The Devil’s Cage

The loud growls from the freshmen silenced the entire gymnasium.

Principal Romuse and Professor Tyrese on the stage were shocked by the reaction.

“It seems like the freshmen this year are a little different?”

It was quite rare for to be Principal Romuse in his official school attire. He was not used to the formality as he kept pulling his collar while he whispered to Professor Tyrese.

“Hmm. They do have an unusual First Seat anyway,” Professor Tyrese smiled and said.

“2567?”

Principal Romuse thought of the First Seat who acted independently, he automatically related the First Seat to his missing friend, Smith.

His head started to hurt.

“2567 is different from Smith.”

“2567 might be extreme with his methods but he is a good kid.”

The kind professor defended Kieran when he saw the expression on the principal’s face.

“A good kid?”

Principal Romuse looked at the professor with a surprised gaze. He didn’t know what caused the professor to have such thoughts about Kieran and he couldn’t figure out what the freshman First Seat and the term ‘good kid’ had in common—they were poles aparts from each other!

Principal Romuse saw that Professor Tyrese wanted to further defend Kieran, so he waved his hand to end the conversation and looked to the other side of the stage.

There stood the bunch of neutral professors and the one who took over Duyer’s lab, they were all laughing out loud.

“Childish!”

“They are still too young!”

“Hope they won’t get beaten up badly.”

Strength wouldn’t grow stronger by growling loudly.

Facts wouldn’t be change by wishful thinking.

The professors really wanted to see whether or not the freshmen could speak so loud after they understood the harshness of reality.

A certain bunch of students among all the upper years had received special orders to be ready. After the little uproar from the freshmen, the few students exchanged gazes amongst each other before one third-year student eagerly jumped over to the empty ring.

This third-year student smiled with contempt, he extended his right hand and performed a ‘come on’ gesture at the freshmen’s ring.

Maica accepted the challenge without a second thought, Standler also wanted to follow but was stopped.

“I alone will be enough,” Maica said.

Maica planned to challenge the third-year students during the tutorial class but he was forced to put the thought on hold because of the sudden assault.

Now, he wish came true.

Although the third-year student in the ring wasn’t the useless one but the elite of third-year, Maica wasn’t his old self either.

Maica had ate food that matched well with his body, hence he had undergone drastic changes.

He wasn’t just stronger, faster and sturdier, he even acquired an unusual talent and it would be his chance to win the challenge!

Maica jumped up to the ring and stood before the third-year student, his arrogant face showed a provocative smile.

“I’ll break all four of your limbs and I’ll make you cry like a baby,” said the third-year student.

Although his order was to teach the freshmen a lesson and not kill them, he himself would determine what kind of lesson.

Push Maica out of the ring clean and quick, or beat him up badly until he couldn’t recover fully?

It all depended on his mood and his current mood was exceptionally poor.

Maica was just a freshman, he was the monster himself! How dare he provoke him.

He had to teach Maica a serious lesson!

With the thought in his head, after Senile, the judge, started the competition, the third-year student dashed towards Maica.

There wasn’t any tactic or technique, all he wanted to do was overpower Maica with his sheer strength.

The freshmen had eaten their first food that matched well with their bodies in order to bring out their potential, but a single Fast Food class food wasn’t enough against a third-year student who had eaten at least three similar class foods. The third-year student’s constitution was far better.

Therefore, the third-year student wanted to take out Maica in the swiftest way possible, he launched a punch straight into Maica’s face.

The punch brought a heavy wind and it assaulted Maica’s face.

Wuuu!

Maica’s hair was blown into a mess but his eyes did not even blink as he stared at the incoming punch, he had no intention to dodge at all.

When the anticipated crowd saw the scene, they shook their heads. They heard rumors about Maica defeating a second-year student in battle before, but now…

“It’s certain now. He thinks too highly of himself!”

“Third-year and second-year students are completely different! Hope he won’t get beaten up too badly,” said Dale, the second-year First Seat.

