Forsaken By The Gods, I Made A Contract With the Demon King

"Y-You!! You motherf*cker!"

Liam staggered to his feet, his face a brilliant shade of red. Whether from my punch or the humiliation of being knocked down in front of everyone, I couldn't tell. Maybe both.

"You motherf*cking attention hog!!"

He lunged at me without hesitation, all thought of dignity forgotten in his rage. Perfect.

"Phew~"

In that moment, I activated Lunacy. Not like before in the training capsule - this time I focused it inward, channeling it only to enhance my vision. No purple aura appeared; no one would notice anything except my eyes taking on a slight purple tinge.

Time seemed to slow as I watched his attack unfold. Every detail became crystal clear - the way his face contorted with anger, his amateur footwork, the trembling in his fist as he swung. After facing a pseudo-fallen level monster, this display seemed almost... cute.

I kept my hands in my pockets, watching him with casual interest. His movements were like an open book - telegraphed, obvious, amateur. Compared to the creatures I'd faced in Paradise, he might as well have been moving in slow motion.

-Sweep

His fist cut through the air with all the force he could muster. A simple bend at the waist was all it took to dodge. But why stop there? I extended my right leg into his path, not even bothering to remove my hands from my pockets.

"Gahh-"

Liam went down hard, face-first into the ground. The impact made a satisfying thud, and his face turned an even deeper shade of red. The embarrassment was clearly getting to him.

Behind me, Julia's giggle rang out like a bell, adding salt to Liam's wounded pride. I could practically see the steam rising from his ears.

-Shiiiiing

The sound of steel sliding against steel cut through the air as Liam drew his training sword. His eyes had taken on a wild, unfocused look. The humiliation had pushed him over the edge.

"Hey!! Using weapons outside of sparing is prohibited!" Julia's laughter turned to alarm. Her voice carried genuine concern - and for good reason.

Training swords weren't toys. Though designed for practice, they were sharp enough to take down low-grade monsters. Using them outside designated areas was strictly forbidden. Breaking that rule could get you expelled, no questions asked.

"Shut up, bitch!" .net

Liam was beyond caring about rules now. The rational part of his brain had checked out, replaced by pure, undiluted rage. He charged at me, sword raised high.

'Pathetic bastard.'

Even armed, he posed no real threat. His swordsmanship was nonexistent - all wild swings and brute force, no technique or skill. Still, this gave me a perfect opportunity to test Lunacy against a living opponent. I hadn't activated the future sight aspect yet, but the enhanced vision alone was incredible.

I studied his movements carefully, finally removing my hands from my pockets. His right hand, gripping the sword with white knuckles, would be my target.

The blade whistled through the air toward me. I waited patiently, timing my move. When the sword was just two inches from my face, I struck. A quick, precise hit to his forearm.

-Arhh!

A yelp of pain, and the sword clattered to the ground. Liam stumbled backward, clutching his arm. The weapon had hardly left his hand before I was moving again.

Seriously! How could someone so weak be so confident? The students these days really were getting soft.

Without his sword, Liam looked lost, confused - a perfect target. I didn't give him time to recover.

-Smack!

I gathered my strength and delivered a solid strike to his head. I braced myself for his counterattack, but...

"...."

He crumpled to the ground, unconscious. I blinked in surprise. Had I really hit him that hard? For someone bold enough to start a fight, he sure went down easily.

"Consider it a lesson," I said, trying to sound cool despite my surprise at his quick defeat.

"..Hey! Levi!"

Toby's worried voice snapped me back to reality. But before I could turn to look at him, another presence made itself known.

"What is going on here?"

The temperature seemed to drop several degrees. That ice-cold voice sent shivers down everyone's spine, including mine.

"Why is he sprawled on the ground?"

Professor Vale stood before me, his cold eyes moving between Liam's unconscious form and my still-ready stance. His expression promised consequences.

'Fuck! It had to be him!!'

