The S-Class Curse
I barely made it back to the dormitory just before curfew. Once inside, I stripped off my black martial arts uniform and jumped straight into the shower. The cold water cascaded over me as I stood there thinking.
Can I actually use martial arts?
I didn’t dive into it as deeply as I had earlier. Just a light focus while showering. After a moment, I let out a small sigh.
…I still don’t know.
If I had fully manifested all the fire energy in my body and tested it, maybe I’d have an answer. But because of the curfew, I’d rushed straight back to the dorm. There simply hadn’t been time.
After finishing my shower, I stepped out and used my fire energy to instantly dry myself. It was a technique I wouldn’t have been able to pull off if I hadn’t fought that doppelganger. I figured anyone who could wield fire energy could probably do the same.
I collapsed onto the bed and closed my eyes. Maybe it was because I’d spent twelve straight hours meditating, but my mind felt utterly exhausted.
The only sound in Room 250 was the soft, steady breathing of one person sleeping.
The next morning, I got up at a reasonable hour, finished my preparations, and headed toward the academy—still wearing my black martial arts uniform.
Why don’t I have a uniform?
Everyone else was walking around in proper academy uniforms, but I was the only one in this black outfit. It stood out way too much.
“Hey, look. It’s Adel Ifrit.”
“Oh, the guy who took forty-five days?”
“He’s only good-looking, though.”
I was probably the first student in the entire first-year class to become this infamous for ranking dead last. As I walked through the academy grounds, I felt countless eyes on me.
…I’ll just have to get used to it.
Even after I grew stronger, those stares would still follow me. It was something I’d have to adapt to eventually.
As I kept walking, I noticed a large crowd gathered in one spot. All their attention was fixed on the same thing.
[Class Assignment List]
They were probably checking which class they’d been placed in. But for some reason, none of them were heading to their assigned rooms.
Confused murmurs rose from the front of the crowd. I focused my ears on the noise.
“That son of a bitch is in S-Class? Why?”
“We need to go complain. I can’t accept this.”
“A guy who’d get knocked out by one punch is in S-Class? Let’s all go protest together.”
“Wait, we’ll go after the assembly. There’s no time right now.”
Hmm. It sounded like some incomprehensible class assignment had been announced. I tried to push forward to check my own class.
Bang!
“Fuck! Why the hell is Adel Ifrit in S-Class?!”
A muscular student slammed his foot against the ground and roared. I froze mid-step, quietly slipped sideways out of the crowd, and finally got a look at the list.
- Adel Ifrit: Rank 500 (S-Class)
I’m in S-Class?
What even was S-Class? I had no idea what kind of place it was. All I knew was that I was currently being cursed at.
…Time to bolt.
I had no reason to stand here and take abuse, and I certainly wasn’t going to stick around for more of it for no reason. I could think about the rest later. My body moved before my brain could finish the thought, and I slipped into the academy building.
…It was definitely not because I was scared of that muscular student.
After dodging people here and there, I finally reached S-Class. I opened the door and stepped inside.
Slide.
“……”
“……”
Twenty-nine pairs of eyes turned toward me at once. I knew it was twenty-nine because there were ten desks meant for three students each, and every seat was taken except for one.
Meeting all those gazes, I walked over to the only empty spot—first row, farthest seat by the window. The two people sitting next to me were already famous.
The Helen twins. Christina Helen and Siris Helen—first and second place in the first-year class. They were probably the most well-known students here.
I stopped my pointless thoughts and stared out the window.
Is this some kind of special class?
There were only thirty students out of five hundred, and the atmosphere here felt completely different from the other classes I’d seen.
…I don’t know anything about this game, so of course I can’t figure it out.
Still, the small number of students and the clear elite vibe in the classroom made it obvious. This had to be a special class.
Then the real question hit me.
Why am I here?
From what I remembered, entering S-Class was supposed to be the true starting point of the game. But I hadn’t gotten anywhere near those kinds of grades. I’d expected to be placed in an average class, not this elite one.
Well, good is good.
I decided to just let it go. No point overthinking something I couldn’t change anyway.
Slide.
While I was lost in thought, the door opened again and a middle-aged man with a powerful, charismatic presence walked in. His steps were calm and measured as he approached the podium, yet every student in the room seemed to shrink under the weight of his aura.
“Nice to meet you all. I am Cain, the swordsmanship instructor. I’ll be in charge of S-Class from now on. I look forward to working with you.”
Clap, clap, clap.
As soon as the middle-aged man—Cain—finished speaking, a modest round of applause rose from the twenty-nine students. I joined in, reading the room. I could feel eyes on me again, but I ignored them. It wasn’t the first or second time, after all.
“Let’s start with roll call and confirmation. Raise your hand and demonstrate your ability. Christina Helen.”
When Cain called her name, the golden-haired girl sitting at the very end of the first row—Christina—lifted her hand. A brilliant radiance burst from her fingertips.
