Chapter 82: Summoner zombie

Chapter 82: Summoner zombie Class for that day had started off with many of the students arriving a few minutes later than the expected time. As always, Sergeant Henry didn’t hesitate to yell at them for their tardiness, his voice booming like a war horn through the class. "You think this is a joke? You’ll be getting double the homework I gave last time!" He was dead serious. Surprisingly, the teachers at Titanfang Academy weren’t all that different from strict high school teachers. They gave assignments—plenty of them. And thanks to the many days the students had missed due to the hunt impact, the amount of homework dumped on them was staggering. Most of them had spent late nights hunched over their desks, trying to complete what seemed like endless sheets of academic torture. Even Kairos and his team weren’t spared of this suffering. They’d split the workload into three sections to make things efficient. It had worked—sort of. But Darnell’s part? It had been absolute garbage. He wasn’t the brightest mind in the room, and unfortunately, his half-baked answers forced the rest of the group to redo large portions of the work just to salvage it. That delay had kept them up even longer. Now, dragging their heavy limbs and sunken eyes into the classroom, they looked like the walking dead. Each of them had dark bags beneath their eyes, shadows of fatigue etched into their faces. One by one, they walked up to the table where Sergeant Henry stood, arms crossed and eyes sharp like daggers. Without a word, each student dropped their homework on the table. The stack grew with every thud of paper—tired hands doing their best to maintain composure. It was during times like this that bullies thrived. They’d use their influence to get their homework done by threatening or beating up weaker students. It had become a silent but accepted transaction in the academy. Kairos wished he had that kind of dominance. A shortcut. A way to let someone else suffer for him. But no... he knew exactly how it felt to be taken advantage of. The thought made him sick. He shook it from his mind. As he slumped into his seat, he found it hard to focus on anything but his desire to train more in the feral arts. He was so close to mastering a new technique—he could feel it. Compared to that, Sergeant Henry’s classes were losing their relevance fast. All the man taught lately were basic war strategies, a few math problems, and some phrases in native alien tongues—languages that might be useful when communicating with other species on different planets. Boring. All of it. The kind of class where your instincts pushed you into sleep before your brain even agreed. The weight of it was unbearable. "Man, so boring. Worst two hours of my life," Darnell groaned, his head face-down on the desk. Carlos, ever the one trying to play the voice of reason, snarled back. "You should keep your focus. They wouldn’t be teaching us this if it weren’t important." But Darnell remained as he always was—unbothered, angry, and completely uninterested. Kairos tried. He really did. He forced himself to listen. "So when you encounter an alien species, you begin with the word TOU. This word translates to peace. If they speak the native tongue, they will respond by waving a hand at you or—" Clack! The classroom door swung open violently, slamming against the wall with a force that turned every head in the room. There was a moment of silence. Who in the hell would dare interrupt class like that? But then... the second shock hit. Harder. Sharper. Kairos’s eyes widened. Carlos’s jaw dropped. Every inch of their skin prickled with disbelief. Standing in the doorway—very much alive or perhaps a ghost—was Mike. Kairos blinked once. Twice. Was this a trick of the light? An illusion? A hallucination? But no. It was real. Mike stood there, silent, breathing... alive. ’What is this?’ Kairos slowly turned his head to check the expressions of those around him. They were just as stunned. [Master! It’s that bastard again... He’s very much alive.] --- Earlier... The sterile clatter of metal echoed off the laboratory walls. The squishing sounds of flesh and steel mixed with Ravin’s steady breathing. His gloved hands moved with precision, like an artist carving into a canvas. When he was finally done, he peeled off his blue gloves and stared at his test subject—Mike. Mike slowly rose from the steel table, his breath catching as his body readjusted. He looked down at his hands in silent amazement. Both of his eyes were working again. He didn’t feel pain. He didn’t feel broken. Just... confused. "Why are you releasing me? Or at least, why patch me up?" Mike asked, his voice cautious, trembling with a quiet storm of doubt. He wasn’t naïve. He knew Ravin Elteth never did anything without a twisted reason. Ravin’s grin stretched across his face like something out of a nightmare. "Good. You’re not stupid. I experimented on a girl yesterday—she donated herself for science. I believed stealing a summon required the subject to be near death. Turns out, that’s not the case." He leaned closer, eyes glinting with malevolence. "That’s why I’m letting you go." Mike’s brow furrowed, unease curling in his stomach. "And... my eye?" he asked. "Ah," Ravin chuckled darkly. "Your new left eye has a camera in it. I want you to return to class today. I’ll be watching. I need to figure out who stole your summon. Think of it as... a win-win." He stepped closer, his voice dipping into a snarl. "But if you dare betray me, I’ll blow your brains out. And your sister? She’ll be my next subject." Mike’s body turned cold. He didn’t care much for himself. But his sister? No. Anything but that. He had no choice but to obey. "So what do you gain from all this?" Mike pressed, trying to understand this monster’s motivations. Ravin paused. His grin faded into something more unsettling—curiosity. "You don’t need to know why. But if you must... I believe the only joy in life is discovering new things. Humans get bored. That’s our curse. So I discover. Again and again. That’s the only reason I’m still alive." With a firm grip, he pulled Mike to his feet and led him through a labyrinth of underground corridors. They stopped at a wall. Ravin pressed his palm against it, and like magic, it opened—a scanner releasing a man-sized passage. "From here, you know the way," he said, pushing Mike forward. "And remember—make it dramatic. Everyone loves drama." The wall sealed behind him. Mike stood alone. He took a breath. Then another. He thought of his sister—the pain she would endure if he failed. And that was enough to move him. The hallway was empty, every student already in class. He retraced his steps slowly. Then finally, he stood before the classroom door. His fingers trembled as they wrapped around the knob. Twist. Push. The door burst open. Every eye turned. The silence was deafening. And there he was—Mike. Alive. Even Sergeant Henry, hardened by years of battle and blood, was speechless. His stern expression melted into disbelief. The dead had returned. Mike stood in the room, the weight of every gaze crashing onto him. And in the middle of it all, Kairos sat frozen, heart pounding. The past had just walked back into the present.