Chapter 34: A Kick in the Groin
Thankfully, Ethan managed to dodge just in time.
His eyes widened slightly as Ryan’s fist sliced through the air where his face had been barely a second earlier.
Was this boy actually insane?
If he hadn’t reacted on instinct, that punch would’ve knocked him out on the spot.
The warmth that had been lingering in Ethan’s expression disappeared almost instantly, replaced by an icy calm.
Fine.
If Ryan didn’t care about his life, then Ethan certainly wasn’t going to care about his too.
The only problem was that Ethan genuinely didn’t have the strength to go head-on against him after everything he had been through over the past few days.
Which was exactly why...
He decided to fight on his own terms.
Ryan didn’t stop after missing the first punch. Instead, he spun around and lunged at Ethan again, clearly intending to overwhelm him through brute force.
This time, instead of retreating, Ethan stepped forward.
His hand shot out, grabbing Ryan’s wrist before the punch could land. Using Ryan’s own momentum against him, Ethan twisted his body slightly, pulled the boy closer—
And then...
BAM!
His knee drove upward with terrifying accuracy.
"...!"
The impact landed squarely where no man ever wanted to be hit. Right into Ryan’s groin.
Ryan’s eyes widened so much that they almost looked ready to pop out of their sockets. His entire face twisted in agony every arrogance vanishing from his face before all the color drained from it.
"...Ugh..."
A strangled sound escaped his throat. Both knees immediately buckled beneath him.
Without another word, he slowly crumpled onto the floor, clutching himself as painful groans escaped his lips one after another.
Ethan instinctively winced.
"Okayyy..."
He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.
That was... harder than I expected.
Turning toward Ava, he immediately flashed her a reassuring smile. "Umm... don’t worry. He’ll be fine. I’m not strong enough to cause any serious damage."
To Ethan’s surprise... Ava actually smiled back.
"I figured." She glanced down at the still-groaning Ryan before letting out a quiet sigh. "You can go ahead and start packing. I’ll assign someone else to guide you to your new dormitory. They should be there shortly."
Ethan nodded gratefully.
"Thank you."
Just as he opened the door to leave, he paused and couldn’t help glancing back at Ryan, who was still curled up on the floor, groaning miserably.
A small pang of guilt unexpectedly crept into his chest.
...Had he gone a little too far?
Turning back toward Ava, he spoke somewhat awkwardly. "Umm... Could you please take him to the infirmary?"
Ava simply nodded.
"I will."
Satisfied, Ethan finally left the office and hurried back toward his room.
Packing time!
Oh, yesss.
Finally.
He could leave this hell of a room for a better and good looking dorm room.
And even better...
It was a newly built facility
Life was finally starting to smile at him.
Humming happily to himself, Ethan hurriedly stuffed his few belongings into his bags. There honestly wasn’t much to pack in the first place, so it didn’t take him long before everything was neatly organized.
Just as he finished zipping up the last bag, there was a knock on the door. Good right on time!
He walked over and opened the door. Standing outside was a strawberry-blond-haired boy wearing a warm smile.
"Hey, Ethan."
He waved cheerfully.
"I’m Jeff. Ava sent me to guide you to your new dorm."
Okayyy...
Ethan thought inwardly with satisfaction.
Now this...
This is how you’re supposed to speak to people.
Definitely someone who won’t earn a kick in the groin from me.
Smiling back, Ethan picked up his bags as he responded. "Nice to meet you too."
Grabbing his bags, he followed Jeff out of the room. Before leaving completely, however, Ethan paused at the doorway and looked back one final time.
His lips curved into a nostalgic smile.
Well...
Room.
We’ve really been through quite a lot together. You’ve witnessed me nearly get expelled...
You’ve watched me suffer...
You’ve watched me cultivate until I almost died...
But...
I definitely don’t ever want to come back here again.
Thankfully I’ve ranked up.
Hello, new room.
Hello, better food.
Goodbye forever!
With one last satisfied nod, Ethan pulled the door shut behind him.
The two of them left the F Rank dormitory and headed toward the academy’s newly constructed dormitory complex, which had been built not far from the higher-ranked dormitories.
The building itself looked noticeably newer than every other dorm Ethan had seen since arriving at the academy. Fresh walls that gleamed under the afternoon sunlight, while elegant glass windows reflected the surrounding scenery beautifully.
"So this is where they’re temporarily housing everyone?" Ethan asked curiously.
Jeff nodded.
"Pretty much. The academy completed it not too long ago."
When they entered the lobby, an elderly woman was already seated behind the reception desk.
Jeff politely greeted her before explaining why they had come.
The woman searched through several records before finally taking out a room card and handing it over with a gentle smile.
"Here you are."
She chuckled softly.
"You two are quite lucky. Even though this building was only recently completed, students have already occupied almost every available room."
She pointed toward the card.
"This happens to be the last vacant room."
Ethan blinked.
Seriously?
Just how many students did this academy admit in such a short span? The building had barely been completed, yet it was already practically full.
...Maybe that was why they were so desperate to eliminate low-ranked students like him.
Less students.
Less accommodation problems.
It... actually sounded possible. In fact Ethan was starting to think that was the reason.
After thanking the elderly woman, Ethan continued following Jeff deeper into the building.
Eventually...
The two of them stopped in front of a large door.
Jeff swiped the room card.
Beep.
The lock clicked open.
"Welcome to your new room."
Ethan stepped inside and the very next second...
His jaw almost dropped to the floor.