I tried my hardest to keep my eyes glued to the board. I really did. Bruce's monotonous voice was somehow both dull and grating, like sandpaper dragged across glass. But it wasn't the lecture that had my full attention.
No…
It was Hayden.
Specifically, Hayden Break's gaze drilling a hole through the side of my face.
I shifted in my seat, pretending to scribble down a few notes. Anything to avoid making eye contact with the silver-haired anomaly sitting a few rows away.
Why in the world is one of the main characters staring at me like I'm the main course?
I adjusted my posture, resting my cheek against my fist and humming like I was "deeply" focused. In reality, I was counting the seconds until the lecture ended.
This wasn't supposed to happen. Around this point in the game, Hayden would've started showing interest in Yang, the girl who'd recently shot up in popularity after forming a contract with a high-class weapon during the arming ceremony. She was the talk of the academy right now. I even passed a group of students gossiping about her earlier, confirming her growing reputation.
So logically, Hayden should have had his attention fixed on her by now. That's how the game went. That's how the story was supposed to progress.
Yet, here he was, eyes locked onto me.
I forced a laugh under my breath. "Oh great," I whispered to myself. "My chances of survival are plummeting by the second."
What exactly did I do to get this guy's attention?
Then it hit me.
The system message from the night after the arming ceremony.
[You Have Altered The Story In A Unique Way.]
My brow furrowed as I tapped my pen against my desk. Altered the story how? I racked my brain, thinking of every decision, every minor action that could've thrown the narrative off its tracks.
Nothing came to mind.
"Deep in thought?"
The voice was right next to my ear.
I jolted so hard my pen clattered to the floor. Turning, I found myself face-to-face with a pair of amused periwinkle eyes. Hayden Break was now sitting in the seat beside me, propping his chin on his palm as he smiled like we were old friends.
W-When did he move so close?!
"N-Nothing!" I stammered, picking up my pen in a hurry. "I was just… reviewing what Bruce wrote on the board."
Hayden tilted his head slightly, still watching me with that curious, disarming gaze. "Really? What else?"
I froze. What kind of question was that?
Should I even talk to him? This wasn't some random side character. This was Hayden Break, one of the strongest early-game characters. The more I interacted with him, the further I risked pushing the story off its rails.
I opened my mouth to give some vague, non-committal answer—but a voice interrupted.
"Dean. Hayden. If you two are quite finished, I'd appreciate it if you paid attention to what's being taught."
Bruce, the teacher's aide, stood at the front podium with chalk in one hand and a book in the other, frowning at us.
I immediately bowed my head slightly. "Sorry."
Hayden didn't even bother. He just glanced at Bruce out of the corner of his eye, almost dismissively, before looking back at me.
Bruce cleared his throat, annoyed, and resumed his lecture.
...
"Everyone," Bruce said, his voice raised, "take out your textbooks and notebooks. What I'm about to explain will appear on future exams and will be crucial for your practical assessments."
Chairs scraped. Books opened. Quills scratched against parchment.
Dean, careful not to draw too much attention, slipped one hand beneath his desk and materialized [Archiver], his system-bound chest item, disguised as a regular textbook. He pulled it onto his desk like everyone else.
Meanwhile, Bruce's gaze flicked toward Dean, and his lips thinned.
Why is he here? Bruce thought bitterly. This was supposed to be my chance to impress the nobles… but HE had to show up.
Bruce clenched his jaw. He'd noticed Hayden's interest in the commoner, but he didn't understand it. Dean Mayfest was low-ranked, barely passing, a fluke in S-Class. A commoner who didn't even have mana.
Then an idea struck him. Dean's grades were terrible. He'd barely answered anything on the last exam. That meant Dean desperately needed these supplementary lessons. Which also meant he had no idea what Bruce was about to teach.
Bruce's smile turned sharp. This is perfect. I'll make an example out of him. If I can embarrass Dean, S-Class's Rank 1 in front of the nobles, my influence will soar! While simultaneously exposing him lack of knowledge on mana and his fluke in getting intk S Class.
He turned to the chalkboard and began his explanation.
"Today's topic: Magic Application and Mana Augmentation," he announced. "Two fundamental principles that every mage must understand if they wish to wield magic effectively."
