Chapter 155: Purge Operation (5)

While chaos erupted at the school, Choi Myung-hoon was receiving updates from his hospital bed.

“…Jin Kyung-hee and Jang Won-gi have both been dismissed?”

[Yeah, for real. The school’s in an uproar right now. The education office swept through, investigating the teachers’ corruption, and word is that both of them are being investigated by the prosecution. You’d better watch out. If this incident escalates to *that* event, you and the others could be in serious trouble.]

“Thanks for the heads-up. I’ll be in touch later.”

Click.

He ended the call, his skin crawling with anxiety.

*That* event.

On the day of the blackout operation, Choi Myung-hoon had been exposed to extreme violence, losing consciousness. When he woke up, he was in a hospital bed. At first, he felt a crushing despair from the failed operation, but there was a silver lining—he was certain Kim Hyunsung’s life was ruined. After all, how could a mere individual like Kim Hyunsung handle the aftermath of the numerous victims sent to the hospital because of him?

But then, nothing happened.

The school rushed to cover the incident, and suddenly, the education office intervened, even punishing the teachers.

What did that mean?

‘The Golden Circle must have taken a step back. Does that even make sense? I’ve done countless jobs for the Golden Circle, but they’ve never shown such weakness. Jin Kyung-hee and Jang Won-gi were key representatives of the Golden Circle, and now they’ve been thrown away? Does that mean Kim Hyunsung is that much of a threat?’

His mind raced.

The Golden Circle was a group that displayed success, an organization that pursued perfect outcomes. Any failure, like the case with Kim Hyunsung, would have been forcefully turned into a success by any means necessary. But this time was different. They accepted their defeat against Kim Hyunsung. Despite the media and the entire student body knowing about the incident, the Golden Circle abandoned two of its key members, acknowledging that Kim Hyunsung was no pushover.

This was unprecedented.

A first in history.

The unusual turn of events left Choi Myung-hoon in a state of confusion.

‘If I go back to school in this state…’

Suddenly, his body trembled.

Fear gripped him.

Kim Hyunsung had plowed through a crowd of students to reach him, caught Jo Min-seok’s knife with his bare hand, and taken everyone down. Every time a punch landed on his face, the bone-shattering impact drove home the fact that there was no way to beat Kim Hyunsung. If he returned to school, where Kim Hyunsung still stood, his future was certain.

It would be the end.

He couldn’t even fight back properly with a broken arm.

“…Shit, no matter how I look at it, I’m screwed.”

The Golden Circle wasn’t going to help him.

Jin Kyung-hee and Jang Won-gi.

They were his future.

In a few days, he would have to return to school. If he wanted to survive, he needed a drastic plan.

After pondering for a while, Choi Myung-hoon made a phone call.

Click.

“Hey, gather everyone tomorrow. We need to talk about the Kim Hyunsung situation.”

—

The next day.

Choi Myung-hoon went to the designated meeting place.

Wearing a cast and a hoodie pulled low over his face, he grimaced as he saw the small group of students gathered there.

“…We look like a mess.”

These were the students involved in the blackout incident.

Although the swelling on Choi Myung-hoon’s face had gone down, no one looked any better than he did. Some had bruises scattered across their faces, and others, like him, were wearing casts for broken limbs. The thought that one person had caused all of this filled him with dread.

The monster responsible for this result.

He had to face Kim Hyunsung again.

If he were alone, he might have opted to drop out of school, but the numbers gave him a sliver of reassurance, enough to suppress his anxiety.

“I called you here because we’ll be going back to school soon. You’ve probably heard the rumors—Vice Principal Jin Kyung-hee and Teacher Jang Won-gi are both gone. There’s no one left to protect us. Even the Golden Circle has stopped paying attention. That means we need to stick together more than ever. If Kim Hyunsung tries to come after us, we need to show through collective action that we won’t just roll over.”

“…”

There was no immediate response.

These were the same students who had been beaten down together.

Choi Myung-hoon’s face twisted with anger when he saw Jo Min-seok, sitting quietly in the corner.

“Hey, Jo Min-seok.”

“…What?”

“Why aren’t you saying anything? You’re supposed to be an S-Rank, so shouldn’t you be stepping up?”

All eyes turned to Jo Min-seok.

He looked worse than anyone else.

His face had been caved in, requiring reconstructive surgery.

Jo Min-seok lashed out bitterly.

“…What the fuck do you expect me to do? That guy, Kim Hyunsung, isn’t human. He caught a knife with his bare hand and destroyed me. You think sticking together is going to make him flinch? I have no idea what to do anymore. Honestly, I’d drop out if I could, but the Golden Circle hasn’t given me any instructions, so I’m stuck.”

“You useless bastard.”

Jo Min-seok’s spirit was broken.

He wasn’t thinking straight.

Still, they couldn’t afford to retreat now.

They had to survive.

Choi Myung-hoon spoke up.

“Listen up, everyone. We don’t have any choices left. Dropping out isn’t even an option without the Golden Circle’s approval, and ignoring the future that’s coming won’t change anything. We have to protect ourselves. If we stay passive, we’re doomed, but we can still turn things around—even if there’s just a 1% chance.”

“…You’re right.”

“We’ll follow you, hyung.”

He had stirred the group.

As he saw their eyes light up with determination, Choi Myung-hoon regained some of his own confidence.

“Good. From now on, we’re one. If we break apart, we’re all dead, so no one should act alone.”

—

A few days later.

They finally returned to school.

Choi Myung-hoon’s heart pounded in his chest.

In the past, he had looked forward to going to school. It was his kingdom, where he had ruled as a powerful predator.

But now, everything was different.

In this survival-of-the-fittest world, he had become the prey.

