I’m not exactly proud of it, but in my previous life, I was pretty good at socializing even as a full-time gamer.
Sure, I spent more hours in front of a monitor than under the sun, but that didn’t mean I was a shut-in. I knew how to hold a conversation, laugh at the right moments, and fake confidence like a pro.
So when I enrolled in Nexus Academy, I figured I’d make some effort.
This was a new life, after all.
A second chance. A reset button most people could only dream of.
There was no guarantee I’d ever return to my original world, so I might as well live to the fullest, right?
Yeah, that was the plan.
But there was one problem
I got placed in Class S.
And Class S was... different.
No, calling it "different" was too generous. Class S was a nest of monsters, oddballs, geniuses, and reclusive eccentrics. They didn’t just lack social skills; they seemed allergic to them.
Any attempts I made to spark conversation or camaraderie were dead on arrival.
I gave up after the third day.
I let out a long sigh as I approached the classroom door.
Class S was unique in the academy. Unlike the F-A classes that had multiple groups per grade, S-Class had only one. Out of over four thousand first-year students, barely a few dozen made it in.
Logically, it made sense. It was a class reserved for prodigies, for those whose talents shattered the norm.
The moment I pushed open the door, that familiar, soul-crushing silence welcomed me.
Over half the students were already inside quiet, focused, completely immersed in their own training or reading.
No idle chatter. No laughter. No noise.
Just the dull scratching of pens and the occasional sound of someone flipping a page.
A normal student might’ve felt awe.
I felt like I’d walked into a crypt.
’Don’t study so hard. Live a little. Try being like me mediocre but happy.’
I walked quietly to the back of the room and slumped into my seat, careful not to draw attention. Then, as casually as I could, I scanned the room.
And sure enough I recognized most of the faces.
These weren’t just classmates. They were characters. People I had known through glowing screens, fully-voiced cutscenes, and cinematic story arcs. Characters who’d gone on to shake the world in World End.
And now, they were real.
Breathing. Moving. Alive.
There was Elric Vales, the ice-cold genius with unmatched magical talent.
Damon Reid, the golden boy swordsman with top-tier stats and a bright future.
Lucian Crowe, quiet and dangerous, practically a ticking time bomb of power.
And of course... Selene Whitmore, seated in the far-right corner, silent as a shadow.
All of them were destined to become legends in 5 to 10 years heroes, rulers, or perhaps... villains.
Because not everyone here would stay on the side of the light.
’Lucian Crowe, huh...’
That one was dangerous.
In the original game, five major betrayals shook the world storyline and Lucian’s was the first. If left alone, he’d eventually turn against the Hero League and become a villain powerful enough to rival nations.
...Maybe later. When I’m not squishy like a baby duck.
My gaze drifted again toward Selene Whitmore.
Black-haired, expressionless, focused. Her pale fingers turned the pages of a thick tome, her eyes never once lifting. She looked like the perfect student.
Selene Whitmore wasn’t someone you messed with.
Not in the game. And especially not here.
She came from the infamous Whitmore family a clan of assassins so feared that even high-ranking guilds avoided provoking them. Her specialty? Clean, silent kills. No emotion. No trace.
In the original timeline, very few players ever got to interact with her. She rarely showed up in events unless triggered by specific conditions. And even then... most didn’t live long enough to talk about it.
And yet, there she was, just a few meters away from me. Real. Alive. Breathing the same air.
’Forget what you knew. That’s not an NPC. That’s the original Selene Whitmore.’
I shivered as a faint memory resurfaced our encounter at the casino.
Just a single glance from her had felt like staring into a black hole. A bottomless chill that made my instincts scream run.
That wasn’t just a game mechanic. That was her presence.
If I started making choices that strayed too far from the original timeline, she’d notice.
She might have already.
Still, I couldn’t help but think:
’You look really good now... much better than your character model, honestly.’
Some students began whispering. I could feel their stares even as I tried to look disinterested.
Right... here it comes.
They were wondering why I, of all people, was in Class S.
Kael Vi-rel. A student with no flashy family background. No prestigious bloodline. No overwhelming talent.
Just an ordinary guy who got lucky at the entrance exam.
"He looks kinda plain."
"Nah, my father asked the faculty directly. It’s not just him. It’s that girl who was with him too."
"He’s the one who placed first at the practical exam, right? And solved Professor Dusk’s question?"
"Huh. Maybe he’s not that dumb."
Their tone wasn’t malicious, exactly.
But it wasn’t friendly either.
Like I was a puzzle piece forced into the wrong set.
Their eyes said it all.
Why is he here? Who let this random guy into our class?
He must have cheated. Or bribed someone. Or gotten lucky.
I tried to ignore them, but the tension in the room was thick. Their eyes were like needles, pricking at my skin, trying to peel me open and expose whatever secrets they thought I had.
A familiar thought bubbled to the surface.
"It’s like being suppressed..."
"Is it really such a crime that I ended up in Class S?"
I never asked for this.
All I did was use my knowledge and the [Max Luck] stat I was gifted with.
It just so happened to work.
I leaned back in my chair and closed my eyes for a moment.
I wasn’t here to win popularity contests.
This world... this academy... it wasn’t a game anymore.
But I still had the walkthrough in my head.
And whether they liked it or not I was going to clear it.