Ryan West stood outside of his new classroom as his heart felt like it could blast any moment.
He adjusted his new uniform, slowly his hand reached out for the door's handle.
'What if it's the same type of thing again? What if they all hate me too? What if they find out why I got transferred?'
He gulped.
[DING!]
[Reminder: Active Quest – Communicate and make friends in your class.]
[Reward: +3 Endurance, +3 Stamina]
'Right, I'm not here to survive anymore, I'm here to grow, to become the best.'
He slowly pushed the door open as he put one step inside of the classroom, the chatter quietened, eyes turned to take a good look at him.
Dozens of students—boys with well groomed hair and sharp jawlines, girls with shiny accessories and lip glossy smiles, Glanced over at the newcomer like he was some rare species that wandered into their classroom by mistake.
He resisted the urge to curl in on himself and looked straight ahead. 'Act cool, don't force it. Don't look scared and most importantly don't stutter.'
The teacher, a strict looking man with a thin mustache and a presence that gave vibes of typical maths teacher. "No bullshit." He shouted as he turned from the whiteboard.
He took a good look at Ryan, "You must be the new transfer student who was supposed to join us today." He said flatly. "What's your name?"
Ryan bowed to him slightly. "R-Ryan West, sir."
The teacher put his marker on the table as he said. "Introduce yourself to the class, Ryan West."
Ryan turned to face the class filled with curious, judging faces. He cleared his throat, sweat already gathering behind his ears.
"Good morning, everyone. My name is Ryan West, I recently got transferred in here from Redstone High. I… I hope we all get along well."
Some students gave him polite nods, others smiled faintly at him. But a few—especially the less groomed types—snickered at him quietly, whispering about him with each other.
Ryan saw one edgy guy whisper to his friend. "Another loser is here from some bottom-tier school."
The friend replied. "Bro looks like he eats salami for his breakfast."
Ryan wanted to crawl into a pit of hole, but he reminded himself— 'They don't know me… not yet, let them laugh like old classmates of mine but soon I'll change everything.'
'Take the empty seat in the back." The teacher instructed as he pointed his finger towards the seat. "Next to Arthur."
Ryan bowed again as he said. "Yes sir."
He walked down the aisle, trying not to trip and fall over his own two feet. He could feel those stares trailing him thoroughly.
The desk next to the window had a guy slouched over it—arms folded, head resting on top of them, dozing off.
Ryan slowly sat on the seat next to him.
The guy, Arthur—was tall, muscular and had a small buzzcut. His fists were taped, not some school bandage-type taped. They were boxing wrapped.
Ryan noticed faint bruises on his knuckles.
The guy opened one of his eyes.
He looked at Ryan lazily, like someone judging their opponent's weight class. His gaze wasn't hostile, just…assessing.
"Yo." Ryan whispered to him. "I'm Ryan, just got transferred."
Arthur grunted, voice low and filled with tiredness. "Cool."
Then he closed his eyes again as he put his head back on his arms.
Ryan blinked in confusion. 'Wow. Okay, that's it? Just… cool.'
Still, he wasn't being mocked, that alone was an upgrade in Ryan's behavior.
He glanced at Arthur again and noticed a worn-out notebook on his desk.
The front was scribbled over with boxing combos, training schedules and a massive stylized name across the top: "Arthur 'KO King' Kane."
'This guy is seriously into boxing. Not the gym rat kind of… He's the real deal, haha.'
Arthur suddenly spoke without opening his eyes. "You box?"
Ryan nearly jumped from his seat. "H-huh me? I mean… I just kinda know how to throw a jab.. Haha"
Arthur cracked one eye open again, this time there was some kind of interest in them.
"A jab? You training under someone or?"
"Uhhh… no coach, I'm self taught. Kind of."
[1000 points deducted because you just lied, ungrateful brat.]
'Shut the fuck up, system. I can't reveal about you and yes I'm grateful towards you.'
[Yes, you should be.]
Arthur sat up slowly and leaned back in his chair, arms a bit crossed. His gaze was a little sharper now, not sleepy just full of interest.
"That jab better be real, I don't like posers."
Ryan swallowed hard. 'Why does this feel like an interview with the final boss?'
He nodded. "Yeah. It's legit… I even dropped someone with it."
Arthur's lips curled into a half-smile and for a moment, Ryan could see the glint of curiosity in his eyes.
"Name's Arthur." He said, offering his fist for a bump.
Ryan bumped it without hesitation. 'Shit. That's the most manliest thing I did in past few years.'
The teacher then cleared his throat, and the rest of the class resumed their lectures. Ryan finally exhaled the breath which he didn't realize that he was holding in.
As he sat back, he saw the quest notification flicker in his sight.
[DING!]
[Quest Progress: Social Interaction Initiated – Arthur Kane]
[+25% Quest Completion]
'Okay, let's see what else this school can throw at me. I'm pretty excited I don't even know why.'
But as he leaned into his chair, he caught a group of guys across the room whispering about him.
Some had amused looks, others were sizing him up like fresh meat.
'Great, the fun like this never ends.'
Still, he smirked to himself because this time he was not alone.
He had his system with him to counter all of this.
And maybe, just maybe, an ally who also is a boxing freak. Who doesn't talk much but could probably punch a hole in a locker.
The teacher started explaining something about political structures, but Ryan wasn't listening to him.
His eyes drifted to the notebook on Arthur's desk, and for the first time in a long while, he felt something warm stir inside of his chest.
Was it excitement? Or Hope?