Chapter: 11

As Nitish wandered through the academy grounds, he noticed several students casually using phones. His eyes widened slightly, and a smirk formed on his lips.

"Thank god this world has phones. That makes life a little easier. But… do they connect to the internet of this world? If they do, I need to get one ASAP."

His thoughts quickly shifted.

"Wait… how do I even earn money in this academy? Am I supposed to do quests or take on jobs? Hell, first thing I should worry about is getting some proper clothes. I can't keep wearing these forever."

With that in mind, he made his way back to his dorm room.

After shutting the door behind him, he lit a cigarette, leaned back against the wall, and put on some music from his old world's phone. The familiar tunes provided a strange sense of comfort.

"At least I still have this." He exhaled a cloud of smoke, closing his eyes.

The next morning, Nitish woke up and immediately groaned. His clothes were the same, and he still didn't have a toothbrush.

"Damn, I really need to go shopping." He sighed, taking a quick shower before heading out in his same old clothes.

As he reached the assembly hall, he spotted his friends Karl, Marco, and William already waiting.

Marco was the first to greet him. "Hey, I heard they're distributing uniforms today."

"Really?" William asked excitedly. "Man, I swear, walking around in these same clothes is so embarrassing. Everyone else looks fresh, but look at us! We look like a bunch of homeless guys."

"You're not wrong," Nitish admitted with a chuckle.

"By the way, which courses are you guys taking?" Marco asked.

"Combat, of course," Karl replied immediately.

Marco nodded before turning to Nitish. "What about you?"

"I don't know what courses are available," Nitish said casually. "I'll just choose on the spot when they give us the options."

William, who had been waiting for someone to ask him, suddenly spoke up. "What about me? Don't you want to know what class I'll choose?"

"No," Karl, Marco, and Nitish replied simultaneously.

William's face twitched. "You guys are so rude."

Before they could continue teasing him, someone called out from behind.

"Marco!"

The group turned to see a short, stocky, wide-framed young man with a round face, thick arms, and a barrel chest. His green hair was slightly unkempt, and he had a grin that seemed permanently fixed on his face.

Marco's eyes lit up. "Bruno!" He turned to his friends. "Guys, this is Bruno. He's from District 39. We used to go to the same school. He was my junior, and we took the same bus every day."

Karl was the first to offer a handshake. "Nice to meet you, Bruno."

Bruno grabbed Karl's hand firmly, giving it an almost crushing squeeze. Karl's face stiffened, and he forced a smile as he barely held on.

"Nice to meet you, Karl," Bruno said with that same ever-present grin that made it hard to tell whether he was serious or joking.

Bruno then turned to Nitish and extended his hand. Nitish reached out to shake it, but the moment their hands met, a shock ran through his arm.

"What the hell?! It feels like I'm shaking hands with a mountain!" Nitish thought, but he didn't flinch.

Bruno's eyes narrowed slightly. He was testing Nitish's strength, and to his surprise, Nitish was holding up without even showing discomfort.

Nitish smirked slightly. "The name's Nitish."

Bruno let go of his hand and crossed his arms. "Are you a Titanborn as well?"

Before Nitish could answer, Karl spoke up. "Oh, no. He's a Riftstalker."

Bruno's eyes widened in shock. "Wait… what? Are you serious?"

Nitish shrugged. "Yeah, why?"

Bruno stared at him for a few seconds before bursting into laughter. "Dude, I'm a level 1 Titanborn with a C-rank dormant potential, and my Strength is 32—but you just withstood my grip like it was nothing."

Nitish kept his smirk. "So?"

Bruno narrowed his eyes again. "That means one of two things. Either your rank is higher than mine, or… you're actually a level 2 and just messing with me."

Nitish let out a low chuckle. "I promise you, I'm just a level 1 Riftstalker." He paused for a moment, then added, "And yeah, my dormant rank is higher than yours."

Bruno stared at him before grinning even wider. "Holy crap! That's insane!"

From the side, William—who had been listening quietly—suddenly shouted.

"WAIT, WAIT, WAIT! So you mean to tell me not only do you have a unique class, but you're also a B-rank on top of that?!"

Bruno turned to William and shook his head. "No, no, no… It's definitely not B-rank."

William looked confused. "What do you mean?"

Bruno folded his arms. "I'd bet money that he's at least A-rank."

William gasped dramatically. "A?! What the actual hell?! That's even rarer than B!"

Nitish sighed. "Alright, alright, let's not make a big deal out of this."

Karl nodded in agreement. "Yeah, this isn't the kind of thing you want people overhearing. The last thing you need is unwanted attention."

Bruno grinned again. "Fine, fine, I'll keep quiet… for now."

With Bruno now part of the group, the atmosphere became even livelier.

"So, Bruno," Marco said, "what courses are you taking?"

"Combat training, obviously," Bruno replied. "I need to maximize my Titanborn potential."

Karl nodded. "Makes sense. Titanborns are brute-force warriors, right?"

"Exactly," Bruno said, flexing his thick arms. "But I also want to see what other options are out there."

"Same," Nitish said. "I'll figure out my courses when they give us the choices."

William groaned. "You guys have it so easy. I still don't even know what I should pick."

"You're a Priest," Marco reminded him. "Shouldn't you take support-based courses?"

William grumbled. "Yeah, but support skills don't sound as cool as throwing fireballs or swinging a giant sword, you know?"

Nitish laughed. "You better start liking it, or you're gonna die in a real fight."

William crossed his arms, pouting. "Ugh… maybe I should've picked something else."

"You didn't pick anything," Karl said, shaking his head. "Classes are based on dormant potential. You got Priest because that's what you're suited for."

Bruno smirked. "Yeah, don't fight destiny, my guy."

William groaned. "You guys suck."

Nitish smirked. "Get used to it."

As the group continued chatting, the academy's announcement system suddenly activated.

"All new students, please proceed to the main hall for your course selection and uniform distribution."

Nitish stretched. "Finally. Let's go."

With that, the group of five walked toward their next step at the academy—completely unaware of the challenges and dangers that awaited them.