Chapter 17 - Pain

Trouble

The professor stood in utter disbelief at what he had just witnessed. Even he, with all his knowledge, had never conceived of using Non-Attribute mana in such a remarkable manner.

A ball of mana shot out from Lily's hand, hurtling towards Vincent with astonishing speed.

The impact was tremendous, sending Vincent flying from his original position, rendering him unconscious. Unaware of the ball's true strength, he had no chance to defend himself against its power.

With a triumphant expression, Lily struck a victory pose, elated that her plan had succeeded, and she now possessed a powerful attack spell.

The professor closely scrutinized Lily, deeply impressed by her ingenuity. He couldn't help but consider her a prodigy. Determined to share this discovery with the grandmaster, he believed that investing in this young talent could yield extraordinary results in the realm of Non-Attribute Magics.

Resuming his class, the professor carried on with his duties, ensuring that he evaluated each student's performance with utmost fairness.

•••

Classes had been dismissed earlier than usual that day due to a meeting convened by the professors to discuss the mysterious phenomenon that had occurred in the southern forest.

Lily had planned to head to the Internet Cafe, but her intentions were interrupted when she found herself surrounded by a group of students.

Vincent, taking the lead, stood at the forefront of the group. Accompanying him were three older boys, approximately 16 years old.

"How dare you humiliate me earlier, you damned commoner! Brothers, this is the one who hurt me. Please, lend me your strength to teach her a lesson!" Vincent's voice reverberated with anger as he implored the seniors in the academy for support.

Lily's heart raced in her chest as a surge of panic overcame her; she had never anticipated finding herself in such a daunting and intimidating predicament.

The towering figures of the older boys loomed over her, emanating an aura of menace as they looked down upon her with contempt.

She unconsciously gulped, her nerves on edge, as she readied her magic in a desperate attempt to find a way to escape this threatening situation.

Observing the fluctuation of mana in Lily's hand, the older boy, who bore a striking resemblance to Vincent, strode confidently towards her and delivered a swift and forceful slap across her face.

*Slap*

"Stupid brother. How could you let yourself be humiliated by this weak commoner?" he chided, displaying his disappointment in Vincent's actions.

Relentlessly, the older boy continued to deliver vicious kicks to Lily, who had fallen to the ground from the force of the slap.

Meanwhile, the other older guys, seemingly indifferent to the violence unfolding before them, carried on with their conversation, laughing callously without a care for the pain Lily was enduring.

"Haha, that's what you get, you filthy thing! You shouldn't have fought back and should have stayed the dog you are," Vincent mocked and insulted Lily relentlessly.

Lily winced in agony, her body throbbing with pain from the repeated blows.

Each time she attempted to gather her focus and cast her barrier magic for protection, the two other older boys would cruelly interrupt her efforts, landing painful punches to her face and stomach, leaving her unable to defend herself effectively.

The excruciating pain was almost unbearable, and Lily felt an overwhelming urge to scream out in agony. The continuous kicks delivered by Vincent's brother were especially brutal, making it incredibly difficult for her to endure.

Overwhelmed by the sheer size and strength of her attackers, Lily realized she was at a distinct disadvantage in this unequal confrontation.

As she reluctantly accepted her grim fate, a not so distant memory surfaced in her mind.

In that harrowing moment, a faint but reassuring voice echoed in Lily's memory, bringing her some semblance of hope. "If you ever need help, come to me. I am stronger than I look haha." Luke's words resounded in her mind. He was the brother Boss who had been kind to her.

Summoning every ounce of courage she had left, Lily made a desperate attempt to stand up to the bullies. Through trembling lips, she mustered a threat, "Y-you bullies, my brother will hit you if you continue to bully me. If you don't want to get hurt, stop this!"

Hearing Lily's feeble threat, the bullies momentarily paused, but any glimmer of hope she had quickly faded as their cruel laughter filled the air.

"HAHAHAHA! Did you hear that, guys? Pft, she said her brother would hit us! HAHAHA, I wonder where this brother of yours is," Vincent's brother taunted, derisively dismissing her warning.

With a heartless act of aggression, he grabbed Lily by the hair and ruthlessly threw her to the ground, causing her to wince in pain as her body collided with the unforgiving surface. The bullies seemed to take pleasure in further tormenting her, finding delight in her vulnerability and helplessness.

Lily's spirit crumbled under the weight of despair, feeling trapped and overwhelmed by the relentless assault.

