Egan realized that he wasn't the protagonist.
His past, his personal life, even his achievements... none of it was special.
Even his appearance was average—neither handsome nor ugly; just plain, not the kind that draws attention.
He was born into a mediocre family—not rich, not poor. But his parents were always too busy working to ever pay attention to him.
As a child, he tried his best to earn their attention.
He worked hard and became the top student in his class.
His effort paid off—his parents gave him some attention.
They bought him a bicycle—something flashy, something they thought any kid would love.
Happy? No, Egan actually felt sad. Because that gift was undeniable proof that his parents didn't know him at all—not even their own son.
The truth was, Egan was an introvert. Rather than riding a bicycle outside, he preferred playing video games indoors.
After that, Egan stopped trying. He no longer sought his parents' attention. He simply lived his life plainly and passively.
His school life wasn't enjoyable either.
He had no friends. No girlfriend.
Even after graduating high school, he had no fond memories—only regrets: that he never got to date the most beautiful girl in school.
It was a stupid regret.
Because he had only admired her from afar.
He never even spoke to her.
He wanted to introduce himself, but Egan didn't have the courage. He was insecure and shy. He was afraid it would go awkwardly and that she would think he was weird.
That's why he always hoped she would be the one to talk to him first. Of course, that never happened. A foolish hope.
As for achievements...
In elementary, middle, and high school, Egan's best accomplishment was during elementary school—when he became top of the class to get his parents' attention.
After that, he achieved nothing.
In fact, he consistently ranked near the bottom every year.
His parents didn't even get mad about that.
Because they never paid attention to Egan at all.
With such low grades, after high school, he just wanted to get a job instead of going to college.
Honestly, because of his low self-esteem, he didn't believe any university would accept him.
But while job hunting, his life changed.
He died... hit by a truck.
But even in death, that wasn't the end for him.
He reincarnated into another world.
At first, as someone who loved reading web novels, Egan thought he had reincarnated into one of the web novel worlds he'd read about, entering the body of a side character.
He was excited, hoping to use his knowledge as a reader to become successful and overpowered in this new world. He thought this was his chance to shine.
But in reality, he hadn't reincarnated into any web novel world.
Rather than getting a chance to shine, he was thrown into a completely unfamiliar world he knew nothing about.
And yes, he had reincarnated as a side character.
Just like he had hoped.
But clearly, that wasn't a good thing.
Fate didn't give him a chance to shine at all.
This reincarnation meant nothing and changed nothing.
In this foreign world, his name was still the same—Egan Faldor. Not only that, his appearance was exactly the same: black hair, thin build, and dull pale skin.
The similarities didn't end there.
He still had no friends.
His family didn't recognize or care about him either.
Instead of a positive change, things got worse. In this world, he was a first-year high school student again. Even though he had already graduated before.
"Oh great, do I seriously have to go through those three painful years all over again?!" Egan said before sighing tiredly.
Many say high school is the most beautiful time—full of freedom, love, and friendship. But for Egan, high school was dull—just like middle school and elementary.
Worse, during those years, he often felt heartbroken watching others build friendships and relationships—things he could never do.
Even so, since he had just reincarnated, he became slightly optimistic—hoping that high school in this world would be better than on Earth.
Today was Egan's first day at school in this new world.
He wore a uniform dominated by black.
The name of his school was Arcane Academy.
It was the best academy, exclusively for nobles.
Yes, Egan was the son of a noble. But only a baron—the lowest rank in the noble hierarchy. In truth, he actually wished he had been born a commoner instead.
As a commoner in a noble academy, there was a chance he could've stood out. Be the anomaly. The unexpected genius. The story everyone whispered about.
But ironically, he ended up as a low-ranking noble—too noble to be special, too low to matter.
That wasn't cool at all. If only he had been born a high-ranking noble, like a duke, maybe things would've been different.
Upon arriving at the academy, Egan's jaw dropped.
'Is this really a school?' Egan thought.
Arcane Academy was grand and beautiful.
The building was massive and made people feel small.
It looked like a castle, surrounded by six towers.
It had gothic architecture with mesmerizing detail.
Hundreds of students in matching uniforms entered. They were beautiful and handsome. As nobles, they wore luxurious and expensive accessories.
Their presence only made Egan feel more inferior, with his plain face and no fancy accessories. 'I want to go home.'
Egan walked with the others to the auditorium, where the entrance ceremony was held. Inside, it was already almost full, buzzing with conversations between students getting to know each other.
Thankfully, Egan found a seat he liked—
The very back row, in the corner of the room.
That was the kind of spot Egan preferred.
A minute later, the ceremony began.
It started with a passionate and inspiring speech from the principal, then continued with the announcement of class assignments.
"I really want to be in Class S."
"Me too."
"In this academy, Class S is the best."
"I hope we get called for Class S."
"I don't want to end up in Class E."
Two girls sitting in front of Egan were talking. From their conversation, Egan learned that Class S was the best, and Class E was the worst.
Obviously, most students wanted to be in Class S.
But Egan hoped to be in Class E.
He knew he was dumb. If he ended up in Class E, maybe he could make friends with other dumb students.
But if he got into Class S, there was no way he could get along with people on a different level.
"Finally, the last student entering Class S is..." the announcer said into the microphone. "Egan Faldor, please come to the podium."
'What?!' Egan's eyes widened in shock. 'Why am I in Class S? Was the previous owner of this body smart? No way, that's impossible.'
After reincarnating, he immediately received the little memories of the body's former owner. From those memories, he knew the guy wasn't smart at all.
Yet still, he was placed in Class S.
He was so shocked he froze for a few seconds.
"Egan Faldor, please come to the podium," the announcer called again, snapping Egan out of it.