He took a deep breath to calm his nerves as he walked into the classroom. The moment he entered, the room fell deathly silent, as if cold water had been poured over it.

“…”

“…”

All eyes were on him.

Anger flared within him.

In the past, these students wouldn’t have dared to look him in the eye, but now, their sidelong glances made him want to slap them. But he knew he couldn’t. The unity of the victims wasn’t to challenge Kim Hyunsung directly—it was merely an attempt to secure a minimum level of survival. He knew all too well that if he provoked Kim Hyunsung, even collective action would be meaningless.

He slumped into his seat, feeling out of place.

The atmosphere was oppressive.

Before, people would come up to him with flattery, but the current silence was entirely foreign to him.

In the classroom, he felt like an isolated island.

Quietly, he began preparing for class.

However, ten minutes before the lesson was due to start, a classmate approached him.

“Hey, you and the others are being called to the gym.”

His heart sank at those words.

He instinctively knew what that meant.

It had to be Kim Hyunsung.

Kim Hyunsung had called him.

There was no refusing. Sooner or later, he’d have to face reality. Choi Myung-hoon stood up, trying to act as casual as possible.

At least there was one small comfort—they had said “the others.”

It wasn’t just him.

As expected.

When he arrived at the gym, the same group from a few days ago was there.

Facing Kim Hyunsung alone, they were huddled together like frightened prey.

“It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

“…Yeah.”

This wasn’t the usual Choi Myung-hoon.

He avoided Kim Hyunsung’s gaze.

He walked toward the group, showing with his actions that he was no different from them.

Kim Hyunsung addressed the group.

“I’m sure all of you have had a lot on your minds since coming back to school. Let’s get straight to the point—I don’t intend to harm any of you. If several dozen students suddenly drop out, that’ll cause a problem in itself. So, for the next year, until I graduate, if you keep quiet and don’t make a fuss, I promise I won’t bother you.”

A wave of relief washed over the group.

They thought they were safe.

“But…”

Kim Hyunsung smiled.

“Not everyone here needs to stay. Someone has to take responsibility for that incident. If someone does, it’ll set a clear example for the rest. So I’ll give you all a chance. Choi Myung-hoon and Jo Min-seok—if you want to survive, make sure the rest of them crush you right here and now, so you can’t stay in this school anymore.”

The room fell into a tense silence as the group exchanged glances.

No one had to say it out loud, but they all knew what Kim Hyunsung was asking for.

“Shit…”

“Attack them!”

Without further hesitation, the group moved as one, launching an assault on Choi Myung-hoon and Jo Min-seok.

—

The chaos erupted so quickly that Jo Min-seok barely had time to react before a fist flew at him from the student beside him.

**Smack!**

“Agh!”

He didn’t even have time to dodge.

As Min-seok crumpled to the floor, Choi Myung-hoon quickly retreated, avoiding the students charging toward him. Unlike Min-seok, who had been caught completely off guard, Choi wasn’t defenseless.

**Whoosh.**

**Bam!**

Dodging a punch, Choi countered with a strike of his own, flooring one of the attackers. Even with a broken arm in a cast, his one good fist was enough to knock a few people down. The problem was, there were too many of them. Every time he pulled back his fist, more students were already rushing in, and his ability to dodge and deflect blows was limited.

**Thud.**

**Wham, bam!**

He took a few hits.

But even while gritting his teeth in pain, Choi struck back with all the strength he had left, sending more students tumbling to the floor.

‘What about Jo Min-seok?’

He glanced over, only to find Jo already down for the count. His face, which had been severely injured and required surgery, had taken another blow, and he lost his fighting ability in an instant.

Jo had never been particularly strong in hand-to-hand combat. His reputation as an S-Rank student had come from his brutal use of weapons, not from physical strength alone. But the students who had gathered for this ambush were handpicked for their confidence in brawling. Choi Myung-hoon had expected a tough fight, but this was worse than he had imagined.

Cornered and outnumbered, he was running out of options.

‘That bastard, Kim Hyunsung…’

By isolating him and Jo Min-seok, Kim Hyunsung had destroyed their last hope of using collective action. The cunning plan had blocked their only means of survival, leaving them with no choice but to fend for themselves.

He was ruthless.

Choi knew that dropping out was the only real escape, but for now, his priority was getting out of this gym alive.

**Whoosh.**

**Whack!**

There was no room to move.

Surrounded on all sides, Choi Myung-hoon found himself struggling to break free. If things continued like this, it was only a matter of time before he was completely overwhelmed.

‘I need to buy time. Class is about to start. If this many students are missing from class, even with Jin Kyung-hee and Jang Won-gi gone, the teachers will notice. My best chance is to hold out until then.’

It was a gamble.

But he didn’t have any other options.

Just as one of the juniors who had once sworn loyalty to him came at him with a wild punch, Choi countered with a perfectly timed strike, sending the kid sprawling.

Even with a broken arm and a battered face, Choi Myung-hoon was still Choi Myung-hoon.

He proved his S+ rank status, gradually inching his way toward the gym wall to secure his back against it. In situations like this, having your back to the wall was the best strategy.

At that moment, the school bell rang.

With renewed determination, Choi fought even harder, holding off the mass of students. From somewhere in the crowd, he heard Kim Hyunsung’s voice, cold and clear despite the chaos.

“Why? Do you think if you hold out long enough, something will change?”

Amid the confusion and the shouting, Kim Hyunsung’s voice cut through, reaching Choi’s ears with unsettling clarity.

“The teachers already know what’s happening here. This place is no longer…”

At that moment, Choi realized the full gravity of his situation.

Coming back to school had been a mistake.

The moment he faced Kim Hyunsung again, he understood.

“This isn’t the school you once knew.”