and patted her abdomen.

"Mom, I'm afraid. No matter what I tell myself to be strong but in reality, I'm not as strong as you. You were my only shield and now, I'm as fragile as glass. I can't take the beating so much, it hurts, it hurts. They won't stop torturing me until I faint, they make fun of me, make me do all this horrible stuff. It hasn't even been a week yet and I already want to give up, but I can't. As you've said, a strong person does not cry. A strong person cries and sheds tears for a moment, then gets back up and fights again. So I'll be a strong person, one that will protect you so please wake up. Until then, once I earned enough money, I'll be sure to get you the best treatment for your illness and we'll be able to live normally again."

The kid smiles as he wiped the tears from his eyes. He kissed his mom on the forehead and gave her a light and warm embrace as he proceed to leave the room. Kaya who had observed everything felt a rather unfamiliar feeling in his heart, he stared at the mother who remained motionless but as he intently stared at her closed eyelids, he found a tear dropping down her eyes.

'So this is what a mother's love looks like. Despite being unconscious, her love for his child still beats madly.'

Kaya couldn't help but sigh. He had not known his mother's identity and only knew of his father who was his grandfather's son. If he had a mother, he wondered if she was just like that.

'She reminds me of that woman back in the town.'

Although both had no striking resemblance in looks, their unconditional love for their family remained the same. Despite being on the verge of death, she still thought of the well-being of her family. Kaya was curious, if he returned, he might want to ask his grandfather about his mother and also about the university.

'It seems I have to save this kid after all.'

Kaya sighed. He wanted to help the kid's mother by paying for her treatment but he needed a valid reason to do so. He didn't care about the gains, he only wished to know if the one he would help was righteous and upright. Although he observed him as a kind and loving child to his mother, I mean even the worst of the bunch has a soft spot for their family so he couldn't judge quickly.

'This might be a great time to know more about the school and meet my peers. I refuse to believe that everyone my age is an asshole.'

Kaya thought to himself as he left the hospital. He had the luxury of strolling around the city wherever he wants but he decided to return straight back home. After arriving, Kaya entered his grandfather's office where he saw him signing papers while Goodman was compiling the files through an iPad.

"What brought you back here so early Kaya?"

Michael asked confusingly, Kaya sat on the sofa as he spoke.

"Grandpa, do you know anything about mother?"

Kaya asked intently. Goodman rosed his eyebrow as he shifted his gaze at the chairman who could only sigh as he placed his pen on the table.

"Why asked me that? Did you somehow meet a kid with his dying mother?"

"Huh? How did you know?"

Kaya was surprised as he immediately tapped his clothes if there were some tracking devices put on him or some hidden camera he wasn't aware of. Michael simply sighed as he responded.

"I expect as much. I'll tell you about your parents in detail once you become my successor but I can give you small information about your mother. Your mother is a very strong woman not just mentally but physically, she was able to beat your father in combat which was why your father fell in love with her. You have the same eyes as your mother, pitch black, and silky smooth hair. That's all I can tell you, I'll let you dwell with your past in the future but for now, it seems like you still have questions in your head."

"Aahhh...thank you grandpa. I'm interested in going to a university, specifically the University of San Diego."

"Oho? Did you meet some amazing fighters there? You know, their top student fought in the company and managed to reach 2nd place, his name is Jason and he's a fighting genius. Did you see him perhaps in combat and that's why you're interested in his school?"

Goodman said in interest. Kaya could only smile and nod and he couldn't tell him that he had confronted Jason personally and wanted to say he was a weakling but decided to hide it for himself. He wasn't arrogant at all, he was just speaking facts. Jason was barely in the High Refinement Realm and for Kaya who was already in the Half-step of Transmutation Realm, he was nothing more but a third-rate martial artist.

"Well we can enroll you to the University as a home-schooled student but that would be hard considering the papers that we need to compile and we can't just forge a fake document so you have to enter a 2-month program that lets you obtain a diploma or we can put you in scholarship as a college athlete but you have to take a practical and written test."

Goodman suggested. Since it was still the early stages of the classes, enrollment was still ongoing, the only problem was if Kaya could pass the written exam since he wasn't academically smart.

"Then I'll become a college athlete."

"By becoming a college athlete, you'll have to devote yourself to a specific sport and those sports you can choose can be martial arts, ball sports, swimming, track, and field but It's high likely you'll pick martial arts. I'm sure you'll pass the practical test with flying colors but the written exam will be the problem. I have to put you under an intense study workshop for a week and if you can't even learn 50% of what I'll be teaching, we'll have to spend as much as 2-3 weeks."

"You're the one who will be teaching me?"

Kaya asked. He thought that he'll be getting a private teacher but he didn't expect it to be Goodman.

"You may not know this but I was a former professor at Stanford University, one of the most luxurious and famous universities in the world."

Goodman puffed his chest, raising his high nose to brag about his achievements. Kaya was surprised as he hadn't expected that from Goodman but the chairman simply scoffed at his bragging.

"He was fired right away after he was found having sexual relations with the college students."

"Chairman, don't say that! I was forced into the relationship! Don't listen to him Kaya, your grandpa is spouting lies."

"Oh really?"

The chairman cracked his knuckles and Goodman couldn't help but swallow his nervous saliva as he apologized. He then brought out a file application which he assisted Kaya in signing it. While they were compiling the applications, the chairman asked Kaya.

"It's good that you want to meet other people your age and being enthusiastic about learning new things is something any parent would want their child. But Kaya, school is not like the wilderness, you have to follow rules and must learn to cope with other students. It's not a place where you can just do whatever you want as rules were implemented to keep students from straying the wrong path."

"I understand grandfather, I'll be sure to take the right path."

"Good, I know I can trust in you. Remember, never use your power for your selfish gains, use it for good, never brag about it unlike your uncle Goodman here."

Goodman could only hide in embarrassment from the chairman's words. Kaya nodded in agreement as he had long known about his case of being a superhuman amongst the majority, if he chose the right path, he'd be a hero and figure everyone inspires to be while if he strays to the wrong path, he'd be a disastrous monster that will destroy anything and anywhere he goes. He promised himself not to delve into the path of destruction.

With great power, comes great responsibility and responsibility comes with authority that one with power should never abuse.

A few hours later, Kaya was done with the applications, he'd get news from Goodman in the next 1-2 days and after which he would have to focus on his classes with his teacher. He'd have to take a break from playing VR in a couple of weeks since he still had a lot to learn about society as a whole.

We truly live in a society (Insert Jared Leto as Joker .png)

Afterwards, Kaya with the remaining days he had left decided to finish his business with the dark guilds.

Ting~

[Log In]

' Let the destruction of the Blood Carnival Guild begin.'