"MIA… PLEASE LET MIA GO! DON'T DO THIS, I'LL DO ANYTHING, JUST LET HER GO, PLEASE!!!"

I woke up drenched in sweat. Taro was already awake, just looking at me without saying anything.

• "Is something wrong, Taro?"

• "No, sorry, I'm just a bit tired from yesterday."

It was obvious he was lying; there was fear and confusion on his face. But then he quickly composed himself and said:

• "Brother, I'll go talk to the guidance teacher about today's event details. I'll see you later."

What could have scared a man over 2 meters tall with a beard like that? I don't think it was because of me; maybe I reminded him of someone? No, no, he would have shown it yesterday. I won't dig deeper into this for now. I need to find out which class I'm in. After that, I'll go to the guidance teacher for the event details.

When I went back to the board and found my name, I thought for sure I'd be in at least Class B with the power granted to me by the goddess. WHAT! CLASS C?! People suddenly turned to look at me.

• "Sorry, I just overreacted a bit."

Then, a snobbish kid came up to me.

• "You peasant! You'll die like a dog that never had anything in this life. AHAHAHA!"

I was so shocked that I couldn't respond. How could this happen? I thought I'd at least end up in the same class as Ren. Then the snob's friend said:

• "Leave that loser alone; can't you see the look on his face? He's probably thinking about killing himself, hahaha!"

I walked away with my head down. This was devastating. Feeling completely drained, I went to see the guidance teacher.

• "Kaito… I'm listening."

• "Sir, I came to get today's schedule..."

• "Ah, I don't write the schedules. Which class were you placed in?"

• "Class C."

• "Well, that explains why you're upset. There's nothing you can do about it; you can continue your life as a peasant. Don't come to me unless it's necessary; I don't want to waste my time on worthless people. Ask the Class C teacher whatever you need from now on..."

What was wrong with everyone today? I was already mentally exhausted; were they going to push me even more?! I set out to find the Class C teacher, but he wasn't in his office. Since I couldn't ask the guidance teacher, I wandered around aimlessly. I noticed a girl standing by herself; she seemed lost too. I approached her.

• "Hello, you look like you're lost."

• "Yes, I can't find my class. It's so frustrating..."

• "Have you tried asking the guidance teacher?"

• "Oh, no, you're right. Thank you for your help."

There was a smile on her face; my answer seemed to have cheered her up. But I still had the problem of finding my own class.

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• "By the way, have you seen Class C by any chance?"

As soon as I asked, her face soured.

• "Class C? Yes, I've seen it. Normally, I wouldn't even talk to a peasant, but you didn't seem like one at first; I guess I was wrong… Anyway, since you helped me, I'll help you."

• "There's no need to be so rude."

• "Ugh, whatever. Go to the second basement level. Ask someone there; they'll show you."

It seems I won't be respected by anyone. I refuse to accept this; I will claw my way up from Class C and show them who the real peasant is... After heading to the basement and wandering around a bit, I found my class without needing to ask anyone. I found an empty seat and sat down. The class had about 25-30 students. Then someone approached me.

• "Hello, I'm Lina. Nice to meet you. Why do you look so sad?"

She was a cute girl, and I didn't think she had any ill intentions.

• "Hi, I'm Kaito. Nice to meet you too. I'm sad because everyone looks down on us like we're trash. Don't you think so too?"

• "Oh, I think you shouldn't be upset about that. It's just because they see themselves as superior. After all, we could have ended up in Class D. By the way, don't tell anyone, but they say all the riff-raff are in that class."

• "Yeah, you're right, actually."

I was feeling a bit better.

• "Thank you."

• "By the way, what's your magic power? What level are you?"

• "I'm a healer. I don't know my level, but I think the light in the orb was more than halfway full."

• "Hmmm, so you can probably only do basic healing. Have you ever tried using your power?"

• "Actually, no... I don't know what to do in the event. Why would they hold such an event without us using our powers?"

• "I think they want you to discover your power in challenging situations. Of course, since I practiced with my family, I can already use mine."

Lina seemed like a good girl. She opened her palm, and flames started to form in her hand.

• "I can't unleash too much fire, but I can at least make you feel warm."

We started laughing... I suddenly thought about Aoi. Right then, the teacher walked into the class, looking like he was fed up with life.

• "SHUT UP AND SIT DOWN! I have some announcements to make. There will be no class today; I will inform you about the event."

The teacher was thin, frail-looking, and seemed to be doing this job just for the money, as if he was being forced to do it.

• "You all know there's an event today. Each class will be sent to specific parts of the forest. There are challenging creatures and demons in each area, depending on your class. Since you're weak, there are no strong creatures for you. But that's not what you should be afraid of. Your classmates; the upperclassmen don't care about the lower classes, so make sure you're well-defended against injuries."

While the other students whispered among themselves, I suddenly stood up and asked:

• "What if something bad happens to us?!"

• "Don't ever speak without permission again… As for your question, that's what the infirmary is for. Actually, I remember you; aren't you the hero who came to the infirmary? I believe your name was Kaito, correct?"

• "Yes, that's correct. I have nothing more to say."

I couldn't help but think that the entire school had gathered at the infirmary that day.

• "Your task is to split into groups of fifteen, two groups per class. Each group will have its own flag; a red flag and a yellow flag. It's basically a capture the flag game. Now, form your groups."

After the teacher explained the details, everyone became nervous and hurried to find a group.

• "That's all I have to say. I'm leaving the class now. Everyone should be in the school's designated forest area in two hours!"

Everyone keeps saying where we need to go, but no one is saying where exactly that place is; it's frustrating. Then Lina next to me said:

• "If you want, we can be in the same group. You can help me out and heal my wounds."

• "But I don't know how to use my power."

• "I believe you can do it..."

So, Lina and I joined the group that was still missing members. Everyone was talking about how there could even be deaths. Should we really be more afraid of the people or the demons placed in the forest?