The day after the test, in the main hall of the First Years building, a large crowd was gathered in front of the gigantic Rankings Board.

Zeke, who was feeling apprehensive and, for the first time ever, went out of his way to check the board, couldn't get close enough. Eventually, after a bit of shoving and squeezing around, he managed to push through and get a good look at the list.

In total, there were five classes for the First Years; A, B, C, D, and E. Zeke was in Class E, however, the Rankings were for all the first-year students.

Excluding the Defects, which included him until yesterday, there were exactly 121 ranked on the board, with the 121th being the weakest in terms of prowess.

Zeke knew he had performed rather well in the three tests, especially the last one. Nonetheless, he did not expect a high ranking, after all, many students had remarkable abilities.

Much to his surprise, Zeke found himself ranked 49th, which was above average and a worthy feat as he just had been put on the list.

Now, there were 122 students on the list as Zeke pushed the previous 49th to the 50th position. Apart from a couple of famous first years and some of his classmates, Zeke did not recognize the names above him.

At the very top, he saw Julia Lopmore, ranking 2nd, though that was to be expected. Not only did she hail from a powerful family, but she also inherited her father's powers and, unlike her lacking enthusiasm in Theoretical stuff, she was quite hard-working in the practical lessons and individual training.

Zeke noticed that several people were sneaking glances at him and whispering to each other, but he paid them no heed. He made his way out of the ground, planning to go to class, but his path was blocked by someone.

"Hey, you!"

"...Me?"

Zeke looked around then pointed at himself, slightly confused.

"Yes! You're the Defect of class E, right? That Zeke Orland!"

The teenager pointed at the board, looking a bit annoyed. He was the same height as Zeke, had a triangular face, a particularly long and pointy nose, and sharp emerald eyes.

"I'm Samuel Valort from Class B! I challenge you!"

Samuel wasn't behaving in an overly-aggressive manner, he just seemed bitter.

Hearing no response from Zeke, Samuel stomped the ground, "You took my spot! I want it back."

His unnecessarily loud voice attracted attention, so Zeke shook his head and passed him. He had anticipated a reaction like this before he even showed his abilities, and though he was planning to climb the rankings, it was still too early for that. He wasn't going to accept all challenges thrown at him as that would be foolish.

The fewer people knew about his real abilities, the better.

'49th, huh... Azmer is 24th. It won't be easy to deal with his Pyromancy.'

Alas, Samuel was quite stubborn. He followed Zeke and kept pestering him.

"Why are you acting cowardly? It's only natural that I try to get my spot back! I worked hard for it."

"Could you leave me alone? You're annoying."

"If you accept, I'll leave!"

"..."

In the end, Samuel followed him all the way to the classroom and only left after the bell rang for the third time, which indicated that the lessons were about to start.

"I'll be returning!" He left those words and dashed away.

Zeke inwardly grumbled and took his seat, feeling many a gaze land on him.

"49th! Not bad!"

As was her wont, Julia was leaning against her table and looking down at him. She had a wide smile, one that contained a bit of pride as if she was looking at a disciple of hers.

"What's with your obnoxious clinginess? Aren't you usually busy with your delinquent friends?"

Zeke snorted and coldly spat those words, but the girl pushed back her beige hair and shrugged in disinterest.

"Rebecca is skipping Christopher's class. I'd love to, but exams are approaching and I need good grades this time."

"Then go study instead of... doing this."

"Oh, come on! I'm happy that our class' Defect has grown up. I won't lag behind either, hehehehe..."

She playfully winked at him and, with a lower voice, whispered, "Soon, I'm going to steal the first place! I'll be the strongest amongst all first years."

"Good luck with that." He waved his hand at her and buried his head in the book.

The little bit of warranted attention Zeke had to experience made him feel mildly uncomfortable. Even during lunchtime, he couldn’t enjoy a peaceful breakfast with Amelia as Samuel sat next to him and incessantly issued his challenges.

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

…

“We need to talk… privately.”

Unexpectedly, at the end of the last lesson of the day, Azmer walked to Zeke’s desk and uttered those words. He only did that after making sure Julia had left, he also did not act friendly or arrogant like the past. Zeke was sure he did not regret his actions, he was only careful and calculative.

While Rodrick might have been a relatively opponent, Azmer was somewhat known not only thanks to his Fire ability, but also thanks to his overly-accomplished older brother. Put simply, Azmer had a reputation to uphold, which was why he made sure Rodrick all the ‘beatings’ while he contented with watching and sneering.

After a brief pondering, Zeke nodded to the blond-haired young man and followed him outside. Unsurprisingly, they went to the selfsame spot Zeke used to be bullied at. With Rodrick absent, Azmer was eerily quiet and awfully composed as he faced Zeke.

“I see you’ve been hiding your powers. A good tactic, indeed.”

“What do you want, Azmer?”

Azmer smiled and paced around as he explained, “Your did Rodrick quite dirty, you know. He was thoroughly beaten by his father and ordered to not cause any more trouble. You should go and apologize to him.”

“Apologize?” Zeke let out a mocking laughter as soon as he heard those words. “You want me to apologize? It should be the other way around. You two bullied me for almost a year just because I’m a Defect.”

“Hm? Being a Defect was only part of the reason. Strength is all that matters, either in Erys or outside. You were an easy and weak target… never fighting back.”

