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**Busan, South Korea - Sasang District**

At the beginning of autumn, the wind carried yellow leaves that gently fell onto the sidewalks and streets. Tae-jun’s house was no exception, as the leaves gathered around it to form a yellow carpet beneath his windows.

“Tae-jun, morning has already arrived. Why haven’t you swept the sidewalk?” The voice of an elderly woman with short, gray hair and a face full of wrinkles could be heard shouting from downstairs with an annoyed tone.

“Ugh, that clumsy boy. Is he planning to be late on his first day of high school?”

Upstairs, in the small, almost empty room, sixteen-year-old Tae-jun lay on his stomach, drool spilling from his mouth onto the pillow.

“Emperor, please protect me from these demons…” The princess in the white robe with golden hair was in the clutches of a group of filthy demons trying to defile the honor of the pure princess. Upon seeing this, the Emperor felt a sharp pain in his heart. With a firm, emotion-filled tone, the Emperor seemed ready to sacrifice his life for her.

“I’m coming, my flower.”

Saying this, he drew his black, diamond-encrusted sword from its sheath and swiftly mounted his horse.

But in the next moment, the Emperor began to feel an odd cold spreading around his body and a foggy sound slowly rising in his ears.

“You filthy idiot, do I need to pour another bucket of water before you wake up?”

Water had completely covered Tae-jun, who woke up with a look of astonishment and muttered angrily about being woken up:

“Damn it, Grandma, I was in the critical moment of saving the princess. Don’t you know how rare such moments are? Shut up…”

“Save your backside. It’s your first day, and you’re already late. What will the teachers think of you?”

From Tae-jun’s reaction, it seemed he had already forgotten about the day.

“Grandma, what time is it?”

“It’s seven thirty.”

Without another word, he got out of bed, put on some random clothes, and rushed out of the house as quickly as he could, heading toward the school, which he barely remembered the way to, given its distance and his being new to the city.

From a distance, Tae-jun began to see the structure of Kaido High School, panting heavily from the run. For Tae-jun, there was at least one shortcut, but since he came from the countryside, it took him longer than usual to get there. Thus, upon seeing the closed white school gate, he felt intense frustration. He would likely make a bad impression on his teachers. However, when he saw the guard, he still had some hope.

“Sir… Excuse me, sir…”

Tae-jun called out to the guard, hoping to be allowed in.

The cold guard glanced at his watch but didn’t bother to look at it closely.

“It’s eight o'clock. Bring your guardian or come back tomorrow.”

“Sir, I’m new to the area, and it’s also my first day at high school. It’s just a minute, can you overlook it? Just this once…”

Tae-jun tried to appeal to the guard, explaining his situation, but his words fell on deaf ears. The guard didn’t respond and continued reading his magazine, sitting in his chair. Seeing the guard’s reaction, Tae-jun could only sigh in sadness and turn back.

But as he turned, he saw three people dressed in the same high school uniform—black shirt and pants—who appeared to be a little older than him, heading towards the school gate as well. Curiosity led Tae-jun to wait for them to arrive.

Upon seeing the three, the guard’s expression changed as he quickly got up from his chair, opening the gate for them with a nervous look while saying:

“Zumbo, how are you? To be honest, these past three months have been really lonely without you…”

While the guard continued his flattery, the plump Zumbo with curly black hair showed no interest and merely nodded in response.

From Tae-jun’s perspective, the guard’s attitude towards him was as different as night and day compared to how he treated this person. Once they entered and the gate was closed, Tae-jun approached the guard again, asking why he opened the gate for those people and left him outside. The guard did not respond, his gaze towards Tae-jun containing a hint of disdain.

Given the guard’s reaction, Tae-jun could only feel intense unfairness and left without saying anything else.

Fearing his grandmother’s reaction, he did not return home but wandered around the city until school hours ended and then returned home.

