Weak Class of Anti-Hero

The creature looked at its hand, then at mine. A long silence fell. It wasn’t anger I saw in its eyes. It was a strange kind of respect.

"[You won,]" it said, its voice holding no trace of malice. "[A deal is a deal.]"

It let go of Yoo-Na, who fell limply to the ground.

It looked at me carefully. "[You remind me of someone I faced a long, long time ago. Another mortal with a strange weapon. He had silver hair... But anyway. It’s just a coincidence.]"

It nodded. "[That was a fun game, little one. We will meet again. When you have become strong enough to offer me a real fight. This isn’t over.]"

It turned towards the rift. With a wave of its hand, it closed it. The tear in reality sealed itself, leaving only a sudden silence and a smell of ozone.

Then, the creature simply vanished.

I stood there, short of breath. I let out a long sigh of relief. I had survived.

My gaze fell on Yoo-Na. She was lying on the ground, her clothes in tatters, her fingers twisted, her face covered in blood and tears. The great Ice Queen, broken and pathetic.

And I burst out laughing.

A genuine, liberating laugh.

"An A-rank..." I said between laughs. "A ’national-level hero’... Meaningless. This whole academy hierarchy, it means nothing."