A Mad Dog Named Justice

The number one law of nature in a web novel: If you try to avoid trouble, trouble will come sprinting towards you.

The girl running down the corridor was trouble. Big trouble with fiery red hair tied in a ponytail and a massive wooden sword hanging on her back.

Eylia Vulcan. Heroine #3. Type: Muscle-Brain Justice Warrior.
Daughter of a famous Knight family. Her life motto: "Punch first, think about legal consequences later."

In the game, Eylia was the main reason Amon died in the "Tournament Arc". She accidentally snapped Amon's neck because she got too excited during a practice match.

Distance: five meters.

"Hey Zeroth! I'm talking to you!" she shouted. Her voice was loud enough to shatter window glass.

I stopped walking. Not because I wanted to, but because she leaped and landed right in front of me, blocking the path. The ceramic floor cracked slightly under her feet.

I glanced at the crack. Strength Status: A+. If she patted my shoulder now to say hello, my collarbone would definitely break.

I took a slow breath. Don't panic. Don't show fear. Eylia's character was simple: she hated convoluted people, but she also deeply respected the "hierarchy of power" and knightly rules.

"Eylia Vulcan," I greeted, my voice flat and slightly bored. I raised one eyebrow. "Were you not taught in your family's kennel that running in school corridors is the behavior of a beast, not a noble?"

Eylia blinked. Her face, full of cute freckles, turned red with anger.
"What did you say?! Don't change the subject! I saw you bothering Sylvia earlier!"

"Bothering?" I chuckled softly. A laugh I curated to sound condescending. "Your definition of bother is very narrow, Miss Vulcan. We simply... exchanged morning greetings."

"Liar! Sylvia stopped walking! She looked shaken!" Eylia took a step forward, her hand reflexively moving to the hilt of her wooden sword. "You must have cast a curse spell on her, right? Just admit it, or I will..."

[SYSTEM WARNING]
[Hostile Intent Detected]
[Suggestion: Use Item or Run]

I couldn't run. I had no items. My only weapon was Amon Von Zeroth's venomous tongue.

"You will what?" I cut in sharply.

I looked into her eyes. This time, I activated the Passive Skill: Villain's Aura consciously. An unnatural chill spread from my body.

"Attack a fellow student without proof? On the first day? In front of the Great Hall?"
I took a step closer to her instead of backing away. This was a crazy gamble. If she punched, I died. But if she hesitated, I won.

I pointed at the wooden sword on her back.
"And more importantly... carrying a full-sized weapon into the administration building violates Article 4, Paragraph 2 of the Academy Disciplinary Rules. If I report this to the Student Council right now, you will be suspended before the ceremony even begins."

Eylia's eyes widened. "That... T-this is just a practice sword!"

"It remains a weapon, Miss 'Knight'," I sneered. "Pathetic. You talk about justice, but you yourself cannot read the rulebook."

I waved my hand, as if shooing away a fly.
"Move aside. Your breath smells of sweat. You're blocking my fresh air."

Eylia's mouth opened and closed like a goldfish. She wanted to rage, she wanted to hit me, but her straightforward (and slightly slow) brain couldn't process logical arguments and rule violations simultaneously.
Her face turned crimson holding back shame and anger.

Stiffly, she shifted her body to the side.

I walked past her with my chin raised. "Learn to read before learning to hit, Vulcan."

Only when I was a safe distance away did I hear her frustrated scream. "ARGH! Watch out, Zeroth! Just you wait until class later!"

My hands inside my trouser pockets were trembling violently. Oh God, that was terrifying. I provoked a bear. But at least, I survived.

---

Helios Academy Great Hall.

This place looked more like a giant cathedral than a school hall. The ceiling was fifty meters high, made of magic glass that displayed a starry sky even though it was daytime outside. Thousands of floating chairs were arranged neatly, forming a semicircular amphitheater.

And of course, seating was divided by Caste.

The front row seats, upholstered in red velvet and gold, were for High Nobles. My place. Behind them, plain wooden chairs for Lesser Nobles and wealthy merchants. And in the very top row, hard stone seats for Scholarship students (Commoners).

This was the main source of conflict in Cise of Blood. Social inequality.

I threw myself into my seat. Soft. Comfortable. Right to my right, an empty seat labeled 'Sylvia de Frosheim'. Great, a dangerous neighbor. Right to my left, a seat labeled 'Lukas Bright'.

My heart stopped again.

Lukas Bright. The Main Protagonist. The Chosen One. Owner of the Holy Sword. And the person who most frequently beheaded Amon in the Game.

And sure enough, a young man with messy brown hair (typical protagonist), innocent green eyes radiating "unyielding spirit", walked closer. His uniform was slightly worn, probably a hand-me-down from his brother.

He stopped when he saw me. His jaw hardened.

"Zeroth," he greeted. Not friendly.

I turned my head slowly. In the game, Amon would spit in Lukas's direction right now.
But me?

"Bright," I replied briefly.

Lukas looked confused. He expected an insult. He was ready with a heroic comeback about how 'hard work beats talent'. But I didn't give him the stage. I went back to looking ahead, pretending to be interested in the stage ornaments.

