“Move.”
Hitake barely had time to turn before a hand slammed into his shoulder.
His back crashed against the academy lockers with a metallic BANG!
A few students nearby burst into laughter.
Hitake slowly pushed himself away from the lockers and straightened his uniform. His shoulder throbbed where it had struck the metal, but he refused to give the pain the satisfaction of showing on his face.
Standing in front of him was Thorne, arms crossed over his chest, wearing the smug expression of someone who had never been told no in his entire life.
Behind him stood Zack and John, his usual entourage.
Or, as Hitake privately called them—
The Two Background Characters.
John glanced at Hitake’s bruised shoulder.
“That looked painful.”
Zack nodded thoughtfully. “Very painful.”
Hitake stared at them. “Are you two helping?”
“No.”
“Just checking.”
Thorne slowly turned his head toward them. “Are you two always this useless?”
Zack shrugged. “We’re consistently mediocre.”
John nodded seriously. “Consistency is important.”
Thorne rubbed his forehead.
“I hate both of you.”
Despite himself, Hitake almost laughed.
Almost.
Then Thorne grabbed him by the collar.
“You think something’s funny?”
Hitake looked down at the hand gripping his uniform before raising his eyes again.
“No.”
“Then why are you smiling?”
“Because your friends are idiots.”
The laughter in the hallway died instantly.
Zack’s eyes widened.
John leaned slightly toward him and whispered, “Oh, that’s brave.”
Thorne’s expression darkened.
Everyone at Aether Academy knew who he was.
Thorne was the son of one of the wealthiest corporate moguls in the Earth Federation. His family controlled military technology companies, transportation networks, and several major energy corporations. Money had opened nearly every door in his life, and influence had made sure nobody dared close one in his face.
Everyone knew Thorne.
And everyone knew better than to annoy him.
Apparently, Hitake had missed that particular memo.
Thorne shoved him again.
“You’ve been getting brave lately.”
Hitake steadied himself. “I’ve been getting tired.”
“Of what?”
“Being pushed around.”
For a moment, Thorne simply stared at him.
Then he laughed.
“You’re Level Two.”
Hitake’s expression hardened.
“So?”
“So you should know your place.”
The words were followed by whispers from the surrounding students.
“He’s really Level Two?”
“Still?”
“Everyone awakened at twelve.”
“He’s seventeen.”
“That’s embarrassing.”
Hitake heard every word.
He always did.
He had heard variations of them for years.
Weak.
Useless.
Failure.
The academy had long since stopped expecting anything from him. In a world where strength determined everything, Hitake had somehow managed to remain almost exactly where he had started.
Everyone else grew stronger through combat. They fought monsters, completed missions, gained experience, leveled up, increased their attributes, and repeated the process.
Hitake had done the same things.
The results were just… humiliating.
His status window was practically an insult.
[STATUS]
Name: Hitake
Level: 2
Strength: 7
Agility: 8
Endurance: 6
Mana: 5
Luck: 10
Class: None
Skills: None
Bloodline: Unknown
The academy had a polite term for people like him.
Unawakened.
Hitake preferred another description.
Temporarily disappointing.
Thorne raised his fist.
“Let's see if you can survive one punch.”
“Thorne.”
A girl's voice cut through the tension.
Everyone turned.
Zena stood at the end of the hallway, her long black hair falling across one eye. Her expression was cold enough to silence the remaining whispers.
Her gaze settled on Thorne.
“Leave him alone.”
Thorne lowered his fist slightly.
“Why?”
“Because I’m asking.”
He smirked.
“That’s not much of a reason.”
Zena’s eyes narrowed.
“It should be.”
For several seconds, neither of them moved.
Finally, Thorne scoffed.
“Fine.”
He gave Hitake one last shove.
“Enjoy your charity.”
Then he turned and walked away.
Zack immediately followed.
John remained behind for a moment.
He looked at Hitake, then at the direction Thorne had disappeared.
“Sorry.”
Hitake blinked.
“For what?”
John shrugged. “We’re both terrible people.”
From farther down the hallway, Zack shouted, “Speak for yourself!”
John sighed.
“See?”
Hitake couldn't stop himself this time.
He smiled.
Zena walked over, her expression softening slightly.
“You okay?”
“Perfect.”
She stared at him.
“You've got blood on your lip.”
Hitake touched his mouth and looked at his fingers.
“Oh.”
Zena shook her head.
“You're terrible at pretending you're fine.”
“I’ve had practice.”
She looked away.
“Idiot.”
Hitake smiled.
“Thanks.”
“That wasn’t a compliment.”
“I’ll take it anyway.”
For the first time that morning, the weight in Hitake’s chest felt slightly lighter.
Unfortunately, it didn't last long.
By the afternoon, the students had gathered inside the academy arena for combat class.
The enormous training hall was surrounded by reinforced walls and energy barriers designed to withstand attacks from awakened students. Dozens of students stood around the arena, some stretching while others summoned their weapons.
At the center stood Professor Mira.
She was young for a professor, with long brown hair and an expression that suggested she had already regretted choosing teaching as a career.
“Today,” Mira announced, “we’ll be conducting practical combat evaluations.”
A grin immediately spread across Thorne’s face.
“Finally.”
Mira looked directly at him.
“If you break another training dummy, you’re paying for it.”
Thorne’s grin disappeared.
“But my family—”
“Your family doesn’t own my equipment.”
Laughter erupted throughout the arena.
Even Hitake smiled.
Mira noticed.
Her eyes moved toward him.
“Hitake.”
He straightened immediately.
“Yes?”
“You’re with Zena.”
A few students exchanged amused looks.
Thorne laughed.
“That’s cruel.”
Zena’s face turned slightly red.
Hitake looked at Professor Mira.
“Why me?”
Mira didn't hesitate.
“Because you’re the weakest.”
The laughter stopped.
Hitake stared at her.
For once, Mira wasn't mocking him.
Her expression softened.
“But that doesn’t mean you have to stay that way.”
Hitake was silent for a moment before nodding.
“I’ll try.”
Zena glanced at him.
“You’d better.”
The evaluations began.
One after another, students stepped into the arena.
Weapons materialized in their hands. Mana surged through the training grounds. Some students relied on physical strength, others on elemental abilities or specialized combat skills.
Hitake stood empty-handed.
His opponent stepped into the arena.
A Level Seven student.
The boy looked him up and down before smiling.
“Don’t worry.”
Hitake raised an eyebrow.
“I wasn’t.”
“I’ll go easy.”
Hitake sighed.
“That’s somehow more insulting.”
The bell rang.
The boy disappeared forward.
Hitake barely had time to raise his hands.
For the briefest instant, something flickered deep within his eyes.
A strange sensation passed through his body.
Then—
[UNKNOWN ABILITY DETECTED.]
[AWAKENING CONDITION: APPROACHING.]
Hitake froze.
“What...?”
The message vanished.
A fist slammed directly into his face.
BAM!
Pain exploded across his cheek as his body was sent crashing onto the arena floor.
The entire training hall erupted with laughter.
Hitake lay flat on his back, staring blankly at the ceiling.
His cheek throbbed.
His pride was somewhere underneath his shoes.
And somewhere in the back of his mind, that strange notification continued to haunt him.
Awakening condition approaching.
Hitake slowly covered his face with one hand.
“...I really hate this school.”