What followed was a long-winded, convoluted explanation involving poorly drawn magic circles and an even worse breakdown of how mana flowed through them. His diagrams were correct at a glance but littered with logical inconsistencies, wrong scaling, and theoretical leaps that made little sense.
Several students exchanged confused looks.
Hayden yawned, brushing a strand of silver hair aside, then glanced at one of the circles Bruce had drawn. His eyebrow quirked. Then, turning to Dean, he leaned closer and asked with a playful smile,
"What do you think, Dean? Is he right?"
Dean blinked, caught off guard. "…No," he said before he could stop himself. "I think his example is wrong."
The sound of chalk snapping echoed through the room.
Students began to murmur. Some wondered why Dean disagreed. Some doubted Bruce. Some thought Dean simply didn't understand.
Bruce's teeth ground together. "Dean Mayfest," he said in a dangerously even tone. "If you truly believe I'm wrong… why don't you come down and enlighten the rest of us?"
All eyes turned toward Dean.
...
I froze.
Outwardly, I probably looked nervous and confused.
Inwardly? I was screaming.
How the hell did this happen?
I shot a look at Hayden. He just grinned and whispered, "Good luck. You've got this."
YOU did this!
"Dean Mayfest." Bruce called my name again, irritation dripping from every syllable.
I glanced over at the chalkboard, then down at [Archiver] showing the actual answers to the methods. Then I glanced back up at the rest of the class with their eyes on me.
I sighed in defeat, stood up, and walked to the chalkboard. I could feel every pair of eyes on me, like a physical weight pressing down.
Staring at the magic circles, I nearly laughed. Bruce's mistakes were glaring once you actually understood the mechanics.
"Your wrong," I said bluntly.
A collective gasp. Bruce blinked, momentarily thrown. "And how, exactly, am I wrong?" he snapped, slapping the chalkboard.
I praised some parts of his work to not sound condescending—it wasn't all garbage—but I made it clear that theory was theory. There was no definitive "right" answer yet. Just room to improve or expand on.
I added, "I can't exactly demonstrate since I have no mana, but I can at least write it properly."
The murmuring swelled. Bruce, jaw clenched, shoved the chalk into my hand. "Then prove it."
I didn't hesitate. I started drawing.
Magic circles, proper mana flow diagrams, theoretical augmentations that actually made sense.
I launched into a full explanation of Magic Application—its strengths, weaknesses, and risks if your mana control was lacking—then seamlessly transitioned into Mana Augmentation, explaining its advantages and bodily dangers when improperly controlled.
I pointed out where Bruce's theory fell apart.
By the time I was done, the board looked completely different.
Bruce stared, dumbfounded.
Murmurs began to echo in the room about Bruce's method being incorrect and how Dean's seemed more practical and effective.
"What would a commoner with no mana know about this?" Bruce barked.
As much as I didn't wan Bruce's words to affect me, soemthing stirred up isnide me.
Then the system appeared—
[Trait: Prideful — Activated.]
[Your pride refuses to let insults to your knowledge go unanswered.]
Heat flooded my chest. My voice came out sharper than I intended.
"I may not have mana," I said, eyes narrowing, "but if someone like me can figure out something you couldn't, what does that say about you? Don't call me up to prove you wrong if you can't handle it."
The class fell silent.
Bruce flinched, actually flinched.
[Trait: Prideful — Deactivated.]
[You regain control of your emotions.]
I blinked. Ah, crap..
I hadn't thought that the damn trait would activate, thus my emotions got the better of me.
I glanced at Bruce who seemed to be quiet. Then he mouth opened to say something, I braced myself for the worst but—
Bruce… apologized. He lowered his head slightly. "You're right. It was arrogant of me to dismiss your method without understanding it."
I raised my hands awkwardly. "Uh… it's fine. I kind of called you out too."
Bruce studied the chalkboard again, clearly intrigued by what I'd written.
As I walked back to my seat, I noticed several students feverishly copying my diagrams. Among them: Rumiw, Kamel, Edwin… and Yang, the protagonist herself.
And Hayden?
He was smiling. Wide.
I gave a nervous smile back, utterly confused.
Then the familiar screen of the system appeared before my eyes:
[You Have Altered The Story In A Unique Way. ]
Oh no.