Ethan knew Drey didn’t owe him anything, but come on... ordering someone to be thrown out of their dorm just moments after publicly humiliating them?
Wasn’t that a little too much? Couldn’t the man at least let him catch a break before making his life even more miserable?
Across from him, Leon studied Ethan for a brief moment, seemingly weighing his response. The truth was, Drey hadn’t actually ordered him to do anything.
But then again....
The engagement had already been called off, and as far as Leon was concerned, throwing Ethan out of the high-ranked dorm was only common sense. And Leon was convinced Drey would only thank him once he found out.
So, in Leon’s mind, that was practically the same thing as receiving the order directly. With a smug smile stretching across his face, he shrugged casually. "Of course he did."
Ethan let out a quiet scoff.
Hah...
What else had he expected from an arrogant dick like Drey?
He was willing to bet Drey had done this hoping he would come crawling back, begging to keep his room, but that simply wasn’t happening.
He wasn’t about to stroke Drey’s ego by pleading for something as insignificant as a room.
Besides...
How bad could my new dorm possibly be?
With a resigned sigh, Ethan decided not to waste another second arguing with Leon.
He crouched down and gathered his belongings one by one, carefully arranging everything that had been carelessly thrown across the hallway. After asking where his new room was located, he carried his luggage over without another word.
...
Now standing in front of his new room, Ethan suddenly felt like crying.
"...This is an actual room for humans?" he wondered aloud as his gaze slowly swept across the tiny space.
The room was barely large enough to fit a narrow single bed, a small wooden desk with chipped corners, and an old wardrobe that looked as though it would collapse if someone leaned against it too hard. The walls had long since lost their original color, faint cracks ran across one corner of the ceiling, and the lone window hardly let any sunlight in, making the already cramped room feel even duller. It wasn’t completely unlivable... but it was a far cry from the spacious dorm he had just been kicked out of.
How could one of the Empire’s most prestigious academies actually have living conditions like this?
Then again...
He already knew the answer. This was the reality of being a low-class Guide.
Or rather...
Being at the very bottom of the low-class Guide rankings.
Within the academy, dormitories were assigned according to rank and status. Students were accommodated based on their ranks as Sentinels or Guides, the level of their abilities, or the standing of their families within the Empire. Sadly, Ethan no longer had either. His family had abandoned him, his Guide rank was embarrassingly low, and his engagement to Drey—the only thing keeping him in the higher-ranked dorm—had officially ended.
If he hadn’t been motivated to train harder and increase his rank before...
He certainly was now.
He didn’t dream of becoming famous. Nor did he want to stand at the top of the academy. He simply refused to remain weak enough for people to keep deciding how he should live.
If becoming stronger meant earning a better life... Then maybe putting in a little effort wouldn’t hurt.
Letting out another sigh, Ethan tossed himself onto the bed, only for it to creak in protest beneath his weight.
"Well, Ethan," he muttered while staring at the ceiling, "you survived far worse living conditions during the apocalypse than this."
"This..."
"...You’ll survive too."
Surprisingly, despite how uncomfortable the bed was, exhaustion overtook him almost instantly.
He fell asleep the moment his eyes closed.
The next morning...
Ethan shot upright in bed, the last traces of sleep vanishing from his eyes almost instantly.
"Oh no..."
"No, no, no..."
"This can’t be happening."
His heart skipped a beat as his gaze landed on the alarm clock sitting beside the bed. He distinctly remembered setting it before falling asleep so he could wake up early, yet the time displayed on it was already far past what he had planned.
His eyes widened.
He was absolutely certain he hadn’t heard it ring.
"...Don’t tell me this piece of shit doesn’t even work."
"Aughh!!"
He hurriedly threw the blanket aside, jumped out of bed, and rushed to wash up. Classes at the Academy began as early as eight in the morning, and according to the schedule he had memorized yesterday, today’s first lesson was Physical Experiment. It was one of the academy’s practical classes where students entered real dungeons and rifts for training exercises. The instructors took attendance incredibly seriously. Arriving late alone was enough to earn punishment.
Missing the class altogether?
Yeah...
He was in trouble.
After washing up as quickly as humanly possible, Ethan reached for his uniform, only for his movements to suddenly come to a halt when he caught sight of his reflection in the mirror.
"...Wait a damn minute."
How had he completely forgotten to check what he looked like in this new life?
Curiosity instantly replaced his panic for a brief second as he slowly walked toward the mirror.
Then...
He froze.
Staring back at him was an unbelievably handsome young man with smooth, fair skin and delicate yet striking features that looked almost unreal. Sleek shoulder-length black hair framed his face perfectly, making his sharp jawline stand out even more, His enchanting grey eyes, paired with his naturally rosy lips completed a face that looked as though it was sculpted to perfection.
...
Woah.
How the hell did Drey have the guts to reject this?
This face practically belonged on the cover of a magazine.
Hell...
If it were physically possible, he could practically fuck himself.
Looks definitely weren’t something he’d been blessed with in his previous life, so he was absolutely going to cherish this upgrade.
...
Okay Ethan.
Enough admiring yourself.
For fuck’s sake, you’re late!!
By the time Ethan finally arrived at the training grounds, every bit of briefing had already been completed, and the instructors were in the middle of assigning students into groups.
The instructor in charge immediately noticed him.
His face darkened.
"The audacity you have, young man." His sharp glare locked onto Ethan without mercy. "A low-ranked Guide like you still dares to attend my session late?"
A dangerous smile slowly spread across the instructor’s face.
"I’ll teach you a lesson today."