Regrets, Classroom And A Stark Discovery

Regrets. You can never avoid them and you never know you have them until it's too late to really do anything about them.

I, for one, regret not spending more time with my parents. It was always one flimsy excuse or another whenever they asked if I wanted to do something with them. 'I'm tired', 'I've got a headache', 'I don't feel like doing that right now, maybe another time', etc, etc. And for what? So I could spend a little more time reading? A little more time hanging out with friends? A bit more time to train?

But I guess it's no use lamenting my somewhat minor egotism, what with being dead and all.

Heh. I can't help but laugh at the situation - or at least I would if I had a goddamn mouth. Now I'm just a floating blob of light. Still, it's funny. All that extra training in martial arts and yet in the end it was all useless when a bunch of guys came at me with bats. Disregard whatever you see in manga or on TV, one guy isn't gonna take on a group of five armed dudes. No matter how talented they themselves are.

I can't help but wonder now, when had my ego become so inflated? So...heavy? That it weighed me down and made rational thinking so laborious? I guess it started when I was younger. Around six or seven, maybe? That was when my dad got my enrolled in some self-defense classes for kids. He was in the Marines, you see, and knew a little hard work could help someone grow.

Which was entirely true. The discipline my later training would instill in me helped a bunch. But it was entirely forsaken and undermined by external factors. Compliments. Positive reinforcement is great, sure, but just like anything, when you pile on too much of one thing it becomes a poison.

Everyone had praised me for my talent, my athleticism, even my academic ability--that's when it started. The dreaded ego.

Don't get me wrong, having an ego is good. Pride in oneself and what they can achieve is vital if you want to achieve anything in life. But it must always be balanced out by modesty, humility and an understanding that no one person is an island. That no amount of talent or ability makes you infallible or invincible.

I was surprised these thoughts flowed so easily but I guess it's because of where I am that such a thing is possible. As I am right now I'm just...a soul, I guess. There's no body, no hormones and no unnecessary emotions to get in the way. Just me, my thoughts and a rational way of viewing both.

So I can say with 100% certainty that I have regrets. More and more when I look back on my life, looking at memories with a clarity I hadn't had before and perfectly recalling every waking moment of my life prior to my death. A death I deserved, in hindsight. I'd gone too far in a fight and crippled someone's brother. The thought, despite the brain chemistry necessary for it, made me feel saddened. I was a real asshole, I'm now realizing.

If only--Oh if only, the thought nearly had me cackling sardonically at myself...If only I could have a second shot at it. But I'm far from deserving of it.

But fate often picks those unworthy of it's attention and a screen appeared in front of me.

[You have regrets. You have aspirations to fix yourself, your ego and your personal drawbacks. You could've been oh so great, so bright, so mighty and yet you were pulled back by something as simple as being too talented for your own good.]

I stared at the blue screen and mentally scoffed. This is just what I needed; more badgering to add on to my own.

[But fret not. You have been chosen. You will find yourself awakened in a classroom soon enough and we hope you will endeavor to succeed where you once failed. You can do everything you wish, you need only walk a steady path. You will stumble, you will fall, you will wish you never got this chance even if you find the thought of such a thing hard to comprehend currently.]

Narrowing my eyes - or at least I tried to - I regarded the screen with a dubious gaze. I've no idea how long I'd been in this white void but it had given me enough time to think about where I was and considering the circumstances which had sent me here, it could be considered a purgatory of sorts.

...So for me to wake up would either be Reincarnation or Transmigration. A trope in fanfics and novels alike, where someone with regrets like myself get a second chance.

And just after I'd told myself I was worth it. How atrociously mean that they'd waited that long, whoever 'they' is.

[We hope that when you fall down, you pick yourself up, Derek. The Multiverse will need you to lead them.]

...Because that's no ominous. Lead them? Who? And hold up, the Multiverse? Jeez, I'm kinda glad I can freak out right now. If this isn't some hallucination brought on by staring at a white void for God know's how long, future me is gonna freak the fuck out. Probably. Maybe.

The screen disappeared and I was left with nothing but the void again. Just as I was going to mentally remark that I was going insane, a new screen appeared. This one, however, seemed like it wasn't personally written by someone or something. More like a machine was trying to seem human. Personable. Welcoming. But kind failing due to it not having any sentience to speak of.

