Brad's eyes twitched the moment those words left Damien's mouth.
That faint, calm tone—that detached confidence — it made his blood boil even more.
The sheer composure on Damien's face only deepened the humiliation already eating him alive.
His fat fingers tightened into trembling fists, the knuckles whitening. His teeth ground together so loudly it was almost audible.
He had left the ceremony earlier, storming away in shame after failing to awaken anything better than a common class, but he hadn't even made it far before Pug came running after him, panting heavily, his round face dripping with sweat.
Pug had been one of the few participants who, despite awakening early, had decided to remain in the square to watch the other awakenings.
After all, participants were free to mingle back with the rest of the crowd once their turn was over.
And that decision had turned out to be… fateful.
