After getting their food, Daniel, Ren, Rex, and Rey finally found an empty table in the corner of the cafeteria and sat down.
Ren leaned back in his chair, eyeing Daniel suspiciously.
"What's going on, man? You've been unusually calm since morning," Ren said, raising an eyebrow.
Daniel shot him a cold glare.
"What do you want? Should I end up in the hospital again?"
Ren instantly waved his hands defensively. "Woah, chill! That's not what I meant. It's just... normally, you'd already have picked a fight by now."
Daniel, however, replied with a surprisingly serious expression, "I don't think these kids are going to fear us anymore."
Rex let out a disappointed sigh. "Who would've thought a nobody would turn out to have that kind of strength..."
Rey nodded, adding, "After awakening, you can't predict anyone's power. Background doesn't guarantee strength anymore."
Ren frowned. "So what... are we just going to forget about revenge?"
Daniel didn't hesitate. "Revenge can wait. What's more important is increasing our own strength. Inside this Academy... family background won't get us anywhere. If we want to rule this place, we'll need to earn that power ourselves."
Rey blinked in disbelief, staring at Daniel like he'd seen a ghost.
"Bro... am I dreaming right now?"
Without warning, Rex casually pinched Rey hard.
"OUCH! You bastard!" Rey cursed, clutching his arm. "Why the hell did you pinch me?!"
Rex grinned with an innocent look. "Just proving you're not dreaming."
Rey looked back at Daniel, still confused. "If this isn't a dream... then why is Dan of all people talking about training and hard work?"
Ren narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "Dude... are we sure this is the real Dan? I'm starting to think this might be some shapeshifter... Someone who stole Daniel's appearance and is using that memory loss excuse to fool us."
His words made the whole table go quiet for a second.
Everyone went dead serious.
Even Rex and Rey, who were always quick to joke around, suddenly became serious.
Daniel raised an eyebrow, clearly annoyed. "Tch… You idiots seriously think I'm some shapeshifter?"
Ren leaned in a little, whispering like it was some top-secret conspiracy, "Think about it, man... the real Dan talking about hard work, patience, and self-growth? That's more shocking than seeing pigs fly."
Rey nodded dramatically, "Yeah! The Dan we know would rather punch first and talk never."
Rex crossed his arms, dead serious. "And don't forget... this guy conveniently lost his memory too. Classic excuse."
Daniel slammed his hand on the table — BAM! — making all three of them jump.
"If you guys are done acting like clowns," Daniel said coldly, "then listen carefully... I am Daniel Johnson. But I'm done playing the fool everyone expects me to be. The next time I stand in front of Justin... it won't be as the spoiled heir of the Johnson family. It'll be as someone who can crush him with my own strength."
For a second — complete silence.
Then Ren whispered under his breath, "Damn... he sounds kinda cool when he talks like that."
Rey sighed dramatically, "Now I'm actually worried... If this is the new Daniel, I don't know if I want the old one back."
Rex grinned, "Same here."
Daniel ignored their antics, his eyes sharper than ever.
Just as Daniel was lost in his thoughts, they arrived.
The main cast of the academy.
Justin, Peter, Vanessa, Alia, and Petra — the most talked-about newcomers of this year — casually walked in and unknowingly settled at the empty table right beside Daniel's group.
Daniel squinted slightly, "Of all the places... they had to sit here?" He glanced around and realized... well, there really wasn't any other free table left.
It wasn't like they wanted to sit near him either. They had no choice. Every other seat was already taken.
Soon, the group beside them started talking among themselves — completely ignoring the intense aura coming from Daniel's table.
Petra, with her usual curious tone, leaned towards Justin, "Hey Justin, which class are you planning to choose?"
Justin smiled faintly, "I'm pretty interested in swords... so, I guess Swordsman."
Peter immediately slammed his hand on the table, "Then I'm going swordsman too!"
Petra raised an eyebrow, giving him a judging stare, "But... you don't even like swords."