With no choice, he walked up to the podium under the envious gazes of the other students, which made him feel incredibly uncomfortable.
'Seriously, I want to go home right now.'
Once on the podium, Egan stood with twenty-nine other students. He recognized them—they were children of high-ranking nobles.
He and they were on completely different levels.
'I probably won't make any friends again.'
After Egan joined them on stage, the announcer spoke again. "The homeroom teacher for Class S is Aria Lovetein."
A beautiful woman—with large breasts, a tall and slender figure, and long, wavy pink hair—stepped in front of the thirty Class S students.
"Hello, everyone," she greeted with a bright smile. "I'll be your homeroom teacher for the next four full years. I hope we can get along. Now, please follow me."
Egan, along with the other students, followed Aria.
Eventually, they arrived in a room.
At the center of the room was a large blue crystal.
As someone who had read many web novels, Egan could easily guess what kind of crystal it was. 'That must be a talent crystal. So cliché.'
"First, let's assess your talents. That crystal will be used for the test," said Aria, confirming that Egan's guess was correct.
Hearing that, Egan grew slightly excited.
Usually, reincarnated protagonists in another world have extraordinary talents. And when tested, their talents surprise and shock everyone present.
'In scenes like this, the crystal usually explodes, right? It's a total cliché—but I want it. Only MCs get scenes like that.'
He believed he had a high chance of making the crystal explode. Because he was a reincarnator.
Egan couldn't stop smiling with anticipation.
"Let's begin with the first student," said Aria. "Your Highness, please step forward and place your hand on the crystal."
A beautiful girl with long, wavy lavender hair walked to the front. She had an elegant and graceful aura. Tall and slender, with a gentle smile on her soft pink lips.
She was Olivia Elarion, the princess of this kingdom—the Kingdom of Elarion.
All men would fall for her at first sight. Even Egan felt the same. He fell in love instantly and dreamed of making her his girlfriend.
But the moment he realized that, Egan grew frustrated.
'Why did I fall for her? This is just like before. There's no way I'll have the courage to even talk to a girl like her.'
Olivia underwent the talent assessment.
When her delicate hand touched the crystal, it glowed white, stunning Aria and the other students—except Egan, the reincarnator who knew nothing about this world.
"Remarkable, Your Highness. You possess a Miracle."
"Thank you," Olivia replied softly.
'What's a Miracle?' Egan was completely confused.
After that, the other students took turns. Some glowed white like Olivia, others red, green, and even dual-colored like blue and purple.
Aria praised them all for their talents.
Meanwhile, as Egan saw how talented his classmates were, he lost confidence and grew increasingly nervous. He feared he'd be the only one with no talent.
Cold sweat beaded down his back.
Still, no one had shattered the crystal yet.
Before Egan's turn, one boy drew everyone's attention.
"Look, he's a commoner."
"What's a commoner doing in an elite academy like this?"
"It's disgusting to be in the same class as him."
Many students whispered insults from behind. Egan didn't join in, but for a different reason—he had a strange feeling this boy was going to be the protagonist, and that made him dislike him.
"Lucas, please come and test your talent," Aria said.
When Lucas touched the crystal, Egan's instinct proved correct. The crystal glowed so brightly it was blinding, changing colors multiple times—until it finally shattered.
Aria, the students, and even Egan were stunned by the phenomenon. But while the others were filled with curiosity, Egan's heart ached with jealousy.
'He got the scene I wanted so badly.'
Still confused, Lucas turned to Aria and asked, "Miss Lovetein, what... what just happened?"
"The colors shown by the crystal indicate your elemental affinity," Aria explained. "For example, red means fire magic, blue means water magic.
The brightness reflects your mana pool. The brighter it is, the larger your mana pool.
When the crystal breaks, it usually means your mana pool is too large to be measured. So in short—you possess an enormous mana reserve."
Hearing Aria's explanation, everyone was in awe and filled with envy toward Lucas. Even Egan had to admit that the guy was exceptionally gifted.
'Damn it! I want to be him so badly.'
After the explanation, Aria continued, "The last one should've been Egan. But since the crystal is broken, we'll test him later. For now, let's go to the next room to summon your Artifacts."
Everyone started heading out.
Aria stayed at the back, behind the students.
Egan quickly stopped Aria to talk to her.
He wasn't someone who usually initiated conversations. But if he didn't speak now, he knew he'd suffer for the next four years in this academy.
So he forced himself to speak to her.
"What is it, Egan?"
"Miss, can I change classes?"
Seeing how talented his classmates were had already shattered his confidence. But after witnessing Lucas, his frustration became unbearable.
"It's not that easy to change classes here," Aria replied.
"There must be a mistake. Someone like me doesn't belong in Class S." Egan said, like insulting himself.
"Why are you looking down on yourself so much?"
"I'm just stating the facts."
"No, you're belittling yourself. We haven't even tested your talent yet. You might have a Miracle, or even be stronger than Lucas."
"Don't joke with me. That's impossible."
Egan knew that people like Lucas could not be found anywhere like pebbles. He was someone who was only born once every thousand years.
Aria looked at Egan. His face was gloomy, eyes cast downward, shoulders slumped, back hunched—all the classic signs of low self-esteem.
Aria knew what would happen if this was left unchecked.
As a teacher, she had seen it many times before. Egan would be isolated, friendless, and his school life would be hell.
But unfortunately, Aria had no authority to change things.
"Egan, listen to me. There is a reason you were placed in Class S." Aria said quietly and gently.
"..." Egan didn't answer—he just glanced at her.
"You have the potential to obtain the Supreme Artifact."
'The Supreme Artifact?What's that? Why would I be able to get something like that...?'