As the murmurs settled into awkward silence, Instructor Hwang stepped closer to Kyle, frowning. He checked the tablet once more, tapping the glowing screen. Still, the result didn't change.

  [Class: None]

  “No system error,” the instructor muttered under his breath. His voice then rose, steady and matter-of-fact, “Kyle Han. No class has been detected.”

  The announcement echoed through the ceremonial chamber like a death sentence.

  Laughter followed.

  “Classless?”

  “Guess the Tower quota finally hit rock bottom.”

  “Must’ve used up all the budget on those fancy artifacts.”

  Kyle clenched his fists. The ancient runes under his feet, once glowing with anticipation, now faded to dull gray. He stared blankly at the result.

  Instructor Hwang lowered his voice, speaking only to Kyle. “I’ve seen your file. You were one of the brighter ones. If anyone was supposed to break the mold, it was you.” He sighed, voice tinged with reluctant sympathy. “Sometimes, reality doesn’t care about effort.”

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  Kyle gave a stiff nod, not trusting his voice to respond.

  Suddenly, the runes lit up again—this time with vibrant blue and crimson, flaring like a storm. The room turned silent.

  “Another awakening!” someone shouted.

  It was Arin. A sphere of white light engulfed her, threads of time swirling around her feet. The system announced:

  [Class: Chrono Healer – Epic Grade]

  “An Epic class…?!” gasped a student.

  Before the awe faded, Jin stepped up, his sword raised in ritual. The air snapped like lightning.

  [Class: Mystic Spell blade – High Rare Grade]

  Even Instructor Hwang blinked in surprise. “Two top-tier awakenings in one ceremony?”

  Kyle watched it all—face impassive, heart twisting.

  The same ceremony. The same resources. But different results.

  Still, Arin and Jin pushed through the crowd, worry written all over their faces.

  “Kyle…” Arin said softly. “We don’t care about your class—”

  “Or lack of one,” Jin added, then winced. “You know what I mean.”

  Kyle forced a small smile. “Yeah. Thanks.”

  But that night, he didn’t sleep. When the rest of the dorm lights flickered off, Kyle was still training. Swinging the academy-issued B-rank sword again and again until his hands blistered.

  The blade was heavier than usual.

  He wasn’t just sweating—he was bleeding.

  And yet, when the sun rose, he was still on the training ground.

  “Classless.” The word repeated in his mind like a curse.

  Fine. Then he’d be the strongest classless player the world had ever seen.