"Uagh... f-fucking hell!"
Leon's head moved slowly, his body trembled as he wondered who had done this.
When his blurry eyes finally locked on Gray's face, they widened in pure horror. His lips quivered, but no words came out, only blood.
"Y–You…" he tried, but his voice broke.
"YOU CRAZY BASTARD!"
A violent roar cut through the room.
THUD!
THUD!
Dexter appeared in a flash, both of his axes glowing with dense mana, veins bulging in his arms as he lifted them high and swung down with everything he had.
Gray's head turned sharply.
His crimson-black eyes narrowed, and instantly, he tossed Leon's limp body aside like trash. At the same time, he raised his rapier to meet the axes.
CLAAAANG!
Sparks burst out, the floor cracking beneath their feet. Gray's arm shook violently from the force, his teeth grinding together.
"WHAT'S UP WITH YOU?!" Dexter barked, his bloodshot eyes wild. "I'M SUPPOSED TO BE THE MAD DOG, NOT YOU!"
His body twisted sharply, and in the same motion, his foot shot out low.
WHUMP!
His heavy boot smashed toward Gray's legs.
Gray reacted with quick timing, bending his knees, jumped just enough to dodge, and then slammed his foot straight into Dexter's face.
"Ghk!"
Blood sprayed out of Dexter's nose as his head snapped back.
His body flew across the stone floor, rolling before he stopped, shoulders shaking.
But instead of staying down, Dexter's lips stretched into a wild grin.
"Heh… Heheheh… Ah! My plan worked, dipshit!" he yelled, his laughter raw as he spat blood.
Then, without warning, he spun on his heel and dashed straight for the portal that had appeared in the center of the room.
His boots hammered against the floor, his muscles straining as mana surged into his legs for speed.
Gray's eyes went wide as his head whipped toward the portal, and what he saw froze him for a second.
Leon.
He was being dragged away, his half-dead body supported by his group, their faces pale with fear as they rushed toward the exit.
"...Fuck...!"
Gray pushed off with everything he had, his shoes cracking the stone floor beneath him as he sprinted forward, his aura flaring like a storm.
"[✧Swap✧]"
WHOOSH!
He swapped with one of the loose stones close to the portal, raising his rapier to strike the first few directly.
But…
FWOOM!
The blue light of the portal swallowed Leon's group whole before Gray could reach them.
He stopped just short, his hand outstretched, trembling.
Too late.
His nails dug into his palm so hard his own blood dripped down his wrist.
His breathing was ragged, his teeth bared, and the crimson-black aura around him writhed violently, as if it wanted to consume everything left in the room.
"....."
There was silence for a few seconds...
"DAMN IT!"
Until Gray's fist slammed into the ground with everything he had.
BOOOOM!
The floor cracked apart as stone shattered, dust exploding outward in a violent gust.
A small crater formed beneath his knuckles, jagged lines spreading out like veins across the dungeon floor.
His hand bled from the impact, but he didn't care; his shoulders shook with each heavy breath, his teeth grinding loud enough for anyone to hear it.
"Rrrghhh…" His head lowered, eyes hidden by his messy black hair.
The crimson-black aura around him writhed like fire, hissing as it spread across the broken ground.
For a moment, it looked like he was going to explode again.
But then...
The triplets' voice reached out to him.
"Gray…" Mira called out to him and slowly approached with the other two.
"Please… calm down," Keira stepped closer, biting her lip, her eyes wet.
At the same time, Elira's hand reached out, brushing lightly against his arm.
"We're here," she muttered softly, hoping to calm him down.
Gray froze slighly.
...Did he seriously go out of control because of one of his tools?
Doesn't he have more to play around with?
...Was it because Gray had known her since his childhood?
That emotion was unfamiliar to him, perhaps because he had previously shut his heart, but feeling that strange emotion made him enraged.
"Fuuu..."
His body stopped shaking; the wild aura flickered faintly before receding into him. His clenched fist slowly loosened, blood dripping onto the cracked floor.
He slowly raised his head to look at them.
"Ah..."
His face was pale, his eyes no longer glowing sinisterly, but the same calm look.
Almost too calm.
The triplets stopped right in front of him, staring at his strange expression. Their hearts raced, unsure if he had truly calmed down or if he was just holding it in.
"…I'm fine," Gray muttered flatly.
His lips curled into the faintest, chilling smile.
"Gray… are you really fine?" Mira asked again, her voice small, almost breaking.
Keira leaned closer with a small frown.
"You don't… look fine at all."
"Don't lie to us, please," Elira added, tugging his sleeve.
Gray tilted his head, his lips pulling into a crooked smile.
"What? Do I look like I'm about to drop dead?"
"...Yes," Keira muttered honestly.
Gray chuckled, tapping her forehead with his finger.
"Then you girls need better eyes."
Mira sniffed but let out a tiny laugh. Elira covered her mouth, giggling lightly, and even Keira cracked a small smile despite herself.
