Whispers still lingered in the corridors. The name “Kyle” had become infamous overnight—not because he awakened a powerful class, but because he didn’t awaken one at all.
“Classless.”
That single word followed him like a curse. In a prestigious academy where students awakened early thanks to ancient artifacts and optimal resources, Kyle stood as the lone anomaly.
Even though the standard system required level 10 to awaken a class, the academy’s methods bypassed that through controlled awakening rituals. Everyone succeeded.
Except him.
In the training hall, days later.
Kyle stood alone on the dirt-patched floor, sweat rolling off his body like rain.
Clang!
He swung a dull training sword over and over, his shoulders screaming from overuse.
Nearby students walked past him with amused glances.
“Still training? Give it up already,” one muttered. “Without a class, you’ll never keep up.”
Another snorted. “Didn’t he pass out during his awakening too? Maybe his body rejected the system.”
Kyle didn’t respond. He didn’t need to.
He simply kept swinging.
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One more. Then one more. Then again.
A few feet away, watching silently from the shadows of the sparring field was Instructor Baek Junsoo — a retired A-rank hunter turned mentor. Stern eyes, arms crossed, but something flickered behind his expression as he observed Kyle.
“…That kid again.”
An assistant instructor beside him muttered, “Should we stop him? He’s been at it since dawn. Doesn’t even eat with the rest.”
Baek didn’t answer immediately. He narrowed his eyes as Kyle collapsed to one knee but still crawled back up.
“Do you know what makes a monster?” Baek asked, voice low. “Talent? Power?”
The assistant blinked.
“It’s effort like that,” Baek said, pointing at Kyle. “Unrelenting. Stupid. But... unshakable.”
Later that night.
Kyle returned to the dorm, arms bruised, palms blistered. Jin and Arin were already inside, waiting.
“Again?” Jin asked, tossing Kyle a water bottle. “You need to rest too, you know.”
“Can’t afford to,” Kyle replied, barely managing a grin. “You guys awakened amazing classes. I’ve got nothing... so I’ll earn something.”
Arin raised a brow. “Even if your body breaks?”
“If it breaks, I’ll rebuild it stronger,” Kyle said quietly.
The silence stretched before Jin chuckled. “That’s so like you. Alright, idiot—let’s see who becomes stronger faster.”
Arin smiled, though worry flickered in her eyes. “Just… don’t die trying.”
Kyle smiled, exhaustion in every bone.
“I won’t. Not until I reach the top.”
Training Montage (Weeks Later):
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Kyle wakes at 4 a.m., while the campus sleeps.
-
He runs around the entire academy compound before dawn, whispering mantras to himself.
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Trains in the gravity chamber, where even breathing feels like lifting a boulder.
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Practices sword swings until his palms bleed. He bandages them and continues.
-
Repeatedly fails mock dungeons, then tries again. Each time getting slightly better.
At one point, even Instructor Baek hands him a personal training sword—not as a gift, but recognition.
“No class?” Baek said with a smirk. “Then build your own damn path.”
By the end , Kyle had become a figure of confusion in the academy. Laughed at by some, respected by few, but noticed by all.
His muscles ached. His bones creaked.
But he was growing.
Not as a classed player.
But as a force no one would see coming.