"Kael!"A voice broke through the noise behind him. Familiar. Steady.
Anthony.
Kael didn't stop.
"Kael wait up, man!"
He heard hurried footsteps catching up.
Anthony reached him just outside the gym doors, grabbing his shoulder gently.
"Hey." His tone was quiet earnest. "You okay?"
Kael forced a short breath. "Yeah."
Anthony scratched his head. "Look… I know that was rough. But screw those guys. You're still awakened. You're still one of us."
Kael said nothing.
Anthony continued, "I just spoke with my uncle. Azure Guild is always looking for promising people even support or Porters. If you want, I can put in a good word with my dad.
"You don't have to go through this alone."
Kael gave a faint smile but it didn't reach his eyes.
"Thanks, Anthony."
"…But I'll pass."
Anthony blinked. "What? Why aren't we brothers?"
Kael turned to look at the courtyard sunlight pouring across the academy gates.
"I'll apply for a regular job," Kael said quietly.
"Something... behind the scenes.
Maybe I'll go find office jobs or just be a researcher. " I maybe an F ranked now but I'm still the best in research studies!,he forced his smile through the pain.
"That's more realistic.yeah that's what's best for me I think"- his voice was low and shaking.
He turn he's back from Anthony he have his hands saying good bye.
Meaning it was the time to be a part even as best friends because since this day, they would start to walk their completely separate path.
Anthony felt defeated he wants to say something to help but he can't find a good words to put it.
The Awakening Ceremony concluded with the most talented batch in history.
Where to S ranks where awakened.
Anthony's year became legend.
The social media called it "The Great Nine... and a Fool."
A month later, Rowel dominated the headlines.
He had successfully led a raid on an A-rank gate without a single casualty. At just 18 years old, he reached Level 20, something that took most awakened years to achieve.
His face was on every news outlet, streaming thumbnail, and billboard ad.
The media called him a natural-born leader.
Fans adored his arrogance called it confidence.
"Rowel speaks his mind," they said. "At least he's real."
During a live interview, a reporter dared to ask a question no one expected.
"Do you remember someone named Kael he was the fool in the great nine he was your classmate right?"
Rowel leaned back, grinning.
"That guy, huh hmm? I can say Kael was decent and hardworking .
We were… sort of rivals back then at the academy."
Then he chuckled.
"I really expect that he would be atlest A rank, too bad he awakened with that trash class. What a waste."
The crowd laughed along, but Rowel's smile faded seems like he's mood shifted suddenly, he don't feel comfortable other people mocking Kael.
He muttered, almost under his breath:
"You shouldn't ask me though… You should ask Anthony Keith the new Guild Master of Blue Dragon. He was Kael's best friend."
A moment of silence.
Then Rowel stood up and walked off the set nonchalantly, cutting the interview short.
The cameras awkwardly turned to the three A-ranks sitting beside him: Marcus, Rodney, and Mark.
Marcus scoffed first.
"Rowel was being too kind to that scumbag." With angry and serious tone.
He sneered at the camera, voice full of resentment.
"Back in school days, Kael was always Bragging and being cocky, Always bragging about his physical and his top research scores. And the worst part? He hook up with a lot of girls, promising them that once he's successful he will bring them to his wing"
"This girls might be feel embarrassed when they remember those days, when they tried to win a favor from that hell of a trash person"
He clenched his jaw.
"Even my woman!…he lay his hands on her, that fucker seduced my woman! "His face shows anger like he wants to Kell a person.
A complete lie even though he didn't say the woman's name,everyone from their academy knew that woman and him never dated.
He was dumped in front of the school yard, it was Miya Lee one of the campus Belles and also one of Kael's admirers. And Marcus had never let it go he keep he's grudge deep down to his heart.
Rodney jumped in eagerly, feeding off the attention.
"He even tried to flirt with Selena, the Amarifos heiress. He's a stalker he followed Selena wherever she go, he thinks he have a chance"
"A toad who's lusting with swans meat"
"What an arrogant fool," he added, trying to win favor with Rowel, who's the one chasing Selena for over 3 years now.
-Then came Mark, face unusually serious from his charming and kind portrayed to the public.
"He bullied me during our first year," he claimed. "Tried to humiliate me in front of everyone. If it weren't for Young Master Rowel, I would've dropped out. He protected me from that scumbag."
A dramatic pause. The perfect lie.
But in truth, Mark was the bully.
He'd picked on smaller students, throwing his weight around until Kael stood up to him and beat him down in front of the class.
He'd never forgotten the humiliation.
That was all it took.
Three lies, said with confidence, on national TV, and the world believed every word.
Netizens started to clown over him in social media.
One Meme went viral on One share(One share biggest social media site in the world).
a meme circulates with over 30 million reactions and 200 thousand shares.
a three-headed dragon.
The right head, fierce and proud: Rowel.
The middle, calm and focused: Anthony.
And on the left... a derpy, cross-eyed dragon with its tongue sticking out: Kael.
(Click here to view the exact meme)
Netizens sympathy was for the three White Tiger new team leaders.
Everywhere Kael went, people recognized him.
At train stations, bus stops, restaurants, even random alleyways he could feel the stares. Hear the whispers.
He tried to applied as monster researcher, he got declined due to his popularity for being a scumbag.
While he's minding his own business applying for a job.
"Hey, isn't that the scumbag Kael, what a fucker?"
" That dude tried to seduced miss Selena? "
Shhh toned down what if that schmbag heard you and come over here said by one of the girls to her group.
Other girl says no I don't like that Mr Marcus said he's a creepy guy.
"Seriously he's Mr Anthony's best friend?, I'm not buying it"
People laughed in his face.
Others straight up mock him.
Or throw trash at him.
Those words sink in, he tried to open his social media and it keeps getting worse and worse.
And slowly… Kael stopped smiling.
He don't care about his appearance anymore.
He hide his face whenever he go.
He stopped speaking much.
His confidence plummeted.
He's depressed and helpless.
His dreams buried beneath ridicule and noise.
Even though Kael felt worthless, life didn't stop,bills piling up.
Not long after the Awakening Ceremony, he was accepted into a corpse disposal team.
A Corpse Handler by the association.
One of the most physically demanding, thankless jobs in the industry.
For the past year and a half, Kael showed up every day,enduring his hardships.
The job only required 8 hours.
But he stayed for 12.
Hauling monster corpses out of dungeons.
Dragging them to the production lines for processing.
And when the shift was done, while others rested Kael mopped bloodstained floors, cleaned broken gear, and scrubbed armor racks.
All for extra pay.
It was exhausting. Dirty. Brutal.
But it paid well.
While most workers earned around $2,800 a month, Kael made over $7,400 with overtime.
Sometimes $8,500.Even $9,000.
Enough to let his mother retire.
Enough to send his four younger siblings back to school.
He endured it all day after day with gritted teeth.
Until one day.