As Vincent's brother lifted her by the neck, she gasped for air, struggling to breathe as his strong grip tightened around her throat. She desperately tapped at his hand, trying to free herself from the suffocating hold, but her efforts proved futile against his strength.

In a small reprieve, the bully briefly loosened his grip, but he maintained a firm hold on her neck, maintaining his sadistic dominance over her. Lily's face contorted with pain and fear as she fought to catch her breath, feeling helpless and defenseless in the face of this cruel torment.

Summoning a sudden surge of determination, Lily seized the opportunity as the bully momentarily loosened his grip. With a burst of adrenaline, she channeled all her remaining strength into a fierce counterattack. In a daring move, she sank her teeth into the man's hand with great force, causing him to recoil in pain and release his hold on her.

Freed from his clutches, Lily tumbled to the ground, her body aching from the intense struggle, but she paid no heed to the pain. The rush of adrenaline masked the discomfort as she knew that she had to keep moving and find a way to escape this relentless torment.

"OUCH! You trash! How dare youuu!!!"

"Brother are you okay?"

Amidst the chaos caused by her counterattack, the bullies quickly gathered around their injured companion, momentarily distracted.

Seizing this precious moment, Lily mustered every ounce of strength left in her battered body and sprinted away, determined to put as much distance as possible between herself and her tormentors. Ignoring the excruciating pain that surged through her entire body, she pushed herself to the limits, feeling as if her bones might snap with every step.

With each stride, Lily's heart pounded in her chest, her breaths ragged and labored. But driven by fear and survival instincts, she ran relentlessly, fueled by the desperate need to escape the clutches of her assailants. Despite her pain and fatigue, she refused to give in, her mind solely fixated on reaching safety and finding sanctuary from the relentless pursuit.

The two other guys initially showed an eagerness to chase after Lily, but Vincent's brother raised his hand, signaling them to halt.

"Let's see where she will go. At first, I thought of sparing her 'brother', but not now!" he declared with a sinister grin.

As Lily put some distance between herself and the bullies, they eventually decided to pursue her once again. Despite her valiant effort to escape, the relentless pursuit was taking its toll. Lily's injuries and short stature made it challenging for her to maintain the same speed, and the larger, stronger bullies inevitably closed in on her.

Her body screamed in agony, and she felt the weight of exhaustion bearing down upon her, threatening to bring her to a standstill.

She knew that she had to persevere just a little longer to reach her destination – the safety of Luke's shop. The sight of the familiar door offered a glimmer of hope in the midst of her dire situation.

With every ounce of willpower, she pushed her body to its limits, knowing that she was only a short distance away from finding sanctuary. However, her hopes were dashed when the relentless bullies managed to catch up to her.

Surrounded once more, Lily found herself trapped with no opening for escape.

As the bullies continued their merciless assault, their maniacal laughter echoed around Lily, mocking her helplessness. They showed no mercy, delivering relentless punches to her face and stomach, each blow sending waves of pain through her already battered body. Bruises formed rapidly, covering her once unblemished skin.

In her haze of pain and fading consciousness, Lily's desperate gaze fell upon the door of the internet cafe. She yearned to see Luke one last time, to feel the comfort of his presence before her world slipped away.

The bullies noticed Lily's intense gaze fixated on the door of the shop, and realization dawned upon them.

Vincent's eyes lit up with a sinister idea that would inflict further suffering upon Lily and her supposed brother. A malicious grin stretched across his face as he shared his plan with the others.

"Could that be the place where her brother is? Big Brothers, how about we beat him up too and make him kneel before us? Hahaha, let us show him how great nobles are."."

"As expected of my brother. You always have interesting ideas."

Overwhelmed with despair, Lily was consumed by guilt as she heard Vincent's sinister plan. She couldn't bear the thought of bringing trouble to her kind brother Boss, and the weight of responsibility for the potential harm he might endure weighed heavily on her fragile heart.

A hint of tears escaped her eyes as she felt utterly helpless and defeated. The pain, both physical and emotional, had taken its toll, and she could no longer fight against the darkness enveloping her consciousness.

In a final act of cruelty, Vincent's brother seized Lily by the neck and forcefully dragged her towards the internet cafe.

With twisted arrogance, the bullies entered the internet cafe, eager to assert their superiority and teach the "commoner" a lesson.

Unaware of the peril that awaited them, they remained oblivious to the "monster" that lay in wait within the seemingly ordinary shop. Little did they know that their malicious actions would set off a chain of events beyond their imagination.