The Unwritten Rules

Quinn, Peter, and Vorden were escorted by the second-year students to a separate part of the school. The school was split into different sections, and the second-year building was separate from the first-years'. As such, second-year students didn't really interact with the first-year students.

"Should we just run?" Peter whispered to Quinn.

"It might just make the situation worse. If they were going to do something to us, they would have waited until we were alone," Quinn whispered back, "They must have intentionally done this in public to make a statement to all the others."

After walking for a while longer, they eventually arrived at their destination. It was underneath one of the second-year buildings. A few second-year students were walking past, but otherwise, the place was relatively quiet.

"We brought them here, Mono," one of the second-year students informed a tall man with brown hair wrapped in a ponytail who had been sitting on the stairs.

Mono waved them off as he stood up from the staircase. "You guys can leave," he said, and the second-year students quickly left them to be on their own.

"I've heard some rumors about a high-level student associating with a group of lower-level students."

"So what? Is it against the rules?" Vorden stood his ground with confidence. However, Quinn couldn't help but notice the Mono's wristwatch, which displayed the number 6.

Mono began laughing.

"True, the school might not have a written rule preventing you from associating with them… but there are some unwritten rules," Mono said as he walked over to Quinn. "You see, the moment you start treating these people like they're actually useful to society, they might start getting a big head."

Now that Mono was close enough to Quinn, he tried to use his Inspect skill on the older student, but for some reason the status screen was blurry. It looked like the status screen itself was melting, making all the information unreadable.

"Is it because I'm out in the sun?" Quinn wondered.

"Look at this scum. I'm only a few feet away from him and there isn't even an ounce of fear in his eyes," Mono snorted at Quinn before him. "I can't wait for the next war, so we can get rid of these wastes, leaving only the strong to survive."

Quinn's blood began to boil; he loathed the war for taking everything away from him, including his parents. He no longer cared if he was going to take a beating or not, all he desired was to punch Mono in the face right then and there.

Unable to hold his anger in any longer, Quinn threw out a punch. Alas, Mono seemed to have been able to predict his action. Before Quinn had even begun his attack, the older student had taken a step back, making Quinn's fist hit nothing but air.

Vorden took this chance to try and grab onto Mono. However, once again Mono had reacted in advance, resulting in Vorden grabbing nothing.

"You think I'm going to let someone touch me whose abilities I don't even know? Mono sneered at them in derision. "I didn't come here to fight you guys. Consider today to be a 'friendly' warning. There are people in this school that not even the military can touch and if you continue acting this way, they will get involved."

With that, Mono headed back up the stairs and into the second-year building.

Peter asked, "Do you think he's serious? I know at school they didn't like this type of stuff, but it seems even worse now that we're in a military school. Why don't the teachers do something to stop it?!"

"Because it works in their favor," Quinn sighed. "With the strong bullying the weak, the latter will try to find a way to become strong themselves. However, if you're weak to begin with and can't rely on your family to help you, where can you go to get this power?"

Vorden answered for Peter. "The military."

"Exactly," Quinn nodded his head. "The teachers and the school don't do anything about it, because it benefits them. After experiencing hell for two years, your mind will likely have been broken down. In that state, you might do anything to seek power and protection...and the military can offer that for you."

Quinn then looked at Vorden and sighed. "I'm sorry, Vorden, but I think it might be for the best if we comply with their wishes and go our separate ways for now."

"Why should I listen to them?" Vorden snapped back.

The outburst surprised Quinn. After all, Vorden stood to gain the most from that. He was strong, so nobody would bother him.

"Look, Vorden, I assume you think you are helping me and Peter, but maybe you don't understand because you've never been as powerless as we have. If we break their rules, they probably won't do anything to you...it will be me and Peter they will go after."

Quinn hated saying that to Vorden, especially since he was the first high-level person who hadn't looked at them like scum, judging them solely by their power level numbers. Earlier, when Quinn and Peter had walked around with him, the higher levels had left them alone because of Vorden.

Unfortunately, his behavior had attracted bigger fish, something that Vorden and Quinn couldn't handle. At least, not yet anyway.

"Fine, have it your way," Vorden shouted angrily as he stormed off back to the dorm building.

"Perhaps we should have explained it to him more clearly," Peter whispered softly.

"It's fine. It might be better this way," Quinn sighed in defeat.

Vorden was angry, but not at Quinn's words. No, he was pissed off at the whole situation at the school. It seemed that even here people were dictating how he should live his life, who he could, and who he couldn't hang out with.

Still, Vorden didn't want Quinn and Peter to get hurt, so he regretfully accepted this as the right choice. Nevertheless, Vorden wasn't going to just let these people get away with trying to control his life.

No, he was going to go after them all!