Limit

chapter 17 .M.

For the next few days, we trained after school. The sessions were exhausting, with Kendrick constantly shouting at me and pushing me through endless exercises. He also allowed me to spar with the upper years, who defeated me every time. I even sparred with Kendrick himself. He used a stick, as if to mock my strength. Fueled by anger, I charged at him, but completely missed. When I turned around, he was standing behind me, wearing his crown, and lightly tapped my head with the stick. Well, when I say "lightly," I mean he moved it slowly, with almost no effort, yet to my surprise, I was slammed straight to the floor.

He mentioned he had the strength of over a hundred people and warned me to be cautious when taking his hits. Then, he closed his eyes and gestured for me to attack. I did, using an energy blast to add speed. He ducked as if he could see me clearly. He countered, but this time I dodged his stick, though the force still sent me sliding back. He was unbelievably strong. It was clear he was holding back, and in a real fight, I wouldn't last a second. The realization of how weak I was infuriated me more than I had expected. I was never cocky or thought I was the strongest, but I had no idea the gap between us would be so vast. Every time we fought, I failed to land a single hit, and he beat me to a pulp. Some of his students even thought the training was harsh.

Luckily, with Mr. Edge as our substitute teacher, I was able to catch a break during lessons and sneak in some sleep. I also caught up with Cole and Dom, who told me they had been spending their time reading in a beautiful garden and getting real counseling from Gramps, while I was going through hell. At least the lessons were easy.

Finally, the last day of this nightmare week came. Next week, Arthur would return, and our counseling would officially be over. However, today we had a field trip. I sat next to Ab on the coach, and it was actually fun. He asked me tons of questions about my training and was mesmerized by our headteacher's powers. Kendrick called his Limit "Royalty." It allowed him to gain strength from those who followed his rule — in his case, the entire school. That's what he meant when he said he had the strength of over a hundred people. He could also see everything that happened within his domain, which is how he witnessed the battle between Dom and Cole. Lastly, from what I know, he can heal minor wounds and boost the strength of a few of his followers. I can see why he's called a king.

After an hour of fanboying, the bus finally dropped us off, and we all fell silent. There in front of us was a portal — a huge, ominous portal swirling with dark energy.

"Uhhh, Mr. Edge, what are we doing here?" asked Loudmouth.

"Well, seeing as it's my last day teaching you all, I wanted to do something big. And following in the footsteps of the almighty Arthur, I've decided to give you all the experience of a lifetime. This right here is a Rank 4 gate — half a level higher than the one you did with Arthur," said Mr. Edge, his hands clasped together, a huge grin on his face.

"Isn't this dangerous?" I asked.

"Yeah, and Arthur got in trouble for doing something so stupid in the first place," added Scarlet.

"Not at all. I'm here, I can protect you guys. Also, there's something I heard. Some of you didn't get to experience the boss fight last time, which is a pity," Mr. Edge continued, causing the rest of the class to whisper among themselves.

"We're going to take it slow. We'll clear all the weaker monsters together, then fight the boss as a team. It'll be fun, and it'll help you all get stronger," he said.

"I heard there were two teachers that day, and that's already considering Arthur's strength. This seems too risky — I'm not going," argued Cole.

"Not at all. Arthur had two teachers with him so he could split up the class and make things easier for himself. Also, you heard? So, you didn't get to go at all, huh? Well, if you want, you can sit out. No problem with me," Mr. Edge replied, walking towards the gate.

Cole looked pissed, which I couldn't blame him for — he wanted the experience. The rest of the class erupted into bickering.

"Those who want to go, follow me," Mr. Edge said, smiling and waving back.

Half of the class moved towards him. One by one, they kept going until only me, Dom, Ab, Maddie, Scarlet, Cole, and another student I didn't recognize were left. Cole glanced at Ab, clenched his fists, and walked on, with Dom following in silence.

"What should we do?" asked Scarlet.

The moment the class stepped through, the portal reacted violently, its swirling energy convulsing as if it had been disturbed. In an instant, its color deepened, shifting from a dull shimmer to a pulsating, blood-red vortex that radiated malice. It swelled, growing grotesquely large, nearly twice its original size, its edges crackling with dark energy. Tendrils of shadow seeped out from its core, twisting and writhing like living things searching for prey. The air around it grew suffocatingly heavy, carrying the scent of decay and something far more sinister, like the stench of a battlefield long forgotten.

A low, unnatural hum filled the air, vibrating through the ground beneath our feet. It wasn't just the eerie glow—it was the palpable malevolence, like the gate itself was a sentient thing, waiting for us to make a fatal mistake. My breath hitched, and my skin crawled with an icy dread that pierced deep, far beyond any fear I'd known. I had seen footage of powerful gates on the news, but this... this was something far worse. It wasn't just dangerous—it felt like a death sentence. Each pulse of the portal sent an invisible wave of terror that wrapped around my chest, making my heart pound in frantic rhythm.

A whisper of panic rose in the group, our confidence quickly eroding under the crushing weight of whatever lurked on the other side.