"Long time no see, Griswold," Osborne sneered, a twisted smirk tugging at the corners of his lips.


    Ss''s eyes narrowed, his gaze cold and unflinching. Osborne had been a source of torment throughout his past, forcing him into dangerous errands for a pittance, finding perverse delight in Ss''s difort and struggle. Osborne was the one who had made him deliver risky batches of Jelly Weed—a task that had left Ss resentful, wary, and forever suspicious of Osborne''s intentions. And here he was again, standing in Ss''s path, smirking with that same arrogance that sent a chill of irritation through Ss''s veins.


    "What do you want, man?" Ss asked, his tone icy, his expressionpletely indifferent.


    "What''s with the attitude and questions? You work for me, man, and I haven''t seen you at our usual spot for weeks." Osborne replied, his smirk deepening as he stepped closer to Ss, clearly enjoying the power he thought he still held.


    "Just to be clear," Ss said, his voice barely concealing his anger, "I don''t work for you... I never did. You only used me to deliver illegal goods and left me to face all the consequences."


    "I paid you for your hard work, didn''t I?" Osborne shot back, taking another step forward. His voice took on a darker tone as he added, "You know damn well how mad I get when you don''t show up on time for the deliveries. Decided to stop working? Nah, it doesn''t work that way, bro. You don''t just walk away from Osborne. I left you a warning a few weeks ago—pretty sure you saw it when you got back from the raid. Today''s the day you face the consequences. You''re going to be dealt with somewhere no staff wille to your rescue."


    Ss remained impassive, his expression an unreadable mask.


    "And do tell Vic and his little group that Billy and I areing for him, too," Osborne continued, ring at Ss with open disdain. "I heard what happened in the cafeteria a few days ago. Heard you stood up for Vic in that little scuffle. Now I''ve got two reasons to put an end to you."


    Ss regarded him briefly, his face still nk and unmoved. Without another word, he turned and walked forward, his gaze shifting briefly to Billy, who had stayed silent the entire time. Ss gave him a quick, dismissive nce before brushing past them and heading down the hall toward the cafeteria.


    ''What''s with that trash''s confidence?'' Osborne thought, watching Ss walk away. He had expected Ss to be trembling, maybe even begging after the threats he''d justid out, but oddly, his words hadn''t seemed to affect Ss one bit. It felt like he was staring at a whole different person, not the spineless kid he used to bully.


    ''Nah, I''m probably overthinking. He''s still the same trash,'' Osborne told himself, though his eyes flickered with doubt. Turning, he noticed Billy''s face flushed bright red with anger.


    "What''s with you? You haven''t said a word this whole time," Osborne said, frowning at hispanion.


    "I don''t want to waste my energy talking," Billy replied in a deep, menacing tone. "I need every bit of strength because, when we get into the mutant realm, my intention is to kill Vic." With that, Billy strode off, leaving Osborne to follow in silence.


    ---


    Ss walked down the hallway, his footsteps echoing softly, until he arrived at the cafeteria and spotted his friends seated at their usual spot. They appeared to have finished breakfast and were waiting for him to join them.


    "Morning, guys," Ss greeted, approaching the group.


    "What took you so long, man? Were you putting on makeup or something?" Vic teased, raising an eyebrow as he reached out for a fist bump.


    "Nah, I just ran into a couple of people on my way here. Nothing to worry about," Ss replied, purposefully leaving out the part about Osborne and Billy. He knew that if he mentioned the encounter, Vic and Angelica would worry—and they couldn''t afford to be distracted from their tasks today.


    "So, what''s the n for this morning?" Ss asked, eager to shift the focus.


    "They said the test will start at 11 a.m., so since it''s only a little after nine, I suggest we get in some training to warm up," Angelica suggested.


    "Sounds good to me," Ss nodded. "Where should we train?"


    "Some students are working out in the announcement hall. We could head there, too," Angelica replied.


    The group agreed, and they made their way down the hall. After a few minutes of walking, they entered the vast training hall, which was bustling with students honing their skills in various areas. The hall could easily hold hundreds of people, so there was ample space for everyone to train without interruptions.


    Ss and his friends found a convenient spot and started warming up.


    "Why don''t we make this more interesting and duel?" Vic proposed, a mischievous glint in his eye as he looked at Ss. "Ss, I challenge you to a duel."


    Ss''s eyes widened in surprise, a look of disbelief crossing his face. "You... want to fight me?"


    "Yeah, why not? I''ve always wanted to see who''s stronger between us," Vic grinned, wrapping an arm around Ss''s shoulders and ruffling his hair. "Don''t get me wrong—I know you''re stronger. I just want to see how big the gap is."


    "Fine," Ss sighed, ncing around the room. "But I can''t go all out with all these students around."


    "I get it. Just give me a taste of what you''ve got, even if you''re holding back," Vic insisted, clearly determined. "Come on, don''t make me beg."


    Ss paused, giving him a hard look before letting out a sigh of defeat. "Alright, alright. Just don''t say I didn''t warn you," he said, a glint of seriousness in his eyes as his expression darkened.


    ""


    A/N: Mass release for the weekend?N?v(el)B\\jnn


    10 Golden Tickets= 2 extra chapters.


    A luxury Car (Gift) = 5 extra chapters.


    Your next chapter awaits on empire


    A Magic Castle/ Dragon (Gift)= 20 extra chapters for the weekend.