[Hello, User#001! As the first person in the Multiversal Messaging App or M.M.A for short, you have been given the prestigious right to draw from the Multiversal Gacha for the first time! You have been gifted a free Platinum Ticket!]

Huh. Is a Platinum Ticket good or what--

[The Tickets for the Gacha are ranked as such: Copper --> Iron --> Silver --> Gold --> Platinum --> Mithril --> Adamantine --> Mythic --> Saint --> Legendary. The things gained from the Gacha can be abilities, traits, power templates for certain characters, specific talents (both mundane and magical) and even items!]

So Platinum is middle of the pack in terms of quality but it'll be hard to figure out until I actually use the ticket to see what I get.

[Do you wish to use your Platinum Ticket (x1)? Y/N]

...I'm already dead, so I can exactly do much else. Besides, who dares wins, right?

[Drawing From The Platinum Gacha!]

[Drawing...Drawing...Drawing...]

[Gacha Prize Gained!]

[Half-Beast* (Cha Hyeon-Seong's Potential + Bloodline Purity) - A Beast. A brutal, violent natural predator to Humanity. With physical abilities far exceeding anything a human can ever gain, semi-immortality and their Beastly Fangs, these creatures have lurked in the shadows and been hunting humans for many years. A Half-Beast has all the positives of a full-blooded Beast but with none of their specific appetite requirements, meaning a Half-Beast can survive on human food alone.]

(*A/n - Basically the main antagonists in a Manhwa called 'Beast Burn'. Cha Hyeon-Seong is the protagonist of the series and has incredible potential and a very potent bloodline as a Half-Beast. I would highly recommend reading the story. Starts out a bit like 'Tokyo Ghoul' with a Ken Kaneki-like protagonist but he quickly turns into a genuine badass and the art is impeccable. The series is basically like a mixture between 'Tokyo Ghoul' and 'Demon Slayer' but Korean. Also, don't read it if you can't handle gory stuff. MC routinely loses his arm/arms lmao.)

Oh. Oh damn. I remember where this is from. Beast Burn. A story about a seemingly ordinary highschooler who gets attacked by a woman he tries to help before being eaten alive by a bunch of human-lookalike monsters. Turns out he's also part-Beast and he rips shit up. At first I thought it was kinda like a Tokyo Ghoul rip-off, the start of it being uncannily similar but as the Manhwa went on it just kept getting better and better...and I have the MC's potential as a Half-Beast? And the Purity he got from his dad?

I mean, I know it's far from the best thing I could've gotten but it's a great power-up and it comes with no drawbacks. Superhuman physical prowess, a healing factor that can grow back limbs and organs with no problem and an inhuman endurance that'll let me survive no problem from injuries that'd straight up game end a normal human? It's a good start. A remarkable one, actually.

Though I wonder what my Beastly Fang will be? A Beastly Fang basically being a special ability unique to a Beast and it's usually used like a trump card. It can be anything from Gravity Control to summoning ungodly amounts of heat and fire to something as simple as growing spikes all over yourself or speeding up your regeneration.

Honestly, it's a lot like the Blood Demon Arts in 'Demon Slayer'. Thinking along those lines, the Beasts from 'Beast Burn' are a lot like the Demons from 'Demon Slayer, just with no weaknesses and a bit weaker on average.

[Congratulations on drawing your first prize, User#001! Now, you'll be put in a suitable body and sent on your way!]

And then the white void disappeared. Or rather, it was filled with darkness.

Slowly but surely, sensations I hadn't realized I could feel began to return to me. Touch, sound, scent--all of it rushed back to me along with a higher level to all those things I'd never experienced before. I shot up from wherever I was sitting and my eyes shot open before clamping shut soon after, the unforgiving light of the afternoon hitting my eyes like a flashbang. My ears rung from all the extra sound I was picking up and my nose unconsciously scrunched up due to the overwhelming scent filling it.

Deciding I could put up with the smell if I just became a temporary mouth breather, I covered my ears but even that only did a small amount for me. Still, it was better than nothing.

Cracking my eyes open a sliver, I winced at the sensory overload but powered on through it.

