Chapter 22: First Fight

"Calm down. Tell me what happened first," Reese said to Renz in a very calm voice.

"It's like this." Then Renz told him everything.

It turned out Renz bumped into them accidentally, and the small thug's drink spilled on the small thug's shirt, staining his white shirt. Renz then apologized to them and offered to compensate for the other guy's shirt, but demanded 1000 thousand pesos for a shirt that looked like it came from a thrift shop.

But Renz did not want to give them a thousand pesos. His allowance was only so little, and these idiots wanted him to compensate that much. 

'Dream on.' Renz thought.

"So it's like that," Reese said. A realization dawned on his eyes as he turned to the two thugs. "Seniors, do you think it's a bit much to ask for a thousand pesos in compensation?" Reese questioned the thugs.

"So what! I say what I say it is. You know what? Make it 2 thousand pesos for not minding your own damn business, kid." The man said, a smug look on his face as he crossed his arm on his chest.

"What the fuck? Are you out of your mind? Do you really think we would pay you that much? Hmm?" Renz retorted back.

"Do you think we are afraid of the two of you just because you guys are older and bigger?" Rey said with a hint of anger.

Reese looked at his two best friends in surprise. 'I didn't know you two were brave.' Well, this is only the first time that they were in this situation. So it makes sense that he was surprised. 

"Oh, do you think we would not hurt the three of you punks? It will be as easy as squashing a bug," the big thug said with daggers in his eyes.

"Three of us? Who said that? Just take a look around you," Rey said as he spread his arms around the crowd.

The two thugs were slightly taken aback by what they saw. There were a number of students standing on their grounds as they approached the two of them. But they were not afraid; instead, they were amused by the courage these students had.

"Hahahaha! So that's where your bravery came from. You really think your friends will be fucking enough? That's where you mistaken, kid. Watch fucking closely," the bigger thug said as he laughed and whistled.

All of a sudden, three more thugs appeared behind the two thugs. To make matters worse, they had a weapon in their hands. Sure, it's only a paddle, but it could still cause heavy injuries if you get hit in the head. 

After seeing three other thugs come out of nowhere and with weapons at that, the other students visibly paled a little and started to back off. Some stood on their grounds, but most of them backed off.

Seeing that most of the students were scared, a sinister smile appeared on the bigger thug's face. But three students remained on the side of Reese and the others.

"Oh! You punks have balls; I give you that." The bigger that said a little surprise on his tone of voice.

As the tension escalated between Renz, Reese, and the five aggressive men, a plethora of voices could be heard around the crowd.

"Shit! It's Marco and Miguel."

"Who are they fighting this time?"

"These kids are screwed. Marco and Miguel are lunatics; they love looking for trouble, and none of their victims leave unscathed."

"Someone call the cops. before it's too late."

"Cops? They are not even afraid to go to jail. When the cops arrive, it will already be too late."

"I feel sorry for these kids. I can't even imagine what Marco and Miguel and their thugs will do to them."

Hearing the crowd, Marco, Miguel, and the other three thugs laughed so hard. They relished this kind of scrutiny; it's like a drug to them. The more they hear it, the more aggressive they are.

Feeling the weight of Marco and Miguel's fearsome reputation hanging heavily in the air, the remaining three students wisely chose to back off.

Recognizing the potential danger of escalating the situation further, they exchanged relieved glances and slowly began to step back from the confrontation.With Marco and Miguel's reputation preceding them, it was clear that any further confrontation would only lead to trouble. 

Sensing the tension in the air and the potential for violence, the students wisely decided to prioritize their safety and avoid any further conflict with the notorious troublemakers.

Seeing the students backing off, Reese could not blame them; hell, he would do the same if he were not powerful. Then he looked at his two best friends, who were as pale as paper. Reese almost laughed out loud. Almost.

Renz, his worry palpable, turned to Reese, his expression reflecting concern. "What should we do, Reese?" he asked, his voice tinged with anxiety.

Reese offered his friend a reassuring smile. "Don't worry," he replied calmly, his confidence unwavering despite the tension that lingered in the air. "Those guys don't scare me."

Hearing the arrogant words coming from Reese, Marco was incensed. "Bitch! What the fuck did you say? Say that again one more time, and I'll show you what scary really means."

Reese just smiled upon hearing the threat coming from the bigger thug, whose name was Marco.

"Are you deaf? I said," but before Reese could finish his words, Marco and the other thugs attacked, except for Miguel. He didn't know why Miguel did not attack, but he was not worried. Now that he had spiritual sense, even a slight move of a finger inside the range of his spiritual sense could not escape his senses. 

Reese watched as Marco brought the paddle down to his head viciously. But to Reese's surprise, it was so slow. It's like they were just fighting in slow motion. Before the paddle could land on Reese's forehead, he made his move. 

Reese quickly dodged the attack and swung his right foot, hitting Marco in the gut and sending him rolling for like 4 meters before coming to a stop, unmoving. Not knowing if he was dead or unconscious.

Then Reese dashed towards the two thugs and hit them slightly on their abdomens, and they collapsed on the pavement, unmoving. It was so fast, they could not even utter a word for mercy.

Then Reese dashed again towards the fourth thug, appeared behind him, and hit his nape as he collapsed, unmoving as well, and just like that, it was over in a matter of 3 seconds.

'Man, that was so easy. Good thing I only used 10% of my strength; if not, I could have killed them, and that would be very bad.' Reese thought with amazement at his strength. 

Reese had over a ton of strength, so if he used just 15% of his strength against these street thugs, they would definitely die.

A stunned silence followed. Reese's swift defeat of the four thugs was palpable, the air thick with disbelief and awe. The onlookers stood frozen in shock, their eyes wide with astonishment as they processed what they had just witnessed.

For a few heart-stopping moments, the crowd remained motionless, their mouths agape as they struggled to comprehend the spectacle unfolding before them. It was as if time itself had slowed to a crawl, suspended in a state of disbelief.

Then, as if jolted awake from a trance, the murmurs began to ripple through the crowd, growing louder, and then they erupted.