The next morning, Tae-jun made sure to wake up an hour earlier. He ate his breakfast leisurely while wearing his best clothes and headed to school. Due to the long distance, Tae-jun still arrived in the last minutes. As soon as he passed through the gate, which was more than three meters tall, he saw a large courtyard containing three buildings: one on the right, another on the left, and the last one was a bit isolated in the corner of the courtyard. Each building had eight classrooms—four on the ground floor and four on the upper floor. Tae-jun asked one of the random students in the courtyard about the first-year classrooms and learned that the building on the right was for first-year students. Additionally, the administration office and restrooms were near the school gate on the right side as well.

The structure of the high school seemed quite simple, which made it easy for Tae-jun to find his classroom. On the doors of the first-year classrooms, each had a paper listing the names of students registered in each class. After a bit of searching, Tae-jun found his name on the paper on the door of Room 3 on the ground floor.

Upon entering his new classroom, where he would spend the rest of his year, Tae-jun found that, contrary to what he had imagined, all the students, around twenty or so first-year students, were kneeling in a single line. Meanwhile, three people standing in front of them appeared to be slightly older and had expressions of disdain on their faces towards the kneeling students.

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Tae-jun’s entrance drew the attention of the three. When Tae-jun looked at them, it seemed he recognized them—they were the same people from the previous day whom the guard had let in despite their tardiness.

One of the three, taller than Tae-jun, approached him with a cold, disdainful tone. It seemed as if a king had descended from his chariot to speak to a peasant. When he came face to face with Tae-jun, who continued to stare at him without lowering his gaze, the person appeared angry.

“Who gave you the courage to look me in the eyes directly?”

Saying this, he slapped Tae-jun, causing the latter’s cheek to flush red. Tae-jun lowered his gaze and asked:

“Did I offend you in some way for you to hit me?”

The person seemed a bit surprised by Tae-jun’s question.

“This fucking peasant is still talking to me as if we are equals and even asking me such questions!”

He was extremely angry and slapped Tae-jun again, kicking him in the stomach. Tae-jun groaned in pain and fell to the ground, not knowing what he had done wrong. Meanwhile, Zumbo’s voice was heard from behind.

“It’s okay, Li Min. He’s a new student, so it’s normal for him not to know the rules…”

Upon hearing Zumbo, Li Min restrained himself and signaled Tae-jun to go to the classroom and kneel.

While Zumbo began his speech:

“Alright, new students, I’m Zumbo, the leader of this class. I should be in my second year, but I failed…”

As he said this, Zumbo’s face darkened as he thought to himself:

“That damn teacher. If he hadn’t refused to add a few more points to my grade, I would have passed and become a junior in the second year. But the bribe he asked for was beyond reasonable. If he wasn’t protected by that person, I would have smashed his face already…”

Thinking this, Zumbo’s scowl deepened, and his displeasure grew as he continued his speech, pointing to Li Min:

“On my left is Li Min, my first assistant…”

Li Min, the thin, tall, and pale-faced person, was very cunning and enjoyed causing harm and asserting his dominance over weaker students. From Tae-jun’s perspective, this person seemed to lack any qualifications to be the assistant leader of the class. Most likely, he had paid Zumbo some money to get this position.

“And on the other side, my second assistant, Bai Zhu…”

Unlike the thin Li Min and the plump Zumbo, Bai Zhu was bald, muscular, and silent, only nodding his head in acknowledgment.

Zumbo asked Li Min:

“So… Is there anyone with a notable background here?”

Li Min pulled out a sheet containing information on everyone in the class, including their guardians, and handed it to Zumbo. With a cunning expression and a hint of hidden satisfaction, he replied:

“No, everyone comes from modest backgrounds. It looks like this year will be very interesting, hehehe…”

Zumbo turned and continued:

“For those who weren’t here yesterday, I’ll repeat what I said: from now on, you will be our servants. Every month, you will bring a certain amount of money. As for why you will bring money, it’s simple— to protect yourselves from us. You can call it unwritten rules.”