And what I saw was beautiful. Colors were brighter, more vibrant. I could see with a clarity and acuity I'd never thought possible.

"So this is how a Beast sees..." I mumbled, my voice deeper than I was expecting and oddly enough speaking in perfectly fluent Japanese. I couldn't think about that for long either because the center of my brain began to itch. It was a sensation I hadn't thought possible but it was the most uncomfortable thing I'd ever experienced, even accounting for the recent sensory overload. Like a colony of ants were skittering about in my brain.

But more than that horrific sensation, was the memories that came with it. Nothing serious or life changing, no. Just the basics, really. Where I was, where I lived, my name and general background information. This entire life...this body had basically been on auto-pilot. Going through the motions like a zombie, never being bothered by others and never interacting with them in turn. It'd come to school, learn and go home, eat, do homework, bathe and then sleep, repeating the cycle over and over. Oddest of all, no less, was that the body lived alone and gained money from an unknown source--

{Ping!}

A sudden notification noise brought me out of my reverie and I instantly patted at my trouser pocket, feeling the signature shape of a smart phone. Fishing it out, I tapped the screen and saw the time was around 4:51 PM and I had a notification from an app called 'M.M.A'. The Group Chat. Opening the phone with a fingerprint scan, I opened the app and was met with another message.

[Hello User#001! Congratulations on a successful soul transplant! Your body and subsequent Gacha Prize are both in perfect working order, with no oddities or anything of note to worry about! As a User of the M.M.A you are given a stipend of one million yen a month, for things like food, accommodation and the like and so you do not need to waste your time working. This stipend will increase after every successful mission and said increase depends on the missions ranking.]

"Huh," I intoned before looking through the app a little bit. Most of it was locked, saying I had to wait for the tutorial which wouldn't start for a week for most of the aspects relating to the app to come online. A sort of preparation period for me to get used to my new reality and my new powers. But hey, at least I get paid...for risking my life, potentially. Still haven't really come to terms with that, honestly.

Slipping the phone back into my pocket after putting it on standby mode, I stretched my popping and elicited a bunch of satisfying cracks and pops. With some of the stiffness gone, I realized my senses weren't nearly as overwhelming as they'd been just moments before...I was adapting then. Quickly. Which was good. Right? Either way, I decided to look over my body and do a little prodding and touching.

I'd been pretty fit in my past life, due to consistent training for fights, but I could already tell this body blew that one out of the water. I was a similar height, around 6'3", but broader and with thicker, more defined limbs. My chest looked stronger and after pulling up my school shirt a little, I saw the mythical eight-pack abs every fitness guy wished they had. Back then I'd always been a little self-conscious over my relatively slender frame when paired with my height but now...now I looked like a beast. Heh.

"Guess there's only one last thing to check," I sighed in anxious excitement and locked down at my hand. I'd been ignoring it a little but I could already feel something deep in my core. It was begging to be used, to be explored and after checking the surroundings with my inhuman senses for any eavesdroppers I pulled on it a little, directing the instinctive feeling toward my hand.

With no warning, the veins in my forearm and hand bulged as my nails seemed to merge with my fingertips and the whole thing elongated into deadly looking claws. Each of them around two inches long and looking extremely sharp. Testing them, I light dragged them across the desk in front of me and left five clean marks across it nearly causing me to gape at the display of cutting power. I'd barely even pressed down against the test, just lazily dragged them across in a light manner...

...I wonder what I could do with these bad boys if I actually put some effort in.

Dropping the transformation was easy enough and it happened instantly. Curious, I pulled my phone back out and looked at my reflection in the phone's surface. Pulling on the feeling, I directed it to my face and the change was equally as instant. My amber eyes changed to a blood red, veins bulging on my neck as my teeth all became sharp and pointed and perfectly designed to rip and tear flesh.

"Fuck, that's scary as hell," I chuckled to myself as I gave my best Joker smile before wondering why I was still acting so calm. Had I always been so adaptable? I don't think so. Unlike when I was in the white void, I could feel my emotions, so it wasn't because I was missing those or anything. I just felt...firmer, mentally and emotionally.

