Reign Of Loner

The energy in the old, abandoned classroom was electric.

Even after my speech was over and I'd dismissed the meeting, the buzz lingered in the air. The thirty or so students who had answered Ken's call didn't just leave; they departed with a new fire in their eyes, a sense of hope radiating from them that was so strong it was almost a physical force. They walked with their shoulders a little straighter, their heads held a little higher. They had come here as victims. They were leaving as hunters.

Watching them go, a deep, primal satisfaction settled in my chest. This was real. This wasn't just me and my secret system anymore. This was a movement.

As the last few members filed out, their excited whispers echoing in the dusty hallway, I remembered the new skill I'd been itching to try out. The reward for completing the side mission.

Appraisal.

A slow grin spread across my face. It was time to see exactly what kind of army I had just inherited.

I focused my intent, and the world shifted. It wasn't a dramatic change, but a subtle overlay, like a heads-up display flickering to life in my vision. As I scanned the remaining students, translucent white windows popped into existence over their heads, visible only to me.

My eyes widened. It was a flood of information. Names, stats, skills… everything.

I started with the larger group, my gaze sweeping over them. Most of the status windows were… underwhelming. Average stats, with Strength and Endurance hovering around the 30s and 40s. Their potential was almost universally graded C or lower. These were the regular kids, the ones who had been pushed around and had finally had enough. They were the heart of our guild, the foot soldiers fueled by pure, unadulterated rage. They would be useful.

A few stood out from the pack. I spotted a couple of guys with impressive Strength stats, probably athletes, before the bullies made their lives hell. But their potential was stuck at a B or C grade. They had power, but they had a ceiling.

I was starting to feel a little disappointed when my eyes caught two status windows that made me pause. A-grade potential. One belonged to a scrawny, nervous-looking kid who looked like a strong gust of wind could knock him over. The other belonged to a literal giant of a boy, at least six feet tall and built like a brick wall. An interesting contrast.

I was satisfied. We had numbers, we had some muscle, and we had a bit of untapped potential. But that wasn't all. My gaze landed on one girl who was hanging back near the door, almost as if she was trying to disappear into the shadows.

Her appearance was unique. She was about five-and-a-half feet tall, with a timid posture, her shoulders slightly hunched. Her hair was what really caught my attention. It was mostly a sleek, shoulder-length black, but as she moved her head, I saw flashes of vibrant violet dyed into the underlayers. A peekaboo style, I think it was called. It was a flash of rebellion in an otherwise shy-looking package. Her eyes, a hypnotic shade of amber, darted around nervously. She was cute, with delicate features that hadn't quite shed their youthful softness, but there was an undeniable feminine charm to her.

And then I saw her status window.

My jaw nearly hit the floor.

Status

Name: Anna Brown

Strength: 50

Agility: 130

Endurance: 30

Mentality: 170

Intelligence: 250

Mana: 0

Potential: SS

Skills: [Expert Data Analyst], [Advanced Hacking Proficiency], [Experienced Programmer], [Great Escaper], [Master of Hiding]

Passive Skills: [Claustrophobia], [Nyctophobia], [Phasmophobia], [Glossophobia], [Agoraphobia], [Monophobia]

I had to read it twice to make sure I wasn't hallucinating. An SS-Potential. That was on a whole other level compared to everyone else. And her stats… her physical stats were low, but her Intelligence was a staggering 250. My own was only 90, I, Adam Wilson, seem like a kid in front of her. The list of skills reads like the resume of a master spy or a cyber-terrorist. This quiet, timid girl was a genius. A certified, high-level genius.

The list of phobias—fear of enclosed spaces, the dark, ghosts, public speaking, open spaces, and being alone—explained her timid nature. She was afraid of practically everything. But that potential… that was a diamond in the rough. A nuclear warhead hidden in a shy little package.

A thrill went through me. I had to have her on my team. She was too valuable to let slip away.

I turned to Ken, who was still vibrating with post-speech excitement. "Hey, Ken."

"Yes, Leader!" he snapped to attention.

"See that group at the corner?" I pointed. "The big guy, the skinny kid with him, and the girl with the unique hairstyle. I need you to stop them. Tell them I want a word."

"As you wish, Leader! It shall be done!" Ken replied with a crisp salute before scurrying off.

As he went, I used Appraisal on him out of curiosity.

Status

Name: Ken Pots

Strength: 120

Agility: 82

Endurance: 100

Mentality: 80

Intelligence: 45

Mana: 0

Potential: S

Skills: [Gymnast], [Judo Expert]

Passive Skills: [Extrovert]

An S-Potential? I was genuinely surprised. Ken was physically capable, a trained martial artist even. His low intelligence score of 45 suddenly explained a lot, though. It was the reason for his cringey, over-the-top devotion. He wasn't stupid, just… simple. He processed the world through pure, unfiltered emotion. He was eccentric, but he was loyal, and he was powerful. A perfect team member. I felt a sense of relief.

