The Max Level Hero: Strike Black

One

The young man tried to move, but his body was as heavy as lead. With each movement, even the slightest, sent a terrible pain through the whole body.

Even breathing became difficult, every time that fishy air filled with the smell of blood entered his windpipe, it felt like his lungs were being pressed with hot iron...

I wanted to cry out because of the pain that was tormenting me, but my throat was dry and burning. No sound could leave his mouth but pathetic groans.

Because of losing so much blood, his head ached... His ears became ringing, but he could still feel each beat of his heart in his chest getting weaker... weaker...

It was indeed a miracle that the young man was still alive, but he wondered how long that miracle would last?

His mind became hazy, and his thoughts were no longer clear.

More and more he felt cold… so cold…

An irresistible drowsiness quickly set in, despite the young man's futile efforts to keep himself awake.

The young man clearly understood that he was going to die...

'...Why did things come to this?'

'Um, this isn't the time to be reminiscing, you know?'

In the young man's mind, countless different images kept popping up. They piece together in a clear order to tell the story of the young man's life.

'HEY! This! Did you hear that? Answer me what? Eeeeeeeee!! Damn it! Now, if you continue to ignore me, you're both dead!'

----0o0---

“Where are your eyes and nose!!? Useless boy!?”

Before he could understand what was going on, Jack Christopher had to eat a left hook in the jaw. Stunned, Jack fell backwards, hitting his head against the wall.

“Your mother! Dirty beast! Should you know how to look at the road when walking? You've made my shirt dirty like this, now what?"

Despite his shock, Jack could still fully recognize the owner of this angry voice, Tony Lee. Jack's mind quickly sorted out what had happened...

He was just on his way to class… But Jack must have accidentally bumped into this guy while his mind was on the cloud because he was worried. And of course the result of that was that he was lying there with his face in his hands.

"I am sory..."

'Um, it's obvious that he purposely nudged you on the shoulder first and then caused trouble...''

"Do you think it's okay to just apologize?" – Lee smirked and said in a proud, arrogant tone.

“…So what do you want?”

Jack staggered to his feet, his back still against the wall.

"Money! Pay me for washing clothes now!"

'Um, that's funny, I don't see any dirty in this guy's shirt...'

"Huh? But..."

Jack was about to protest but just opened his mouth to say a few words when Lee punched him in the stomach. He clutched his stomach and curled up, his face contorted in pain.

“What I hate the most are guys who talk a lot but talk second! Whatever you say, just do it!"

Although Jack really didn't want to have to give the money, he really didn't have too many options right now. Jack can only endure and accept...

“W-How much do you need…”

"How much do you have in your body, you can pull it all out for me, are you still there to ask?"

'Um… come on! Will you protest? As weak as that, it's only made by water!'

“But…”

Jack was about to argue with this bastard's unreasonable request, however...

"What did I just hear?"

Seeing Lee raise his fist threateningly, Jack silently took out his wallet and gave it to him.

"This..."

Lee snatched the wallet from Jack's hand and quickly opened it to check the money inside. He pulled out two 1000 yen bills and slipped them into his pocket.

Then he threw the now empty wallet in front of Jack. Not stopping there, Lee also casually let out an insult before turning his back to leave.

"His mother, damn poor!"

Seeing Lee whistling happily as he walked, Jack couldn't help but grit his teeth in anger… But soon he just shook his head slightly and tried to swallow that bitter feeling back inside. He sighed, leaning down to pick up his wallet.

“From now on, I have to try to avoid my face so that I don't get involved and annoying. If only it would disappear from my life… Damn…”

'Um... If you know how to sit there whining, why don't you act? It's only human after all, let's take a risk and give it a shot, shall we?'

"Ouch! Tch, damn it… I wonder what that guy eats to be so healthy?" Jack mumbled while rubbing his wet chin. "It's so unlucky so early in the morning, damn it..."

People are bruised, and money problems, spending is already in dire straits, but today it is unreasonable to lose money… Jack's worries really never end.