Lukas's confusion was interrupted when the entire hall suddenly went silent.

On the podium, an old man in long white robes appeared out of nowhere (Teleportation). His white beard reached his waist, and his eyes shone with the light of wisdom—and hidden cruelty.

Headmaster: Magnus Sol. Humanity's Strongest Mage. Grand Sage.
And an old bastard who loved testing new students' mental fortitude.

"Welcome," Magnus's voice echoed without a microphone, going straight into every student's head. "At Helios Academy, talent is trash if not polished with blood."

Nice intro.

"This year, we have an interesting batch. So, before we start the boring speech..." Magnus smiled faintly. His eyes lit up. "Let's see who deserves to sit upright."

BOOM!

Without warning, a massive wave of Mana Pressure exploded from the old man's body.
It wasn't physical wind, but heavy pressure on the soul. It felt like the gravity in the room had been dialed up ten times.

"Ugh!"
"Arghhh..."

Across the hall, thuds were heard. Students fell from their chairs. Some vomited. Even Lukas beside me was seen gripping the armrest with a pale face, sweat pouring down as he exerted his protagonist Willpower to stay seated.

Sylvia, who had just sat down, also gritted her teeth, her forehead creased resisting the invisible burden.

How about me?

Amon Von Zeroth had HP as thin as tissue. Logically, I should have fainted and had a nosebleed by now.

But... I felt nothing.
Absolutely zero.
Not even a breeze.

System? What is happening?

A blue notification appeared casually in front of my eyes:

[PASSIVE ACTIVATED: Cursed Bloodline of Zeroth]
[Description: Amon's Mana is too dense and 'petrified' inside his body due to the curse seal. External Mana Pressure cannot penetrate this 'Mana Stone'. You are immune to Mana-based mental attacks below Tier-8.]

Ah. The curse that made me weak... actually became an absolute shield for this specific situation?
So while everyone felt like they were being pressed by a hydraulic machine, I just felt bored?

I looked around.
Almost 90% of the students were already kneeling on the floor or bowing their heads to the desks.
Lukas was trembling violently, his eyes watering, but he remained seated.
Sylvia froze in her position, her breath panting.
Eylia in the back row looked like she was vomiting her breakfast.

Only I... was leaning back casually, legs crossed, with one hand propping up my chin.
My face? Flat without emotion (even though I was just confused about what to do).

At the podium, Headmaster Magnus's eyes widened slightly. He saw me.
The only student not even sweating.

The gaze of everyone still conscious shifted to me.
Horrified silence swept through.

They didn't see a student with clogged mana channels.
They saw a monster who didn't even consider the Headmaster's pressure a threat.

"Zeroth..." Lukas hissed beside me, staring at me with a mix of fear and hate. "You... just how strong are you really?"

I didn't answer.
I just picked up the mineral water glass provided on the table, then drank it elegantly amidst the mass torture atmosphere.

Gulp. Gulp. Ahhh.

"Not bad," I muttered softly as I placed the glass back. The sound of the glass touching the table was clearly audible in the silent hall.

At the podium, Magnus Sol slowly withdrew his aura.
He laughed, a booming sound.
"Hahaha! Interesting! Very interesting! It seems the rumors about the 'Fallen Genius' need to be corrected."

I wanted to cry.
Don't praise me, Old Man!
You just raised my 'Threat Level' in Lukas and Sylvia's eyes to code red!

"System," I whispered internally. "Please tell me this is a good thing."

[Reputation Update:]
[Charisma +20]
[Public Expectation: Very High]
[If you are proven weak in physical training later... The humiliation received will double.]

"Damn," I cursed softly.

"Alright," Magnus spoke again. "Class divisions have been decided based on entrance exam results and... your endurance just now."

A giant hologram screen appeared in the air.

SPECIAL CLASS (S-CLASS)
Homeroom Teacher: Professor Viktor (The Mad Bomber)

STUDENT LIST:

1. Lukas Bright (Protagonist)

2. Sylvia de Frosheim (Heroine #2)

3. Eylia Vulcan (Heroine #3)

4. Aerith Saintess (Heroine #1 - Not Yet Appeared)

5. Amon Von Zeroth (Final Villain)
... (And 10 other mob characters)

I closed my eyes, massaging my temples which started throbbing again.
Of course.
I was placed in a tiger's den with everyone who wanted to kill me. Together with a homeroom teacher famous for frequently blowing up his own students as "experiments".

"I need early retirement," I hissed.

Beside me, Lukas stared at me with the fire of determination burning in his eyes. "I won't lose to you in class later, Zeroth."

Sylvia on the right glanced at me with a sharp investigating gaze.
Eylia in the distance was spying on her wooden sword with a vengeful look towards me.

This was the beginning of my peaceful school life.

[Quest Complete: Survive the Opening Ceremony.]
[Reward: Gacha Ticket (Low Grade) x1]

"Wow, a gacha ticket," I quipped sarcastically. "Hope I get something useful like a bazooka or a plane ticket to flee this country."