Minutes

'What is he even doing here?' Khan wondered before recalling the many glances and peeks of his roommate. 'Did they finally decide to make me pay for the scuffle from the first week?'

Khan could sense that Samuel wasn't alone. His ability didn't allow him to understand how many recruits were hiding in the darkness, but his knowledge could fill those gaps.

'They should still be under twenty percent of attunement,' Khan thought while stopping his tracks in the middle of the street. 'Martha told me that they have started to hang out with the three harpies now that I think about it.'

The gossips were one of the best forms of entertainment inside the training camp. Martha, Luke, Bruce, and the occasional friends from the special class who ate with Khan often talked about the other recruits. Alison Blackdell came out often since her demotion to the normal course had been quite a scandal.

Khan couldn't make the connection between the four bullies and the three harpies. He considered the possibility that the three girls had enhanced the bully's anger, but he couldn't imagine that the latter were trying to ambush him due to a threat.

Still, his failure in understanding the true reason behind the ambush didn't change his situation. Khan had to deal with the four bullies, and the clock was ticking. He only had twenty-eight minutes before the curfew.

Khan suppressed a smirk as he laid his back on a street lamp and took out his phone. He pretended to browse through the menus, but his eyes never left the clock.

Minutes passed, but Khan didn't move. The clock inevitably reached twenty to ten pm, but he remained at ease.

Khan needed less than ten minutes to reach his dormitory with his running speed. Moreover, only Samuel lived in the same block. The other bullies' flats were elsewhere in the camp, so their time was running out.

'They must do something in the next five minutes,' Khan thought while keeping his eyes on the phone. 'No recruit dares to break the curfew.'

The bullies proved Khan wrong. Five minutes passed, but they remained hidden in the darkness. None of them seemed willing to move.

'What are they waiting for?' Khan wondered. 'Are they willing to drag me down with them? I have only busted their balls a few times, and that was three months ago!'

The ambush began to resemble a suicidal plan as time continued to flow. Khan almost considered the possibility that the bullies had fallen asleep in the park when only thirteen minutes separated him from the curfew. However, he didn't dare to underestimate the boys.

'Do they think that their families will get them out of eventual punishments?' Khan wondered. 'My Master is the damned Lieutenant in charge of the prisons! How can they fail to consider something like that?'

Khan used another minute to consider every possible option. The plan didn't make sense unless the bullies had access to some influential figure inside the Global Army who could override Lieutenant Dyester's authority.

'They do have wealthy backgrounds,' Khan eventually considered in his mind. 'Bloke couldn't stop mentioning his father in the prisons, and Samuel's family has already prepared synthetic mana for him. Maybe they can make Lieutenant Dyester powerless.'

Khan had no proof to back his worries, but he wouldn't dare to risk breaking the curfew. Yet, the situation would only worsen if he ignored the bullies completely. He couldn't even touch Samuel inside the flat due to the harsher regulations connected to that type of aggression.

'Eleven minutes to the curfew,' Khan thought while putting his phone back in the pocket of his trousers. 'I would have wasted the last three months if I couldn't deal with them in three minutes.'

Khan wore an aloof expression as he left the street lamp and resumed his walk back to the dormitory. He stepped into the dark area after a few seconds, but the bullies didn't move yet.

'Did they really fall asleep?' Khan wondered without stopping his walk.

A few faint steps eventually resounded behind him when he crossed the end of the street. The presences sensed by his mind drew near and reached his back in an instant.

'I need to let them attack first,' Khan sighed in his mind before closing his eyes and clenching his teeth to prepare for the imminent blows.

His arms casually covered the back of his head before sharp pain spread from four different spots. The bullies had hit Khan's forearms, back, and legs with something other than their punches.

Khan jumped forward to avoid losing his balance. He turned as soon as his feet stepped on the street, and his swift movement allowed him to face the bullies before they could catch up with him.

The dim light radiated by a nearby streetlamp allowed Khan to see the faint figures of the four bullies. He recognized Bloke, Samuel, and the other two boys from the first week. They were all wielding long bats made of cheap alloy.

The bats were already swinging toward Khan. He didn't have much time to react. He could leap backward to dodge the incoming attacks, but that would only prolong the battle.

