Four Inches Below - Chapter 4

After Saito Jun, more and more survivors came out one after another in the following months. And just like Jun, they all carried aether in their body while their genes had forgone a mutation that allowed them to surpass humanity.

However, though similar, Jun and the rest of them were different at the same time. While the Alpha’s aether was tremendously dense and powerful, the other survivors somehow did not match the category. Some were considered B or A grade but many of them were far below. Hence, the start of social stratification.

While Karl Marx’s theory divided the modern society into two classes of people – the Bourgeoisie and the Proletariat, a new theorist, Yamamoto Shiho, divided the society of New Age into three classes of people: Alpha, Beta, Omega in accordance to the wave of aether flowing in their veins.

Although small in numbers, Alpha sat at the top of the pyramid with a dense wave of aether and the ability to amplify it. This was the reason why the Alphas was considered as a superior being above human since they could technically prolonged their life. Some even called them with names such as monsters, freaks, mutants.

After Alpha, came Beta, second in rank with the wave of aether ranging around B or A grade which was already considered superhuman. In some cases, there were also those who fell into C grade and thus, became the weakest in Beta class.

Although Beta didn’t have the ability to create aether, they could still empowered themselves like Alpha to surpass what humanly possible, for example doubling their strength, intelligence, or agility. However, unlike Alpha, Beta could only focus on one stat at a time.

After the monsters and the superhuman came the last position in the three levels of pyramid. The lowest, the weakest, and the most similar to an ordinary human – The Omega.

Despite having aether coursing through their vein, Omega could not strengthen themselves or in any way gifted with some magical ability. So, unlike Alpha and Beta, Omega was in no way special. They were only slightly above ordinary human. Thus, their fate to be hunted.

That was not even the worst of it all, while having to run from those hunters, Omega also needed to fight for their own survival from the leftover residue of the Devil’s Tears still in their vein. They needed to control their aether to fight off the virus or else, it would grow over time and claimed their life.

This was the reason to the weak existence of aether in Omega’s body because the aether was only strong enough to buy them time. So either the virus won or the Omega luckily obliterated the Devil’s Tears from their body.

The only risk they had to shoulder in this internal fight for survival was if they were not skilled enough in controlling their aether, it would end up be consumed by the Devil’s Tears and the virus would spread faster then.

In short, Omega was a being that would be walking the tightrope for the rest of their life unless they figured out a way to get out of this situation.

And the sole salvation they could seek of was Kyuten Gakuin, the elite battleground of the three classes.

To rob or to be robbed. To hunt or to be hunted. To fuck or to be fucked. To climb or to go down in ranks.

Therefore, the eulogy of the academy.

“Your faith lies in your own hands and your choice shall be your ending.”

“Happy Hunting! May the strong prevails and the weak be damned!”

Welcome to Kyuten Gakuin!

….

– Back to present –

At this point, Ayumi’s back was already drenched in her own sweat. Her whole body was shaking incessantly. Her four limps seemed to have gone numb from all the anxiety she was currently experiencing. It felt as if there was a huge mountain pressuring her down whenever she thought about the hunting that was about to commence in another five minutes.

She prayed over and over again in her heart. She was desperately begging to be saved. If she could be saved, she would even willing to grovel on the ground in gratitude even at the cost of her dignity.

What was pride anyway in the face of survival? Ayumi would choose to live no matter how many times the options were open to her. No matter if she would be spat on, humiliated, or be looked down upon, she would accept it all with open hands as long as she could be free from being hunted.

Because being a female and born as an Omega, besides struggling to stay alive, nothing would be as miserable as being raped or worse, gang-banged in the hunting period.

That was the reality of being an Omega in this academy. Yes, they would be provided with free aether that the Alphas had released into the air around the academy. It would help them to survive from the Devil’s Tears residing in their body, but with a cost of living every day of their life knowing that the danger would soon befall them.

If not this month, it could be the next month, or the month after that, and the followings until they could figure out a way to fight back.

Ayumi bowed her body slightly to her desk as tears began to pool in her eyes.

“Please let me escape,” she muttered with her eyes closed and her fingers intertwined in praying stance. “Please.”

“Please, let me survive this.”

“Let me escape.”

As the seconds ticked away, her hands tightened. The tip of her nails had slowly sunk into her skin. Some only left a mark and some tore open a wound. The blood dripped onto the floor one drop after another, all the while without Ayumi realizing it.

Suddenly, a waft of soft yet seductive fragrance could be smelled from inside the classroom. It came off light but the temptation it brought upon smelling it, made everyone’s head shifted and those outside passing by abruptly stopped on their feet.

It was a fragrance that was almost addicting. In fact, as one gradually inhaled it, they slowly fell into the state of deliriousness and the only thing in their head was to claim it their own.

‘The smell of a virgin!’ Everyone thought right away.

Currently, Ayumi wasn’t aware of what was happening. She was too immersed in her own anxiety until a small punch hit her spine. She was caught off-guard and her face slammed onto her desk in an instant. Fortunately, it wasn’t hard enough to knock out the poor girl.

It would be a lie if Ayumi wasn’t pissed by that punch as she immediately whipped her head to face the girl sitting behind her.

However, before Ayumi could even complain, the girl had already interjected. “Are you out of your damn mind?!” She whispered frantically.

The girl, Ito Chinatsu, was Ayumi’s best friend. In fact, she was Ayumi’s only friend in the academy as she only had transferred last month and it was in the middle of hunting period too.

As to why Ayumi only had Chinatsu as her friend, it was because of her timid personality that she herself hated so much. Not only was she an Omega with so little aether to even fight the Devil’s Tears in her body, she was also an introvert and a scaredy cat that would faint at the slightest intimidation.

Even before she entered the academy, she had always avoided any conflict and preferred the solitary life of living peacefully in her bedroom. Since childhood, Ayumi had always been a quiet kid and though her parents loved her dearly, they knew they couldn’t protect her from the fate of the Devil’s Tears. So they had to send her to the academy with the hope that she would survive somehow.

Fortunately, Ayumi had met Chinatsu during the hunting last month. Being a Beta of A grade aether, Chinatsu had protected Ayumi from a pair of Betas previously and ever since then, they became the best of friends as they fought for survival.