First Impression

As Zion opened the door and stepped inside, a heavy atmosphere settled over him. The difference between the hallway and this classroom was striking the air felt thick with tension, almost suffocating. Yet, he didn't flinch. Instead, he walked in calmly, scanning the room.

His gaze landed on an empty seat at the back, right by the window. "Typical main character seat," he mused before striding toward it and sitting down.

The classroom was diverse. Different races, different backgrounds some human, some not. As a half-elf, he had the advantage of blending in, though he knew there were still those who held prejudices. "At least this school is better than my last one… I can actually communicate with different races here."

He counted the students fourteen, not including himself. "That makes fifteen. The teacher should be here by now." His expression darkened slightly. "Where the hell are they?"

Closing his eyes briefly, he muttered, "Gaze."

His irises gleamed as his ability activated. A surge of awareness spread through the room, allowing him to sense the energy of every presence. Fifteen signatures. "Good, nothing out of place," he noted, relaxing slightly.

His eyes drifted to his side, where a boy with wild, spiky orange hair sat fast asleep. Zion arched a brow. "Sleeping on the first day? This guy's got guts."

"Hey, Master. Do you know who our teacher's gonna be?" Zion asked internally.

"Nah. Last time I was here was fifteen years ago," Zero replied.

Zion smirked. "Damn, you're old as hell."

"What the fuck did you just say?!" Zero snapped.

"Nothing, nothing." Zion chuckled, leaning back in his chair, ready for whatever came next.

After a few minutes, a figure stepped inside a tall man with long, messy hair. He wore a black jacket over black pants, and a black rope hung loosely around his neck. As he entered, his voice rang out, filled with excitement.

"HELLO EVERYONE!"

The classroom's tense atmosphere immediately shifted. His tone was bright, full of energy.

"I'm your Class A teacher! You may know me as the hero Tangled, but today, I'm your teacher! You can just call me Felix Strauss!" He grinned, scanning the room.

His presence was overwhelming, radiating the aura of a battle-hardened hero, yet there was something undeniably carefree about him.

"Before we start, I will call out your ranks from Top 1 to Top 15. When I call your name, walk up here and introduce yourself!" He said with a bright smile, his excitement never fading.

Meanwhile, Zion's Thoughts…

"Hey, Master, I heard you used to take him into your agency?" Zion whispered, keeping his eyes on Felix.

"Yeah… about five years ago. He was pretty young back then," Zero replied, his voice carrying a hint of nostalgia.

Hearing the name Felix Strauss again triggered something in Zero's mind. With a simple thought command, he activated his ability.

"Info."

The Soul System allowed Zion and Zero to retrieve information buried deep in their memories. Even if they had forgotten someone long ago, the system could extract and compile everything relevant.

[Soul System Data Retrieval]

[Name:] Felix Strauss

[Race:] Pure Human

[Age:] 28

[Job:] Pro Hero, Teacher

[Abilities:] Bloodline Ability

[Type:] Utility – Boundless Coil

[Awakened:] Negative

[Family Status:] Positive

[Traits:] Cheerful, Honest

[Weakness:] Severe injuries in both forearms

Zero exhaled slowly, studying the profile. "So he still hasn't awakened… I guess talent manifests differently for everyone." He thought, shaking his head.

Just then, Felix's voice snapped everyone back to reality.

"First up, our Top 1 student of all students in Æ—please walk up here and introduce yourself!"

A movement beside Zion caught his attention.

The boy with orange, spiky hair who had been sleeping peacefully stood up without hesitation.

"Oh, so that's why he can afford to sleep... He's Top 1." Zion thought, narrowing his eyes slightly.

He wasn't sure why, but envy crept into his gaze.

Zero, however, chuckled darkly. "Tch. You're too damn slow, Zion. If you weren't slacking, you could've been Top 1 yourself."

Zion clenched his jaw.

"Shut up."

The top-ranked student stepped forward, his posture relaxed yet confident. His voice was calm, almost indifferent as he spoke.

"Leonhardt Eisen. You can call me Leo."

With that, he turned around and walked straight back to his seat, slumping into it and immediately closing his eyes as if nothing had happened.

Felix scratched his head awkwardly. "Okay... That was fast. Moving on! Top 2, please introduce yourself!"

A tall student stood up. His posture was upright, his uniform crisp, and his glasses spotless. He gave a warm, polite smile, his teeth gleaming under the light as he bowed gracefully.

"Hello, everyone. My name is Callix Oseer. It's an honor to meet you all."

He gave another respectful bow before returning to his seat.

Felix nodded approvingly. "Alright, thank you, Callix! Now, our Top 3 student please step forward!"

The moment she stood up, the atmosphere shifted.

A woman with sky-blue hair and star-shaped eyes glided to the front. Her aura radiated elegance, almost divine, making the students she passed momentarily breathless.

"Greetings, everyone. My name is Celestia Vaelthorne. I hail from the prestigious family of mystic arts users the noble House of Vaelthorne."

She gracefully bowed, her every movement polished, before returning to her seat.

Murmurs spread throughout the room.

"A Vaelthorne? No wonder she looks so untouchable..."

"Damn, she's dazzling. Is it magic, or is she just built different?"

Felix clapped his hands, bringing everyone back. "Thank you, Celestia! Now, Top 4, please introduce yourself."

The floor shook slightly as a massive figure stepped forward. His light green skin and towering frame made him stand out. His voice was deep, like distant thunder.

