The next morning started like any other, but the atmosphere inside the school was heavy. The usually noisy hallways were strangely silent. Students clung to the walls, making way when Jin, Leon, and Baek walked by. No one dared to make eye contact.
The three walked side by side, like predators strolling through newly conquered territory.
"Tch… they're all acting like scared cockroaches," Baek muttered, hands in his pockets.
Leon let out a laugh.
"Can't blame them. After yesterday's massacre, even I'd be scared if I were them."
Jin stayed quiet. His gaze was serious, but he carried that slight smirk, as if always waiting for the next fight.
On the other side of the hallway, the defeated second-year leaders huddled together. Min Seok's face was covered in bruises, one arm wrapped in bandages. He kept his head low, but his eyes burned with hatred. Still, none of them dared to say a word. They only watched the trio walk past.
Inside the teachers' office, some of the older staff pretended not to notice what was happening. Others exchanged worried glances.
"This is getting out of control," one of them muttered.
During the break, Leon and Baek were up on the school rooftop, laughing about the beaten veterans.
"Did you see the face of the 2-D leader? Looked like he saw the devil," Leon laughed, lying on the floor.
"And did you see how 2-C walked by? Almost pissed his pants," Baek added, chuckling.
Jin sat a little farther away, on the edge of the rooftop, staring at the horizon. Not out of guilt or regret. He could just feel something bigger coming.
Meanwhile, in a corner of the school, far from the eyes of the regular students, three third-year seniors gathered on the west wing terrace — a place few dared to go.
The first, Joo Han, known as the school's most brutal fighter, leaned against the wall with a cigarette in his mouth. The second, Nam Kyung, was famous for his speed and improvised weapons. The last, Seung Rok, the brain of the group, calmly analyzed the situation.
"The whole school's in the hands of a bunch of first-year brats… what a joke," Joo Han spat on the ground.
"It's embarrassing for us. If we let this slide, no one's ever gonna respect us again," Nam Kyung said, sharpening a chain.
Seung Rok stepped closer to the edge and looked down at the courtyard, where Jin, Leon, and Baek were talking.
"We're not handling this with a dumb brawl like those second-year idiots did. We'll do this right. First, split them up… then crush them one by one."
"Who do we start with?" asked Joo Han.
"The weakest. The big second-year, Baek. If we take him out, the other two will feel it."
They all silently agreed. The plan was in motion.
Back in the courtyard, Jin was still staring at the sky.
Leon approached.
"You feel it too, don't you?" he asked, now serious.
Jin nodded slightly.
"The air's different. The rats are crawling out of their holes."
Baek noticed the tone between them.
"What's with you guys? Getting scared now?"
"It's not fear, Baek…" Leon corrected, glancing around. "It's respect for the battlefield. The school's turned into a hunting ground. And the next round starts today."
Jin hopped down from the ledge and cracked his knuckles.
"Let whoever's coming… come. I'll crush them."
The chapter ends with the 'camera' pulling away from the courtyard, as the third-year seniors watched from above.
Echoes of violence still clung to the walls of that school, and the storm was just beginning.