Athanasia: My Hacker System-Chapter 25: Selecting His Vice

"I’m going to kill you!"

Cissel stood directly in John’s path, her small frame vibrating with a barely contained fury. Despite the two small medical stickers—one on her cheek and another on her temple—she looked ready to restart the fight that had humiliated her less than twenty-four hours ago.

John had been waiting for her; she had arrived in the classroom just minutes before the teacher was expected, per her habit, and he hadn’t wasted a second. He had dropped the announcement over her head like a bomb without a moment’s warning.

"Take back what you just said right now! Don’t you dare make me that useless Vice of yours!" she hissed, her teeth gritted so tightly they made an audible grinding sound.

To Cissel, being selected for the role wasn’t an honour or a recognition of her standing as the second-strongest in the class; it was a brand of shame. It meant she was officially a subordinate to the man who had spun her around like a rag doll.

John had already predicted this fierce response. He leaned back against his desk, keeping his expression neutral. Out of the two monsters he had defeated, she was by far the one he felt he could manage. Ricky was a walking ego with a gang of sycophants; Cissel was a loner.

"Teacher Nikolas strongly advised me to pick someone strong and capable for this task," John said, his voice smooth and professional, coating the bitter pill with a layer of hidden praise. "After yesterday, it was clear that you were the only logical choice. I picked you because you’re strong..."

"Bullshit!" she screamed, her attitude not softening one bit. She didn’t buy the compliment for a second. "If you want to pick someone strong, then pick him instead! I bet he’d love the chance to suck up to you!"

She whirled around and pointed a trembling finger at the far corner of the class. Ricky was sitting there, surrounded by his remaining gang members, looking like a ghost of his former self.

At the sound of her shouting and the sight of her pointing, Ricky’s face turned a mottled purple. He, reluctantly, stood up, his chair screeching against the floor, and roared back.

"Don’t meddle me in your affairs! I don’t want anything to do with either of you!"

Yet, for a reason they all understood but wouldn’t admit, they knew Cissel was telling the truth. Ricky would have hated it, but he would have seen it as a way to maintain some semblance of power. Cissel just saw it as a shackle.

"It’s settled," John said, cutting through the rising noise. He had already decided he would rather deal with the vampire girl than the arrogant brat and his baggage. "I’ve already sent your name to Teacher Nikolas. The paperwork is likely already processed."

"I’m going to kill you, I swear! Take back my name, I’m warning you!" Cissel lost the last of her restraint. She stepped up, closing the gap instantly, and grabbed John by the collar, pulling his face closer to hers.

The entire class went silent. Students froze in their seats, terrified that another explosion of violence was about to erupt between the scary two. But as John looked down at her, seeing the frantic desperation behind her fierce eyes, he suddenly realised something.

’She’s all talk,’ he thought, a wave of clarity washing over him. ’She’s just a little girl who happened to get extra power and some good luck. She doesn’t know how to handle losing.’

He adjusted his internal assessment of her. In many ways, she was similar to Luke—emotional, reactive, and driven by a need to prove herself—only she had the dual abilities and high speed to back up her outbursts.

Realising this made him heave an inward sigh of relief. He hadn’t picked a cunning mastermind; he had picked a talented, temperamental little girl. He had picked the right person to this position.

"What are you doing?!"

The classroom door swung open, and the teacher arrived just in time to save the situation. "Back to your seats, all of you! Now!" He glared with a threatening look toward John and Cissel in particular.

The pressure of the teacher’s presence forcibly broke the clash. Cissel let go of John’s collar, her chest heaving, and stomped back to her seat, giving John one final, murderous look.

The class, despite being overly boring, gave her the time she needed to process the reality of her new position—and gave John the peace he needed to think of his next step.

As the class began, John found himself losing all interest in the lecture. The teacher was the same one who utilised that unique, hypnotic teaching method that usually forced the students to yawn and resist the urge to sleep during the entire class! But John’s mind was elsewhere.

’Speaking of Luke,’ John thought, scanning the room again. ’I haven’t seen him come back yet.’

He had expected Luke to be discharged like the other two. Cissel had returned with minimal visible damage—just the two medical stickers. Ricky looked significantly worse; he had one arm immobilised in straps and his head was partially wrapped in bandages, making him look like a defeated soldier. But Luke’s seat was still empty.

’I should pay him a visit at the infirmary after this,’ John decided.

His schedule for the day was almost complete. He had exerted his authority as the new Boss loud and clear, repeating the same instructions Nikolas had given him before Cissel’s arrival.

He also had survived the initial explosive fallout of picking his Vice. All that remained was his original mission: speaking with Luke about the probability of dual-ability young users in this world.

The classes ended without further suspense. Cissel and Ricky both seemed to hate the very idea of acknowledging John’s existence. The moment the bell rang, Cissel hurried out, using her speed to vanish as fast as possible. Ricky lingered, waiting for John to leave the room first so he wouldn’t have to walk in his presence.