"Explain this."
When Professor Chen tossed my biology answer sheet to me, with a small cheat note slipped into the middle, I immediately knew what was going on.
I had been sabotaged.
"Um..."
But how was I supposed to explain it to him? Professor Chen wasn't the kind of person to buy cheap coincidences like this one. If anything, he'd spent his last teaching years presuming that he understood student mannerisms. And trust me, I was probably on his blacklist.
"You know this is malpractice, right?" He said, reminding me. "And you do know that there are consequences for your action."
"I understand, Professor," I replied with a sigh. "I'll take full responsibility for this."
"You better do."
And by full responsibility, I was talking about querying the person who actually did. Tyler Wilson. Dickhead. The cheapest bully boss in Silvic High.
Earlier during the test, he'd tried distracting me. But I quickly caught on when he passed a small note to one of his loyal handymen, the one sitting right next to me.
The next thing I did was to mind my business. That skill alone had helped me survive in this hell called high school. But then, at that point, minding my business was the biggest mistake I'd made.
If only I knew that he was planning to frame me for malpractice, then I would have grabbed that handyman by the arm and smashed his hand before he could use it any further.
Well, it's never too late.
After all, I was getting tired of this stupid system. Social hierarchy. Power oppression. Silvic High ran under the student hierarchy. The high tiers→ The middle tiers→ The low tiers. And running as the top-dog of this system was the order.
The order comprised the four most powerful students in the school. The Jack, Ace, Queen and the most powerful dog, the King.
And at the ground root of all this hierarchical oppression was me, Ren Mora. The weakest student in Silvic High. I broke that record when they discovered that I was even weaker than a low-tier- just a random guy without abilities.
It didn't take so long to become popular in school. Students despised me and used me as their punching bag at every given opportunity. Teachers hated me because I wasn't exactly promoting the reputation of their school.
And for me? Well, I was pretty much surviving under resistance. Graduation was only a few months away now, and I could take a hit from bullies as long as it was guaranteed that I would finish high school.
Well, that used to be the plan. Then, Tyler in his reckless search for a fight- slipped a cheat note into my answer slip. Malpractice was actually a big deal. And if taken seriously, I could get suspended for it.
And knowing Professor Chen, he could probably work that out. That man never had a soft spot for me.
I walked into class. Class A-3. Noisy as always. By now, I was supposed to be used to it. But their topics were never worth raising their voices for.
I scanned around the room. There he was. Tyler, sitting exactly where he'd always sit. At the back of the class, like some final boss genius who thought he knew better than actually studying.
I'd always seen him do anything else but study during class periods. Most times, he was always asleep like a guy who'd worked a two-day job. Other times, he was just combing his hair or checking out his face in a mirror he always carried with him.
When I approached him, his head was on the desk, his eyes bored as he stared blankly into the nothingness. But as he caught my glimpse, that whole look changed completely from boredom to sudden interest.
"Get up," I said. "You have to explain to Professor Chen that you planned that cheat note he found in my manuscript."
"What?" He looked at me with questioning eyes. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Hey, cripple." One of his friends, Cassian, stood, scraping his chair against the floor. "What do you think you're doing?"
"Get up," I repeated, my gaze still focused on Tyler. "I know you did this. So, just take responsibility. And I'll let it go, like always."
"Hey-" Cassian gripped my right shoulder, and somehow, I found the strength to grab his arm, and throw him off against a locker.
He tossed over to the side, almost losing his balance. But his other accomplices caught him before he could fall. When everywhere went silent, I knew I'd hit a bone.
"You son of a bitch-"
Cassian cursed and rushed me, throwing blows ceaselessly in my direction. His punch hit my nose, hot. Painful. Then he swung again, this time hitting my cheekbone.
I didn't wait for all of his attacks to land. I just ducked, grabbed his torso and drove him violently into a nearby locker.
"Argh-"
Somehow, hearing him groan in pain added to my adrenaline. I grabbed his collar and landed a hit on his nose with all the last energy in my fist. It was a weak hit, yes. But it was something. I'd never actually fought anyone in school until now.
This is actually refreshing.
Well, it was until someone kicked my side hard, sending me down to the ground. The pain eloped me, actually more severe than I thought. It felt as if I was actually paralysed. I couldn't move myself from the ground.
"Is that it?" Tyler asked, smiling as he still sat on his desk. "All you had behind all that sudden confidence?"
I didn't respond.
"Alright, alright. You want me to attest to putting that cheat note in your manuscript? Sure, that was me." He smirked. "But what can you do about it anyway? You're just a cripple."
He stood, walked towards me, and gave me a mischievous overhead smile.
"And cripples don't deserve to exist." He kicked my stomach in the exact place that I'd been hit. Then again, and again. Cursing as he hit me. I could see his expression becoming vicious as he continued to hit me.
"Grab him." As he commanded, Cassian and the other gang grabbed either of my arms, lifting me off the ground.
Tyler clenched his right fist, and his entire hand became solid brown, like a hard brick. That was his ability. I didn't know what it was, but it sure made him look like a construction worker anytime he showed it off.
Then came his final punch. I didn't register the pain, but I sure registered being unconscious for a while. Three seconds? Maybe more.
However long it was, something messed with my subconscious vision. A blue display of lights is glitching strangely.
A system? Well, that wasn't supposed to be possible. Systems were only granted a second chances to life. Except that... I died.
That's impossible. I actually died from a single punch?
[Transmigration Proceeding: Scanning For A New World...(90%)]
Sure. The basics. If anything, a world without hierarchical rule would be preferred. Or maybe a world where I would be the strongest. A harem world, maybe.
[Error: Transmigration Failed. Returning Back To Former Course]
Yeah, I'm so cooked.
.
.
.
Extra'
Name: Tyler Wilson
Ability: Hardening
Rank: C (Middle Tier)
Fortitude: 4.0
Tier: Middle Tier.