The morning sun rose, its rays piercing through the room and shining brightly into Ss''s eyes, rousing him from his slumber. He got out of bed, made his way to the bathroom for a shower, and then dressed in his uniform.


    After gathering his belongings, Ss exited his room and headed directly to the cafeteria for breakfast.


    "I hope I don''t run into Caleb and his minions like I did yesterday," Ss thought as he walked.


    Arriving at the cafeteria, Ss joined the queue for food. The students were being served one by one by the academy staff until it was finally his turn.


    The server, casting a disdainful nce at Ss, ced a single loaf of bread on his tray and poured a small amount of watery soup into a dish. He set it in front of Ss with a look of contempt.


    Ss nced at the sparse meal on his tray, then at the tray of the student served before him. That student had received five loaves of bread and arge bowl of soup, while Ss was given only one loaf and a small te of soup.


    "Excuse me, sir, but I think there might be a mistake," Ss said politely.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    "Did I?" the server retorted with a scoff. "Do you really think I would serve a lowly student like you the same amount as the others? You''re lucky to get even that much," he added dismissively.


    Ss''s heart sank at the server''s words. Despite the humiliation, he had no choice but to ept the tray and walk to his seat at the far end of the cafeteria, away from the other students.


    As he walked, Ss''s gaze was fixed on the meager food, his expression one of profound sadness. It had been twenty-four hours since hest ate; his previous meal had been taken from him by Caleb and his followers. Now, his only sustenance for the day consisted of a single loaf of bread and a small amount of soup.


    Suddenly, a loud p echoed through the cafeteria as Ss''s tray was knocked from his hands. The tray flew through the air andnded upside down on the floor, scattering its contents.


    Ss''s eyes widened in horror.


    His only meal for the dayy in a ruined mess on the floor.


    "No, no, no!" he cried, rushing to salvage at least the bread. But before he could reach it, a student stomped on the bread, crushing it beneath his boot.


    Ss watched in despair as hisst hope for a meal was destroyed.


    "Oops, seems I identally stepped on your bread. My apologies," Caleb said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.


    Ss''s anger surged. Clenching his fists, he stood up and swung a punch towards Caleb''s face. Ss was fully aware of the potential consequences of striking a powerful student like Caleb, but his rage overwhelmed his fear.


    The punch connected solidly, sending Caleb stumbling backward. The students gasped collectively, astonished to see Ss, a known weakling,nd a powerful hit on a Grade 3 user.


    Caleb''s expression darkened as he rubbed his cheek where Ss''s fist had struck. "How dare you, Ss? How dare youy your filthy hands on me!" Caleb roared, signaling his minions.


    In an instant, two of Caleb''s friends were at Ss''s side, restraining him and preventing any movement. Despite Ss''s attempts to free himself, their enhanced strength made it impossible.


    Caleb clenched his right fist, now encased in a solidyer of ice, and approached Ss menacingly. "You should have known better than to attack me!" Caleb said as he swung his icy fist toward Ss''s chest.


    The impact shattered the ice and drove Ss backward. The force of the blow made Ss cough up blood.


    Before Caleb could deliver another punch, the cafeteria doors burst open, and two teachers d in sleek ck mutant armor entered.


    "I''m not finished with you yet. You hear me? I''m not finished!" Caleb spat before walking away. His minions released Ss, who copsed to his knees, blood dripping from his mouth.


    The teachers advanced to the front of the cafeteria. A male teacher with long brown hair and a muscr build cleared his throat to capture the students'' attention.


    "Good morning, students," the teacher, David, said. "We have received instructions from Sir Benedict to select one student to apany us on a specific raid. We are heading to the Mutant''s Realm to search for an artifact. Since most of our staff are engaged in other missions, we are choosing one person from here to join our squad.


    You will bepensated with tokens and mutant body parts after the raid. If you are interested, raise your hand now!"


    Several hands shot up eagerly, each student eager to demonstrate their abilities and attract Sir Benedict''s attention.


    David scanned the raised hands before focusing on a particr student, a smirk forming at the corner of his lips after catching sight of a certain boy.


    "You!"