Picking Up Girls With My Pickup System-Chapter 15: The Berserker’s Wrath.

The courtyard shook under Derek’s roar. It wasn’t just a shout—it was animalistic, raw, the kind of sound that made the hairs on the back of every neck stand on end.

His muscles seemed to swell as he lunged, eyes bloodshot, veins bulging across his arms. His punches lost all form, but each carried a force that could crack bone and splinter stone.

"Move, move, MOVE!" students screamed as they stumbled backward, giving the two fighters more space. Even the air felt heavier, charged with Derek’s killing intent.

Kent staggered sideways, barely dodging a fist that slammed into the ground where he’d been standing. The stone cracked, a spiderweb fracture spreading outward with a sickening crunch. Dust shot up like smoke from a gun.

He’s faster—! Kent’s mind raced as his body lurched, struggling to keep up. Adrenaline Surge still coursed through him, but every second felt like his muscles were unraveling thread by thread. His lungs burned. His chest heaved.

Derek was relentless. Another fist blurred past Kent’s ear, close enough to rattle his teeth. A kick followed, grazing his ribs and sending a fresh spike of agony down his side.

The crowd could only gasp, the spectacle so violent it no longer looked like a schoolyard fight—it looked like an execution.

"Derek’s lost it!"

"He’s gonna kill him!"

"Someone stop this!"

But no teacher came. No authority. Only the mob of students, their phones trembling as they filmed, and Kent, who stood alone against a monster in human skin. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

Kent stumbled back again, vision swimming. His knees buckled as Derek’s shadow fell over him, fists raised like hammers ready to shatter him to pieces.

The System’s cold voice whispered in his ear:

[Warning: Vital signs unstable.]

[Opponent entering Berserk state: Strength +30%, Speed +20%.]

Kent’s lips split into a bitter smile despite the blood. "Oh, that’s just great..."

And then Derek’s fists came crashing down again.

Derek’s fists blurred, a rain of destruction. Each swing howled through the air, crushing stone and shaking the courtyard with shockwaves.

Kent barely slipped aside, rolling over the ground as another blow missed him by inches. His arms screamed, his ribs burned with every breath, and his head felt like it was splitting open.

I can’t keep dodging forever... he’s too fast. Too strong.

Another fist came down—he stumbled back—his heel caught on a crack in the stone.

This is it—!

The world slowed.

A chime split the chaos, crisp and mechanical.

[Critical Survival Threshold Reached.]

[Emergency Subroutine Activated.]

[Temporary Skill Unlocked: Counter Instinct (Lv.1).]

Text flashed across Kent’s vision. And then—images.

A flicker.

For the briefest instant, he saw Derek’s next attack before it happened. The angle. The trajectory. The crushing fist aimed for his skull.

His body moved before his mind caught up. He ducked low, the fist tearing through the air above him and smashing into the pillar behind. Stone exploded into shards.

The crowd screamed.

"He—he dodged it again!"

"No way! He’s predicting him!"

"What the hell is happening?!"

Kent’s chest heaved as he straightened, blood dripping from his chin. His vision spun, but another flicker hit his mind—the path of Derek’s knee, arcing toward his gut.

Kent twisted sideways, narrowly avoiding it, his shoulder grazing Derek’s thigh instead of his stomach being obliterated.

He gasped, half in pain, half in manic disbelief. I can see it... before it lands. I can actually... see it.

Derek’s eyes widened for the first time in the fight. His target wasn’t just running—Kent was moving with intent.

Kent spat blood and grinned up at him.

"Surprise, asshole."

The crowd roared.

Derek roared, swinging again, his fist tearing the air like a cannonball.

Kent’s eyes flashed—another flicker, another glimpse of the future. He ducked sideways, the fist scraping his shoulder instead of caving in his chest. The force still sent him skidding, but he was alive.

I can see him... just barely. If I time it right—

Derek’s knee rose. Kent sidestepped.

Derek’s elbow swept. Kent ducked under.

Each movement grazed him, bruised him, but none of them finished him.

The crowd’s screams turned into stunned gasps.

"He’s dodging them—on purpose!"

"No way... no way Kent Gilbert is keeping up with Derek!"

"This is insane—how’s he doing this?!"

Dust and stone chips rained around them as Derek tore the courtyard apart in fury, but Kent kept slipping out of reach. His body screamed with pain, every muscle trembling, but Counter Instinct carried him forward, moment by moment.

And then—an opening.

Another flicker. A glimpse of Derek’s ribs exposed after a wild swing.

Kent’s fist clenched. He drove it forward with everything he had.

The impact was small, weak compared to Derek’s mountain-breaking blows, but it landed.