"Victor Gorvash. As you can see, I'm a half-orc. And no, I have no clue why my human dad decided to 'tap' a female orc."

The room fell into an awkward silence before someone choked back laughter.

Felix coughed into his fist. "A-Alright... Thank you, Victor. Moving on! Top 5, please step forward!"

Zion grinned.

"Time to make an impression."

"Give them a strong first impression, Zion," Zero said, smirking.

Zion walked forward with confidence, his white hair slicked back in a dramatic motion as he cast a divine-like gaze across the room.

"Hello, everyone~ I'm Zion Asyphre. If you're wondering whether I'm related to the biggest corporation in Germany, the answer is yes, I'm their son."

He smirked, arms crossed, as if waiting for the awe to set in.

Instead...

"The hell is this guy on about?"

"What's with that hair flip?"

"I think I'm gonna vomit."

Zion swaggered back to his seat, nudging Zero. "How was that?"

Zero barely held in his laughter. "That was... something. But yeah, I'm proud."

Felix clapped his hands. "Alright! After all that, we finally made it to our last student. Top 15, please introduce yourself!"

A familiar face stepped forward.

As she walked, her silver hair shimmered under the light, catching everyone's attention.

Zion's eyes widened. "It's her...!"

Zero's voice rang in his head. "Hey, it's the girl you saved back then."

"Yeah..." Zion muttered, still trying to process it. His thoughts raced.

"How the hell did she make it to the Top 15?"

But that didn't matter.

"She's in the same class as me!"

A sudden warmth spread through his chest, and before he knew it, his face turned slightly red.

The girl stopped at the front, her presence delicate yet composed.

"Hello, everyone. I'm Andrea Choi. I'm an exchange student from Korea."

Her voice was soft yet clear, carrying a gentle politeness that made some students sit up straighter.

She bowed gracefully. "Please be kind to me!"

As she returned to her seat, Zion felt his heart pound.

"Holy shit! I just figured out who's going to be my wife!"

Zero scoffed. "Don't forget why we're here."

Zion's expression shifted instantly.

His blush faded, replaced by a serious, determined gaze as he locked eyes with Zero.

"I know, Master."

A familiar face stepped forward.

As she walked, her silver hair shimmered under the light, catching everyone's attention.

Zion's eyes widened. "It's her...!"

Zero's voice rang in his head. "Hey, it's the girl you saved back then."

"Yeah..." Zion muttered, still trying to process it. His thoughts raced.

"How the hell did she make it to the Top 15?"

But that didn't matter.

"She's in the same class as me!"

A sudden warmth spread through his chest, and before he knew it, his face turned slightly red.

The girl stopped at the front, her presence delicate yet composed.

"Hello, everyone. I'm Andrea Choi. I'm an exchange student from Korea."

Her voice was soft yet clear, carrying a gentle politeness that made some students sit up straighter.

She bowed gracefully. "Please be kind to me!"

As she returned to her seat, Zion felt his heart pound.

"Holy shit! I just figured out who's going to be my wife!"

Zero scoffed. "Don't forget why we're here."

Zion's expression shifted instantly.

His blush faded, replaced by a serious, determined gaze as he locked eyes with Zero.

"I know, Master."

Felix clapped his hands together, a wide grin on his face. "Alright! Now that you've all introduced yourselves, it's time for the real fun."

He pointed toward the students. "You're going to be stuck with each other for a long time, so you better start getting along. I'll be stepping out for a bit use this time to talk, fight, flirt, or whatever you kids do these days."

A few students chuckled, while others exchanged glances. Felix turned on his heel, heading toward the door.

"Oh, and one more thing!" He stopped, looking over his shoulder.

"Don't kill each other. At least not today."

With that, he walked out.

The classroom fell into an uneasy silence. Some students looked around awkwardly, while others immediately formed small groups.

Zion leaned back in his chair, observing. He noticed Leo, the Top 1 student, still had his head down, clearly uninterested in socializing. Callix Oseer, the polite, well-mannered Top 2, was already in a discussion with Celestia Vaelthorne, the mystic arts prodigy.

Victor Gorvash, the half-orc, was surrounded by a few curious students. His deep, rumbling laughter echoed as he answered their questions.

Then, Zion's gaze landed on Andrea Choi.

She was sitting alone, flipping through a small notebook.

His heart skipped a beat.

"Now's your chance, dumbass," Zero teased.

Zion exhaled sharply, fixing his hair before casually standing up.

"Yeah, yeah. Watch me work."

As he walked toward her, a confident smirk tugged at his lips.

"Hey, Andrea, right?" He leaned slightly against her desk, his usual cocky energy present but slightly restrained.

She looked up, startled for a moment before smiling softly. "Oh… Zion, right?"

He nodded. "You remembered. I gotta say, I wasn't expecting to see you here. What made you enroll?"

Andrea closed her notebook, tucking it under her arm. "Well, I've always wanted to study abroad. Plus…" she hesitated before continuing, "I had a reason to come here."

Zion raised an eyebrow. "A reason?"

Before she could answer, a loud thud interrupted them.

Victor Gorvash had slammed his hands on his desk, his deep voice booming. "Alright, listen up, everyone!"

The room quieted.

The half-orc smirked. "Since we're gonna be competing against each other eventually, why don't we start with something fun? A quick match one-on-one duels. Let's see what we're all made of."

Zion's smirk widened.

"Now this… is gonna be interesting."