Sammy's POV
"RUDRA, WAKE THE FUCK UP OR I SWEAR I'LL BREAK THIS DOOR DOWN!"
We were supposed to be in Sophie's office by 8 sharp, and here Amanda and I were, standing outside Rudra's room like idiots while he refused to show his face. I hammered my fists against the door, but that bastard didn't budge.
"Amanda, move aside. I'm breaking this damn gate." I warned, stepping back to get momentum.
"Sammy, that's rude! You can't just—" Amanda protested, her voice tight with disapproval.
I shot her a look. "Oh, please. That fucker used to put frogs on my face just to scare the shit out of me. This is payback. He won't mind."
Amanda sighed, clearly unconvinced, but she nodded anyway.
I counted down—three, two, one—and slammed my shoulder into the door with everything I had. The wood splintered, the lock gave way, and the door practically exploded open.
Inside, Rudra was sprawled out on his bed, noise-canceling headphones on, sleeping like he was auditioning for the role of "Dead Man Walking."
I marched up to him, leaned in close, and bellowed:
"RUDRA, WAKE THE FUCK UP, YOU BASTARD!"
---
Rudra's POV
"Aaaaaahhhhhh—WHO THE FUCK IS THAT?!" I jolted upright, ripping the headphones off.
Sammy stood over me, face twisted in fury. "Your father, bitch. Now get up before I shove those headphones up your ass myself."
I blinked, still half-asleep. "You… whatever. What time is it?"
Sammy smirked. "7:55 a.m."
My stomach dropped. "…SAMMY, WHAT THE FUCK! WHY DIDN'T YOU WAKE ME UP EARLIER?!"
Amanda flinched at my outburst, staring at me like I'd grown a second head. Sammy, of course, looked completely unfazed.
"Uh… hi Amanda. Didn't see you there. I'll just… go change." I muttered, realizing belatedly that I wasn't even wearing a shirt.
Amanda crossed her arms, shaking her head. "Yeah, you should hurry—and for god's sake, wear a t-shirt next time."
Mortified, I scrambled to throw on a shirt, grabbed a handful of nuts, and shoved them into my mouth. Sammy was doubled over laughing, while Amanda stood beside him, shaking her head in quiet disbelief.
---
We sprinted through the academy halls, two minutes late, and Sophie let us in with a glare sharp enough to cut steel.
"You're late." she warned, her tone clipped. "Consider this your only pass. Next time, you're out."
We nodded like scolded school kids, trying not to laugh at the absurdity of it.
Sophie's expression softened as she gestured to the man beside her. "Now that everyone's here, we can begin. This is Adam. He'll be assisting with your training."
Her excitement was obvious, which immediately worried me. Whenever Sophie looked that thrilled, it usually meant pain was coming.
"We'll be heading to the private training facility," she continued. "It's reserved for special students or those preparing for critical missions. Consider yourselves lucky."
Lucky. Right.
---
We followed her down the corridor, passing labs where scientists tinkered with support gear and weapons for second-years. The sight was surreal—like peeking behind the curtain of some massive stage production.
Finally, Sophie stopped in front of what looked like a plain stone wall. She pressed her hand against an altar, fed it her ID, then stepped back. Without warning, she punched the wall with all her strength.
The stone rippled like water, and in an instant, the world shifted.
We were standing inside the training facility.
"Holy shit…" Sammy muttered. Amanda's jaw dropped. I couldn't help myself either—"Wow."
Dozens of training rings stretched out before us, lined up like gladiator arenas. The place radiated power, discipline, and danger.
Adam stepped forward, his voice steady. "Before anything else, you need to understand the basics. Humanity uses a universal power ranking system to measure strength—whether human, beast, or demon."
He listed them off, each rank heavier than the last:
- F Rank — ordinary citizens.
- E Rank
- D Rank
- C Rank
- B Rank
- A Rank
- S Rank
- SS Rank — legendary heroes at their peak.
- SSS Rank — only two humans have ever reached it. Their names erased from history, their fate unknown.
The room fell silent.
I broke it. "What about Sammy and Amanda? What rank are they?"
Sammy gave me a look like I'd just asked the dumbest question alive. "Don't you remember? After the practical exam, everyone's rank was sent to their phones."
I frowned. "Mine was blank. What about yours?"
Sammy puffed his chest. "Both Amanda and I are E Rank—the top-ranked first-years."
"Fuck off, Sammy." I snapped, then turned to Adam. "Why was mine blank?"
Adam didn't sugarcoat it. "Because you have no mana—or divine blessing, as it was once called. Without it, the system can't assign you a rank."
The words hit harder than I expected. No mana. No blessing. Just… nothing.
Sophie stepped in quickly, her tone firm but kind. "Don't dwell on it, Rudra. This mission will be valuable for all of you—even you. Not many students get this chance."
Amanda leaned forward. "Do you know anything about the mission itself?"
Sophie nodded. "Only fragments. We're searching for a hidden temple, said to lie in the land once known as India—south of the Mainland. No one knows its exact location or appearance. That's what makes this mission so important."
Adam clapped his hands, cutting off the tension. "Enough talk. Amanda, you'll train with Sophie. Sammy and Rudra, you're with me. Let's get to work."
Amanda gave us a small wave before disappearing into another training room with Sophie. Sammy and I followed Adam into ours, the air thick with anticipation.