Scumbag Fate System-Chapter 14: Don’t Work For Cheap

[Host! Nice work surpassing your limits. But I’m surprise you did it so quickly... I thought it would take two more days.]

Reinhard raised a brow. "Why did only my stamina rise and not my other stats? Like for example, my strength?"

[If you do special activities then you can accelerate the growth of specific stats. For example, Stamina was today’s breakthrough because of what you did yesterday.]

The Resonance Club met in the evenings, meaning he had a few hours.

He thought about Yor in the courtyard last night. The way she’d moved when she realized he’d seen her. Speed that left him in the dust and made his current strength irrelevant by comparison.

Keep working, he told himself.

He urged himself towards the panel and started picking his next enemy. He still had time for more sessions before he needed to meet up with Rika.

...

After two hours, Reinhard ended up close the private room doors. The hallways twisted and turned, leading him away towards the exit.

He decided to take the long way to cool off and waste time since he still had thirty minutes before meeting Rika.

This section was loud, though, as he could hear the clashing of weapons and shouts. Apparently, the sparring ring was full even in the middle of the day.

As he took another turn, he registered three figures ahead and had already recognized them before they’d looked up. It was a trio in the noble section at the ceremony that was laughing with the others when his hand was still on the dead crystal.

They were also the ones that fell down the staircase. He been curious what they would do him after recovering. The trio saw him at the same time, and their conversation stopped. One of them looked up before rubbing his eyes and then sighing.

"Well, well." The tallest one spoke first. His blonde hair was slicked back perfectly. "Look what we have here."

"Oh, what is it, Darius?"

"Ruth and Felix. It seemed someone doesn’t know what’s good for them." The blond man known as Darius chuckled. "We have a brave idiot."

"It’s strange... Anyone would have realized when to give up..." The short-haired man, Ruth crossed his arm. "We thought you would have gotten the memo after being rejected by all the Departments."

The third one with dark hair, Felix, sighed and spoke. "You aren’t welcome in this school."

Reinhard fell silent.

"Well? Aren’t you going to give us an answer?"

"Don’t you guys have anything better to do?" He sighed before looking at them with pity. "No wonder the other nobles treat you three as lackeys."

When all three of them froze with identical expressions of embarrassment crossing their faces, he understood he’d accidentally landed on something true.

Then three expressions shifted into rage.

Ruth narrowed his eyes. "Oh? Did the useless noble go crazy today? We were going to let you go, but I think it’s our duty to help set you straight."

Felix nodded. "As fellow ’nobles’ we should help each other out."

Darius chuckled as he rolled his shoulder. "Don’t worry, the infirmary is close by. If your begging is convincing enough, we will carry you over there."

"Or maybe a professor will find you."

The unspoken words of no students will help you echoed out. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

Reinhard didn’t even respond and continued. But inwardly, he was gauging the distance between both sides as his gaze flashed to their throat and below.

Darius stepped into his path. "Where are you going? We still have to set you straight."

Felix laughed and spoke. "We should hurry up before someone else saves him like last time."

"That was just luck. And it already ran out, just like his mother."

The hallway went quiet.

Reinhard stopped walking.

He thought about it for exactly one second. Not on whether he will respond but just how he will. He hadn’t known Reinhard’s mother but the mention of name had his body shivering with warmth and grief. But above all of that, he felt disgust they would used a dead woman as a weapon just to bait him.

He smiled.

You just told me everything I need to know about how far you’ll go, he thought. Thank you.

He turned and walked toward Darius who was sneering.

A flash of the future played in his mind as he activated his Precognition. Darius will lean in, but grab onto his shoulder and smash a fist into his stomach. Ruth will move towards the side and hit him in the rib, while Felix will strike him in the face.

Reinhard smiled.

Then his leg shot upward.

Darius’s eyes widened.

Too late.

His foot connected with soft flesh, and Darius’s eyes went wide. His mouth opened before he released a groan and fell to the ground with a grimace.

Ruth froze, shock painted across his face, and the punch stopped halfway.

Reinhard moved first.

His fist slammed into Ruth’s throat.

Ruth eyes widened before he gagged, hands flying to his neck. He stumbled backward, gasping like a fish out of water.

"What the—" Felix finally found his voice.

Reinhard laughed as he looked down at Darius’ pale face.

"What’s wrong?" Reinhard asked, voice light and almost friendly.

Felix growled before he hurled a fist at Reinhard.

But he didn’t need to use his Sigil to know where it was aimed at. He grabbed Darius’s perfectly styled hair and yanked hard, pulling the groaning boy up and forward. The Darius face met Felix’s fist with a sharp echo through the hall.

Felix stared at his fist.

Then slowly at Darius.

Blood dripped from the blond noble’s nose.

"Oh no," Reinhard said, mock concern dripping from his words. "Friendly fire."

Darius crumpled back to the floor while Felix trembled.

"You! You bastard-"

Reinhard’s leg rushed out and struck between Felix’s legs just like he did to Darius. Felix trembled before groaning as he slumped down to the floor with tears running down his face.

He chuckled at the sight of all three students on the ground, groaning together.

Reinhard squatted down, and his elbows rested on his knees.

"You know what’s funny?" His voice was casual, like discussing the weather. "You three just got beaten up by a person with no Sigil and no magic."

Darius looked up through watery eyes with blood still dripping from his nose. Reinhard stood up and looked down at them with the patient expression of someone who had all the time in the world and knew they didn’t.

Ruth and Felix’s faces flushed even redder.

"It would be very bad if this got out," Reinhard continued as his voice dropped lower. "I’m sure the other nobles would find you all shameful... No, that would be underselling it. Losing to a person with no magic would be social suicide."

All three students went still, and even their groaning stopped.

"Your family would hear about it," Reinhard added. "You three losing to me. I wouldn’t be surprised if they kicked you three out for bringing them such shame. I can’t think of anything worse than not only trying to attack a non-hunter with numbers. But losing to that same person."

Felix pushed himself up slightly. "You wouldn’t—"

"Wouldn’t I?" Reinhard tilted his head. "I have nothing to lose. You’ve all made that very clear. But you three? I wouldn’t be surprised if you all dropped out by the end of the month."

He let the words hang in the air, and the students looked at each other. Fear replaced the anger in their eyes.

He chuckled and spoke. "If you don’t want it to be leaked, give me some of your money."

None of them felt he was joking with how he narrowed his eyes.

"How much?" Darius asked with a tremble.

"Empty your pockets. All of you."

Hands fumbled with pouches and pockets. Golden coins spilled onto the floor, which Reinhard gathered calmly, counting as he went.

He pocketed the coins and stood as a quiet satisfaction swept through him. To deal with a problem that was made for him and one he could solve instantly. He’d been in this world for two days and he was beginning to feel like he was at home.

Reinhard then headed away, his destination was Rika’s last class, and then finally.

They would enter the Resonance Club.