Here is the English translation of the text you provided:

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Upon hearing his words, the new students did not seem convinced, as their expressions showed a mix of doubt and resistance. It was clear they were not ready to submit to this deceitful person.

Zombo showed no interest in their reactions; instead, his lips curled into a sinister smile as he thought to himself:

- Hmph, so what if I fail? If I pass and move to the second year, I'll probably end up like those peasants, kneeling before one of the seniors, or at best, I'll just be an assistant.

With that thought, Zombo's scowl dissipated.

At that moment, one of the kneeling peasants interrupted his thoughts by shouting in dissatisfaction:

- You scoundrels, do you think bullying us is easy? Just wait until the teacher comes, and I'll tell him...

With a heroic aura emanating from him, the boy seemed to speak for all the students on the ground.

When Zombo heard the peasant yelling like this, he felt as though he had heard the joke of the century and couldn't help but laugh, though he didn't respond to the boy, leaving him with some hope.

It wasn't long before the teacher arrived, looking ordinary in a white lab coat and black pants, with completely gray hair and glasses. Upon seeing the teacher, it seemed that the student who had yelled earlier saw his savior and did not hesitate to speak directly, pointing at Zombo with his finger:

- Teacher, this fat guy here with his friends has forced us all to kneel and bullied us, saying we have to give him and his friends money every month, so I—

Before the student could continue, the teacher interrupted him with an irritated tone:

- What? How dare you call the diligent Zombo fat? You’re such a rude student. Tell me, what’s your name?

The student was surprised by the teacher's reaction but continued speaking:

- But teacher, this Zombo has bullied us so much that his assistant even hit the person over there—

Pointing to Tae-Joon as he spoke, he added:

- And everyone here is—

Again, he was interrupted:

- You idiot, are you still daring to protest? And against whom? Against Zombo, the diligent student...

The teacher then turned to Tae-Joon, asking in a nonchalant tone:

- Did he really hit you?

Tae-Joon replied calmly, already having a general idea of how things worked here despite the short time he had been present:

- No.

The protesting student's face contorted in shock:

- W-What do you mean, no? Teacher, he’s lying. He—

The teacher interrupted him again, repeating his question with a tone of exasperation:

- What’s your name?

The boy answered quietly:

- Park Hyo, sir.

After a moment of thought, the teacher spoke:

- Five points will be deducted from your future exam scores in my subject. For not raising your hand to ask for permission to speak, bullying your classmate Zombo, and your false claim that one of his friends hit someone, a complaint will be filed with the general supervisor for the first year. From now on, you will sit alone at the back table and will be forbidden from speaking in my class.

When the teacher finished speaking, Park Hyo’s expression was distorted as he couldn’t believe what he had heard. As he was about to defend himself again, he felt a slap on his neck coming from Li Min behind him:

- Be quiet, you degenerate. Can’t you see the teacher has already made his decision?

Meanwhile, the teacher continued with a kind smile from his desk, dismissing the issue of Park Hyo from his mind:

- I’m your teacher, Rengso Myun, for Physics. I hope we all have a good year and that we understand each other well...

The class was an introduction between the teacher and the students, informing them about the course requirements and basic information about the school.

The class consisted of three rows, with Tae-Joon sitting at the first table in the middle row.

Once the class was over and the teacher had left, there was some free time until the next class. During this time, Li Min grabbed Park Hyo, who had previously protested and complained to the teacher, and took him to the corner. Zombo and the burly bald Bai Zuo gathered around him.

Park Hyo’s face turned very pale as he glanced around at the students, seeking help, but everyone tried to avoid him as much as possible, as if he were invisible. In a desperate attempt to resist, he received more slaps.

At this moment, Zombo took out his phone, turned on the camera, and pointed it at Park Hyo with a lewd expression and a sinister smile, saying:

- Take off your pants.

It was as if a thunderstorm had struck Park Hyo’s ears; he thought he had heard wrong and remained silent. Seeing Zombo's reaction, Zombo became extremely angry:

- A peasant dares to ignore me?

