Weak Class of Anti-Hero

That evening, as I was in my room, studying my father's notes, a notification popped up on my terminal. And on every other student's terminal at the academy at the same time.

It was a mandatory live broadcast.

I opened the message. The screen displayed my father's face.

He was in the director's office, sitting behind the large desk, but he wasn't wearing a formal suit. Just a simple shirt. He looked calm, but determined. This was his first official address.

"Good evening, students of Apex Academy," he began, his voice resonating with a quiet authority.

"My name is Kang Min-Ho, and as of today, I am your new director."

He paused, allowing time for the information to sink in for those who didn't already know.

"I know many of you have questions. Concerns. Let me be clear. The academy is about to change. Radically."

He stood up and walked in front of his desk.

"For too long, this school has been a system based on privilege. A system where your starting rank, your family name, or your wealth determined your worth. A system that created arrogant elites and crushed those who were considered 'weak'."

His gaze hardened.

"That ends now."

"Starting tomorrow, the rankings based on the initial 'Draft' are abolished. Your rank will be determined solely by your actual performance, your exam results, and your mission accomplishments."

"The dorms will no longer be separated by rank. The Gamma building will be renovated. Resources, training rooms, advanced classes... everything will be accessible to those who deserve it, not those who were born with it."

"At Apex, from now on, there will be no 'privilege.' There will only be merit. Every student, whether they are F-rank or S-rank, is now equal. And you will be judged not on the power of your Aura, but on the strength of your character."

He finished his speech. A wind of panic and excitement must have swept across the entire campus.

My father wasn't just running the academy.

He had just started a revolution.

As soon as the broadcast ended, the academy's internal social network exploded.

It was chaos.

A large number of students, especially those from the lower ranks, were euphoric. It was the end of an unjust system. A chance for them to prove their worth.

But the elites... the A and B-ranks from wealthy families... were furious.

The forum was flooded with angry messages.

"Is this a joke? We paid fortunes to be in the Alpha building!"

"Abolish privileges? This is the world turned upside down!"

"This new director is going to ruin the academy!"

It was a digital civil war.

I was reading the comments with an amused smile when my terminal vibrated. It was a message from Min-Soo. But his tone wasn't cheerful.

"Ji-Hoon. Did you see the news? Not the one about the rules. The other news."

Confused, I opened the academy's official news portal.

And I saw the headline, in bold.

"Disappearance and Presumed Death of A-Rank Student, Kang Yoo-Na."

The article was short. It explained that Yoo-Na had been reported missing after the mission at the Prometheus laboratory. That an intensive search had been conducted. And that, given the circumstances and the lack of any trace, she was now officially presumed to have died on a mission.

It was clean. Efficient. A perfect cover story to explain her disappearance. My father had handled it well.

Min-Soo sent me another message.

"It's horrible, isn't it? To die like that..."

I looked at his message. I thought of Yoo-Na's body, lying in the laboratory corridor.

I felt no guilt. No sadness.

I just replied.

"Yes. It's a shame."

The next morning, the atmosphere on campus was electric.

The old hierarchies were shattered. The groups forming at breakfast were no longer based on rank, but on affinity. D-ranks were chatting with B-ranks. It was a promising mess.

Of course, the old elites, like Do-Yun's group, stuck together, glaring at everyone. They had lost their privileges, and they were furious.

I went to practical combat class. Coach Hwan stood in the middle of the gym, a big smile on his face.

"Alright!" he barked. "I hope you enjoyed the new director's speech. Because his new rules apply here too."

He pointed to the different arenas. "No more arranged duels between friends. From now on, fights will be randomly assigned by the system. A C-rank can face an A-rank. A B-rank can face an S-rank."

A murmur of excitement and fear ran through the room.

"The goal isn't just to win," the coach continued. "It's to learn. To push yourselves. To face someone stronger than you and survive. That's how you progress."

The large screen in the gym lit up, displaying the first duels. The names scrolled by, forming improbable pairs.

My name appeared.

[Kang Ji-Hoon (S-Rank)]

And next to it, my opponent's.

[Park Bora (C-Rank)]

I looked at Bora, on the other side of the room. She looked back at me, her eyes wide, a mixture of panic and excitement.

My first fight under the new rules. Against one of my friends.

I smiled.

This was going to be interesting.

Bora and I stepped into the arena. She looked incredibly nervous, but also determined.

"Uh... we're not going to fight for real, are we?" she asked, her voice trembling slightly.

"Of course we are," I replied with a small smirk. "But I'm not going to kill you. Probably."

The coach blew the whistle, starting the fight.

Bora reacted immediately. She raised her hands and created a series of small, blinding spheres of light that swirled around me, trying to disorient me.

It was a good tactic. The same one she had used against the monster in the basement.

But I had fought Yoo-Na. I had fought the Guardian. I had fought a god.

Her little lights were like fireflies to me.

I didn't even move. I simply used the first pillar. Defense.

I created a thin barrier of Aura around my body. The flashes of light hit it but had no effect on my vision.

Bora watched, surprised. She focused her light into a single, thin, powerful beam, aiming for my chest.

I just raised a hand and caught the beam. My Aura shield absorbed the energy without any problem.

"My turn," I said.

I used the second pillar. Reinforcement.

I infused my legs with Aura and disappeared.

I reappeared right behind her. She didn't even have time to turn around.

I placed my hand, palm open, an inch from her back. I didn't need to touch her. The energy I was giving off was enough.

The fight was over. It had lasted less than five seconds.

"Winner, Kang Ji-Hoon," the coach announced, his voice neutral.

Bora turned around, completely stunned. "But... how?"

"You're fast," I told her. "But you rely too much on surprise. You need to learn how to fight when your first plan fails."

I held out my hand to help her up. It was the first time I had used a fight not to destroy, but to teach.

And it was a surprisingly pleasant feeling.

Bora took my hand to get up. She looked thoughtful, digesting my remark.

"Ji-Hoon..." she began, as if she wanted to say something important. She opened her mouth, then closed it. A shadow of fear crossed her eyes, before disappearing just as quickly.

"No... nothing," she finally said, shaking her head with a forced smile. "You're right. I need to train harder."

She stepped out of the arena, rejoining the other students. The end of the class was announced shortly after.

Her hesitation left me puzzled.

Later, in the cafeteria, I met up with Min-Soo.

"Tell me," I asked, sitting down across from him. "Is there something bothering Bora right now? She seems... weird."

Min-Soo shrugged while drinking his fruit juice. "Weird? No, I don't think so. She's as hyperactive as ever. Maybe she's just intimidated by you now that you're a legendary superhero."

I frowned. Maybe he was right. It was probably just my imagination. I had gotten too used to seeing conspiracies everywhere.

I changed the subject, but the thought remained in the back of my mind.

After lunch, I isolated myself in a quiet corner of the campus. I took out my terminal and called Ha-Yoon.

She answered, her voice a little worried. "Ji-Hoon? Is everything okay? You didn't come home last night."

"I know," I said, feeling a little guilty. "I'm sorry. I had... a lot to do at the academy with the new rules. It's been chaos."

"Oh. Okay," she said. There was a hint of disappointment in her voice. "Are you coming home tonight?"

"I'll try," I lied. I knew I would probably spend the night training. "But don't wait up for me."

We talked a little more, but the conversation was a bit forced. The gap between my two lives was becoming increasingly difficult to manage.