Inside a classroom, the air buzzed with the energy of the first day of school. Students chatted freely and exchanged contact information while waiting for the homeroom teacher to arrive.
Near the back, two boys leaned toward each other.
"Did you see the results posted this morning?" one whispered excitedly.
"Yeah," the other replied. "She scored the highest."
"That's Ember Strife from the Cindercrest Bloodline," a girl said, leaning into their conversation.
The boys' eyes lit up, and all three of them glanced toward the front of the room.
Ember sat alone at the first desk near the entrance.
Her posture was straight, almost rigid, as if she were the only person in the room who believed this was still a place meant for learning. A cascade of crimson red hair fell down her back like a flame caught in still air. Even in a room filled with students, the color alone made her impossible to ignore.
She was the talk of the class.
Some whispered about her family. Others talked about her powers. A few simply stared because they thought she was beautiful.
"I can't believe she's actually in our class," a girl murmured.
"I heard her cousin is here too," another added. "They say he's just as good looking—maybe even more."
The girls froze for a second… then slowly turned to each other.
"More?"
"More."
A collective, very un-subtle giggle broke out.
Teeheehee
Meanwhile, a group of boys huddled together in the back as if scheming a plan.
"She doesn't talk to anyone."
"I heard she rejected three people already."
"No way."
"Way."
"Like… politely rejected or emotionally destroyed?"
"Bro, one of them changed classes."
"Respect."
Meanwhile, Ember closed her eyes as the noise was beginning to irritate her.
Then, a boy stood and nervously made his way to Ember. He stood by her desk.
"I— I apologize for disturbing you!" he blurted, bowing his head so deeply his head nearly touched his toes.
Ember slowly opened her eyes. Her gaze landed on the boy, but her expression carried the weight of someone who had absolutely no patience left.
"…What do you want?" she asked coolly.
The boy nearly jumped. "I—I just wanted to say—"
Before he could finish, the door swung open, and Landen stepped into the room.
Gasps were heard, and the atmosphere changed instantly.
They recognized him, the prisoner from earlier, the one in the red jumpsuit. Even though Landen was devoid of energy, his earlier actions had left a lasting impression. In their eyes, he was still a dangerous criminal.
Landen stopped beside the stuttering boy and calmly scanned the room.
"There they are, my opponents," he said out loud, but really it was just meant for the system. "What can you tell me about these people?"
"Allow me a moment…" the system replied. "By my count, there are forty individuals present. However, I possess no knowledge of their strength or standing."
Landen narrowed his eyes. "Don't you have some kind of scanning or inspection ability?"
"I do not," the system answered plainly. "And Nor do you."
Landen sighed. "Alright… then I guess I'll have to figure it out myself."
He glanced at the nervous boy standing beside him and tapped him on the forehead.
Landen glared at him as he waited for a response, but the boy was frozen from fear.
"May I ask, what are you doing?" the system asked.
"How do I make him talk?" Once again, Landen spoke out loud.
"I believe you are mistaken. This realm is no video game. The people before you are not mindless constructs, or what you call MPCs. They are living beings."
Landen smacked his own forehead. "Oh yeah… duh," he said loudly.
With the menu hovering in his vision, it really did feel like he was inside a VR game, which was why he had been treating it like one.
"Don't hurt me," the boy said, frightened. He covered his head, anticipating a strike.
But Landen didn't even look at him. He was still busy scrolling through the menu while communicating with the system.
Everyone watched as his eyes flicked back and forth, as if he were tracking an invisible mosquito buzzing through the room. Landen was deep into whatever he was doing, and whenever he concentrated, he had a strange tendency to move his lips in odd, awkward directions.
To the students, it was the strangest behavior they had ever seen.
"Is he on drugs? His face is twitching," one student whispered.
"I swear he hasn't blinked in like ten seconds," someone said from the back.
"Maybe he's possessed."
"…If he starts crawling on the ceiling, I'm leaving."
"He just looked at me."
"He looked through you, bro. That's worse."
As Landen continued to stand there, Ember's patience began to wear thin.
What is wrong with this idiot…
The classroom had already been noisy enough before, and now this strange boy had somehow made it even more unbearable.
If he doesn't sit down in the next minute, I'm lighting him on fire.
But when their eyes finally met, Landen found himself staring into the most beautiful pair of hazel-red eyes. Normally, he would never be able to resist a beautiful woman's gaze. But instead of being captivated, his face twisted into a grotesque expression. His eyes narrowed, and his lips curled as if he had just tasted something disgusting.
They both quickly looked away, and the same thought crossed their minds.
What was that?
Curiosity got the better of them, and they both turned back to look at each other.
Ember stared at him intensely. Meanwhile, Landen's face twitched before twisting into an expression that could only be described as painful disgust.
No one had ever looked at her like that before. Her stomach sank as if the floor had suddenly dropped beneath her.
It felt like… defeat.
Not a word had been spoken between them, yet the feeling was unmistakable—she got rejected.
Landen didn't say anything. He simply walked past her, one hand covering his eyes while the other pressed against his head, as though he were dealing with a headache.
Ember turned in her seat, and the moment she did, she saw the rest of the classroom staring.
Every pair of eyes had followed that silent exchange.
Her heart dropped even further.
They saw it.
They saw the way he looked at her. They saw him walk past her without a second thought.
They saw him reject her.
The hollow feeling in her chest twisted, tightening until it burned. The brief sting of loss transformed into something hotter—something sharp and furious.
Ember's fingers curled against the desk as heat began to rise in her veins.
Now she was fuming.
But before she could do anything, the classroom door opened.
"Hello, everyone."