"What happened, buddy? You're staring off into space again."

Jack's voice pulled me back to the present. I turned to my friend, my oldest and only real ally. On impulse, I activated Appraisal on him.

The white screen that appeared before my eyes made my heart stop for a second.

Status

Name: Jack Mullar

Strength: 60

Agility: 43

Endurance: 70

Mentality: 74

Intelligence: 67

Mana: 0

Potential: S+

Skills: [Kendo]

Passive Skills: [Encourage]

Jack. My clumsy, slightly chubby, perpetually hungry best friend had an S+ potential. Higher than Ken. Higher than anyone I'd seen so far except for Anna. And his passive skill… [Courage]. It made perfect sense. It was the skill that had allowed him to overcome his fear and smash Charles over the head with a metal rod to save me. He wasn't brave because he wasn't afraid; he was brave because he acted in spite of his fear.

"Nothing, bro," I managed to say, shaking my head to clear it. The system was showing me that the people closest to me were far more incredible than I had ever realized.

"Dude, you killed it up there," Jack said, punching my shoulder lightly. "You had this aura… like some kind of ancient king or something. I'm not kidding."

I just smirked. "You think so?"

"I know so! The roar in that classroom was insane. I'm still fired up!"

"Good," I said, my voice turning serious. "Because this is just the beginning of the war."

By then, the classroom had emptied out, leaving only the five of us. Ken stood proudly by the door, having successfully gathered the three recruits. I gestured for them to come forward. Jack stood at my left, Ken at my right. It felt like the formation of a royal court.

The three students sat on one of the dusty, overturned desks in front of us, looking nervous and confused.

"Could all three of you introduce yourselves?" I asked, my tone calm and even.

The girl with the violet-streaked hair spoke first, her voice barely a whisper. She couldn't meet my eyes, her gaze fixed on her shoes. "M-my name is Anna Brown. I'm a first-year."

Next was the mountain. He sat up straight, his massive frame making the small desk look like a toy. "I am Qasim Khan," he said, his voice a low rumble. "Third-year."

Finally, the scrawny kid spoke up, his voice surprisingly steady despite his frail appearance. "I'm Padro Escobar. Second-year." He gestured to the giant beside him. "We're buddies."

I already knew their stats, but I pulled them up again in my mind.

Status

Name: Padro Escobar

Strength: 30

Agility: 35

Endurance: 40

Mentality: 250

Intelligence: 100

Mana: 0

Potential: A+

Skills: [None]

Passive Skills: [Optimistic], [Realist], [Provoker]

Status

Name: Qasim Khan

Strength: 110

Agility: 90

Endurance: 107

Mentality: 30

Intelligence: 40

Mana: 0

Potential: A

Skills: [Wrestling]

Passive Skills: [Pessimistic], [Idealist], [Peacemaker]

Padro, the weak one, had A+ potential and a sky-high Mentality stat, along with a passive skill called [Provoker]. Qasim, the strong one, had A potential and incredible physical stats, but his passive skill was [Peacemaker].

I couldn't help but be fascinated. "Are you two really friends?" I asked, looking between them.

"Yeah! Best friends," Qasim confirmed with a nod.

I was completely awestruck. One was an idealist who hated conflict, the other a realist who loved to provoke it. One was a physical powerhouse, the other was physically weak but mentally resilient. How on earth did a friendship like that even work?

"I know you're all wondering why I asked you to stay behind," I said, breaking the silence. "First of all, relax. You're not in trouble."

I pulled over a couple more desks, arranging them in a circle. "Let's sit down."

We all sat, creating a small, intimate circle in the middle of the large, empty room. It felt less like an interrogation and more like a council meeting.

"Are you all excited about the guild?" I asked, starting with an easy question.

Padro practically bounced in his seat. "Leader, I'm so excited! I can't wait to start crushing the bones of those 'Animals'!"

Exactly what I'd expect from a Provoker and an Optimist, I thought with an internal smile.

Qasim, on the other hand, shifted uncomfortably. "Leader… I don't know. Isn't it a bit much? Thinking we can uproot their entire guild in just three months?"

And that's the Pessimist and Peacemaker talking. This was going to be interesting.

"That's the reason I stopped you all," I said, looking each of them in the eye. "I can see the potential in all of you. As you know, our guild just started. We need more than just members; we need a core group to manage things. A leadership council. And I've selected you three to be a part of it."

Qasim looked shocked. "But… why us?"

"Because I see something in you," I said simply. "Don't stress about it. We can talk about roles and responsibilities later. For now, I think it's more important that we get to know each other."

"Then what are we going to talk about, Leader?" Padro asked, leaning forward eagerly.

I took a deep breath. This was the hard part. My [Experienced Strategist] skill told me that a team forged in shared vulnerability was stronger than one forged in fear.

"We're going to talk about why you're here," I said, my voice softening. "Why you want to fight back against the bullies. Against our tormentors."