Jack is seriously considering dropping out. You're still at the age of seventeen and you're breaking the buffalo's horns, aren't you? At best, what the hell is going to happen when you die in real life and have to do something as pointless as going to school?

However, in the end, Jack still couldn't make a decision and just returned to his classroom in a depressed mood.

----0o0---

Jack opened the door to enter the classroom, but no one seemed to notice his presence at all.

'Um, looks like these bastards are decorating your desk again...'

But wouldn't it be better for Jack to go unnoticed like this? They've been completely benign lately, but before, it wasn't just Lee who could torture him.

Jack just hoped they'd really changed, he wanted to have as little trouble as possible. Approaching his seat, Jack realized that the tabletop was covered with a pile of trash paper.

'Um, so what are you going to do?'

At the same time, Lee's abominable laugh resounded.

“Eh!? Is that your desk? Trash? I'm sorry! We thought it was a trash can? There's no point in dumping garbage on it, but it just keeps spilling out! Heh heh heh heh heh!!!”

'Um, even I can't stand this bastard's abominable laugh... Do something about it? Are you the one controlling this body?'

As if it had been planned, the rest of the students laughed like crazy.

“As useless as it is, in the future there will only be living water in the landfill, you're doing it right, right? Ha ha ha ha!”

“That's right, perfect! Hahahaha!!!”

“Horror pit!!!”

“…”

Ignoring the taunts, Jack just quietly brought the trash can in the corner of the room to his seat and cleared the pile of trash on the table. Revealing beneath the trash were curses and insults carved all over the table.

He doesn't really care, because this kind of bullying is still kind of boring anyway...

After cleaning up, Jack put the trash can back in its place and settled into his seat. He was still sitting in a hot seat when suddenly, a soprano and full of energy came from the hallway.

"Good morning everybody!"

'Um, there's going to be trouble again...'

The owner of that voice rushed from the hallway into the room. Her petite body and cute face, her chestnut hair fluttered with every step she took. Jack was also well acquainted with this person, his classmate, Leila Janet.

“Yes! Slow down, Janet! Fall now!”

From outside the classroom, an arm suddenly reached out and grabbed the back of Janet's shirt and held her.

'Is it Lucas? Are these two always together?' – Jack thought as he saw the next person enter the classroom.

It was Daphne Lucas, a girl with the charm of mature beauty, in stark contrast to Janet. Sharp eyes, black hair tied in a ponytail, and a well-proportioned body.

"Don't hold my shirt like that, Daphne..." Janet said.

However, instead of replying, Daphne narrowed her eyes and gave Janet a light pat on the head.

“Oi!”

Then, like a teacher, she began to scold Janet…

“How many times have I told you, Janet? How can your daughter run like that!? Plus it's dangerous! If you tripped and fell, what would you do?"

"I'm sorry that..."

"I'm tired of hearing you apologize but I don't see any improvement..." Daphne said while sighing in frustration.

'Um... I'm really not in the mood to watch these ridiculous things…'

Entering the classroom right after Janet and Daphne was a boy with a very good appearance. He smiled slightly when he heard their conversation and joined in.

"You two are really close like sisters, aren't you?"

“You're joking, Simon! Stop! Stop! Stop! Please excuse me, if I had a sister as annoying as this dwarf, I would have a headache twenty-four out of seven." Daphne pointed at Janet and shook her head.

“I think Jacob was right again, didn't I? If I had a younger sister like Daphne, you'd know!" Janet said with a bright smile.

“Hahaha!!! As short as you are, you still want to be my sister? Just keep on dreaming!"

Seeing Daphne holding her stomach and teasing her, Janet puffed her cheeks in anger.

“Hey, hey, I was born two months before you! So logically, I'm older than you, aren't I?"

"I'm a bit jealous of how close you two are."

This male student, Simon Jacob is the class president of Jack's class. That's why Jack remembers his name. From what Jack knows, Jacob is sociable and quite popular for his looks, the exact opposite of him.

