Part-75

  Mili's voice dropped to a whisper, a touch of guilt g her words. "James," she began, "the real reason I didn't want you involved with Ryan… or Sourov, for that matter… it wasn't just about proteg them."

  James raised an eyebrow, a flicker of curiosity sparking in his eyes.

  "It was about proteg you," she fessed, her voice barely above a murmur. "As far as I knew… well, you were always the quiet kid, the one who got picked on. I never saw you fight baot even against bullies."

  A pang of uanding hit James. He remembered the shy, timid boy he used to be, the one who'd wilt uhe pressure of a raised voibsp; He offered Mili a reassuring smile.

  "That was a long time ago, Mili," he said gently. "A lot has ged sihen."

  He gnced around the trainier, the rhythmic thuds and grunts of exertion a stark trast to the memories she'd evoked. "The truth is, I learned karate a few years babsp; Not because I wao fight, but because… well, because I wao feel stronger, more capable of taking care of myself."

  Mili's eyes widened in surprise, a flicker of something akin to admiration crossing her features. "You never mentiohat."

  James shrugged. "There wasn't muention. Just a few csses, a way to learn some self-defense." He paused, a mischievous gliering his eyes. "Maybe enough to handle a schoolyard bully or two."

  Mili couldn't help but let out a small ugh, the tension dissipating from her shoulders. "Maybe," she ceded, a pyful smile grag her lips. "But let's not get too cocky, alright? These guys here are the real deal. And trust me, you haven't seen anythi. Sourov was a walk in the park pared to some of the bullies here. They're strong, fast, and some of them even have a few years of training uheir belts. And that's not eveioning the big leagues – the four Bully Emperors who rule the school with an iron fist. Those guys are on a whole other level. We're talking bck belts, regional champions, the kind of guys who could take down a grown man without breaking a sweat."

  James felt a surge of adrenaline course through him. Sure, what Mili described sounded intimidating, but it was alsely exhirating. A part of him, the part awakened by the System and the hidden world it revealed, craved a challenge. He wasn't naive enough to think he could take on these "Bully Emperors" right away, but the knowledge that they existed, that there was a hierarchy of strength, fueled his newfouermination.

  "Bully Emperors, huh?" he repeated, a slow grin spreading across his face as the name sank in. "I've heard about them, but I've never seen them in person. They sound like something straight out of a video game, don't they? But from what I know, they're not your typical bullies who pi kids in the schoolyard. These guys are the top tier, the ones who trol all the other bullies from the shadows."