Adrenaline Rush

{A/N: If this chapter gets 30 comments, I'll drop 2 more chapters today.}

"Bro, last time you said the same thing about those poor girls," Jashin said, narrowing his eyes at Obanai as he adjusted his hair on instinct—annoyed there were no mirrors in his room to check if it looked halfway decent.

"And when we secretly snuck into their toilet to spy on them, they were freaking masturbating to each other."

Jashin gave Obanai a look so sharp and judgmental, it could have shattered anyone's self-respect into a million tiny shards.

"Not to mention, you, you absolute lunatic, were trying to steal their clothes."

Obanai, however, didn't so much as flinch. With zero hesitation and not a hint of regret, he shrugged and said, "I thought it'd be funny."

Not his fault those "witches" decided to do that kind of thing in a toilet, of all places.

Like, seriously—do it in your room, bruh! (Yeah, Obanai is a total hypocrite.)

"Yeah, yeah," Jashin shot back, throwing his hands in the air.

"And because of your brilliant idea of 'funny,' both of us got punished!"

His tone grew louder as he stalked toward Obanai, the memory of that punishment still fresh and bitter.

"I had to eat cockroaches to survive!"

Jashin shuddered at the thought, his face scrunching in disgust. Even now, he swore he could still taste the crunch of those vile little things.

All because Obanai couldn't resist being a damn clown.

And with that, Jashin rolled his eyes, ignored Obanai, and brushed past him.

He had no energy to deal with whatever madness was brewing in Obanai's head this time.

But of course, Obanai didn't know when to quit. He immediately fell into step behind Jashin, rattling off excuses as if his life depended on it.

"Hey! Hey! I was thrown into the basement by that white basketball with blue lines, too, okay?

And I had to eat mice to survive! You weren't the only one who suffered," Obanai said in his usual, maddeningly casual tone, as if eating rodents was some sort of badge of honor.

It was honestly hard to believe that this guy was supposed to become the biggest emo in the show.

Lucky for him, though, this timeline had other plans—turning him into a straight-up lunatic instead.

Jashin sighed, speeding up his pace, as if walking faster would help him escape this nightmare of a friendship.

"Bro, that's not the point. The point is, none of us are messing with Hantengu's class. Not after the last time you got us into trouble with Daki's class. We literally had to run for our lives!"

He shot Obanai a pointed glare over his shoulder before turning back to the path ahead.

What was he even thinking when he decided to befriend this guy? At first, it seemed like a good idea. Obanai was supposed to be pretty strong according to canon.

But Jashin quickly realized he'd screwed up big time. This Obanai wasn't just going to be strong—he was insane.

And not the fun kind of insane. The kind that dragged you into fights you had no business being in.

Like that time with Class Daki. Oh, how could Jashin forget? Obanai had convinced him to spy on the girls from Daki's class, and, naturally, they'd gotten caught.

What followed was pure chaos: the boys from Class Daki coming after them with a vengeance, ready to beat them into the ground.

And in a place like this—a demon academy—nobody cared whether you lived or died. If you died, well, that just meant you were too weak.

And the stronger opponent?

They'd simply take your spot, because they were deemed more worthy of being nurtured.

Jashin shuddered at the memory and quickened his pace even more, trying to put as much distance as possible between himself and Obanai's lunatic plans.

"Oh, come on! We threw all those fuckers into the river, didn't we?

What are you even talking about?" Obanai said, finally matching Jashin's pace with a casual smirk, clearly proud of their so-called "teamwork."

Jashin shot him a sideways glare, his expression deadpan.

We?

'I WAS THE ONE WHO TRAPPED THOSE FUCKERS!'

If eyes could talk, Jashin's would've screamed this inner monologue at Obanai, complete with an orchestra of frustration.

Like, seriously—he was the one who called those idiots out of the academy, beat them down, and personally tossed their sorry asses into the river.

And that's not even the highlight of the story. Oh no. Before that, he had to fight and kill a freaking bear.

With what, you ask? A shiny, elegant sword? A magical artifact? Nah.

A plastic butter knife.

Yes. You read that right. A freaking PLASTIC. BUTTER. KNIFE.