With just a simple joke, the air had eased quite a bit.
"Go on," Gray said, motioning towards the glowing portal.
"Don't keep the others waiting."
The three hesitated, then nodded, stepping into the swirling blue light one after another. Mira turned back once, smiling faintly at him, before disappearing inside.
As soon as their figures vanished, Gray's smile vanished too. His eyes dropped, empty and cold, before he lifted his head again.
Around him, a few students were whispering, pointing at the cracks on the ground and the blood on his hands.
Some rushed into the portal quickly, avoiding his gaze, while others lingered but kept their distance.
And then...
"Gray."
A familiar voice reached out to him.
He turned.
Selene was walking toward him, a small frown on her face. Her cyan hair stuck slightly to her cheek from sweat, and her sharp eyes scanned his expression.
"What was that about…?" she asked, stopping close enough to reach him. Her hand lifted slowly, resting against his arm.
"Are you alright?"
Selene's frown deepened when Gray didn't answer right away.
Her hand squeezed his arm a little tighter.
"Gray," she said softly, but her tone left no room to dodge. "Don't lie to me. I saw your face back there… Something's wrong. Tell me."
At her words, his black eyes flicked toward her, sharp, almost irritated.
"...You ask too many questions."
Selene's lips twitched, but she didn't back down.
"Then give me one answer. That's all."
For a moment, silence stretched between them.
Then, suddenly, Gray's hand rose. His cold fingers brushed across her cheek, tucking a strand of her cyan hair behind her ear.
Selene froze.
Her cheeks warmed instantly, her eyes widening slightly. Her breath caught as her heart thumped hard inside her chest.
"…Gray…" she whispered, almost hopefully.
But before she could lean closer, Gray's expression shifted. His hand gripped her shoulder tightly, and with one swift pull...
"Wha—?!"
He yanked her body and hurled her straight into the swirling portal.
"YOU HEARTLESS BASTARD!" Selene's furious cry echoed as her form vanished inside the light.
Gray stood there for a second, his hand dropping back to his side. Then, without a word, he turned toward his group.
Lyra was talking with the three girls in Gray's group and three guys from hers, her hands moving lightly as she spoke.
"So yeah… we should get at least a B minus," Lyra said with a small grin.
The boys around her nodded, clearly agreeing.
"What about your group?" she asked, looking at Claire.
"H-huh… I'm not exactly sure. We had some kind of… disturbance in the middle of it," Claire muttered, scratching the back of her head with a nervous laugh.
"Probably max-grades," Gray's voice reached out to them.
Lyra turned right away, her smile warming as she looked at him.
"Confident, aren't we?" she teased, giving him a playful punch on the shoulder.
Gray just reached out and patted her head lightly before saying:
"We kind of awakened some hidden monsters. That alone should put us at A rank. But honestly… I'm pretty sure we'll land an S."
His gaze turned toward the triplets.
"Aren't I right?"
Thinking back at the beasts they found... Selina was the first to agree.
"Yeah, that could actually be possible," she nodded.
"Now I'm starting to think that the light rune I accidentally touched was actually a good thing…" Mira said with a little laugh, rubbing her arm.
At her words, Claire's eyes narrowed coldly.
"Oh, really?"
Those words caused a shiver to run down Mira's spine, making her take a step back as Claire's eyes locked on her fiercely.
"A-ah... y-yeah... It wasn't a good thing at a-all!" Mira folded directly, raising her hands in surrender.
"Pfft..."
Some of the boys nearby chuckled at their exchange.
Right then, the handsome guy from earlier walked up to Selina, his smile bright.
"Hey… I thought you were really beautiful. And the way you used your water magic? Honestly, it was simply amazing!"
Selina blinked, then gave him a polite smile.
"Thank you!"
"Yeah… so I was wondering…" He rubbed the back of his neck, trying to act casual. "If I could maybe buy you dinner tonight? I'm really interested in you."
At that moment, Selina's eyes widened slighly, and strangely... her eyes glanced at Gray for a brief moment, but he was busy talking quietly with Lyra, not even noticing.
Selina's lips pressed into a small frown before she forced a sweet smile at the boy.
"Sure!"
"R-really?!" His eyes lit up instantly.
"That's great! Then I'll be waiting for you at the water fountain near the academy's garden!" he said quickly, grinning from ear to ear.
He jogged back to his teammates, who immediately clapped him on the back.
"Lucky bastard!" one of them laughed, shoving his shoulder.
"Right?! How the hell did you pull that off?" the other added, both of them grinning like idiots.
The boy only smirked proudly.
"Heh. Guess I've still got it."
At their words, although they didn't notice, Gray's lips curled up slighly. His eyes landed on Selina's figure as she talked with Mira and Claire.
[...What evil ideas do you have now?]
'Nothing...,' he replied with a smile.
'...Just thinking of a way to use my other two kisses~'
[...You evil bastard.]
Jasmine laughed, cursing him.
[I like how that sounds.]
But she too, liked the idea.