****

There was a very famous saying among the students of the Favored Ones Academy that went like this:

"Don't ever mess with the devil, if you want your academic life to be peaceful."

This ominous phrase carried a weight of caution, instilling both awe and fear in those who heard it. While most freshmen were not fully aware of the implications behind the saying, if you were to ask any of the seniors, their expressions would quickly darken, revealing the deep-rooted unease associated with it.

The "devil" in question was none other than Professor Vale, who was a formidable presence within the academy, more famously known by his menacing moniker, 'The Smiling Serpent'.

It was a nickname that his lovely students had given him after suffering under him for a very long time…

Anyway, whispers of his wrathful nature had spread throughout the corridors, and there existed a chilling legend among the students. It was said that once upon a time, a foolish student had committed an act that caught the attention of Professor Vale, and that unfortunate soul had never known a peaceful night's sleep until their graduation from Favored Ones Academy.

And now, the spotlight had turned its gaze upon Levi.

Whether knowingly or unknowingly, Levi had invited the attention of Professor Vale.

As the instructor made his way to the scene, his piercing eyes scanned the surroundings, finally landing on the sight of Liam sprawled on the ground.

"What is happening here?" Professor Vale's voice cut through the air, freezing the commotion in an instant.

Immediately, Liam's henchmen seized the opportunity to voice their grievances, aiming to shift the blame away from their fallen comrade.

"That guy! He hit Liam.", one of them said.

"That's right, professor, Levi hit Liam."

Their voices overlapped, a chorus of protest and accusation filling the space. However, standing beside Levi, Julia stepped forward, interrupting the cacophony of complaints.

"That's a lie, Instructor!" Julia's voice rang out, firm and unwavering. "They started picking fight with us first and that guy even took out his weapon. Levi only responded in kind."

Julia's assertion echoed in the tense silence, finding support in the form of Toby, who stood by her side.

"That's right! Levi didn't use a weapon either."

Together, they reinforced the truth of the situation, emphasizing that Levi had acted in self-defense without resorting to the use of a weapon.

Professor Vake looked at Liam who was sprawled on the ground and at Levi standing without fear, back and forth.

Internally, he pondered the events that had unfolded before his arrival. 'He was able to disarm that boy with bare hand in such a situation? That too a freshman did that without incurring any injuries?'

He looked at Levi intensely.

He had seen the boy in their first class - he didn't seem much remarkable, but that's what exactly caught his attention. In the academy where every student is trying to standout, this boy had avoided even using his abilities on the training session.

'Intresting…'

There are only two reason as to why a person would try to hide his abilities in the Favored Ones academy - One, they had something deeper to hide or their abilities were simply useless.

Professor Vale had a strong feeling that it wasn't the later but he didn't have any concrete evidence to his thoughts - it was just a thought.

Professor Vale made a mental note to keep an eye on Levi and concentrated on the situation at hand.

Breaking the silence, he directed his attention toward Liam's henchmen, his voice cutting through the tension like a sharpened blade.

"You there, take the knocked-out student to the infirmary immediately."

Turning his gaze back to Levi, Professor Vale's tone held a cryptic edge as he uttered, "And you, Levias Drake? right, come to my office after classes."

With those enigmatic words, Professor Vale strode away without further explanation, leaving Levi to contemplate the weight of his summons.

Toby, concerned for his friend's well-being, approached Levi cautiously, his voice filled with worry.

"Hey, Levi. Will you be okay?"

Levi paused for a moment, uncertainty clouding their thoughts.

"Probably... "

Even he doesn't know what Professor Vale is thinking, so he couldn't anticipate anything. But he doesn't think that Professor Vale would go as far as expelling a student for a minor misstep.... right?

Regardless, there was no point in dwelling on the events that had already transpired. What was done was done, and Levi needed to focus on moving forward.

"What the hell! Those bastards were trying to frame us? Disgusting!" Julia's anger still simmered, her frustration evident as she voiced her contempt for Liam's henchmen.

---***---