The sound of the punch wasn't loud.
Not like in action movies.
There were no dramatic sound effects or suspenseful music. Just the dull thud of bone meeting flesh, followed by the collective intake of breath from the spectators.
Jeffrey Cain was sent flying.
His skinny body lifted off the ground, slammed against the hard wall at the back of the classroom, bounced, and crumpled like an old sack. His glasses were flung across the floor, skidding beneath the front row seats. A few students snickered. One even gave a soft clap.
"So weak," said Luke Spence, the one who had hit him.
Broad-shouldered, chiseled like stone, with a dead-eyed gaze that resembled a killing machine built for one purpose: domination.
Three others stood behind him.
Alicia Sylvara, the redhead with a habit of playing with her prey. Isabelle Ribery, elegant yet sadistic, as if other people's suffering was her personal entertainment. And Henry Lykos, who carried a cold aura and smiled faintly every time someone screamed.
But the center of it all... wasn't them.
She sat like a queen on a crystal throne.
Her long white hair flowed like snow dancing in a silent storm. Her silver eyes held no light—only stillness. Cold. Judging. Alluring.
Liana Frostine.
Her beauty was undeniable.
She looked like a painting too flawless for this world—rosy cheeks like peonies, naturally red lips seemingly made to whisper death, and moonlit skin untouched by sunlight. There were fine, nearly invisible hairs on the back of her neck, and her ears curved like the seductive snow foxes of legend.
She looked so delicate, like a pure fairy unaware of the world's cruelty.
That's probably what most would think upon seeing her.
It was what Jeffrey thought when he first laid eyes on her.
But they were far from ordinary students.
Luke Spence, Alicia Sylvara, Isabelle Ribery, and Henry Lykos—each one not just powerful, but chosen. Born with extraordinary talent even among future heroes.
Sponsored by top hero corporations, noble families, and secret military agencies, they had been investments since their first year. Their names were printed in the academy brochure. Their faces appeared on holographic displays during orientation.
They were the Top 10—the elite of Star Knight Academy.
And Liana Frostine?
She wasn't just number one.
She was the icon.
Daughter of the Frostine family—a super-noble bloodline with deep roots in the hero guilds. She had already signed with the Polaris Guild, one of the strongest organizations on the continent, before she even turned eighteen.
Their futures had already been written.
After graduation, they were guaranteed to become professional heroes. The symbols of their sponsors gleamed on their uniform badges—a small but conspicuous emblem, marking them not as students, but walking investments.
And Jeffrey…?
His last name meant nothing.
No connections.
No sponsor.
No power.
He was a zero in the academy's data sheets. A quota student, a sympathy product of the scholarship system, an anomaly surviving not through strength—but because his theoretical exam scores were too high to ignore.
.
Liana crossed her long legs, revealing a glimpse of thigh beneath her snow-white uniform skirt—shortened well beyond school regulations. Her crystal earrings swayed slightly, reflecting light like shards of ice.
"Pathetic," Liana whispered, her voice like a cold wind slipping into your bones. "I almost feel sorry for you. Almost. But you bore me, Jeffrey."
Soft laughter rippled through the class.
Jeffrey tried to get up.
His knees trembled, pain stabbed at his gut like a knife from the inside. One eye was swollen shut, and blood dripped from the corner of his mouth. Sweat and dust stained his once-white uniform.
He looked at his glasses on the floor. Cracked.
The right lens was shattered.
"Please…" he whispered, barely audible.
"Hmm?" Henry stepped forward. "What was that?"
A kick landed on Jeffrey's face.
CRACK.
A small fracture bloomed across his cheekbone.
He collapsed again, this time unmoving.
The crack echoed louder than before. Some students stopped laughing. A few looked down. But no one stepped in.
Until the sound of heels clicking filled the room.
Click. Click. Click.
Their teacher—Mrs Daphne Vehl—appeared at the doorway. A beautiful woman known for her intelligence, her striking figure, and... her indifference to justice.
Her wavy red hair was tied to the side, framing a mature face and breasts that constantly distracted male students. Her lips were red, her gaze sharp—not with anger, but with apathy.
"Child…" she said lazily, "aren't you tired of playing around?"
No scolding.
No threat of punishment.
Just a bored glance at Jeffrey's trembling form on the floor, followed by a weary smile.
"Take your seats. The bell rang a while ago."
Luke, Alicia, and the others returned to their seats unhurriedly.
As if nothing had happened.
Henry adjusted his collar and chuckled before walking off.
But Liana didn't leave immediately.
She walked slowly toward Jeffrey. The sound of her heels felt like death ticking down.
Jeffrey held his breath. The blood on his lips had begun to dry, and he could smell the faint lily-scented perfume from her presence.
Liana knelt before him.
Their faces were only inches apart now.
Her silver eyes bore into his like she could read his deepest thoughts.
"This is a warning, Jeffrey," she whispered. "Don't try to rise above us. Don't even think about learning."
She lifted his chin gently with one cold finger.
"It's pointless for someone like you."
Jeffrey wanted to resist.
But what could he do?
He had no strength.
No money.
No family.
He was just a poor orphan who made it into Star Knight Academy for one reason: his intelligence.
But in this school…
Power was everything.
The social structure was a pyramid.
At the top stood those born with immense gifts—bloodlines, heritage, natural abilities honed since infancy.
And he... he didn't even have a single superpower.
He was just a normal boy trapped among predators.
And the one person with authority in the room had just proven the system would never be on his side.
"If you still insist on taking the midterms," Liana said softly, "then I'll make sure what happened today feels like a warm hug in comparison."
She stood.
Turned.
Her long white hair fluttered behind her as she walked back to her seat.
Sunlight poured through the window, casting a glow over her face—making her look like an angel.
A snow angel who judged the world from her throne.
Jeffrey said nothing.
His body trembled, not from pain...
But from realization.
In this place, in this world…
There was no room for someone like him.
But deep in the shattered corners of his mind—amid the blood and defeat—something stirred. A whisper within the void of his broken will.
A crack in consciousness, faint but undeniable.
Like a ticking clock… in reverse.
░▒▓[CHRONO SYSTEM INTERFACE]▓▒░
User: Jeffrey Cain
Initial Synchronization: 0.1%
Status: Triggered by extreme stress