After somehow surviving another five minutes of Jin's nonstop verbal assault, I finally escaped.
Honestly, calling it a conversation would be generous.
It felt more like surviving a natural disaster powered entirely by unnecessary words.
By the end of it, my ears were exhausted.
My brain cells probably filed resignation letters.
"—and then I told him if Damian was there he'd totally beat him up but then he got scared and—"
"Jin."
"Yeah?"
"Please breathe occasionally."
Miraculously, that actually silenced him for two whole seconds.
A new personal record.
Still, before leaving, he asked one important thing.
Or rather—
One surprisingly normal question.
"By the way," Jin asked while glancing around, "where's Fenrir?"
Ah.
Right.
Apparently Damian used to bring Fenrir to Imperial Academy regularly.
And somehow—
The academy allowed it.
Granted, there were apparently strict rules involving property damage, student safety, and "please prevent your oversized mana beast from traumatizing first-years."
But still.
Honestly, the fact Fenrir behaved better than most nobles probably helped.
Maybe I should bring him sometimes.
At minimum he'd improve my mental health.
Unlike Jin.
Speaking of which—
Jin Black himself was technically an Awakened combat-type user.
Current Rank: [F+]
Potential Cap: [B-Rank]
Not terrible.
But nowhere near exceptional either.
Reaching [B-Rank] naturally would've already taken him many years.
And that assumed proper resources, training, instructors, combat experience, mana conditioning, and discipline.
Unfortunately—
Jin lacked most of those things.
Especially discipline.
His progression in the original story was painfully slow.
Mostly because he treated training like optional side content.
Honestly, he wasn't important enough to matter.
In the novel, Jin mainly existed for comic relief.
The loud idiot side character who followed Damian around and occasionally said something stupid enough to lighten darker scenes.
And after Damian died?
Jin disappeared from the story completely.
No conclusion.
No dramatic death scene.
No redemption.
Nothing.
At the time, I simply didn't care enough to write one for him.
Now though…
Reality complicated things slightly.
Because unlike novels—
People didn't simply vanish when they stopped being narratively useful.
They continued living.
Or dying.
Most likely, Jin died during the first major arc.
The academy field trip incident.
The first true catastrophe of the story.
A major villain organization ambushed the cadets during an expedition mission, turning what should've been a training exercise into mass slaughter.
Students died horribly there.
Teachers too.
That event marked the moment the story's tone truly shifted darker.
And Jin?
A mediocre [F+ Rank] fighter with poor instincts and zero self-preservation?
Yeah.
His survival odds weren't looking amazing.
Still…
That wasn't important right now.
What mattered wasn't the original story anymore.
What mattered—
Was this reality.
And whether I could survive it.
Eventually, after separating from Jin, I finally stood before my assigned classroom.
[First Year — Class A]
The words beside the sliding door felt strangely heavy.
Class A.
The elite class.
Top students.
Monsters disguised as teenagers.
Future disasters.
Wonderful environment overall.
I quietly slid the classroom door open.
And instantly—
The entire room fell silent.
Every conversation stopped.
Every gaze turned toward me.
The atmosphere became so awkward it physically hurt.
Honestly, it felt like showing up late to a public execution only to realize you were the main event.
No—
Actually, Damian's reputation was worse than that.
School violence was treated extremely seriously within the Empire.
Especially at Imperial Academy.
This wasn't some random institution.
Children of royalty studied here.
Heirs of ducal families.
Future military leaders.
Foreign nobles.
Top talents from across the continent.
And Damian?
He had formed a bullying ring inside this place.
Extorted weaker students.
Targeted commoners.
Publicly humiliated others.
The scandal alone nearly became international news.
So yeah—
People weren't exactly excited to see me.
Still—
I ignored every single stare shamelessly and walked inside calmly.
Because frankly?
Damian's sins weren't mine.
If someone suddenly stood up yelling:
"You bullied me and stole my money!"
My response would honestly be:
"Sounds unfortunate."
Then I'd continue walking.
I wasn't interested in carrying guilt for crimes committed by someone else's personality.
Call it selfish if you want.
I preferred practical.
Thankfully nobody confronted me directly.
Not openly at least.
Instead—
The whispers started immediately.
"Does he seriously have no shame?"
"I heard the four ducal families blacklisted him already."
"How is he still attending here?"
"Apparently House Valtor disowned him."
"Damn."
"Honestly pathetic."
I ignored everything effortlessly.
Years of reading online comments as a failed author prepared me for public slander.
The backmost seat caught my attention quickly.
Near the window.
Far from everyone else.
Perfect.
The natural habitat of emotionally unavailable side characters.
I sat down quietly and turned toward the window.
Outside, the academy grounds stretched endlessly beneath the morning sunlight.
Students moved between buildings.
Mana-powered transport platforms floated across pathways.
Training fields shimmered in the distance.
Peaceful.
At least temporarily.
Eventually the whispers calmed slightly.
Most students simply decided to pretend I didn't exist.
Honestly?
That worked perfectly for me.
Then—
The classroom door slid open again.
And immediately—
My instincts screamed.
Kevin Astral entered the classroom.
The protagonist of The Astral Empire's Fallen Crown Prince Will Rise Again.
Future Sword Saint.
Future revolutionary.
Future continental-level problem.
Black hair.
Golden eyes.
Calm smile.
Ordinary appearance hiding absurd talent beneath it.
The moment I saw him—
Something inside my chest twisted violently.
"What the—"
My heartbeat accelerated instantly.
My blood pressure spiked.
Disgust surged through me so suddenly it almost felt physical.
My muscles tensed automatically.
Even my breathing became rougher.
For one horrifying second—
I genuinely wanted to attack him.
…Ah.
Right.
Residual emotions.
Damian's hatred toward Kevin still lingered inside this body.
Years of jealousy.
Inferiority.
Resentment.
Humiliation.
All of it reacted instinctively upon seeing the person who destroyed him socially.
"Damn it…"
I immediately closed my eyes and took a slow breath.
Inhale.
Exhale.
Again.
The emotions slowly settled afterward.
Barely.
When I reopened my eyes—
Kevin was already greeting other students naturally.
Smiling.
Laughing lightly.
Perfect protagonist behavior.
Then suddenly—
His gaze landed on me.
A tiny pause.
Small.
Almost invisible.
But I noticed it instantly.
One of his eyebrows twitched slightly.
Probably because seeing Damian Valtor calmly sitting in class after everything felt bizarre.
Honestly?
I understood the reaction.
Still, Kevin didn't say anything.
After a brief silence, he simply continued greeting classmates before taking his seat normally.
Then—
More people entered behind him.
And unlike Kevin—
These people immediately changed the atmosphere inside the room.
The protagonist's party.
Or more accurately—
The future monsters surrounding him.