“Is that so? I don’t think so, my dear, the freshman will surely shock us.” Renata held her chest up with her hands and said with a smile.

“He, will win!” Jemara also agreed, it was quite rare though.

Dale was stunned when Renata and Jemara agreed on the same thing, it was unheard of, he instinctively turned to Tai.

“You’ll find out soon enough, just keep watching,” Tai said with a smile.

When Dale turned back to the ring, he was shocked because he saw Maica block the third-year student’s punch.

No, not just blocked! He also caught the 3rd year student’s wrist!

Maica’s hands were shining in a metallic luster under the spotlights.

One of Maica’s hands blocked the punch and the other caught the 3rd year student’s wrist like an iron clamp, before the third-year student could react, Maica twisted his hands.

Crak!

The third-year student’s arm broke with a bone-cracking noise.

“Aaaaaaaaaaaargh!”

Painful screams came from the third-year student but Maica did not show any mercy.

Similar to how the third-year student didn’t hold back, Maica would not be hesitant in moments like this.

Bang Bang Bang!

His fists that glowed with a metallic luster unleashed a barrage of punches on the third-year student like flying hammers. After a single round of beatings, the third-year student lied down on the ring, countless bones were broken and his breath was rapidly weakening.

“Medic!”

Senile signaled the medical team on standby before he turned around and declared “Maica wins!”

“He won!”

Cheers exploded from the freshmen’s ring.

Dale, the third-year First Seat looked at Maica in the middle of the ring.

“He has awoken his talent?”

The unusual aura from Maica could only be explained by talent awakening, but for a freshmen to awaken his talent, it was quite shocking.

Such a freshman should be the First Seat of this year but then Dale remembered who the real freshman First Seat was.

Dale immediately shrunk his neck as he felt a cold sweat.

The First Seat might be a freshman but he was also a monster, the kind of monster that he couldn’t afford to step on.

“I guess only that kind of monster can take such a talented freshman as an aide, huh?” Dale whispered but all the other First Seats heard it.

“Of course. What’s so strange about that man having such a talented aide?” Renata said with a smile.

“The strong will naturally gain followers,” Jemara said coldly.

Dale was again stunned by the two ladies, he didn’t know since when the two ladies get so close as to be able to agree on the same thing twice in a row They were usually clashing like fire and ice.

Then, the sudden realization hit Dale.

“Just now when you guys said this Maica would win, is it because he is the aide of that monster?”

“Of course.”

“Mm.”

Dale’s expression crumbled at the similar answers.

He thought the two ladies observed Maica from far and noticed the natural talents, hence the answer.

Who would have expected their answers to be so lame?

Dale turned to Tai, he expected a different answer from the fifth-year First Seat.

However, when he saw Tai covered his face with his tea cup, Dale fell into despair.

“What observations, what analysis, it’s all just a hunch isn’t it? What is the difference from a wild guess? It’s even more unreliable isn’t it?”

Dale screamed in his mind but not his mouth, he pretended to be calm and turned back to the ring.

After beating a third-year student and acquired the rights to step up to the main ring, Maica did not get down, he took the initiative and challenged the fourth-year students.

The crowd who were still in shock from the outcome looked at Maica with even more astonishment, including the freshmen!

Standler looked at his friend, he was at a loss for words.

There were two lines separating the student body of Theorate.

The first was the third-year and the second was the fourth-year.

From a certain aspect, a student could only remove the title as ‘freshman’ after their first expedition into the Mystic State.

When a student entered the fourth-year, they would have completed multiple expeditions in the Mystic State and could be considered as the school’s reserve power.

As a matter of fact, most of the research labs picked their lab members or assistants during the fourth-year.

In simpler words, third-year students and fourth-year students were heaven and earth apart.

Whether in terms of strength or experience, the latter easily triumphed over the former, the distance between them would measure a few blocks.

Maica knew it as well but he still wanted to try.

He couldn’t do what his First Seat did, easily beat up all the other upper year First Seats but he could try to play catch up.

