a king's throne or a freak's chair

After putting on my headphones, the advertisement panel inside the metro caught my attention. It was displaying the classic M-Diveace advertisement. A large portion of society already owned this device or one of its versions. To enter the device, you needed a rune called a Hand Rune. Yes, the world we live in is magical, but I suppose it's quite different from what's written in novels.

Around 12,000 years ago, martial arts masters roamed the world freely, but suddenly, the entire Aesir energy in the universe drastically decreased. Most high-level experts lost their ranks. The reason remains unknown, but after that moment, humanity fell into deep despair...

Some believed that God had abandoned the world because Aesir energy was already scarce. As a result, the number of fanatical religions that performed sacrificial rituals increased dramatically. According to them, humans had acted too arrogantly toward God, and in response, God began withholding energy from his treacherous children.

However, a brilliant scientist—whose name has been erased from history and is only known as the Genius—opened one final door of hope for humanity, guiding it toward science. The second great extinction of humankind was averted, thanks to science, but the remaining traces of Aesir energy in the world transformed into markings on people's bodies, known as "Hand Runes."

Out of a population of 45 billion, only 1.2 billion people lacked a Hand Rune. However, this didn't prevent them from enrolling in academies. Many academies still provided martial arts training, but it was akin to a human using performance-enhancing drugs—Hand Runes could only offer so much support. If you belonged to an elite family, one of the few remaining in possession of the world's rarest treasures, you could inherit a unique aura, further amplifying the strength of your fists.

The public was only given knowledge of auras by name—witnessing their effects in battle was the only way to learn more, which was nearly impossible. In this so-called era of peace, sparring matches were conducted in secrecy.

People like me, on the other hand, were cast out of society as Outcasts. Even though our numbers were small, Outcast colonies existed in various regions worldwide. We typically handled the indulgences of others. Many missionaries and wealthy individuals took Outcasts to fulfill their BDSM fantasies or simply for the pleasure of killing us.

Those who used their brains tried to earn scholarships from scientific institutions. These battles were a war of minds—a relentless struggle for recognition. It was a massive injustice because many of us who passed these exams had far greater knowledge than the Half-Cultivators, yet status was blind to logic. At the very least, we didn't have to waste our lives in the service sector.

Anyway, back to the M-Diveace—this device was developed by the pioneers of the scientific revolution. It functioned as a sort of miniature space-time wormhole. It transported us to Murim's golden age, to an era before Aesir energy had diminished. The first prototype was rumored to have been created using the elemental power of a High-Cultivator, but these claims were swiftly erased by the device's current anonymous manufacturer. In essence, we were reliving the past.

The purpose of playing was likely for entertainment or profit since the game had no real impact on our present world. Yet, despite this, the number of active users had surpassed 40 billion, meaning almost every household owned one of these devices.

And when I say "device," don't imagine something massive—it was a 12-spiral talisman. One could consider it the modern-day counterpart of ancient treasures, though without public access to information on these relics, that remained a mere assumption...

Before I could think any further, the metro finally stopped at the school station. I hadn't even managed to read a single page of my book.

METRO ANNOUNCEMENT:"Heiswell Scientific Institute Station reached. Please exit through the doors. The doors will close in 45 seconds."

As soon as I heard the announcement, I stepped out. Sometimes, I would get stuck in the crowd and miss my stop due to inexperience. The moment I exited, it felt as if I had arrived in an entirely different place. The streets were lively and peaceful. The previous unpleasant scent had seemingly vanished from existence.

It was colossal—truly enormous. From its gardens to its buildings, everything looked as if it was built for titans. Perhaps the cultivators missed their days of grandeur, but who cared?

I walked toward the school at a slow pace, listening to my lecture review podcasts. After about 10-12 minutes, I finally reached the school gate. The entrance resembled an oversized ancient door. It would open in the morning and close in the evening. The closing sound was eerie—it could be heard from two to three kilometers away.

Upon entering, I was greeted by more than thirty staircases. Thankfully, the school guides made it easy to find our classrooms.

I entered Class A-2-X—A for the staircase, 2 for the turn, X for the section. The classroom was relatively small. It resembled a Roman hippodrome. I had never seen one in real life, but it looked exactly like the illustrations in books.

I slowly walked to my seat, feeling both envious and hesitant as I listened to the laughter of my classmates. It felt as if they were laughing at me, but at the same time, I wanted to be noticed. I quietly took a seat in the far-left corner—what the others called the "Freak's Chair."

Then, I turned up the volume of my music as high as I could. At the very least, it made me feel as if I was somewhere else.

I closed my eyes for a while. After about four or five songs, the teacher entered the classroom...