''It's quite anxious.'' Hector adjusted his outfit while walking leisurely across the hallway to his classroom.
He blinked as he looked at everyone, who were glancing at him and chattering things Hector couldn't hear, but he was sure he could tell what they were saying about him.
''Well, What a bored! the type of cliché I always meet in all the books I've ever read,… but from now on, it's real life, not a novel, so I need to stay alert… there are many clever people I can't predict, and the story might go another way now that I've reincarnated into this body.''
Hector opened the door.
In the blink of an eye, every pair of eyes turned toward him, making him flinch… He wasn't used to being the center of attention.
Then a mocking voice rang out, quickly breaking his focused state.
''Tch! I had hoped our professor would come, not some trash from the great Clan.'' A young man named Alaric smirked, sitting with his feet crossed on the table. He looked completely like a typical bully.
A girl sitting nearby chuckled softly before turning to Alaric.
''You're wrong… From now on, he's not even trash of the great Clan anymore… because his clan expelled him.''
''Ah… You're right, Zoe… I made a big mistake.'' Alaric let out a breath, shaking his head slightly in disappointment, though a smirk full of mockery still lingered behind it.
''So, now you're trash of trash.''
Hector ignored the bullying and instead noticed Violet, sitting quietly in a corner of the classroom.
His heart skipped a beat for a moment when she glanced at him.
''S-She's so beautiful.''
But, suddenly, he felt a chill run down his spine and instinctively turned his attention to Carl, who just glared at him full of hatred and anger.
"He's ignoring us? Seems he still thinks he's the son of the great Clan." Alaric clicked his tongue in annoyance and commanded his underling.
"Beck! Show him his place now!...I want to see what he can do without much support behind him."
"Yes, my lord."
Pretty soon, Beck headed over to the door and put his arm around Hector's shoulders.
"Hey, dude! I'm talking to you."
At that moment, Hector finally noticed Beck's presence. He frowned—he had deliberately been ignoring the bullies, yet still kept an eye on them. But somehow, that handsome guy had appeared out of nowhere, without a sound or a single step.
"HEY! I'M TALKING TO YOU, SON OF A BITCH!"
Beck tightened his arm around Hector's neck and tried to push him down while chuckling.
"Uhh!" Hector groaned, desperately trying to pry Beck's muscular arm off. But it was nearly impossible. All he could do was struggle helplessly, keeping his knees from touching the floor.
The pain felt like it could tear his knee apart.
He couldn't hold out much longer.
Meanwhile, countless mocking and disdainful laughs spread through the students.
''Useless trash, you can't do anything… you only have one green-core mana… meanwhile, I have two mana cores… If you kneel on the floor and lick my shoe, I might spare you… or not.''
Beck grinned, watching Hector's pained expression with amusement.
Hector gritted his teeth… he felt like his feet would break soon if he didn't kneel within a minute.
However, forcing him to do such a thing! He never would, even if his feet were crushed to pieces.
As time passed, the students' expressions shifted to surprise as Hector managed to endure longer than expected. Even Violet began to notice him.
Alaric scowled in irritation and said coldly,
''Beck, if you can't handle such a simple thing, I'll punish you myself.''
Tensing in panic, Beck quickly reinforced all his mana into his arm and pressed Hector down harder.
''Damn… it hurts!''
Now, Hector felt his feet were on the verge of breaking. He struggled to pry Beck's right arm away with both hands, but the moment he grabbed it… something different flashed through his mind.
His vision nearly distorted… his perception sharpened… his mind grew calm despite the pain.
He immediately shifted his stance as if holding a sword—but now, the sword was Beck's right arm. With a cold, slick motion, Hector twisted and snapped the joint connecting Beck's shoulder and arm.
A scream mixed with sobbing echoed throughout the classroom.
It wasn't over yet. In his focused state, Hector used his back to lift Beck's muscular body, completely turning him into a weapon—Beck's arm serving as the hilt.
Relying on momentum and inertia, Hector slammed Beck into the floor.
Again
Again, as if he were nothing more than a rag doll.
Finally, with one last move, he threw Beck out of the classroom, smashing through the glass window.
Silence.
''D-Damn it!''
''Im-Impossible!''
''W-What the hell kind of weird movement was that?''
Countless whispers ran through the class.
Violet felt a twinge of curiosity about Hector's movement—especially the change in him—it was abnormal. But even so, it wasn't enough to change her overall opinion of him.
Carl just gritted his teeth in anger, a fiery willpower burning in his eyes.
''I have to use my grandpa's scrolls...if i want to beat him.''
Zoe scowled in fury, and Alaric's face darkened deeply. It was a huge humiliation for them. It was like a pathetic, failed group acting as silly scums had only succeeded in elevating Hector's reputation and power.
''How could it be? …he's inferior trash… it must just be luck,'' Zoe clenched her fist. She stepped forward, clearly intending to attack Hector right now—but Alaric sighed and stopped her.
He shook his head.
''The professor is coming… We'll deal with that trash after then.''
Just half a second later, the professor quickly stepped into the classroom.
He frowned at Hector's exhausted state and the broken glass window… but then just shrugged and quickly began the lesson. Teaching was his business, not managing these brats.
''Alright, let's start the lesson.''
Hector sat on the chair in pain while trying to massage his painful feet. Then he just smirked when looking at the runes in front of him.
[A blessing has appeared. Do you want to receive it?]
Name: Shadow Stepwork
Rank: ★
[Description]: You possess skillful footwork and great speed. Your footsteps barely make any sound.