Zayden followed the hallway until he reached his classroom.
He knocked once before opening the door.
The teacher looked up from the whiteboard.
"Mr. Walker."
"Sorry for interrupting the class," Zayden said.
The teacher nodded.
"I heard from the principal. Come in."
Every student turned to look at him.
Some were surprised to see him back.
Others whispered quietly among themselves.
"Isn't he the junkie?"
"I heard he was in a coma."
"What happened to him?"
Zayden ignored the whispers.
The teacher pointed toward an empty seat.
"You can sit over there."
"Thank you."
He walked to the empty desk near the back of the classroom and sat down.
As he looked around, several familiar faces caught his attention.
Peter Parker.
Harry Osborn.
Gwen Stacy.
Mary Jane Watson.
They were all still teenagers.
Peter was quietly taking notes without paying attention to the gossip around the room.
Harry was leaning back in his chair, looking bored.
Gwen was listening carefully to the teacher.
Mary Jane was chatting quietly with the girl sitting beside her before the lesson resumed.
"So this really is before everything started," Zayden thought.
At this point, Peter was still an ordinary high school student.
Norman Osborn had not become the Green Goblin.
The Avengers did not exist.
Most people had no idea that superheroes would soon become part of everyday life.
The lesson continued normally.
Zayden already understood most of the material thanks to the original owner's memories, so he simply listened while observing the class.
When the bell rang, students immediately began talking to each other.
Peter packed his books as usual.
Harry walked over to him.
"Come on, Pete. Let's grab something to eat."
Peter smiled.
"Sure."
As they walked past Zayden, Peter gave him a polite nod.
"Glad you're feeling better."
"Thanks."
That was all Peter said before leaving with Harry.
Zayden watched them go.
"They're just normal students right now."
It felt strange knowing what their futures would become.
For everyone else, today was just another ordinary school day.
Zayden shook his head and stood up to leave the classroom.
Just as he stepped into the hallway, someone wrapped an arm around his shoulder.
It was Kyle.
Kyle was known as the biggest drug supplier in the school. With his father being one of the school's directors, he could get away with almost anything.
"Zayden!" Kyle said with a grin. "Good to see you're alright, man."
He glanced out the window toward the parking lot.
"And what's up with that? You actually brought a Lamborghini? Not just any Lamborghini either—a Gallardo SE. Where did you get all that money?"
Zayden smiled slightly.
"Turns out I wasn't as poor as I thought."
"My parents left me an inheritance."
"I can't access all of it yet because I'm only sixteen, but I was allowed to take ownership of a mansion and a few cars."
Kyle's eyes widened.
"Damn! You really hit the jackpot."
Zayden simply smiled.
'I really did,' he thought.
Who would have imagined that after dying, he would be reborn in the Marvel Universe with such an incredible ability?
Kyle suddenly laughed.
"You know what? Since you're rich now, buy the premium stuff today."
Then he held out his hand.
"And give me your Lamborghini keys. I'm taking my girls out tonight."
It wasn't a request.
It was an order.
That was how the original Zayden had lived.
He had been addicted to drugs and practically acted like Kyle's errand boy in exchange for getting his next fix.
Zayden calmly removed Kyle's arm from his shoulder.
"I'm not your customer anymore, Kyle."
Kyle blinked before laughing.
"Stop joking."
"I'm serious."
"I want the rest of my inheritance."
"If I keep using drugs, I'll lose everything."
"So from today onward, don't contact me again."
The smile slowly disappeared from Kyle's face.
He grabbed Zayden's wrist.
"You can quit whenever you want."
"But first, pay what you owe me."
"Twenty thousand dollars."
Zayden searched through the original owner's memories.
There had never been any debt.
Kyle was simply trying to take advantage of him.
Without changing his expression, Zayden grabbed Kyle's wrist and twisted it.
"Agh!"
Kyle cried out in pain as Zayden forced him down onto one knee.
The hallway instantly became quiet.
Students stopped walking and turned to look.
Zayden leaned down slightly.
"Don't lie to me."
"I don't owe you anything."
"And don't try this again."
He applied a little more pressure.
Kyle gritted his teeth as sweat formed on his forehead.
"Do you understand?"
"...Yeah."
Only then did Zayden let go.
Kyle stumbled backward, clutching his wrist.
Without another word, Zayden turned around and walked toward the cafeteria, leaving behind a hallway full of stunned students.
He didn't look back.
He already knew the matter wouldn't end there.
Kyle had grown up getting whatever he wanted.
Whenever something didn't go his way, he simply relied on his father's influence to solve the problem.
His father was one of the school's directors and had plenty of connections.
"If Kyle can't deal with me himself, he'll definitely ask his father to step in," Zayden thought.
He wasn't surprised.
That was exactly what someone like Kyle would do.
Still, it didn't bother him.
The original Zayden might have been afraid of people with money and influence.
The current Zayden wasn't.
He had already faced armed criminals and walked away without a scratch.
Compared to that, a spoiled high school student wasn't much of a threat.
After entering the cafeteria, Zayden picked up a tray and ordered a simple lunch.
He found an empty table near the window and sat down by himself.
As he ate, he noticed several students glancing in his direction.
Some were whispering about the Lamborghini.
Others were talking about what had just happened with Kyle.
News spread quickly in a high school.
By the end of the day, almost everyone would probably know that Zayden Walker had returned, arrived in a luxury sports car, and publicly stood up to Kyle.
Zayden wasn't interested in any of the attention.
He simply focused on finishing his lunch while thinking about what he needed to do after school.
He still had to level up his Random Super Gacha, learn more about magic, and continue preparing for everything that would happen in the Marvel Universe over the next few years.