Dropping the facial transformation, I put my phone away and picked up my school bag. It was odd. I could barely even feel the weight despite it being filled with books and other school supplies. School bags aren't heavy, mind you, but I'd at least usually feel the weight even a little.

And yet right now, it felt like carrying a plastic bag half-filled with feathers.

It does beg the question, however, of how strong I am now. I know Beasts, Half-Beasts included, are superhuman even when not transformed--that feeling I used earlier can be used on the whole body to enhance it--but I've no idea just how superhuman. Though I do know that even an untransformed Beast can casually kill a human with what accounts to a love tap. To put it into perspective, even untransformed Beast make Gorillas and Bears look pitifully weak in comparison.

Slinging the school bag over my shoulder, I tucked my school blazer under my arm and made way to the classroom door before my senses picked up something.

It sounded like...huh. Someone sounded both real pissed off and absolutely terrified at the same time.

Curious and wondering exactly where I was, I decided to go and snoop a little. I tried not to let my new power go to my head, tried not to repeat the mistakes that landed me here in a new life but it was hard not to feel invincible when I knew I was basically a superhuman creature. Still, a little bit of carefulness could go a long way here. After all, like I thought, I have no idea where I currently am. For all I know I could be in the later arcs of Bleach and no matter how physically strong I now find myself, I doubt I could handle spiritual attacks and the like.

Picking up my speed, I felt a little amazed at how fast I moved despite barely even putting any effort into it but more than that I was kinda terrified by how silently I moved. Truly, Beasts are natural predators. I was instinctively moving in such a way that unless you had really superhuman senses you wouldn't hear a thing.

Following my ears and my nose, I found where the noises were coming from. It wasn't hard, they were the only other two people on school grounds at the moment. But what I found was genuinely unsettling.

"...I'm a-appalled, S-sensei," a voluptuous girl who seemed to be a senior of mine said, trying to put on a tough face but the light shivering of her voice and the way she was trying to fold in on herself to look smaller said more than enough about her fear. Knowing where this was going, I pulled out my phone and opened up the recording app. First few minutes here and I'm already playing hero. Damn. Did dying give me a Hero Complex?

"I'll...I'll report it to the other teachers, you know?" she fired at the tall, middle-aged man. He was decently fit--no, even more than that he was most definitely fit with strong shoulders and well-muscled arms. The girl on the other hand, while decently tall, was completely towered over by the guy. I could see why that would be a terrifying situation to be in.

I'd love to rush in. As big of an asshole as I used to be, even I wouldn't stand by a watch something like this happen. I mean, who would? Cowards, probably. Or perverts. Or perverted cowards. I'm none of the above, however. I just need enough evidence to nail him to the wall by his balls.

But seriously, why the hell does this situation feel so familiar?

"Sure, I don't mind," the teacher said in such a nonchalant and slimy manner that I almost gave up on getting evidence and just straight up barged in. But no, I stayed put. A beating is temporary, being put on a sex offenders list is permanent. Then he grinned and lifted a foot to poke at her panties underneath her skirt, "So, you're willing to forsake Shouya then? I mean, I'm giving him his only chance to play on the team, you know? It'd be a shame if he had to be kicked out the starting line up because of something so silly as fooling around with a girl."

The girl flinched and began shivering even worse than before, "B-but you can't do that, Tougou-sensei!"

And that's when it hit me. Baseball club--the room's label said it all--Shouya, a ban on relationships between club members, a perverted coach called Tougou who took advantage of a girl who he lusted after--holy shit, this is the plot to an NTR hentai. I only remember that because it was one of the first ones I ever read through, back when I was so naive and innocent I didn't even know what 'NTR' stood for.

Ah, shit.

"Eh~ I can't?" he played innocent in such a sickening way the Beast in my chest began clawing at my insides, begging to have a go at him.

Still, I wanted a bit more on the bastard. Neither of them had seen me, somehow, so I'd milk this for everything I could get bar letting him actually do anything too sexual to her. A relationship of pure love was on the line, after all. Can't let an ugly bastard teacher corrupt it or her. Think of this as a little redemption from my asshole ways...or rather turning my personal brand of being a dick on people who actually deserve it.