Khan pointed his right foot before twisting his ankle and performing a counterclockwise rotation. His left leg rose while following his body, and his left foot soon met Duke's shoulder.

A cracking noise came out of Duke's shoulder. The boy didn't have the time to complete his attack, and the impact lifted him from the ground as it pushed him away.

Meanwhile, three bats landed on Khan's side and threatened to push him to the ground. However, he endured the pain and completed his form.

Khan's right arm shot forward when his leg touched the ground. He rotated his ankles and waist to fill his hook with incredible momentum.

His punch reached Kyle's jaw, and a cracking noise resounded after the impact. A few teeth also flew out of his mouth as the boy rotated on himself and fell.

Only Samuel and Bloke remained on their feet, and the two boys couldn't help but glance at their companions. Kyle had fainted, and blood was flowing out of his mouth. Instead, Duke was crouching on the ground two meters behind them, and whimpers resounded from his figure as he held his left shoulder.

Khan flowed directly into another attack. He bent his legs before leaping forward while rising his knee. Bloke promptly defended his chest with his bat, but his eyes widened when he saw his weapon curving and obtaining a V-shaped form.

Samuel swung his bat toward Khan, but the latter blocked it with his arm. Then, Khan wrapped his hand around the boy's arm, and his body began to rotate as he waited for his right leg to touch the ground.

Khan rotated his feet as soon as it touched the ground. The technique filled his body with momentum and gave his raised left leg enough power to reach Samuel's ear.

The boy lost his balance and let go of the bat, but he clung to Khan's arm before falling to the ground. Bloke exploited that chance to swing his oddly-shaped bat toward Khan's head, but the latter raised his arm to protect himself.

Bloke didn't stop attacking, and Samuel did his best to remain gripped on Khan's arm. The latter couldn't move freely with that weight disrupting his balance, but he never lowered his arms.

Bloke suddenly felt unable to move his weapon. Fear filled his face when he saw that Khan had managed to grab the bat during the last swing.

The boy quickly let go of his weapon and took a step back. His good reaction allowed him to dodge a kick aimed at his stomach, and a tinge of determination appeared on his face when he studied Khan's situation.

Samuel was still hanging from Khan's arm, and the latter had to risk his balance to deliver his kick. Khan was standing on a single leg while enduring Samuel's weight. It was the perfect moment to push him to the ground.

Bloke jumped forward and wrapped his arms around Khan's neck. He used the entirety of his body in a desperate attempt to make his opponent fall, but astonishment filled his mind when he noticed that Khan managed to endure the blow.

Khan had Samuel hanging from his right arm, and Bloke clung to his neck, but he didn't falter. His legs could endure the additional weight. He didn't even sway when the two boys struggled to push him backward.

Khan grabbed the back of Bloke's uniform and pulled. The boy did his best to push his waist back on Khan's chest, but a sharp pain suddenly spread from his groin.

A sense of weakness filled Bloke. He let go of his opponent and slid on Khan's knee while falling toward the ground. Khan had raised his leg when Bloke tried to wrap himself around his chest, and his groin ended up hitting the knee.

Khan turned toward Samuel at that point. The boy had basically fainted. He was continuing to hang from Khan's arm out of pure willpower.

'What a waste of determination,' Khan couldn't help but think as he threw a kick on Samuel's chest and flung him away.

The battle had been messy, but Khan had successfully defeated his four opponents. Moreover, he had deployed part of the footwork learnt from the Lightning-demon style, and that feat left him happy.

"You lose," Bloke weakly said while covering his groin. "You will break the curfew."

Khan promptly drew the phone from his pocket. The device informed him that the curfew would arrive in less than seven minutes. He was late, and even running might not solve the issue.

'Why are they so confident about the punishments?' Khan wondered when he noticed Bloke's satisfied smile.

The boys definitely had something in store for Khan, but he didn't know what to expect. Yet, he wouldn't risk finding it out.

'I can only pull it off one out six times,' Khan thought as he closed his eyes and bent his legs. 'I also need to prepare for thirty seconds. Still, I don't see other options.'

Bloke's smile froze when he noticed Khan's serious expression. The boy kept his eyes closed and performed deep breaths as his legs slid on the street.

Then, Bloke blinked, and confusion appeared on his face when he reopened his eyes. Khan had disappeared. Bloke didn't even hear his steps.