"Man, I'm so nervous...where did Jeremy go? How could he miss the chance to get a class!" a fat, fair-haired boy said under his breath.
"I have no idea, shouldn't you have come together? How come you're here alone?" a bespectacled, petite-built boy replied, seriously sorry for what was happening.
"Well, yes, it's true, but when I went through his room he was nowhere to be found. I even asked around, but nothing. He seems to have disappeared. I'm worried about him, could he have gotten into trouble?" a frown formed on Ivan's face, the fat boy with light hair.
Ivan and Jeremy, along with the other boy, Nathan, were a group of childhood friends, always together.
The academy was a place where only those with strong spirits survived. Besides studying, the academy was the best place to learn how to fight. Every student knew how to fight, no matter what class they awakened, hand-to-hand combat was essential for any kind of awakened person.
"Caught in trouble? Jeremy? It would be strange the other way around, surely he was up to something. Heck, he could have at least waited until he woke up. I hope nothing serious happened to him-"
"Hey guys, isn't one of them missing? Where did that loser friend of yours go?"
Suddenly, a voice snapped the two to attention.
A red-haired beauty stood before them. While she could not be called a beauty capable of toppling kingdoms and cities, she was still a beauty. She was in the academy's top 10, despite being like them, an ordinary citizen.
She had always been the center of attention because of this, but she never acted disliked. That was why so many boys had fallen in love with her.
Among them was Jeremy.
Despite the woman's constant rejections, Jeremy never gave up.
All that changed when, a few days before artificial awakening, he managed to get a rare class through natural awakening.
There was nothing to add except for the fact that, just before the day of the artificial awakening, Jennie had awakened naturally.
Her awakening obviously attracted the attention of many nobles. Not that she did not have their attention before. She had always been beautiful, this had already attracted many nobles, but no one was really interested in making a move on her, after all, in this world beauty is nothing without strength.
All that changed the moment she awakened. She obtained a class powerful enough to attract the attention of more than one nobleman.
And for an ordinary citizen, what was the fastest way to gain power? To rely on a noble, clearly.
And that is what Jennie had done, choosing to be with the eldest son of the Yannin family, Archie Yannin.
Their family possessed a centuries-old heritage. The patriarchs of this family were a couple of individuals with a fire-related class. They had 3 children and all three awakened natural fire-related classes.
Because of their strength they were able to earn a name for themselves at the border, gaining military merits of note.
In turn, their offspring obtained fire-related classes and thus the legacy took shape. With power, military merit and generations of individuals with good skills their family rose, becoming in effect lords.
Archie was the eldest son of the current patriarch of the Yannin family, the 6th generation to be exact.
That was why he was the best choice for Jennie, awakened as an Infernal Sorceress, a class related to the Fire element.
Suddenly, Ivan snapped toward her.
"You, damn you, what have you done to Jeremy? Tell us where he is!!!" with a flushed face and frowning eyebrows, Ivan walked toward Jennie, who quickly took two steps backward, effortlessly.
Gaining a class and powerful abilities was not the only advantage of an awakened one. With awakening, every single ability of a human being was enhanced many times over. This was even more visible for an awakened natural like Jennie.
'What speed'
With a frown on his face, Nathan watched coldly as Jennie walked away, thinking about how much stronger she had become in the space of a short time. If before they could be described as more or less similar in strength, they now belonged to two different worlds.
"Hmpf, don't you dare think you can lay your hands on me, you creep."
Disdain was visible on the girl's face, and she turned her head to the other side, avoiding looking Ivan in the face.
After awakening her class her true nature came out.
Ordinary citizens could no longer satisfy her ego, so she began to behave shamelessly with all of them.
"What did you do to Jeremy? Why is he not here? We all know what you are capable of, you are the only reason Jeremy is not here with us right now. Tell me Jennie, what have you done to him!" a furious scream echoed from Ivan's mouth.
This drew the attention of countless people, and a lot of stares were directed at their location.
Suddenly, a strong presence filled the air. It was as if a boulder was placed on top of Ivan and Nathan, who nearly dropped to their knees.
"Ei worm, tone it down when you talk to my woman," a calm but powerful voice crossed Ivan's ears.
Immediately after, a fist struck his abdomen.
Saliva and blood came out of the boy's mouth, which fortunately did not soil the figure's uniform.
Behind Ivan, Nathan was startled. He clenched his teeth tightly, wanting to intervene, but a powerless nobody like him had no way to help.
Although Ivan was shaken, he did not relent. They were still inside the academy, under the gazes of numerous teachers; therefore, nothing out of the ordinary would happen.
These were Ivan's thoughts, but reality did not always follow logic. Everyone kept watching, no one intervened to calm the situation and seek explanations for what had happened. No one cared about an ordinary citizen like him.
Ivan knew this, but this situation caused in him a deep sense of disgust with the world, with the nobles and with those who stood by and did not intervene.
No one intervened to oppose Archie. All that could be heard around was laughter from other nobles who stood there watching the spectacle
"What is that look, worm? Do you want to kill me?"
"Pathetic, just like that toad who lusted for the flesh of a swan. What was his name again? Je...mi... I don't even remember, who knows what happened to him, maybe he died." A smile came out of Archie Yannis' lips as he threw another punch, this time in the boy's face. He was showing his dominance.
Not only against Ivan, the direct target of his fury, but indirectly on all the other ordinary citizens as well, amplifying the fear they had of the nobles.
Ivan and Nathan opened their eyes wide upon hearing the nobleman's words. They never expected Archie to have killed their friend.
Tears were beginning to form on their faces, not only from the pain of Jeremy's disappearance, but mostly from anger. Anger at the nobleman and at themselves for their lack of strength.
If only they had had a natural awakening it would have been easier to take revenge. They would have died trying, but surely, they would have taken revenge.
Instead, now, they were powerless. Let alone a natural awakening. They still had to perform the artificial one.
"Why...did you do that?" a weak but firm voice came out of Nathan's mouth.
They at least wanted to know why their friend had been killed. He could be stupid and always get into trouble, but he knew when to stop. He would never do something so reckless that it would cost him his life.
After some thought, Archie decided to tell them.
"I will only tell you because today is a good day, you are about to get stronger. You should celebrate," a grin escaped his lips.
"The only reason your friend is dead is because he has continued to behave sympathetically toward my new estate," pointing to the girl with bright red hair.
"Where would my face be if I had let him go, huh?"
'Asshole,' Jennie thought.
A frown formed on her face when Archie called her his property, but it disappeared the same instant it appeared.
"It should be worm food by now, literally."
Just as Archie had finished speaking, a loud scream resounded throughout the academy courtyard.
***
"Silence."
A mighty voice came from the man at Rose's side.
"Let those who must awaken come forward. The rest can wait in the back."
The black-haired man issued an order and, like trained soldiers, the young boys of the academy, those who did not naturally awaken, fell into line.
Ivan and Nathan were no exception. Though dissatisfied, sad, angry, and disappointed, they moved on.
With their eyes down they followed the crowd of boys who, like them, would awaken their class this morning.