A wave of shock passed over their faces. They looked at each other, then at the floor.

"Don't worry," I assured them. "This is a safe space. No one here will judge you. To make it easier… I'll start."

I told them everything. I told them about Lina, about how I thought I had found my light, only for her to betray me in the cruelest way possible with Friedrich. I told them about the sex tape, about the beating, about being thrown in a dumpster like garbage. I told them about the threat against my family, the thing that finally broke me.

When I finished, the room was heavy with silence.

Jack was the first to speak, his voice thick with emotion. "Dude… why didn't you tell me about all that?"

"Look at everything that's been happening," I said, a genuine weariness in my voice. "I didn't want to relive it. Just thinking about it makes my blood boil."

I could see sympathy in their eyes, but I waved it away. "Don't feel sorry for me. That's not why I told you. Our guild's motto is to hunt the 'Animals.' We do that by embracing our own trauma, by turning our pain into fuel."

My words seemed to open a floodgate. One by one, they began to share.

Jack talked about his guilt, how he knew he was a target in the beginning, and how he felt responsible when the bullies started going after me, too, just for being his friend. Listening to him, I felt a pang in my own chest. He was my brother, and he'd been carrying that weight all this time.

Then came the story of Qasim and Padro. It was, as I suspected, completely interconnected. Qasim, the gentle giant, spoke about how he was terrified of fighting. Even when people hit him, he couldn't bring himself to get angry. Padro, his fiery friend, would get furious seeing Qasim humiliated. He would try to fight back to protect his friend, but he was too weak and would always end up getting beaten badly himself.

Listening to them, I came to a startling conclusion. The one who could fight was a coward, and the one who was brave couldn't fight. They were two halves of a whole warrior. They would need a lot of work, but together, they could be unstoppable.

Ken's story was, unsurprisingly, unique. He admitted he didn't have any past trauma. He was just obsessed with fictional villains and had always been frustrated that the "bad guys" had to lose in the end. When he saw me, a normal kid, not just win but completely dominate and humiliate the school's top bully, it was like his childhood dream had

come true. He wasn't devoted to me because I was a hero; he was devoted to me because I was the villain who was winning.

Finally, all eyes shifted to Anna. She had been completely silent throughout the entire discussion, zoned out, her amber eyes staring at nothing.

"Anna?" I asked gently. "Are you okay?"

She flinched, her gaze snapping to me. "Yeah! I'm… I'm fine."

"I saw you looked a little out of it," I said, trying to be gentle. "Are you alright with sharing your story?"

The moment the words left my mouth, I regretted them. I saw a flicker of pure terror in her eyes.

"I… I'm fine," she stammered. "In middle school… I had a friend… her name was… Rio…"

Her voice cracked. Her breath hitched. And then, her composure completely shattered.

"I'M SORRY, RIO!" she screamed, the sound tearing from her throat, raw and full of agony. "I'M SO, SO SORRY!"

She broke down into bitter, hysterical sobs, her small body shaking uncontrollably.

Without a second thought, I was off my seat and moving towards her. I knelt in front of her and pulled her into a hug, holding her tightly as she cried into my shoulder.

"Anna, Anna, calm down," I whispered, my voice steady and low. "It's okay. Everything is fine. Don't cry. Just breathe. Calm down."

I held her for what felt like a long time, just letting her cry it out. Eventually, her sobs subsided into quiet, shaky breaths. She pulled back, her face a mess, her cheeks red and stained with tears.

"Meeting adjourned," I announced quietly. "We'll continue this later."

She looked at me, her eyes full of shame. "I'm sorry, Leader. This won't happen again. Let me tell you my story."

I gave her a small, reassuring smile. "Listen, there's no rush. You can tell us when you're comfortable. We're a team now. We're going to be spending a lot of time together."

After a few more minutes, I asked Ken to help Anna get home safely, making sure she wasn't alone. Soon, it was just me and Jack left in the quiet, dusty room.

"This is going to be tough, brother," Jack said, breaking the silence.

"Yesterday, we defeated Charles and Joey," I reminded him. "A few weeks ago, would you have thought that was even possible?"

He shook his head. "No way. It would have been impossible. If I went back in time and told myself that, the younger me would have laughed in my face."

"Exactly," I said, my gaze hardening with resolve. "I've already set my goal. We are going to uproot the 'Ruthless Animals' guild. I want my revenge, and I want to help these people get theirs. So, I'll ask you one more time. Are you with me, buddy? On this impossible journey?"

He looked me straight in the eye, and all the joking and goofiness was gone, replaced by a rigid determination I had never seen in him before.

"We're brothers," he said, his voice low and firm. "And brothers never leave their bro behind in dangerous times. I am always by your side."

He held out his fist. I met it with my own, our knuckles connecting with a solid thud.

The pact was sealed. The inner circle was formed. And the hunt was about to begin.