Saying that, he delivered a punch to Park Hyo’s stomach, causing him to spit saliva and moan in pain. Both Bai Zuo and Zombo held Park Hyo’s arms and legs against the wall, while Zombo ordered Li Min to remove Park Hyo’s pants.

He then told Tae-Joon to guard the entrance. All the students breathed a sigh of relief at not being chosen. They wanted to stay as far away as possible from these people, especially after seeing that the teacher ignored them, suggesting they must have some background.

But for Tae-Joon, his eyes burned with excitement as he saw it as an opportunity to get closer to Zombo and his aides. In fact, when Li Min hit him, his blood was already boiling, and he wanted to retaliate, but he soon calmed himself. He knew that if he retaliated due to his weak strength and lack of background, he would be signing his own death warrant and would likely end up like Park Hyo for the entire year. Tae-Joon clearly understood his limits and strengths, so he lowered his head and made the most prudent decision. The same reasoning applied when he said no when asked if he was hit. If he had answered yes, the teacher would likely have taken it as a joke among friends, saying something like: "Li Min is just joking with you; don’t take it too seriously, haha." At the same time, he would gain Zombo and his gang’s enmity.

Meanwhile, Tae-Joon stood up from his seat and bowed to Zombo:

- Yes, sir..

Tae-Joon walked to the classroom door, glancing once at Park Hyo out of curiosity about what would happen to him and once at the courtyard.

Zombo was a bit surprised by Tae-Joon’s reaction but quickly refocused on Park Hyo, who was almost wetting himself, as he begged and pleaded to be let go. But with no response, Li Min slowly removed Park Hyo’s pants and underwear. Park Hyo’s resistance intensified, appearing like a fish flailing out of water. Despite his struggles, it seemed like he was being held down by metal, unable to move at all. He tried to scream but received only more blows.

Li Min took Zombo’s phone and began filming Park Hyo’s naked body:

- Hehe, look at the piece of meat between his legs. Buddy, I don’t think that will be enough for your future wife, but don’t worry, I’ll give you my number. I can help her in bed...

Park Hyo’s face was covered in tears and mucus as he spent every second begging, but his words fell on deaf ears. Zombo said:

- Wipe off that snot. This degenerate sticks to me.

Giving another slap to his cheek, he continued:

- Go to the police or anyone else, and this video will be made public, and I will make sure to turn your daily life into hell. I already know that your mother is a housewife and your father is just a fast-food vendor on the street. Do you think it’s hard to ruin your family’s life?

Hearing Zombo speak about his family, Park Hyo’s anxiety and fear of Zombo increased. His family was simple work class, from a modest neighborhood with nothing remarkable about them.

Zombo made sure all the students saw this to ensure they wouldn’t rebel in the future, and then announced to them:

- All you need to do is bring a certain amount of money every month, and we’ll all be like brothers. Anyone who dares to oppose me will end up like this degenerate here. You’ve already seen how teacher Rengso defended me, haven’t you? Also, I have many friends with the same power as mine. Is that clear?

All the students nodded in fear, which gave Zombo confidence to speak like this, first due to the support he had from second-year juniors, who were leaders of some sections, and his connections with certain teachers, as well as his assurance that all the students here came from modest backgrounds with no significant power behind them.

Meanwhile, Tae-Joon’s voice came from the back:

- Mr. Zombo, a teacher is coming our way...

Zombo nodded and turned his head to see the trembling naked Park Hyo, saying in a harsh tone:

- We still have a round to go outside, hero.

In the corner, Park Hyo had already collapsed to his knees, drowned in tears. He deeply regretted his naivety in thinking the teacher might protect him and the moment he spoke up. At that time, all he thought was that if he resisted these people, he would seem strong and might attract some girls' attention. And if Zombo tried to harm him, he would be protected by the teacher. He thought he could kill two birds with one stone. But in the end, things didn’t.