Peter puffed out his chest proudly, flexing his arms, "So what? No matter which class I choose... I'll still be the strongest!" He showed off his muscles like a child showing his new toy.
Vanessa shook her head, clearly unimpressed. "Choosing a class isn't a joke, Peter. It'll affect your entire life. You shouldn't pick it just to compete with someone."
Alia giggled and looked at Vanessa, "So, which class are you picking?"
Vanessa casually brushed her hair back, "Magician."
Alia smiled brightly, "Me too! And Petra?"
Petra nodded, "I'm going to be an Archer."
Listening to their conversation, Daniel finally turned towards his own friends.
"So… today we're supposed to pick our class, huh?" Daniel asked in a calm but thoughtful tone.
Ren sighed dramatically, "Yeah."
Ren suddenly slapped his forehead, "Ah damn! We totally forgot to tell you about this, didn't we?"
Rex chuckled and looked at Daniel, "By the way, Daniel... are you even interested in choosing any class?"
Daniel leaned back lazily, "Hmm... I don't know. What about you guys? Tell me."
This world worked a little differently.
After awakening, every student had the chance to choose a Class — a path that would shape their future growth, their skills, their strengths... basically, their entire fighting style and career.
And there were over a hundred different Classes available to pick from.
But here's the catch — you could only choose one.
It was kind of like picking your major or career path back on Earth. Once chosen, your growth, your training, and even your skillset would revolve around it.
For example — those who picked Magician would experience a rapid increase in their Mana level and capacity with every level up, gaining skills related to magic spells and casting.
Swordsmen would gain physical abilities, weapon mastery, speed, and strength.
Archers would unlock precision, agility, and long-range combat skills.
And so on...
Ren explained excitedly, "That's why class selection is super important here. It's not just about fighting — it literally decides what kind of warrior you'll become in the future."
Rex added with a smirk, "But knowing you... I bet you'll pick something crazy."
Daniel, however, just smiled faintly.
Class, huh...
Let's see... which one suits me the best... Swordsman or magic Swordsman or maybe something else.
A while later…
Daniel found himself inside a strange room — a quiet, isolated space where only he existed.
In front of him floated a giant screen, shimmering with countless options — various Class icons, each glowing faintly.
This was it.
The moment that would decide his future.
Once he picked a Class, it would become permanent. There was no going back.
And based on that Class… he would receive special skills, abilities, and techniques unique only to it.
No wonder… Daniel was taking his sweet time.
He was calmly reading through every single Class description — analyzing their strengths, weaknesses, advantages, and potential.
Minutes turned into hours.
And finally… he had narrowed it down to two.
Now it was decision time.
---
The first one — Assassin Class.
Just like its name — a shadowy, stealth-based profession.
Choosing this would grant him insane skills like Stealth, Shadow Step, Critical Hit, Silent Movement — abilities perfect for silent killing and vanishing into thin air.
---
The second option — Martial Artist Class.
A professional close-combat fighter.
Choosing this would provide him powerful combat techniques, mana breathing methods, and devastating physical skills.
Perfect for raw, hand-to-hand fighting.
---
Daniel rubbed his chin, thinking deeply.
"Hmm… Unlike the Assassin Class… Martial Arts can technically be learned separately too…"
He paused.
"And I even know exactly where to learn those secret martial techniques in the future..."
"But… if I chose the Martial Artist Class… I'd probably learn them at a much faster rate…"
He leaned back, conflicted.
"This is tough… What should I really pick?"
Daniel closed his eyes.
He visualized his future self… his battles… his style… his enemies.
Silence.
And then…
DING!
His eyes snapped open.
Decision made.
His finger moved — swift and certain — pressing the Assassin Class icon.
The screen glowed brightly.
A notification popped up in bold golden letters.
---
[Class Selected: Assassin]
---
Daniel smiled faintly.
"The shadows… suit me better anyway."