Bang!
With a muffled thud, the man cried out and collapsed.
The surrounding recruits froze. Before they could react, Ronan had already charged into the crowd like a tiger among sheep, knocking down several more in an instant.
Good people always get pushed around.
But Ronan refused to be pushed.
If you don't want to be the one getting hit—
You fight back.
"Get him!!"
The students who recovered from the shock surged forward. But Ronan didn't back down. With his current strength and build, their fists barely hurt him. They stung—but they didn't stop him.
His wild, fearless fighting style left Ellis and the others swallowing nervously. The first to snap out of it was Jonah.
"Ronan, I've got your back!"
With a body as strong as a calf, Jonah threw himself into the fight.
Seeing that, Ellis and the remaining three looked at each other. They sighed, clenched their fists, and jumped in. They were new here—maybe they'd get beaten up, but they couldn't afford to look weak.
The brawl quickly grew out of control.
Recruits who had stayed out of the conflict watched from the sidelines. As Ronan kept landing clean, brutal punches, some of them muttered nervously.
"Thank god I didn't listen to Green and try to block him... That guy's a monster."
"Two hundred against six... should've been one-sided. Why does it feel like he's going to win?"
"What are you doing just standing there? Go get the instructor! This could get out of hand!"
"Yeah! Call the instructor!"
But Ronan wasn't thinking about them. He had been holding back his emotions for days. And now—he had the perfect outlet.
They wanted a fight?
He'd give them one.
Even though they were over 200 strong, only six recruits had stepped forward to fight. And now, only two were still standing—Ronan and Jonah.
Jonah was clearly exhausted, breathing heavily and staggering.
But Ronan?
He still stood tall.
His stamina was far above normal. Combined with his strength and toughness, he was like a war machine. Among a crowd of untrained teenagers, he was unstoppable.
Bang!
After taking a few punches, Ronan refocused, striking a recruit square in the face and knocking him to the ground.
He was just about to launch another attack—
But then he noticed.
No one else dared come forward.
Instead, they stared at him, terrified.
Even though they had the numbers, only seven or eight had managed to engage him at any one time. Now, more than twenty recruits lay groaning on the ground around Ronan, holding bruises and limping away.
The one named Green, who had led the attack, had fainted. No one knew if he'd been knocked out by Ronan, or trampled in the chaos.
Sure, they could eventually wear Ronan down—
But was it worth it?
This had only been about venting frustration. Now it was about survival.
No one wanted to be the next sucker who got flattened.
"Cowards..." muttered Jonah, dragging his tired body next to Ronan. He glanced around at the silent recruits with scorn.
The recruits bristled with anger—but none dared act. Not while Ronan was still standing.
Ronan, having finally burned off his frustration, turned to Jonah and gestured.
"Help me get Ellis and the others up. Let's go."
But just as he turned away—
A familiar voice echoed in his mind.
Ding!
"Achievement unlocked: [Ten Enemies] – Host has defeated 26 enemies bare-handed."
"Reward: +1 Physical Strength, +1 Damage Resistance."
Before he could even react, another message followed.
Ding!
"New task triggered: [Fifty Enemies]."
"Check mission details for more information."
"Fifty... enemies?" Ronan blinked.
Information flashed in his mind.
---
[Fifty Enemies]
Objective: Defeat 50 enemies
Reward: +2 Physical Strength, +2 Damage Resistance
Penalty: None
Time Limit: None
---
This was the first time he'd seen a reward that boosted overall physical strength, not just individual traits.
It was a huge upgrade.
Ronan turned his eyes back to the crowd.
They no longer looked like people to him.
They looked like...
Experience points.
Without a word, he charged toward the crowd again.
"WHAT THE HELL—?!"
Panicked recruits scrambled away in all directions. No one wanted to face him again.
He chased, and they ran.
Everywhere Ronan turned, it was chaos.
It looked like a predator had been loosed into a flock of sheep.
And far off at the edge of the square, Erwin Smith, who had rushed over after hearing the commotion, couldn't help but chuckle at the scene.
"I really underestimated him," Erwin said with amusement. "He's definitely going to be trouble."
He turned to a soldier beside him.
"Well... there aren't any missions for now. Might as well let Levi deal with him."