“Confirmed. Next, Siris Helen.”
The girl sitting right beside me, who had been staring blankly into space, let out a small yawn and exhaled a cloud of frost.
“Next, Daren Gawood.”
The student sitting in the very back stood up and swung his sword downward. Cain gave a satisfied nod after watching the strike. I hadn’t learned swordsmanship yet, so I couldn’t judge how precise it was, but it must have meant something to fellow swordsmen.
After that, things moved quickly. The names flew by one after another until it was finally my turn.
“Next, Adel Ifrit.”
The moment Cain said my name, all twenty-nine pairs of eyes shifted. Their gazes changed noticeably.
So they had been doubting it.
Impressive. Even after seeing my long dark red hair and black martial arts uniform, they still hadn’t been sure it was me. Or maybe they just hadn’t wanted to believe that Adel Ifrit was in S-Class.
Well, even I wouldn’t have expected the 500th-ranked student to end up here.
Some looked at me with open curiosity, wondering how I’d gotten in. Others stared with clear contempt, unable to accept that someone who took forty-five days on the entrance exam belonged in a place like S-Class. A few simply didn’t care at all.
Not caring is better.
It was easier to earn recognition from a place of indifference than from one of disdain.
Fwoosh.
When I raised my hand and manifested flames, Cain gave another nod.
“All confirmed. Now I’ll explain. As you all already know, S-Class is a special class. It consists of thirty individuals with exceptional talent, personally selected by the instructors of each department, the headmaster, and the chairman.”
Just as I thought. It really was a special class.
Exceptional talent, huh…
It wasn’t like I didn’t have any. I’d thought about it every day—Grandmaster. The ability to create martial arts. That was definitely an exceptional talent.
But how did they find out?
The Grandmaster trait didn’t exactly show on the surface. I hadn’t gone around announcing that I could create my own martial arts. So how had they known?
Does the chairman have the Heavenly Eye or something?
The headmaster specialized in illusion magic, so the only one left was the chairman. Or maybe it had been one of the instructors.
Either way, I needed to focus on what Cain was saying.
“Because S-Class is special, you will gain much—but you will also lose much. Let me explain the gains first.”
Cain paused for a moment to catch his breath before continuing.
“The academy will spare no support for you.”
Support. My mind immediately began calculating exactly how much support that meant and how it would differ from the other classes.
“First, you will have priority when registering for courses.”
That was excellent. Having failed to get into a class I wanted back in college, I could relate completely.
“Second, the academy will show you the fastest possible path to becoming stronger. For example, you will be allowed to spend more time on field training in the Northern Demon Border.”
The moment I heard “Northern Demon Border,” I finally started to understand the world I was in.
The Demon King.
Demons and the Demon Kings from the Demon World were invading from the north, and the Northern Demon Border was the frontline holding them back. This was the story of students attending the academy to grow strong and become heroes who slay demons.
Yeah, something like that.
The continent’s destruction was probably caused by the Demon King. The people fighting on the northern front were likely called heroes.
“Third, you will be granted temporary Hero qualifications. This means the academy will vouch for your identity and give you the authority to hunt demons professionally.”
Just as I thought.
So it really is a hero class.
But if the benefits were this generous, the losses would surely be just as heavy. That was usually how these high-risk, high-return systems worked.
“I’ll skip the minor details since you should already know them.”
…I don’t, though.
Still, I couldn’t exactly say that out loud.
“As for what you will lose… you cannot refuse duel requests.”
“……”
“……”
Some students looked shocked. Others remained completely calm. The shocked ones were probably those lacking confidence in their skills. The calm ones were confident.
I fell firmly into the shocked category.
“If that were all, it wouldn’t be much of a loss. However, the moment you lose a duel, you will be stripped of your S-Class qualification and will never be allowed back in. The winner of the duel takes your place in S-Class.”
…What?
I might not have said it out loud, but I was pretty sure my face looked completely dumbstruck right now.
You cannot refuse duel requests.
That rule was probably known by every student in every class. So if that was the case, who would the thirty students of S-Class receive the most duel requests from?
Me, you bastard.
Who would challenge the top three ranked students? Of course they’d go after the easy target—the 500th-ranked guy who took forty-five days.
“Adel Ifrit, you look like your soul just left your body?”
Cain must have noticed my reaction. He stopped talking and looked straight at me.
“Do you think you’ll lose?”
He was provoking me. It sounded like he was telling me not to lose. I answered as calmly as I could.
“…I will win.”
“Good. I’ll be looking forward to it.”
Cain didn’t dismiss me. He smiled as if he genuinely expected great things from me. I could hear quiet snickering around the room, but I didn’t have the mental bandwidth to care.
On the outside I looked calm, but inside I was screaming.
Fuck. Aren’t I about to get 470 duel requests?
I knew the perfect phrase for moments like this. Everyone probably did.
…I’m screwed.
That one sentence said it all.