SSS-Class Profession: The Path to Mastery
Chapter 256: What Vengeance Leaves Behind

Chapter 256: What Vengeance Leaves Behind

The pale person’s shoe met my face.

Not hard. Not enough to knock me out or break the skin. Just enough to sting.

Just enough to humiliate.

"Oops," the pale man said, faux-gentle. "Did I step on something important? No? Then let’s try again."

Another light kick. My chin jerked sideways.

The guards holding me down didn’t speak. They didn’t need to. I could feel their weight like concrete poured across my spine, their knees grinding into my joints, fingers pressing down like steel bands. I couldn’t move. Not an inch.

Not even with my strength—which was the equivalent of 5-6 average men.

But nothing responded. My skills flickered like dying bulbs. Strength, durability, speed—not a single aspect from any of them was operating at full capacity.

He crouched beside me again, head tilting like a curious child observing a dead bird. "You thought this was going to be a glorious rebellion, didn’t you? A heroic last stand?" He smiled. "You’re not a savior, Reynard. You’re an animal. A useful one, for a time. But now?"

He tapped my nose with one gloved finger. "Now, you drool and piss yourself while others take your toys apart."

I snarled. My jaw clenched so hard I tasted blood.

He leaned closer, and I smelled antiseptic and rot. "You know, I read your file. All of it. Every job, every note, every psychological breakdown. Fascinating stuff. You’re not just dangerous. You’re an anomaly in every sense of the word. You’re what keeps people like me awake at night."

He tilted his head. "So I figured I’d meet you face-to-face before we cut you open. See if the legend breathes."

He stood again. And then, he kicked me in the ribs.

This time it was hard. Hard enough that ribs would of cracked had my skills been completely turned off.

"Still breathing," he said wistfully. "But alas, you’re a disappointment. I mean don’t get me wrong, you nearly escaped and successfully grouped everyone up, but now what? With you captured, they’ll all come running back to save you and unlike you, we got all the research we need from them."

My muscles twitched.

Only slightly. Like a static shock had passed through them.

I blinked.

Was that—?

It was gone.

He turned to one of the guards. "Bring the restraints. I want him prepped for transfer. If he starts foaming at the mouth, just tie him down tighter. Worst case scenario break all his bones if need be. Lab rats don’t require limbs after all."

The man nodded and reached for his comm.

My fingers twitched.

Again.

A jolt. Tiny. Gone in an instant. Like someone briefly flicked the light switch on and off.

That wasn’t me.

That wasn’t chance.

It happened again.

I felt a breath of power surge into my limbs—and then vanish. Like a wave hitting and receding.

It felt natural, like my skills and jobs were returning.

I get it now.

Someone was distracting him.

My mind snapped to her.

3830.

She said she was going to take care of 3829.

It had to be her. She was the only one who didn’t rely on skills to fight. The only one with enough raw talent to slip cracks into something as absolute as 3829’s job title. She was keeping him busy. They are likely fighting and 3829 is getting distracted by 3830’s attacks.

The pale man’s job likely depended on 3829 holding the line. And 3830 was prying it open.

I waited.

Breath slow. Eyes half-closed. Rage coiled tight inside my chest.

One more moment.

There.

Now.

My arms surged.

Everything was at my full strength.

The floor buckled beneath my palms.

The guards shouted—a bark of alarm that turned to screams as I threw them off me.

Two hit the walls with spine-snapping force. One cracked his head against the floor. The fourth stumbled, too slow to react before I grabbed his throat and slammed him into the hallway tiles.

The pale man turned.

"No, no, NO—"

He ran.

I was faster.

Faster than I had any right to be.

My hand caught his coat and yanked him back. He twisted, tried to scream. I drove my knee into his stomach, then threw him to the ground. He scrambled, hands clawing at the floor.

I stepped on his leg.

Crunch.

He screamed. It was sharp and high-pitched. His composure cracked like glass.

"Please—we were just—I was just following orders—You have to believe me!"

I didn’t hear him.

Or maybe I did. But I didn’t care.

I grabbed a helmet from one of the unconscious guards.

I raised it.

And brought it down.

Once.

His nose shattered.

Twice.

Teeth scattered across the floor.

Three times.

He twitched. Tried to scream.

Four. Five. Six.

His face was gone. What remained was a blob of red goo.

Seven.

Blood coated my hands.

Eight. Nine.

The helmet cracked, yet I continued. I didn’t feel like this was enough.

After all, this man had no regard for human life or those he hurt. He allowed experimentations on Sienna, Camille, Alexis and Evelyn. Why should humanity ever allow such a being to exist? In fact....my first decree as the World President is the execution of this man and I will be judged, jury and executioner.

I stopped only after I lost count of how many times I hit him.

The hallway was silent.

I dropped whatever could even be considered as left by the helmet beside his mangled corpse.

I stood there, breathing hard.

His blood was on my boots. My face. My arms. My soul.

He was gone.

Just like that.

He would never hurt anyone again. Never touch them. Never speak about them like they were data points or test samples.

Camille.

Sienna.

Alexis.

Evelyn.

He would never touch them again.

He was gone.

And yet...

I felt nothing.

No joy. No release. No relief.

Just the blood dripping from my chin. My face looking somehow more bloody than his.

The sound of my breath was still shaking.

The hollow echo of vengeance, already fading.