Flashback: 3 Months Ago

The memory of that day burned bright in Jashin's mind, as clear as the crunchy sound of roasted cockroaches in his mouth.

"Hmmm... Should I hunt some rabbit for tonight?" Jashin muttered to himself, trudging along a dirt road in the dense forest surrounding the academy.

The ground beneath his feet was packed hard, the occasional twig snapping under his worn shoes.

He dug into his pouch and pulled out a handful of roasted cockroaches.

The golden-brown sheen of their brittle shells caught the light—though their taste was less than appealing.

Crunch. Crunch.

He chewed slowly, wincing at the bitter, earthy flavor that made his stomach churn.

They were absolutely disgusting, but what choice did he have?

Taking food from the cafeteria was a guaranteed death sentence, and hunting in these barren woods was his only shot at survival.

The problem? There were barely any animals to hunt in the forest. Whatever creatures were here were either hiding or long gone, probably scared off by the demonic aura of the academy.

So, Jashin's nightly hunting expeditions often turned into cockroach-foraging marathons in the pitch-black darkness.

Life was rough, to say the least.

As Jashin kept walking, his surroundings began to blur into the background, replaced by a sudden and unmistakable shift in his body.

His heart started pounding like a war drum, each beat growing faster and heavier, as though it might burst right out of his chest.

He could feel his blood surging through his veins, an almost electric sensation coursing under his skin.

His senses sharpened to an insane degree—every rustle of leaves, every distant chirp, every breath of the wind became vividly clear.

His once soft, golden eyes now gleamed with a sharper, more intense glow, like molten gold.

And his face? The casual, angelic expression he usually wore twisted into something entirely different.

Something wild. Something unhinged.

"What is it this time?"

Jashin muttered under his breath, his gaze locking onto a patch of bushes that were shaking violently nearby.

A sinister grin began to creep across his face, one so unnervingly twisted it could rival that creepy-ass statue from Solo Leveling.

No joke. The dude looked like a proper lunatic.

This was his thing. Whenever his life was in danger, it was like a switch flipped inside him.

A primal, savage state that turned him from a starving, cockroach-eating student into an outright beast.

And, oh boy, the beast was about to emerge.

ROAR!

Out of nowhere, the bushes exploded with movement as a bear burst through, letting out a deafening roar that could shake your soul.

This wasn't just any bear—this thing looked like it had been forged in the depths of hell and sent up to mess with Jashin specifically.

It was a massive brown bear, standing at least 8.5 feet tall, its broad shoulders and hulking body making Jashin look like a twig in comparison.

And let's not even get started on how chubby it was. Bro looked like he'd been living the high life, raiding the forest's finest honeycombs and probably eating gourmet rabbits for breakfast.

Straight up, this bear was so round it could make Gorlock the Destroyer look like a fitness influencer.

The bear's eyes locked onto Jashin, and Jashin's eyes locked right back.

The two of them stared at each other, neither blinking, neither moving, like they were engaged in the world's deadliest staring contest.

Two full minutes passed, the tension so thick it felt like time had stopped.

And then, without warning, the bear made the first move.

The bear charged at Jashin, its massive frame barreling forward like a freight train, the ground trembling beneath its weight.

But Jashin? He didn't even flinch.

Instead, he smirked, tilting his head slightly as he muttered, "Stupid creature."

When the bear was barely three feet away, Jashin dug his foot into the soil beneath him and kicked off with enough force to send dirt flying.

A chunk of it soared straight towards the bear, aiming for its eyes like some kind of last-second pocket sand maneuver.

The bear, surprisingly, managed to shut its eyes at the perfect moment, avoiding what would've been an instant game-over.

But that momentary pause was all Jashin needed.

Before the bear could regain its bearings, Jashin was already closing the gap, darting forward like a blur.

He launched a brutal kick straight into the bear's face, the impact echoing through the forest.

Then, without missing a beat, he used the momentum from the kick to spring backward, flipping mid-air like he was showing off.

As he slid to a stop on the dirt, his sharp eyes caught sight of a jagged stone nearby.