The coach scratched at his chin, as if he were actually confused, "But it was you two who broke the rules first...so why can't I give you a little bit of sexual guidance? Besides, like I said, you need to burn off some of that slutty lust of yours before you get you and Shouya kicked out of the club. And after all that hard work Shouya put in? He'd hate you for it, Nanao-chan."

Just as she was about to fall to his corrupting and manipulating words - but seriously, you've kinda gotta be dumb to fall for that, right? - I decided to make my entrance. Call me the eternal enemy of ugly bastards everywhere, because imma ruin all their plans...whenever I can, anyway.

Still holding the phone up to show I was recording, I opened the club door quite loudly, causing both of them to jump in surprise. Nanao, or Akane Nanao I think her full name is, looked to me like a deer caught in the headlights and it was as clear as day in those blue eyes of hers. 'Someone help'.

Fuck, I must've really gained a Hero Complex when I died.

...I guess I just know what it's like to want help when you really, truly desperately need it. I was beaten to death by five armed men, after all. That isn't a quick death and I can remember quite clearly wishing someone would help me at that point. This situation isn't quite as severe in it's consequences but who cares about that? She needs help. I'd do the same if it were a guy in front of me about to get SA'd by an ugly bastard, so at least I know I'm not a simp.

Tougou, however...he looked pissed I'd interrupted his little charade. Delusional prick hasn't realized what sort of situation he's in yet, has he? Or he has and wrongly thinks he's gonna get away with this shit.

"Sensei, I've gotta say..." I trailed off and shook my head in mocking disappointment, "It takes a truly desperate man to pull some crap like this, you know? No wonder you've gotta do it though. Didn't you know? Women really hate desperate men like you," I gave him a grin and his eyes narrowed at me before he stood up. He was above average in height but only really by Japanese standards. He was 5'10" and only really looked taller because of his solid build so I still stood five inches taller than him. Not to mention I was definitely built better too.

He saw this as well. For a second he looked taken aback before recognition flooded his face and he sneered, "So, the school's resident Gaijin thinks he can play as a dashing Knight to come in and save the damsel in distress, huh?" he chuckled darkly before catching sight of my phone that was still pointed directly at him, "What's that supposed to do? Am I supposed to feel threatened? Do you think the other teachers will take my word or a Gaijin's faulty evidence? Huh?"

Rolling my eyes, I absentmindedly wondered if I'd have to deal with more delusional pricks in this world. Knowing my luck, the answer to that is most definitely yes. Looking to Akane who was still frozen in shock, I saw the glimmer of hope in her eyes and held out my free hand to her, "Nanao-senpai, come over here before that bastard does anything else."

With my words, she shot from her position to my side in an instant, hugging my side and beginning to sob. I ignored her absolutely ludicrously lewd body as best I could and turned a cold gaze back to the gorilla-faced coach who seemed to be working himself up into a frenzy.

"You little bastard," he huffed before suddenly rushing me, "I'll fuck her over your beaten body, brat!"

He flung a wild haymaker at me and even without my new power, even with just my old body, it'd have been child's play to dodge it. But right now all I could think as his meaty fist was flying towards my head was...

"Slow," I mocked lightly but didn't move to get out of the way and took the punch to my cheek with an ease which was downright insulting to the thing I hesitated to even call a man. "Haah~" I sighed before giving a pitying grin, "You really just said that on camera and then hit a student, sensei. I guess you're a washed-up middle-aged athlete for a reason, huh? Not much going on behind that ugly mug of yours, is there?" I shook my head while the bastard just looked shocked for a moment before he pulled back for another punch.

This time, however, my free hand shot out almost too quick for the man to see and most definitely too quick for him to dodge. It was a picture perfect jab and the lightest punch I could throw as unused to my new powers as I was. The punch still slammed into the man's face, his nose specifically, with the force of a hammer. His nose crunched inward and spurted out a bunch of blood and he flew back a few feet and landed on his ass, unconscious.

Akane gave a yelp, finally coming out of her sobbing long enough to realize what was happening. She looked from the crushed and rapidly swollen face of Tougou and then to me before looking back at the downed coach.

Smiling down at her, I rubbed her back soothingly with my free hand before hitting the end record button on my phone before opening up the call number pad, "Nanao-senpai, let's call the police on this piece of shit guy, yeah?