"Ungh—!" Derek grunted as Kent’s knuckles dug into his ribs. It wasn’t enough to hurt him seriously, but the shock—the insult—was worse than pain.

The courtyard erupted.

"He hit him!"

"Kent landed a punch!"

"Oh my god—he’s actually fighting back!"

Kent staggered back, chest heaving, lips curling into a bloody grin.

"Guess I’m not just a punching bag after all."

Derek froze for a fraction of a second. His pride cracked. His face twisted into pure, unbridled rage.

For a moment, silence.

Derek’s chest rose and fell, his eyes bulging as if he couldn’t comprehend what had just happened. Kent Gilbert—the nobody—had put a fist on him in front of the entire school.

The silence cracked when laughter broke out.

A few nervous chuckles at first, then bolder ones.

"Did you see that? Kent hit him!"

"Derek’s face—ha!"

"This is unreal!"

The laughter sliced Derek deeper than Kent’s fist ever could. His jaw twitched. His hands trembled—not from fear, but from fury too great to contain.

"You... dare." His voice came out low, guttural. "You... worthless... insect."

His aura seemed to swell, pressing down on everyone nearby. Students flinched back, some tripping over their own feet as Derek’s presence rolled over them like a tidal wave.

He charged.

No form. No technique. Just pure destruction. His fists swung wild, his kicks lashed out with no regard for balance or precision. He was a storm of violence, tearing through the courtyard like a rabid beast.

One punch missed Kent and slammed into a nearby bench. The wood exploded into splinters. Another kick grazed the ground, ripping a trench into the stone tiles.

Students shrieked, scrambling back even farther. Some screamed for teachers. Others just kept filming, hands shaking as they captured every second of chaos.

Kent’s gut tightened. He’s faster... and crazier. Counter Instinct can’t save me if he’s just swinging at everything.

Derek’s eyes were bloodshot, veins bulging in his neck. Spittle flew from his lips as he roared with each strike. His rage was no longer aimed only at Kent—anyone too close risked being crushed in his frenzy.

Kent ducked under another wild haymaker, feeling the air itself shudder as it passed overhead. His instincts screamed—one wrong move, and Derek wouldn’t just beat him. He’d kill him.

And Derek wasn’t stopping. Not until Kent was nothing but a broken stain on the courtyard.

Derek’s rampage shook the courtyard. He was no longer a fighter—he was a wild animal. His fists slammed into stone, his kicks shattered benches, his roars drowned out the crowd’s panic.

Kent’s body felt like it was being pulled apart from the inside, each muscle ready to snap. Counter Instinct flickered in his vision again—another glimpse. Derek’s next punch, a straight hammer aimed directly at his skull.

If that lands, I’m done.

Kent threw himself sideways, body scraping against the cracked tiles, the punch brushing his hair as it obliterated the ground. Stone erupted in a crater where his head had just been.

The shockwave flung Kent across the courtyard. He rolled, coughing blood, vision swimming in red. His ears rang. His ribs screamed. But he was still breathing.

The crowd erupted in a frenzy.

"He dodged AGAIN!"

"No way—how is he still alive?!"

"Derek’s going to kill him, stop the fight!"

Derek didn’t hear them. His chest heaved, his face twisted beyond recognition, eyes glowing with mad fury. He ripped his fist free from the crater, dust exploding around him, and turned on Kent again.

"You—" he growled, voice ragged. "I’ll tear you apart limb by limb!"

Kent spat blood onto the tiles, forcing a grin through the pain.

"You’ll have to catch me first..."

He staggered upright. His knees buckled, but he raised his fists anyway. His heart pounded, not just from fear—but from the insane thrill of still standing.

Derek lunged, raising both fists overhead for a crushing blow.

The courtyard trembled. Students screamed.

And then—

"ENOUGH!"

A voice boomed across the chaos like a thunderclap. The air itself seemed to freeze. Derek halted mid-charge, his fists still raised.

Every student whipped their heads toward the source.

At the edge of the courtyard stood a tall figure in a black suit, sharp eyes blazing with authority. Behind him, several staff members rushed forward, their faces pale at the destruction they’d just witnessed.

The man’s gaze locked on Derek. His voice cut sharper than steel.

"Gilbert. Derek. What the hell do you think you’re doing?"

Silence crushed the courtyard. For the first time, Derek’s fury flickered—not out of fear of Kent, but out of fear of the man who had spoken.

Kent slumped, blood dripping from his chin, barely able to keep standing. Relief washed through him like ice water. Saved... at the last second.

The crowd didn’t dare breathe. Phones still recorded, hands trembling, but no one uttered a word.

The fight was over—interrupted not by Kent’s strength, but by the arrival of authority that even Derek couldn’t defy.