Global Beast God; I Earn 10X My Summons Powers

"Hey… I know Miss Jane said we could do whatever we want," Ben said, glancing down at Kieran's limp body, "but maybe killing him isn't such a good idea. It could come back to bite us."

"Yeah, I was thinking the same thing," Jacob added, shifting nervously. "The last thing we need is the academy breathing down our necks. Better to avoid unnecessary trouble."

Frank didn't answer right away. His face twisted with frustration, clearly unhappy with their hesitation.

Letting Kieran live felt like swallowing poison. No—he didn't just want Kieran gone. He wanted him erased, like he never existed. He couldn't stand the idea of crossing paths with him again.

"What if he somehow meets the condition for that so-called 'hidden' talent?" Frank said through gritted teeth, shooting a deadly glare at both boys. "You think he'll just let us off if that happens?"

The thought alone made his blood boil. The dean had said no one had ever succeeded, sure—but that didn't make it impossible.

Jacob looked uncertain. "Even if he does, so what? He's just one person, even with an SSS-ranked talent. He wouldn't be crazy enough to go up against the Nelkon family. That'd be suicide."

Frank scoffed, his eyes narrowing. "You clearly don't understand. There's a reason only five SSS-rank talents have ever been recorded in history. Even my father's never seen the Founder himself. Those kinds of people… they don't play by normal rules."

Jacob's face tensed, realizing he might've overstepped. "Okay, okay. So what do we do then? If we kill him and get caught, we're all screwed."

The group fell silent, the weight of the situation settling over them like a heavy fog.

But then Ben spoke again, voice quieter this time. "Do we even have to kill him ourselves? Jane already said to toss him into a realm gate, right? If we do that, the place'll finish him off. It's basically a death sentence."

Frank's angry scowl slowly twisted into a smug grin.

"You know what? You're right," he said, nodding. "No one's going to care if some orphan disappears. No one'll even ask questions. That bastard won't last a minute in there anyway. And there's no way anyone traces it back to us."

The plan suddenly seemed airtight.

"Exactly. It's clean. No loose ends," Jacob added, nodding in agreement.

The three of them exchanged looks, their cold, wicked smiles growing in unison as they turned their eyes back to the unconscious boy lying helplessly on the ground.

Nothing, they believed, could possibly go wrong.

-------

Kieran's eyes fluttered open in his consciousness.

'Hot… Fire, burn!'

The words echoed in his mind, drifting through the endless darkness.

Then, far off in the void, a faint flicker sparked to life—a tiny blue flame, barely visible.

It danced weakly in the dark… until it suddenly erupted.

BOOM.

A burst of golden-yellow fire exploded outward, chasing away the shadows.

The flames twisted and curled, growing brighter, fiercer—until they formed a shape.

And then, it appeared.

Majestic. Fierce. Alive.

A Phoenix.

A creature of myth, born from flame and rebirth, hovering before him in all its blazing glory.

He reached out for it... But then.

~Splash!

A bucket of water hit him square in the face.

Kieran's eyes fluttered open, blurry and burning. His mind reeled in confusion, and for a moment, he didn't know where he was. But the disorientation didn't last long—because pain came rushing back like a tidal wave, crashing into every inch of his body.

He groaned, teeth clenched as the fire in his muscles flared. Cuts, bruises, burns—each one screamed for attention.

Then he looked up… and rage replaced the confusion.

Standing in front of him were Frank, Ben, and Jacob.

"You really think it ends here?" Kieran growled, his voice hoarse and cracked from the burns that marred his throat. "I swear, I'll make you pay for this!"

Frank stepped forward, placing a hand on his chest like a bad actor pretending to be hurt. "Me? You're threatening me?"

He chuckled, a cruel grin spreading across his face.

"You should worry less about me… and more about yourself."

Kieran tried to lunge forward, but his body barely moved. That's when he noticed—the ropes digging into his wrists, binding him tightly to a wooden chair.

Frank smirked at the attempt.

"Don't bother struggling," he said coldly. "You'll have all the room in the world to move once you're dead."

He pulled a dagger from behind his back, its silver edge catching the light.

Ben's eyes widened. "Wait—Frank! I thought we agreed not to kill him ourselves?"

"Yeah, man," Jacob chimed in, frowning. "We said we'd toss him into the gate. That way it wouldn't trace back."

Frank didn't even look at them. His gaze stayed locked on Kieran. "It doesn't matter. If he dies now or inside that realm, what's the difference? At least this way, I get to hear him scream."

Before they could respond, Frank raised the dagger—and drove it into Kieran's thigh.

"AHHHHH!"

The scream tore out of Kieran's throat, raw and ragged. The pain hit like lightning, blinding and hot.

"Yes!" Frank shouted, eyes gleaming with twisted joy. "That's what I wanted! Scream for me!"

He stabbed again. And again.

The boys behind him froze, horrified.

Ben took a step back. "This… this isn't what we planned."

"He's lost it," Jacob whispered. "He's actually enjoying it."

They didn't move. They just stood there, watching in shocked silence as Frank kept stabbing.

The metallic clang of the dagger meeting bone. The wet sound of it slicing flesh. The blood.

So much blood.

It soaked through Kieran's shirt, ran down his leg, and pooled on the floor beneath him. His body trembled uncontrollably, and his breath came in short, choking gasps.

Still, his bloodshot eyes never left Frank. Even through the agony. Even while his consciousness flickered like a dying flame.

He clenched his teeth, refusing to give the bastard the pleasure of hearing another scream.

Frank finally stopped, panting slightly from the effort.

And Kieran, bleeding and broken, looked up through the haze and spat one last line:

"I'll kill you."

Frank's smile vanished. For a second, he looked stunned. Then he scoffed and walked behind Kieran.

"You just don't get it, do you?" he muttered.

On the ground beside him sat a sleek metal device—round, smooth, and marked with the academy's crest.

It was a realm gate key.

Normally used for training, the device could recreate old realm imprints and temporarily open portals. Most closed after a few days unless someone claimed them.

Frank pressed the device's button, and with a low hum, the air shimmered.

A swirling blue portal burst into existence above it, the energy crackling faintly like a storm held in suspension.

Frank turned back to Kieran, whose chest rose and fell in shallow, uneven bursts.

"Let's see how you kill me now."

With a snarl, Frank slammed his foot into Kieran's chest.

The force of the kick knocked both Kieran and the chair off the ground—and straight into the heart of the glowing portal.

He flew through the air, blood trailing behind him, and vanished into the twisting, purple void.

His eyes widened in shock before the darkness swallowed him whole.

Then, silence.

For a heartbeat, it felt like time stopped.

Then—

[Ding! Condition met.]

[System awakening…]