My Counterattack System After Reborn

Chapter 4: Born Again, Again

The students knew exactly what Todd was asking of them, and they were happy to comply. In less than a second, they were all on Zachery. Some were punching him. Others were kicking, biting, and pulling his hair. Occasionally, someone yanked on his genitals, and he nearly passed out. Their inhibitions were gone and all that was left was their primal need to inflict pain on one of their own.

At first, Zachery yelled at Todd. After a few minutes, he began to cry, and then he began to beg for mercy. In the end, he could not even make a sound.

Todd was the ringmaster, and these were his trained lions, and he was happy knowing that no matter what happened the next day, Zachery would never have the hold over him that he had had in his last life. Occasionally, he encouraged them. "Very good!” he shouted. “You are all my good brothers. I will definitely reward you..."

  Eventually, Zachery lost consciousness, and the mob stepped back so that Todd could get a good look at their handiwork.

Todd looked at Zachery first, and then at all of the students. After what they had just done for him, it was hard to remember that they were not good people. They all betrayed him in his past life, and they would do it again if events played out the same way that they had. They wouldn’t, though, and although he had pulverized that timeline, he knew better than to trust these people. He would keep his cards to himself, and he would play them carefully.

  Suddenly, the mechanical voice in his mind spoke up. It said, "Congratulations to the host. Your Pretentious System is complete. Reward: 

Slap-Face Numerical Value: 10,000

Lottery System has been activated

  Todd was stunned when he heard this, and he did not know what to think when a huge curtain appeared in front of him. There was a round table in the center of the curtain.

"The host meets the conditions for the Lottery Draw,” the voice continued. “Say ‘Yes’ to proceed.” 

  “Yes!” Todd exclaimed!

The turntable began to spin at a fast speed. When it stopped, a bell sounded, and a small golden treasure box fell out. Todd touched it and a Simple Skills Book appeared on the interface as it was stored in the system’s inventory.

  A few simple words were written on the Skill Book: Proficient in fighting skills!

This is exactly what I need – Todd thought excitedly. With this skill, even if he failed, he would at least have the ability to protect himself. Bit by bit, he was unraveling his pre-determined future and writing a new one.

It took a moment for Todd’s mind to absorb the book’s knowledge, and the feeling was quite pleasant. He hummed softly and slowly closed his eyes. Then, when he opened them, he felt like he had been born again, again. Nothing had changed, but everything seemed different – in a good way.

He looked at Zachery and sneered. Then he took out his mobile phone, dialed the driver's number, and said, "Elmo, please meet me at the school’s playground."

  Elmo was puzzled, but the young master had given his order, and he knew better than to disobey. He drove the car to the playground, and when he saw Zachery lying on the ground, his pupils shrank sharply, and a trace of anger appeared on his face. Although he covered it up well, it did not escape Todd’s notice. 

  As Todd climbed into the car, Elmo asked about Zachery’s well-being, and he smiled at the driver/spy through the rearview mirror. “You know how it is,” he replied. “Sometimes a disobedient dog needs to be taught a lesson.”

“How could you do this?” Elmo's face showed shock and doubt. “Zachery is like a brother to you. He grew up with you."

“Mind your place,” Todd hissed. “I didn’t summon you for an ethics lesson. I summoned you so that you could be my sparring partner. I have been learning some fighting techniques and I would like to see how effective they are.”

"Fight?" Elmo was stunned, and it took him a second to remember that Todd did not know that he was a military-trained martial arts master. “You want us to fight?”  

  Todd nodded. “And do not show me any mercy just because I am your master. I won’t be showing you any."

  A shark-like Cheshire’s grin appeared on Elmo’s face. “So be it,” he said. “How about we fight on the basketball court?”

“Sounds good,” Todd replied. The bell for first-class had long since rung, but very few of the students had gone inside.

Todd led Elmo to the school grounds, and once they were in the court, he punched the older man in the nose. There was an audible crunch and blood began to stream over his mouth and off his chin.

Elmo was thrown off balance and he took a step backward to collect himself. He used his one hand to stop the flow of blood, and his other to prepare his next – First? – move. Todd had drawn First Blood, but that was only because he had caught him off guard, or so he assumed. That will not happen again – he told himself.

Todd’s hand shot out again, and Elmo was able to block it. Unfortunately, his other hand was holding his nose, and Todd’s third punch connected with his ribs. Elmo groaned as he staggered back again.

Elmo was shocked. He had no idea that Todd was so strong, or that he was such a skilled fighter. His fighting skills were comparable to those of someone that had been trained by the special forces. Todd had drawn First Blood, but he had still assumed that he could beat him with one hand. He knew now how wrong he had been.

Elmo let go of his nose and the blood began to flow again. Now that I have two hands, this will not take long – he told himself. Once Todd was defeated, he planned to tell Jarod everything. Elmo was Jarod’s spy, but they were also cousins.

Todd could not believe how powerful he was. Now that he had put his skills to the test, he felt invincible. He let Elmo get in a few punches, only blocking them at the last moment. He led the older man to believe that he was coming out on top, but then he went on the offensive again.

The students had formed a circle around the court, and when they saw how skilled at combat Todd was, they were amazed. They had had no idea that Todd was this strong, and they regretted that they had not shown him more respect in the past.