Capitulation

When students reach “rock bottom”, it means they have a negative amount of merits. The students will need to repay these debts through the labor camp. The labor camp is meant to improve the physical skills of the students the next time they play the assassin game. The camp starts at 8PM and ends at 2AM every day, including the weekends. It is meant to be as torturous and unnecessarily exhausting as possibly, because if it was anything fun, then everyone would not give a shit about losing their merits.

The number of days depends on the number of merits the student loses. I’m not going to explain the whole calculation. Let’s just say, Lia’s days are numbered at eight days. What happens if someone like Lia doing show up to the labor camp? She will have to make up for the time of course. However, all her teachers will be notified, and she will lose a small percentage from all of her grades. Even though Lia is super dedicated in the assassin game, the reason she is doing it is so that she could have an easier time with her classes. She wants to graduate at the top of her class in grades and assassin rank. Therefore, we now leave off with Lia going to the labor camp, the day the assassination period has ended.

“Oh my God, it smells like controversial material down here,” said Lia, as she suited up for physical training.

For the next few hours, Lia was constantly bossed around, and moved every single muscle until they were practically internally bleeding.

“GET YOUR ASS MOVING OR I WILL DRAG IT MYSELF”

“100 PUSHUPS! IF I CATCH YOU SLACKING OR CHEATING, THAT’S 10 PULL UPS, AND THERE’S NO CAP ON THAT!”

“YOU THINK THIS IS PE CLASS? YOU’RE HERE TO CARRY SHIT, NOT SIT AROUND LIKE A PIECE OF SHIT!”

The overseers would consistently order all the students in the labor camp around. Grunts and moans of all the students are heard throughout the period. There was no end goal except to make up the merits, and to make them better assassins.

Lia was forced to go to this camp after all her classes each and every day. Although Lia started going to her classes, the camp has started paying a heavy toll. She was too exhausted to learn. Even though she would seem like the type to sleep in the middle of class, she was not doing it on purpose. She’d limp all the way to her next class, and barely learn a thing. With eight days of labor, she was barely going to catch up in her classes.

The fifth day of Lia going to the labor camp. She somehow managed to keep a straight face over the brutality. However, for some reason, she decided today was the day to have a breakdown. As she was corralled with a bunch of other rock bottom students, she vented out her frustrations with the others.

“This is bullshit! I got hit by a cheap shot, and now I am failing my classes. I’m supposed to be the greatest assassin!”

“Oh yeah? What are you doing down here?” asked a student. “Besides, it’s going to be ME who is going to be the greatest assassin. I just went down here on purpose to train, that’s all.”

“Stupid liar, I am clearly the greatest assassin here!” yelled another student.

“If you were my targets, you would all be dead right now.”

“No way, because I’d get your ass first, and get the rest of your asses”

“Well, you can’t get my ass if you got your ass kicked in, asshole!”

The air echoed with constant stupid bickering. Lia couldn’t take the chaos that she started.

“Everyone shut up! You are all down here because you all suck at this game!” shouted Lia. However, her words only captured a few surrounding students, whom didn’t take the message kindly.

“Are you saying we all suck because you think you’re so much better than us?”

“No, because… because… AGH! I suck at this game!” admitted Lia.

“Well thanks for those words, because now I know one person out of this competition,” gloated the student.

“No, quit being stupid! That doesn’t mean you are better.” Lia tried to save herself, but it was too late. Her reputation has been sealed.

“You know what? I guess it doesn’t matter who is better or not. You still have your failing grades to worry about, don’t you?”

“Okay fine, I’ll just not play the stupid game next time and focus on studying,” said Lia.

“At this school? Hahaha, yeah right, you dumbass.”

Lia gave up, and started her strenuous exercises once again.

Eight days have passed. Lia had finally paid her merit debt, and could continue living a regular school life.

“Alright, starting today, I gotta somehow make up my grades.” Lia said to herself.

“What a dumbass, talking to herself,” said a rude student.

Lia rushed her way to class, until…

BANG!

Her few minutes of living a regular school life ended once again, right there. There wasn’t even any time for Lia to come up with strategies to avoid such a scenario. Lia has literally had no start a new life.

Lia of course couldn’t believe it. Lia looked all over the place for her assailant.

“Who the fuck shot me! Come out you pussy, I bet you have no friends! You just talk to the shadows like you’re some mental patient!”

Lia gave up, knowing that no assassin would be stupid enough to respond to those insults. She rushed all the was to the assassination department. The people at the desk have confirmed that she is out of the game… again. The color of the paint matches her assailant.

“We’ll clean that right off you now,” said the man behind the counter.

Lia stood there patiently. That was because her mind was now blank. She tried to produce thoughts, but nothing was coming out.

“Since you have been out so suddenly, you will need to do two days of labor camp exercises.”

“NO!” screamed out Lia. “I’M NOT DOING THIS ANYMORE! I SUCK AT BEING AN ASSASIN! I DON’T BELONG IN THIS THIS SHITTY SCHOOL!”

Lia marched out of the department.

“Well, another poor soul’s dreams crushed today,” despondently said the man at the counter.

Lia ran through the school and out to the main courtyard.

“Stupid dumbass school. Stupid idiots attending it. Why can’t this whole place burn to the ground?”

“Miss, I’m not your therapist. If you want to leave, please show me your ID,” said the man at the campus gate.

Lia had her belongings identified, and she walked out. Lia gave a look at the school, and flipped the bird at it like an angry entitled customer not getting free food at restaurant.

Lia walked on the sidewalk aimlessly. She was completely apathetic, yet furious at the same time. She couldn’t go home after everything she did to piss off her parents. Lia walked around for hours, and soon became hungry. She didn’t even care about her grumbling stomach. She was not going to return to the school for food, where they served the worst food to the lowest ranked assassins.

Lia finally decided to settle in a park, and sat on a bench. The sun was beginning to rise. The sky was an ominous greyish blue. Lia finally laid down closed her eyes. The sound of birds grew silent. Lia was now alone with her own thoughts. Her mind began to clear.

“Oh, what the fuck am I doing? I AM NOT GOING TO DIE HERE!” exclaimed Lia to herself.

Lia immediately got up from the park bench, and undid her pointless cool down by sprinting back to the school.

“I fucking hate this school. I hate this stupid assassin game. I don’t want to play it to win it. I’m going to destroy this game once and for all!”

And with her pointless yelling to herself, she dispensed her last bit of energy, and collapse in front of the school’s gate.