Chapter 36: Keep Talking!

SLAP! SLAP! SLAP!

Three Back to back slaps.

"Keep talking!" Draven dared him.

Neville pushed himself up from the pillows. His body glowed with a faint and erratic golden mana.

He threw a reckless punch aimed directly at Draven’s face. He wanted to prove his worth. He needed to prove he was still the strongest.

SWOOSH!

Draven did not even blink. He activated his Vector Manipulation. He captured the kinetic force of Neville’s incoming fist and brutally redirected the momentum straight down.

CRACK!

Neville slammed back into the mattress. The heavy metal bedframe groaned under the sudden and immense pressure.

Draven pressed a single finger against the center of Neville’s chest. That tiny point of contact held the crushing weight of a falling boulder.

Neville choked. He tried to summon his holy aura to push Draven away. Draven snuffed it out instantly by reversing the flow of kinetic energy around the bed.

"You are weak," Draven stated with dead eyes.

"You lost to Aegon because you are hopelessly arrogant. You fight like a spoiled child throwing a tantrum. You do not use your brain."

Neville struggled under the invisible force. His breathing grew ragged. His eyes widened as the sheer terror of the situation set in.

He finally understood the massive difference between them. Draven was not just an Extra. Draven was an absolute monster.

"Get off me," Neville gasped. His golden eyes burned with deep hatred. "I will surpass you. I will crush you."

"Surpass me all you want. I don’t give a damn about you surpassing me. Because I know the way you are now, you will just be a bother to every single being on this planet buddy." Draven mocked him?

No. He showed him the Reality. But Neville had some other plans.

"If you don’t give a damn about me, then get lost! Why are you tormenting me?"

Draven huffed at him, "Hah! Tormenting you?! You really are the Neville I know, buddy. I came here to stop you from making a bad decision. I came here to save you from something you can never turn your back to. I am trying to save your bloody ass here, you fucking Idiot!"

Neville just couldn’t hear his words. He was so blinded by his Egoistic nature that all he could hear was Draven calling him an idiot. it’s like there was a filter in his ears so all he could hear was ewhat he wanted.

"The decision is up to me not you! And did you just call me an Idiot?! You really need a reminder to know who I am?! I dare you to release me right now?!" Neville retorted.

’I have never met someone so annoyingly stupid! Ever! Reading about him itself was a chore, but this was on a whole another level.’

Draven looked down at the fallen hero. He saw the corrupted ego. He saw a boy completely shadowed by his defeat and unwilling to face reality.

There was no profitable conversation to be had here. Neville was completely consumed by his own fragile pride.

Draven pulled his hand back. The heavy pressure vanished from the room.

"You are not worth wasting my time," Draven said coldly.

He turned his back to the bed. He walked toward the hospital door without looking back.

Behind him, Neville clutched his bruised chest. He glared at Draven’s retreating back with venomous intent.

’He has crossed the line,’ Neville thought furiously. ’He needs to die.’

Draven stepped out into the hallway and closed the door. His own eyes were pitch black.

’I need to eliminate the bud before it sprouts,’ Draven decided. ’He needs to die.’

---

The scene shifted to the academy dormitories.

Draven sat on the edge of his bed. The futile confrontation was over. He needed to prepare for tomorrow.

The highly anticipated Double Dates were scheduled for the morning. He needed to make a plan for the upcoming operation.

First, he needed to manage his growth. He opened his system interface. He wanted to see the results of his continuous cultivation and his recent level ups.

A glowing blue screen materialized in the dark room.

[SYSTEM STATUS: DRAVEN MORDIS]

[Title: Arsonist]

[Level: 22]

[Experience: 4100 / 15000]

[Mana Capacity: 2940 / 2940]

[System Points (SP): 1200]

[Attributes]

[Strength (STR): 22]

[Agility (AGI): 40]

[Vitality (VIT): 25]

[Intelligence (INT): 35]

[Perception (PER): 21]

[Unallocated Stat Points: 0]

[Skills/Talents]

[Vector Manipulation (S-Rank)]

[Tactical Appraisal (Passive)]

[Kinetic Mana Circulation Technique (Active/Passive)]

[Effect 1: Refines the Host’s kinetic ability.] 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

[Effect 2: Passive regeneration of Mana by 1 every second till 100% MP.]

[Effect 3: Increases maximum Mana capacity by 0.1 every 60 seconds while cultivating only. (Active)]

[Blank Canvas (Active/Passive)]

[Spatial Rend (Active)]

Draven read the panel. His disciplined daily routine had paid off. His active cultivation had drastically increased his mana pool.

His raw strength and speed had easily surpassed the current Neville.

But it was not enough.

He dismissed the glowing window. Neville was an unnecessarily annoying variable.

He was a dangerous obstacle that could ruin future plans. Draven had to take care of him permanently.

’If he just had enough brains to tackle his ego,’ Draven thought with a deep scowl.

’UGH! It does not matter anymore. I will deal with the remaining leftover obstacles once he is gone.’

Draven pushed his frustrations aside. He checked the digital clock on his wall. It was almost midnight.

He waited patiently for the System. He was expecting an amazing reward for his monthly log-in. He needed something highly lethal to execute his new assassination plan.

Suddenly, his bedroom door swung open.

Estella Everdawn stepped into the room. She was wearing a pretty and frilly white dress. The delicate fabric was lined with silver lace.

"Draven," Estella said as she spun around slightly. "Should I wear this tomorrow or not?"

Draven looked past her shoulder. He looked into her open room across the hallway. There was a massive and chaotic pile of discarded clothes sitting on her bed.

Draven let out a heavy sigh. He rubbed his temples.

It was going to be a very long night.