“So I was supposed to retaliate and get beaten harder? Don’t try to validate your actions.”

Feeling a bit emotional, Zeke took a deep breath and grinned at his classmate, “You did that to make yourself feel powerful. After all, compared to your brother, you’re nothing.”

Zeke expected a strong reaction from Azmer, but the latter did not lash out in rage or anger. He chuckled as he snapped his fingers and fiddled with a small fireball. “Look who’s talking. Edward Orland was a pioneer… a prodigy. Your sister Maxine is no less talented either. In some ways, we are a bit similar, Zeke. However, I turned out to be slightly luckier.”

“We shall see how much luck will carry you. Sooner or later, I will wipe the ground with your face… this is a promise.”

Having nothing else to add, Zeke turned around to leave.

“You really should apologize to Rodrick. Given how distraught he currently is, he might call his father’s men again.”

“Let them come.”

Azmer leaned against the wall and watched Zeke leave the secluded area. After a bit of time passed, the teenager clicked his tongue and loudly said,“Since when the Lopmores became eavesdropping rats?”

“I see that Zeke wasn’t the only one to grow some balls in the recent days.”

Julia appeared from an inconspicuous corner, an easy-going expression on her face. “And here I thought you were going to try something. Too bad you’re smarter than your stupid friend.”

“…”

Azmer looked at her in silence, his expression much more serious. The girl, on the other hand, was relaxed as she stopped in front of him, her eyes containing curiosity and a bit of confusion.

“Why did you warn him? Surely you’re not doing this out of kindness.”

“Does it matter? He didn’t seem to care.”

“It does matter to me, though.”

Unfortunately for her, Azmer did not deign to offer an answer.

----------------------------------------

After talking to Azmer, Zeke was going to directly head home but Samuel popped out of nowhere.

“I told you I’m not going to fight.”

“Come on, I’ll beat you real quick!”

“…”

Zeke rolled his eyes and quickened his steps but Samuel was like glue.

“Are you going home?”

“Yes.”

“That’s so boring! Come with me to a karaoke and let’s see who sings better! I bet I am!”

“No.”

“Jeez! Are you always this gloomy? The Defect in my class is also a loner.”

“I never said I’m a loner.”

“But you are. I reckon I’m the only person you talked with today. Heh!”

Samuel circled around him while making comical grimaces and flexing his shallow muscles. He followed Zeke to Kethra’s Arms, talking non-stop and having absolutely no filters.

“By the way, what’s your power? Must be quite cool for them to directly place you 49th.”

Even when Zeke did not respond, which was most of the time, Samuel did not give up. He commented about any triviality and did not seem to be bothered by Zeke’s passiveness.

“Enough! I don’t want to be your friend or hang out with you!”

Eventually, Zeke snapped at Samuel, which erased the beaming smile off his face.

“I…”

Caught off-guard, the youth lowered his head and just stood there. Zeke did not wait for him and continued walking, relieved that it was finally over. He was preoccupied with how to deal with Rodrick were he to camp near his apartment and Samuel’s pestering was getting rather annoying. Admittedly, Zeke was lacking social skills, but he did not care about that. His main objective was getting stronger and making his life better, not befriending other students.

The trip to the subway station was quiet and uneventful, for a time, at least. As he was absent-minded, Zeke unwittingly bumped into someone, which snapped him out of it. Before him, there was a boy younger than him laying on the ground and groaning in pain as he held onto his right arm. There was a wheelchair beside the boy, from which he fell.

“What have you done?!”

A short-haired woman knelt next to the boy and checked on him before yelling at Zeke, consequently attracting the attention of everyone.

“My mistake, sorry.”

Zeke immediately apologize, but the woman wasn’t having it. With a distorted face, she yelled again, “You think an apology will cut it? Look! My son has injured his arm!”

“…”

The boy in question was looking at the ground and sobbing, seemingly in pain. Zeke scrutinized him for a bit then glanced at the woman. As things were escalating, three men stepped from the crowd.

“What else do you want me to do?”

“What? You pushed my disabled son! Look… everyone here is a witness! I demand compensation!”

“You’re from Erys, right? Tsk tsk… we get that you’re rich and all, but you have to show respect and sincerity.” One of the three men, a muscular and tall baldy, clicked his tongue and approached Zeke.

‘Oh… con artists. Great.’

The ruse wasn’t hard to guess, nevertheless, it was unwise to reveal the truth, especially since the boy was actually disabled.

“You mean you want monetary compensation? I have no money on me.”

The baldy grabbed Zeke’s shoulder and pressed his hand, exerting a lot of force. While leaning his egg-shaped head closer, he muttered, “Don’t bullshit us, boy. Pay up.”

“Ah! Are you refusing to take responsibility?!”

The mother was shouting atop her lungs, attempting to escalate the situation and garner sympathy. Indeed, from an outsider’s perspective, Zeke might seem like the bad guy.

However, Zeke knew that the bump wasn’t that strong, to begin with.

‘They’re using the kid for their own benefits. Deplorable.’

“Let’s take him to the hospital, then.”

“W-what? My son is afraid of hospitals!”

She signaled her accomplices, the three thugs. The baldy grabbed Zeke’s relatively small body and shook him a couple of times, seemingly trying to instill fear.