Chapter 3

On a large notice board outside the school main building, I found the class wise student list.

Aiden...Whitney.. Rahul.. Julie.. Ryan Whitelock.. Class 10-A.

It looks like I am in class 10-A, wherever the hell that is. Looks like one of the main protagonists, Aiden Hart, is in my class, while the other, Maeve Hart, is in class 10-B.

Well, nothing good comes with interacting with them.

"Hey Ryan, over here!"

The moment I heard the shout I could feel my legs tremble.

I didn't have to turn around to identify who it was. The memory of Seth, Lucas and Kyle tormenting Ryan was vivid. Whether it was in school or outside, the three always took their turn in bullying Ryan.

It was also one of the main reasons why Ryan kept his head low.

Although I want to punch their stupid faces, my strength was too weak to even try.

Ignoring their call I increased my pace, making my way towards the classroom.

"Hey Ryan, where are you going? Come here!"

F*cking kids. Why do you have to pick on me?

Turning around the corridor, I hit another student causing me to fall.

"I am so sorry, are you alright?"

"It's…"

Looking up at the person holding her hand out, I couldn't help but open my mouth.

Maeve Hart. Being one of the playable characters, she looked stunning. With dark red hair and eyes, she looked unreal. Although she now looked like an ordinary girl in casual clothes, she would later become one of the strongest warriors in the entire school by the end of the first game.

"Um, are you okay?"

"Yea. Yea. I am good. I am sorry as well. There were a few stray dogs chasing me…"

Taking her hand, I got up.

"Stray dogs? I don't think there would be any-"

"Ryan, where'd you go?"

I could hear Seth's voice closing in.

"Well, I'll be off then. It was nice to meet you."

"Yeah…"

Although it was interesting to meet one of the two player characters, I didn't want to interact more than necessary.

True, I was a little weak at the moment but I am quite satisfied with my life now. After living the life of a poor man for the past 25 years, I can finally enjoy the life of a 15 year old rich kid. So, why would I go out of my way to find trouble with the playable characters?

Carefully avoiding the bullies I somehow found my way to the classroom, just before the bell.

Since all the back benches were occupied by then, I had to sit in one of the first rows alone.

Maybe it's good. At least I get peace and quiet.

Walking into the room was Ms. Stillwell, the homeroom teacher. Although it was her first time as a homeroom teacher, Ryan knew her as his math teacher since grade 7.

As the students were shuffled into different classrooms, Ms. Stillwell was the only person I could identify as someone who knew me or rather Ryan Whitelock.

There were even a few instances when Ryan had seeked Ms. Stillwell's help to protect himself from all the bullying. But all he got from her was just a couple of words. Even when there were visible bruises, Ms. Stillwell used to look the other way. Ryan at the time felt betrayed. Pushing himself further into the abyss.

As humans discovered mana, not all was good. It was also the start of a civil war. A war demanding the strongest among us to rule. These muscle heads finally surrendered against democracy but it was not all that simple.

Slowly but steadily, the weaker among us took the roles of teaching, manufacturing, management and other desk jobs while the strong lived enjoying the luxury of strength and power.

But like always, there were outliers. There were objectively weaker men and women who risked their lives and objectively stronger who chose to stand beside.

Even when blessed with great strength, not all had the stomach to make use of it. Ms. Stillwell was one such person.

In the game, she is an unexpected person who would lend a helping hand when there is an attack in the school. An NPC from whom you would be able to obtain a unique skill in the later stages of the game.

In real life, I felt she was just another person who turned her head away when it came to things related to violence. A person who throws away her unique skill to relieve herself from the burden of being a person with power.

It's not like I always had such a strong opinion about her character. Even when I spoke with the story writer, I didn't have such a strong opinion about any of these side characters. Wait, what was the author's name?