Reaching down mid-slide, Jashin grabbed the stone with one hand, his grin widening.

Now he had a weapon. Well, sort of. But when you're fighting a bear with nothing but cockroaches in your stomach, a sharp rock feels like Excalibur.

Jashin and the bear locked eyes again, the tension thick enough to cut with that jagged stone he was holding.

The bear, clearly not a fan of losing round one, stood up on its hind legs, towering over Jashin like a skyscraper.

It let out a deafening roar, its breath hitting Jashin like a slap of warm garbage. Clearly, it was trying to intimidate him, shake his confidence, make him think twice.

Jashin's response? Silence. Not a word, not a blink, just that unnerving grin plastered across his face.

Without warning, Jashin bolted forward, sprinting at full speed like a maniac with nothing to lose. As he got closer, he leaped into the air with surprising height, his body twisting mid-jump.

With a solid thwack, his foot connected with the bear's chest, the impact forcing a grunt out of the beast. But Jashin wasn't done. Oh no.

He slammed the sharp stone into the bear's stomach, digging it in with ruthless efficiency.

And because that wasn't chaotic enough, he used his other hand to jam his middle finger straight into the bear's left eye, gripping onto its inner skull like some kind of demented handhold.

The bear roared in pain and fury, thrashing wildly to throw him off, but Jashin was clinging on like a mosquito.

He started clawing at the bear's stomach with his free hand, trying to rip into its insides like he was looking for buried treasure.

But the bear wasn't going down without a fight. Its massive claws swung dangerously close to Jashin, forcing him to rethink his plan.

"Alright, you big bastard," Jashin muttered under his breath.

With a final burst of strength, he pushed off the bear's body, launching himself backward with a wild somersault. In mid-air, he twisted into a perfect backflip, landing a few feet away in a crouch, sharp stone still in hand.

The bear staggered but didn't fall, its bloodshot eye glaring at Jashin with a mix of rage and pain.

Jashin smirked, spinning the stone in his hand like some kind of low-budget ninja. "Round three, then?"

The bear, roaring like it had something to prove, swung its massive paw at Jashin, who dodged it with ease. He could feel the wind rush past him as the claws missed by mere inches.

It was clear this thing wasn't messing around, but Jashin wasn't exactly in the mood for playing fair either.

With a grin, he darted forward, closing the distance in a heartbeat. The bear tried to swipe again, but Jashin was already on him, practically jumping into its face.

He slammed his knee into the bear's chest, knocking it off balance for a second, just enough for him to move in.

In one swift motion, Jashin dug his hand into the bear's right eye with the precision of someone who'd done this before.

The bear shrieked in pain, but Jashin didn't give it a chance to recover. He twisted his fingers inside its skull, like he was trying to unscrew the damn thing.

With a sickening crunch, the bear's skull cracked under his grip, the eye socket giving way as he ripped through its defenses.

The bear tried to buck him off, but Jashin's fingers were already deep inside its head, digging into its brain like he was scooping out pudding.

He felt the squish, the wet resistance as he tore through its brain matter with a vicious determination. The bear's roars turned into gurgles, the sound of life slowly draining from it.

Jashin didn't even flinch. He was too far gone in his own twisted little world.

With a final yank, he pulled out a fistful of the bear's brain, blood and gore spilling out all over him.

The bear's body slumped to the ground like a ragdoll, lifeless before it even hit the dirt.

Jashin stood there for a moment, panting, blood dripping down his arms and clothes, his chest rising and falling with the rush of adrenaline.

He wiped his hand on his pants, his face a twisted mix of satisfaction and madness.

"Well, that was fun," he said, wiping the blood from his face, as though he'd just finished a casual walk through the park.

Flashback end

{A/N: Okay, I know the story didn't progress much in this chapter, but I wanted to show you all how the MC's first draconic ability works.

It's called "Draconic Adrenaline Rush." This ability activates whenever Jashin's life is in absolute danger, and he can't survive without a surge of adrenaline. During this rush, Jashin enters his true draconic personality, which is currently not dominant in his body.

Let me know if you liked this chapter or not!

And yeah, you got rickrolled with that plastic butter knife kill thing}