Actually, it's not too difficult for Jack to recognize Jacob's popularity. Because as soon as Jacob entered, almost all the girls in the class held their breath and turned their attention to him. It was so obvious that Jack couldn't even realize it, so he must be blind.

However, the focus of everyone's attention immediately changed when a gorgeous beauty entered the classroom. Long, flowing black hair, big round jade green eyes, rosy, plump lips. Not to mention the beautiful curves on her body that make it difficult for anyone to believe that she is still a student.

However, the most outstanding feature of this girl is her face. Her face rarely shows any expression and her flawless white skin can make those around her mistakenly believe that she is a flawless artifact created by the hands of a talented sculptor. . Even Jacob couldn't take his eyes off her.

As soon as they saw her, both Daphne and Janet said hello.

“Ah! Claire! Good morning!"

"Good morning Claire."

All they got in return, however, was a slight nod and a simple "Hi". Even so, the two of them didn't seem disgruntled at all.

'Claire Reed…'

That girl's name immediately popped into Jack's mind. He remembered her name very well, partly because of her impressive appearance. The rest was because he and she both transferred to this school on the same day.

However, unlike a Jack Christopher who couldn't make friends and was bullied… Claire Reed was quickly pursued and adored by everyone, including Simon Jacob because of her captivating beauty. Indeed, appearance has a great influence on the way people treat each other.

Leila Janet, Daphne Lucas, Claire Reed and Simon Jacob, the four most popular in school, both for their looks and talent. In this class, for personal reasons, Jack only remembers the full names of those four… and Tony Lee. The rest are because Jack entered school too late, when the groups of friends were all formed, there was no room for him to squeeze in…

After talking to Claire, Janet turned around. When she made eye contact with Jack, a gentle smile appeared on her lips.

'Um... Please don't look this way.'

Janet galloped towards him excitedly step by step.

'Um, I'm not joking! ...Please don't come near.'

“Good morning, Christopher!”

'Um...'

“Ah-um, hi…”

“Why do you look so lifeless so early in the morning? Are you feeling unwell?”

“Ah… No, I'm fine, I just… No, no, I'm fine.”

“Hmm? Hey... Christopher, can you raise your head a little, your chin seems to be bruised, isn't it?"

“Eh… This bruise? It wasn't… in the morning… I… ah, I tripped and fell.” – Jack immediately tried to cover up.

“Yes! So are you okay, are you hurt anywhere else?"

“No, everything is fine...”

"That's good. Ah, recently my relative got a bottle of medicated oil! Here, let me apply it to you.”

Then Janet rummaged through and took from her bag a bottle of amber liquid.

“Okay, okay, I can apply it myself, thank you.”

“Honestly, you should be more careful when walking, shouldn't you?”

"Um, Janet, do you know that you're the one who shouldn't advise that the most?" Daphne shook her head in exasperation...

"T-Thank you, I'll pay attention..."

Feeling the hateful glances directed at him, Jack involuntarily broke into a sweat. The fact that Janet is too intimate with Jack only attracts unnecessary attention from people around.

It was true that when Janet was just starting to get close, Jack was scolded by some guys that he should know his own identity...

Even though they weren't directly bullying Jack anymore, the jealous looks made him really uncomfortable.

Maybe it would be better if Jack spoke up about the trouble Janet brought him... But, he couldn't. Because in this class, she must have been the only person who was close to Jack as a friend. He didn't want to make her cold towards him.

'Um! I'll bet one to ten that this innocent, innocent little girl is just saying "I love you so much!", and then, seeing how pathetic you are, she jumped on it! I'm so nauseous! Haha... Hmm? The hell...'

Jack was still in the middle of talking to Janet when suddenly Jack had an extremely unsettling feeling, as if something very bad was going to happen.

'RUN!!! Get out of here now!!!'

The young man tried to move, but his body was as heavy as lead. With each movement, even the slightest, sent a terrible pain through the whole body.

Even breathing became difficult, every time that fishy air filled with the smell of blood entered his windpipe, it felt like his lungs were being pressed with hot iron...