Otherwise, he would look down on himself.

Giving up in the face of trouble and hiding behind someone else wasn’t Maica’s style.

He took a deep breath and looked at the fourth-year student with a battle-aroused gaze.

“Teach him a lesson!”

“Let him know how arrogant and ignorant this freshman is!”

The upper year students cheered loudly in succession in their respective rings and yet it did not affect the fourth-year student who was challenged.

The fourth-year student looked at Maica calmly, his body was in an alarmed stance. With many expedition experiences under his belt, the fourth-year student knew not to underestimate his opponent regardless of how weak they appeared to be.

Underestimation would cost him his life!

The fourth-year student was prepared mentally, so after Senile started the match, he quickly took the initiative and controlled the scene to gain an absolute advantage.

Maica was like a little boat in the storm—his body was the boat and the repeated punches and kicks of the 4th year student was the storm.

Maica wasn’t weak but the 4th year student was stronger and had more combat experience and techniques.

Maica put up a defensive posture but the 4th year student’s punch skillfully moved around his arms and landed on his chin.

The heavy blow from his chin sent Maica off the floor and fell down, the metallic luster on his hands started to grow dim.

The neutral professors finally showed smiles at the anticipated scene while Professor Tyrese signaled Senile to be ready to stop the match at any moment, he didn’t want anything to happen.

“Maica!”

Standler called out in shock at the freshmen’s ring.

He was eager to help his friend but he knew he couldn’t step up to the ring.

Once he stepped in, he would have to fight the fourth-year student.

Challenging the fourth-year student with his strength?

It was nearly impossible to win!

He might only have a chance to win if he would follow the rules by forming a group of 5 freshmen and challenge the fourth-year student.

His logic told him it was the right thing to do but his emotions wouldn’t allow him to do nothing while his friend was being beaten down.

The fourth-year student saw the struggle in Standler.

He had thoroughly researched Standler before the anniversary, he knew other than Maica, the one he just took out, Standler was also a noteworthy freshman.

If he could also take out Standler, without their First Seat, the freshman would fall on their own, so the 4th year student made his move.

“Are you Standler, the freshman who planned the floats and parade?”

“I’ve heard about you, they called you the best aide to the First Seat, but from how I see it, you are really a loser! All you do is hide behind the First Seat’s back and live quietly in the school. Once you are away from the First Seat, you are nothing!”

“Just look at your float parade! What the hell is all that?”

“You are not a small child anymore but you still believed the childish school myths, are you still wearing diapers when you sleep at night?”

Vicious words came out from the fourth-year student.

It may sound vicious and rude but he wasn’t stopped because everyone knew it was the ‘verbal attack’ of the fourth-year.

Mocking and teasing opponents in Theorate was acceptable, there was even a class in the second year to specifically study this particular skill.

The fourth-year student scored high in the class back then, so he thought he had acquired absolute advantage in and outside the ring, all he needed to win was push a little harder and so he did.

The words that came out from the fourth-year student got harsher and uglier, he purposely attacked Standler’s childish thoughts of believing the school myths with his verbal attack.

The words stabbed Standler like knives, he clenched his fists hard and wanted to go up to fight the fourth-year but he was stopped by his peers.

“Calm down! Don’t fall for it!”

The freshman tried to bring Standler back.

Huu Huu!

Standler panted, he glared at the fourth-year student, he will bear this insult in his mind and then…

Standler’s eyes suddenly turned white and his body weakened, but before he fell on the floor, he stood up again.

He tightened his arms and shook off the other freshmen who tried to hold him back. The other freshmen felt an irresistible strength from Standler that forced them to let go.

Standler shook them off and walked towards the ring.

This is the end!

The freshmens’ heart sank, but some of them realized something wasn’t right because Standler was muttering to himself as he walked towards the ring.

“How dare he scold me, sob sob…”

“Sob sob sob… I am not happy.”

“Sob sob sob… I will teach him a lesson.”

“Sob sob sob… I will make him kneel and cry for his daddy!”