Chapter 7: introduction(3)
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All the plot-relevant characters were placed in Class A.
June. Eugene. Rose. Marlon.
Kai watched as their names appeared one after another on the projection above the hall. There was no suspense. He already knew the outcome. These four were the pillars of the narrative, the faces on the cover of every arc. If they weren't in Class A, the entire novel would have collapsed.
Still, knowing it didn't make it easier to watch.
A heavy feeling settled in the air around him as the reality sank in for the rest of the students. Despair. Envy. Denial. It rippled outward in waves, getting stronger with each passing second as more names and ranks were announced.
The final list made things worse.
The class distribution wasn't even. Four in Class A. A larger bunch in B. A surprisingly small count in C. And then everyone else. The majority had been assigned to Class D.
Apparently, this year's turnout was considered one of the worst in the academy's history. The staff didn't even try to hide it. The way they glossed over Class D's details said enough.
Kai didn't react outwardly, but the weight of it all pressed on him anyway.
He knew why he wasn't in Class A. The system only measured what it could scan, and at the time of his arrival, he was just another low-tier C-grade. His boost to B+ from the shard didn't count in any records. And even if it did, that wouldn't mean much against students who had trained with elite mages since they could walk.