Heading into ss today and seeing all my fellow ssmates and professors made me feel kind of mncholy.


    I didn''t necessarily like most of them... or all of them, but seeing theirughs and smiles so apparent in their expression was nice.


    Everyone was simply being themselves without anything covering their true feelings.


    The next time I had ss, there would be plenty of strangers, all hoping to recruit the next big shot and up their guild ranking.


    For that reason, every student in the ssroom would wear a mask of emotionlessness and determination, hoping to show the recruits how their determination and perseverance.


    There would be no smiles orughs.


    The ssroom would be pure silence, every student paying or attempting to pay attention, and every move a student made would be calcted.


    A student dropping an eraser?


    Normally, someone else would pick it up, but tomorrow, that eraser would be ignored out of fear that the recruiters might see them not paying attention.


    Even Jin and Han, who had been studying how to be good students, would put on a mask to impress the recruiters and prove their worth.


    There were some exceptions.


    The main cast and other top-ranking students in my ss wouldn''t have to put on masks.


    Because... they were naturally full of determination and courage, always paying attention in ss.


    And they didn''t have to impress anyone.


    Alternatively, it was the recruiters who had to try and impress the top rankers, as almost every recruiter would be fighting for them.


    As I slid open the door to the ssroom, everyone immediately looked at me before Professor Zia sighed and said.


    "I won''t punish you for me beingte today... but don''t bete tomorrow, alright, Ren?"


    She truly was a nice teacher who cared about their students, no matter how terrible and bad they were.


    Of course, I did hear some scoffs as many of my ssmates did not expect me to be recruited at all.


    However, Liam, Kevin, and the rest of the main cast nced at me with interested expressions.


    What Knight Order would I join?


    Nodding my head, I ignored the countless gazes before heading to the back of the ssroom where Jin and Han sat.


    As I pulled out my chair and sat down, Han turned to me and whispered in a serious tone.


    "Professor Zia is right. Don''t bete tomorrow, Ren."


    ncing at Jin, who was trying his best to pay attention, I whispered back.


    "Don''t you have someone else to worry about more?"


    Shaking his head, Han replied.


    "We live right next to each other... so I''ll make sure he gets up on time. If mming on his door doesn''t work, I''ll have to resort to more extreme... actions."


    As I let out augh at Han''s ns, he seemed to have a revtion before turning to me and asking.


    "If you want, I can also wake you up tomorrow."


    Shaking my head, I replied.


    "Nah, don''t worry about me. Focus on yourself... you know, Han, you gotta get recruited, too, right?"


    Shrugging his shoulders, Han nodded his head before redirecting his attention to Professor Zia, who had begun lecturing.


    Leaning inward with my chair, I rested my head on the desk in front of me as I usually did before covering my arm with my head and taking out my smartwatch.


    Earlier in the year, I had to take notes and make sure to understand every single concept to ensure a good grade on the test.


    That was because of my incident with Liam at the start of the year, alongside all the terrible rumors surrounding me.


    The academy was looking for any chance they could to kick me out, so if I even came close to failing, I would be kicked out and put on the streets.


    However, it had been a while since then.


    The rumors around me had calmed down, albeit I still received nces or res when I walked down the hallway, and I hadn''t been involved in any serious incidents or any disciplinary trouble.


    In fact... I had even been an exemry student.


    During my duel before the trip to the Elven realm with the transfer student, I had represented our school proudly by defeating him easily.


    That had also led to me receiving an... interesting letter upon my arrival back to the academy.


    [Student, Ren, you have been selected and will soon be tested to see if you are ready to rank up to D-rank.


    More details and the date of the test will be sent out after the Winder Wondend event, but the faculty and administrative team apud you for your recent hard work and effort.


    Please let us know if they are anything we can do to help or improve your conditions during this waiting time.


    If you pass this rank-up test, you will be among the fifty students who are currently D-rank.]


    Closing the mail app on my smartwatch, I nced at the main cast, who were a couple of seats in front of me.


    Thankfully, I wasn''t the only one in this situation.


    Soon, the main cast would probably receive the selection notification for ranking up to C-rank, and like me, they would be put an awkward situation as they were already a rank C hero.


    With all that being said, there was no need for me to waste my time paying attention or studying.


    I was no longer a liability to the school... but a useful asset.


    As for exams, near-passing grades weren''t hard to achieve, considering notes were posted on the online school forum.


    Since I couldn''t n for my soon-to-be robbery and didn''t need to take notes, school was a break for me.


    *RING~RING*


    As the bell rang, signaling the start of our lunch break, I stretched my arms before getting up from my chair.


    As I walked behind Han and Jin to the ssroom exit, Professor Zia suddenly stepped forward, blocking by path.


    Giving me a pitiful nce, Han and Jin exited the ssroom, leaving the two of us alone.