Problem

I knew that I was going to run into major problems if the staff was involved in all this. Two hundred first years, and a hundred fifty second years. There were always less second years. Some of the first years always died. I started heading back to the dorm.

I wondered what Ethan, and Savannah had managed to dig up on that little research project I'd given them a while back. I was beginning to think that this hunch was nothing but a hunch. I came face to face with someone I didn't know.

"Who are you?" I could feel my anger rising in my gut as I looked him up then down.

If I had to guess I would say that he was a second year. His black hair, and cocky posture told me that he thought he could beat me easily.

"Just heard that you haven't been paying up," he cocked his head.

"Why would I pay you anything?" I snorted.

"Because I asked nicely," He grabbed my shirt, and yanked me in close, "And I won't ask again."

I went to knee him in the nuts only to have the blow deflected.

"Low blow," He elbowed me in the face, "What a dick?"

It was a hard hit that dazed me, but I wasn't down for the count. I was just surprised by the force of the blow. I was excited. I was getting tired of fighting such similar opponents. This one was new.

I smiled as I returned the strike in kind. He blocked it, and shoved me back. I didn't know what to do with him. I really didn't know what to do with an opponent that was better in hand to hand combat than myself. I went for a quick sharp kick to the shins, and was deflected again.

"You're not bad," I jumped back.

"You're good for a first year," he smirked, "Maybe I can let loose a little."

He rushed me suddenly. Striking me three times fast. Hitting my gut, ribs, and finishing off with a blow to the cheek. The shot to the ribs didn't hurt me at all, and the other two blows hurt. Not enough to phase me, but it made me think.

I needed to make myself an edge. Something I could use against him. I swung a wide kick at him to try, and figure out his defenses. He deflected it, and got me again. Knocking my knee off to the side, and making me stumble awkwardly.

It didn't hurt that much, but it was enough to knock out most students so I went limp after my head smacked the concrete. This would be my edge. He expected me to be out cold. He wouldn't think I was still conscious after a hit like that. He grabbed my wrist, and pulled it up so he could fiddle with my watch.

He went to grab my other wrist so he could use my hand to give himself some credits. My hand darted to the back of his neck, and I yanked him into a headbutt. The surprise on his face when my head collided with his. He was dazed, but not out. I got my other hand around the back of his neck, and cracked him in the head a second time.

"Say hi to your concussion for me," His eyes watered as he tried to focus on my face before my forehead bashed his head a third time.

I rubbed my forehead, and glanced down at my watch. I messaged Goliath. Letting him know that there was a knocked out second year, and where he was. I drove home the fact that he attacked me first. Goliath still didn't like it, but I wasn't entirely in the wrong so he dropped it.

I was busy thinking about the damage resistance I'd just gotten. I ignored his complaints, and went straight to my room. I was pushing my transformation limit by now for sure. Not that I actually knew what the limit was. I just didn't want to experience the backlash a second time.

I was thinking about the fact that they were coming after me now. The levels they were willing to go after were going up. How long until they started going after all the first years? If things kept going the way they were going then they'd probably recruit the strongest first years to take over the next year. Everything kept supporting my theory that at least some of the staff were in on this whole scheme.

I didn't know how much longer I could keep all of this up. Playing weak pissed me off the most. I wanted to use my full strength so bad sometimes. Guys like Baron really deserved it. My wings twitched as I though about it.

Just the thought of crushing that asshole with my full strength made a half grin form on my face. I stretched out my talons before snapping them all close enough for the tips to click against each other. My mind wandered back to what I would do when the time came to move on from this academy. I looked up the beast rankings. I'd never actually done any research into the beast ranking system.

Mostly because there were far too many of them to memorize, and the equipment that categorized them for us was way to expensive for me to afford in the past. I knew they were ranked in tiers. First years would never face anything higher than a tier three. Even that big angry kitty I'd killed before was only a tier two. On the high end of tier two, but still tier two.

That put my approximate strength on the high end of tier three. Maybe even the low end of tier four. With twenty tiers in total, and then there were the tier-less beasts. The ones that couldn't be categorized. According to the section I was reading right now the first tier-less beast to ever be scanned almost fried the equipment because of how strong his energy signature was.