I wanted to cry out because of the pain that was tormenting me, but my throat was dry and burning. No sound could leave his mouth but pathetic groans.

Because of losing so much blood, his head ached... His ears became ringing, but he could still feel each beat of his heart in his chest getting weaker... weaker...

It was indeed a miracle that the young man was still alive, but he wondered how long that miracle would last?

His mind became hazy, and his thoughts were no longer clear.

More and more he felt cold… so cold…

An irresistible drowsiness quickly set in, despite the young man's futile efforts to keep himself awake.

The young man clearly understood that he was going to die...

'...Why did things come to this country?'

'Um, this isn't the time to be reminiscing, you know?'

In the young man's mind, countless different images kept popping up. They piece together in a clear order to tell the story of the young man's life.

'HEY! This! Did you hear that? Answer me what? Eeeeeeeee!! Damn it! Now, if you continue to ignore me, you're both dead!'

"Where are your eyes and nose!!? Useless boy!?"

Before he could understand what was going on, Jack Christopher had to eat a left hook in the jaw. Stunned, Jack fell backwards, hitting his head against the wall.

"Your mother! You filthy beast! You should be able to watch the road while walking, right? You've made my shirt dirty like this, now what?"

Despite his shock, Jack could still fully recognize the owner of this angry voice, Tony Lee. Jack's mind quickly sorted out what had happened...

He was just on his way to class… But Jack must have accidentally bumped into this guy while his mind was on the cloud because he was worried. And of course the result of that was that he was lying there with his face in his hands.

"I am sory..."

'Um, it's obvious that he purposely nudged you on the shoulder first and then caused trouble...''

"Do you think it's okay to just apologize?" - Lee smirked and said in a proud, arrogant tone.

"...So what do you want?"

Jack staggered to his feet, his back still against the wall.

"Money! Pay me for washing clothes now!"

'Um, that's funny, I don't see any dirty in this guy's shirt...'

"Huh? But..."

Jack was about to protest but just opened his mouth to say a few words when Lee punched him in the stomach. He clutched his stomach and curled up, his face contorted in pain.

"What I hate the most are the guys who talk often but talk secondly! Whatever they say, just do it!"

Although Jack really didn't want to have to give the money, he really didn't have too many options right now. Jack can only endure and accept...

"W-How much do you need..."

"How much do you have in your body, you can pull it all out for me, are you still there to ask?"

'Um… come on! Will you protest? As weak as that, it's only made by water!'

"But..."

Jack was about to argue with this bastard's unreasonable request, however...

"What did I just hear?"

Seeing Lee raise his fist threateningly, Jack silently took out his wallet and gave it to him.

"This..."

Lee snatched the wallet from Jack's hand and quickly opened it to check the money inside. He pulled out two 1000 yen bills and slipped them into his pocket.

Then he threw the now empty wallet in front of Jack. Not stopping there, Lee also casually let out an insult before turning his back to leave.

"His mother, damn poor!"

Seeing Lee whistling happily as he walked, Jack couldn't help but grit his teeth in anger… But soon he just shook his head slightly and tried to swallow that bitter feeling back inside. He sighed, leaning down to pick up his wallet.

"From now on, I have to try to avoid my face so I don't get involved and annoying. If only it would disappear from my life... Damn it..."

'Um... If you know how to sit there whining, why don't you act? It's only human after all, let's take a risk and give it a shot, shall we?'

"Wow! Tsk, damn it... what did that guy eat to be so healthy?" Jack mumbled while rubbing his wet chin. "It's so unlucky so early in the morning, damn it..."

People are bruised, and money problems, spending is already in dire straits, but today it is unreasonable to lose money… Jack's worries really never end.

Jack is seriously considering dropping out. You're still at the age of seventeen and you're breaking the buffalo's horns, aren't you? At best, what the hell is going to happen when you die in real life and have to do something as pointless as going to school?

However, in the end, Jack still couldn't make a decision and just returned to his classroom in a depressed mood.