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All the plot-relevant characters were placed in Class A.
June. Eugene. Rose. Marlon.
Kai watched as their names appeared one after another on the projection above the hall. There was no suspense. He already knew the outcome. These four were the pillars of the narrative, the faces on the cover of every arc. If they weren't in Class A, the entire novel would have collapsed.
Still, knowing it didn't make it easier to watch.
A heavy feeling settled in the air around him as the reality sank in for the rest of the students. Despair. Envy. Denial. It rippled outward in waves, getting stronger with each passing second as more names and ranks were announced.
The final list made things worse.
The class distribution wasn't even. Four in Class A. A larger bunch in B. A surprisingly small count in C. And then everyone else. The majority had been assigned to Class D.
Apparently, this year's turnout was considered one of the worst in the academy's history. The staff didn't even try to hide it. The way they glossed over Class D's details said enough.
Kai didn't react outwardly, but the weight of it all pressed on him anyway.
He knew why he wasn't in Class A. The system only measured what it could scan, and at the time of his arrival, he was just another low-tier C-grade. His boost to B+ from the shard didn't count in any records. And even if it did, that wouldn't mean much against students who had trained with elite mages since they could walk.
Even now—after the inheritance, after everything he'd done—he knew he was still behind.
Despite all his grinding, his training back on Earth, and the brutal month he'd spent getting Lightless Slash into something barely usable, the truth was simple: he would lose in a real fight against almost anyone in Class B or higher.
He wasn't strong yet.
He wasn't delusional.
But he didn't need to be strong today. He just needed to keep moving. In a year, with Harlen's resources and his own path? He'd be ready. More than ready.
Hell, if he showed off even one spell from his inheritance and lied about his potential being A-rank, they'd probably bump him up to Class A immediately.
But that wasn't the play. Not yet.
While the tension in the room kept building, the energy finally broke when the crowd reached its limit. Students started getting loud—frustrated, angry, overwhelmed. Voices raised. Arguments broke out. Someone cursed loudly in the back. Another demanded a retest.
And in the middle of it, Marlon stepped forward.
His presence was calm, like always. That classic "hero" air to him. He raised his hands, trying to settle the room.
"Everyone, please—calm down," he said. "I know this seems unfair, but it's not permanent. You have six months. If you train, if you show your growth, you'll be able to climb. This isn't the end."
No one wanted to hear it.
Someone in the crowd snapped.
"Easy for you to say! You're in Class A!"
"You don't know what it's like to be stuck in D!"
"You're just saying that because you already won!"
Marlon's words bounced off the walls. He kept trying, but nothing he said made a dent. The crowd was already too far gone.
Then came a pressure—a sharp, heavy presence that cut through the noise like a blade.
Everyone stopped.
Kai felt it instantly. Dense. Focused. Fierce.
All heads turned.
It was June.
He stepped forward, casually, hands in his pockets. His presence rolled out over the students like a wave. Calm on the surface—but deadly underneath.
"Hey everybody," he said, smiling like he hadn't just silenced the room with raw aura alone. "As you probably heard, my name's June. First-ranked among the first-years. Sharing Class A with Eugene, Rose, and Marlon."
He paused, scanning the room.
"I'm here to say… all of you are acting pretty pathetic."
That hit like a slap.
A few students shifted uncomfortably. Some bristled. But no one interrupted.
"I've already heard 'Do you know who my father is?' at least twelve times," June continued. "Honestly, that's weak. If you're relying on your family name, you've already lost. If you think a ranking system is going to stop you, then you don't belong here."
He glanced around again, unbothered.
"From where I'm standing? Most of you are weak. Even the B-rankers. There's a big gap between us. Accept it. Then do something about it."
Murmurs started to rise.
And then, without warning, the floor cracked.
Lightning exploded across the front row, bright and fast. The raw mana tore across the tiles, wild and aggressive. Screams erupted.
It was Rose.
She hadn't said a word, but her aura surged like a storm let off the leash. Lightning arced off her body in controlled bursts, smashing into the ground near the crowd. It was raw, beautiful, and terrifying.
The energy was heading straight for the students.
And then—
It stopped.
June had stepped in.
He didn't cast a barrier. He didn't chant a spell.
He held up a pencil.
A literal pencil.
And with a flick of his wrist, he redirected the surge. The lightning snapped away, dissipating into the floor.
He laughed. "That would've killed you. Train harder. Catch up. Or get left behind."
Silence.
And then, somehow… applause.
The same students who had been yelling a minute ago started clapping. Heads nodded. People actually looked inspired.
Kai stood still, face blank.
This again, he thought.
It wasn't that June was wrong. The gap was real. The strength was real.
But the way people accepted it cheered it like they were grateful to be told how weak they were… it made Kai cringe.
Justified. But still arrogant.
Still...
It worked.
It was completely unreasonable it felt like the author was really pushing it when you reading it came across as much more reasonable but actually being there experiencing it kai had to admit
That their was a difference between a protagonist and everyone else.