After calming down, Kai walked toward his class while chatting with the system.
"You still haven't explained why my level is 142 and why I have another bloodline besides human."
[...]
"System, are you there?"
[Ah, sorry. I was analyzing the seal around your second bloodline.]
"And? What did you find out?"
[I didn't actually find anything. The seal is too complicated for me to analyze and too powerful for me to break.]
"So you don't know anything about the origin of my bloodline or the seal?"
[No.]
Kai was shocked. At first, he assumed that his bloodline came from the system, but now the same system was telling him it knew nothing about the bloodline or its origin. Even though he had never known his parents, he was fairly certain that his former world was an ordinary one, so his bloodline couldn't have come from them.
As he was lost in thought, the system spoke up again.
[About your level; what it shows is your level of existence on a universal scale, not just on the human scale. For reference, the average human's level is 130.]
"Now that makes more sense."
"Did my level change after obtaining Vorn's mastery of the bow?"
[See for yourself.]
_________________________
Name: Shiba Kai
Age: 17
Level: 188
Bloodlines: human(main), ???(sealed)
Abilities: none
Equipment: none
Skills: Vorn's Bow Mastery
_________________________
"Now, that's a big level-up. But without a bow, am I not the same as before?"
Kai frowned; he couldn't understand why his level had jumped so much. Yes, he had become a master of archery, but that didn't change his physical strength. Without a bow and arrow, he could still get beaten up by someone like Sudo Ken, who was physically stronger than him.
"System, why is my level this high even though my strength hasn't changed?"
[The reason is that while your physical strength hasn't increased, there has been a significant change. Your reflexes and reaction time have improved massively. Even though they are still not on Vorn's level due to your lack of physical strength and practical experience, they still enhance your combat effectiveness by a large margin.]
That was true. Vorn had unbelievably sharp reflexes. In the anime, he had once caught a flying arrow midair and instantly shot it back at the shooter. It was a headshot.
"By the way, System, what level is Ayanokoji at?"
[He is at level 219.]
"So level 219 is the peak for a normal human, huh?"
[Pretty much.]
"Then what level would I be if I had the same physical strength as him?"
[Level 199.]
"I guess that makes sense. Even with better reaction time and reflexes, I still don't have any fighting experience, nor do I know any martial arts. Besides, his reflexes and reaction time aren't necessarily below Vorn's."
[You would probably lose even if you were both fighting with bows. He's much smarter than you, so he would be able to predict your actions, and he's also better at strategizing. I also doubt that he has no experience with a bow. He probably has at least some mastery over it.]
Kai wanted to argue, but after thinking for a moment, he had to admit she was right.
While they were chatting, Kai arrived at Class 1-D.
As Kai was walking toward his seat, he was stopped by an innocent-looking girl who greeted him with a friendly smile.
"Hi, my name is Kushida Kikyo. I wanted to ask for your name since you slept through the first class and didn't get a chance to introduce yourself. I also want to be friends with you; my biggest wish is to be friends with everyone in the school."
Kai battled the urge to roll his eyes. If he didn't know her from the anime, he might have believed her and maybe even fallen for her charms. But he knew better. She was the definition of someone who was beautiful on the outside but ugly on the inside. He had no interest in associating with her.
"My name is Shiba Kai. As for being friends, sorry, but I'm not interested."
"Why is that?" Kushida asked, looking dejected.
Kai leaned in close to her ear and quietly said, "I don't want to befriend people who wear a fake smile on their faces."
With that said, he walked away toward his seat.
Kushida was stunned for a moment, but her smile quickly returned, and she went to talk with her friends as if nothing had happened.
________
Kai sat at his seat, glancing around the classroom. In his opinion, this was the best seat in the entire class; right in the middle of the back row.
To his right sat a shy-looking girl with long pink hair and glasses. Her name was Sakura Airi. He knew that the glasses she wore were fake, meant only to conceal her beauty. She wore them solely because of her shyness.
To his left sat a girl with long black hair, tied in a braid with a bow, and striking gradient red eyes. She was undoubtedly beautiful; if only she didn't always have such a stern expression that scared everyone away. She was none other than Horikita Suzune.
Yes, he was sitting right next to the main heroine of Classroom of the Elite.
In front of him sat a boy with brown hair whom he didn't recognize. He must be some no-name character, Kai thought.
Ayanokoji, of course, was seated to Horikita's left, right next to the window.
Those three: Ayanokoji, Horikita, and Sakura were actually the only ones in Class D that Kai cared about. They were among the few people he was considering bringing along when he eventually traveled to another world.
After scanning the room once more to confirm that everyone who should be in Class D was present and that there were no changes from the anime (aside from him replacing some random guy), the bell rang, and Chabashira entered the classroom.