Ethan sat on the edge of his bed for a while after they left.
He didn't move immediately, just remained there staring at the pile of wrinkled uniforms on the chair.
His face looked calm and composed on the surface, but his mind burned with frustration underneath.
Every fiber of his being wanted to chase after those three and pay them back for the humiliation.
But he knew better. 'No point fighting now,' he thought, forcing logic to override emotion.
Reality was harsh and unforgiving in this world.
Those three were stronger than him in every measurable way. They were higher-ranked Espers with abilities that far surpassed his pathetic F-Rank power.
They also came from well-connected families within the academy's power structure.
Fighting them would only bring more trouble down on his head. He would become a target for not just them, but their friends and allies as well.
That kind of attention was the last thing he needed right now.
Thinking of this he sighed, 'I guess I can't act like those MC's and say like thirty years east or something like that.'
He stood up from the bed, his movements slow and deliberate. He walked over to the chair and picked up their uniforms one by one.
Each piece of clothing felt heavy in his hands, a physical reminder of his current weakness.
He carried them over to the small ironing board that sat in the corner of the room.
Someone had left an iron there, probably used by whoever this body's original owner had been serving before.
He began ironing them, working methodically through the pile. The first uniform went onto the board. He plugged in the iron and waited for it to heat up. When it was ready, he started pressing out the wrinkles with steady, even strokes.
The hiss of the iron filled the room, a repetitive sound that became almost meditative. Steam rose up as the hot metal touched the fabric. He worked quietly, methodically moving from one section to another.
But underneath the calm exterior, the resentment boiling inside him never stopped.
Each stroke of the iron was accompanied by dark thoughts about what he would do once he had the power to fight back.
'A thousand years of death.'
'Yes, I am vengeful...'
This humiliation wouldn't last forever. He would make sure of that.
By the time he finished all three uniforms, the others in the dormitory room were already asleep.
His roommates had returned at some point and gone to bed without acknowledging him.
The room was now dark except for the small lamp he had been using to see while ironing.
The silence was broken only by the faint sound of breathing coming from the other beds.
Ethan hung the finished uniforms on hangers where their owners could easily find them in the morning.
He made sure they were perfect, with no wrinkles remaining. Not because he cared about pleasing them, but because he didn't want to give them any excuse to make his life harder.
He turned off the lamp and made his way back to his own bed.
The springs creaked slightly as he sat down on the edge.
Then he shifted his position, sitting cross-legged in the center of the mattress. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly.
The anger and frustration were still there, but he pushed them aside.
He forced his thoughts to settle and calm down. Then he began sorting through the memories that now belonged to him.
The original Ethan's memories were jumbled and disorganized, mixed together with his own in a confusing mess.
He needed to sort through them methodically to understand everything about this world and his current situation.
The history came first. Fifty years ago, Earth had changed forever in an event that reshaped human civilization.
Strange energy had erupted across the entire planet without warning. No one knew where it came from or why it appeared. But its effects were immediate and catastrophic.
The energy warped nature itself. Plants grew wild and dangerous. Animals mutated into monsters.
The very laws of physics seemed to bend in certain areas. Natural disasters became common, striking without warning and with devastating power.
Earthquakes leveled cities. Tsunamis swallowed coastlines. Storms raged with unnatural fury.
Most of humanity perished in that chaos. Billions died in the first year alone.
Civilization collapsed as governments fell and infrastructure crumbled. It was an apocalypse in every sense of the word.
But from the survivors came something new. Espers began to awaken among the remaining humans.
These were people who could manipulate the strange energy that had changed the world. They developed supernatural powers that defied explanation.
Some could control elements like fire and water. Others gained enhanced physical abilities. A rare few developed even more exotic powers.
These Espers became humanity's hope for survival. They fought back against the monsters and carved out safe zones where people could live. Slowly, over the following decades, civilization began to rebuild itself.
To organize and strengthen these gifted individuals, the global government that formed from the ashes created the Hunters Academy.
It was a place specifically designed to train Espers and turn them into defenders of humanity. The academy accepted students from all over the world, testing them and teaching them to use their abilities.
Every student awakened their Esper ability at the age of sixteen. It was a biological certainty, something in the human genome that activated at that specific age.
The moment of awakening determined everything about a person's future. The type of ability they gained and the rank they received would shape the rest of their life.
The body Ethan now inhabited had gone through that awakening just like everyone else.
But the result had been disappointing in the extreme.
He had awakened with an F-Rank Fire element ability. It was barely above useless in practical terms.
F-Rank was the lowest possible classification, reserved for powers so weak they were almost not worth having.
Ethan lifted his palm now, holding it out in front of him.
He focused his will, trying to channel the power that supposedly resided within this body.
He could feel something there, a tiny spark of energy deep in his core.
A tiny flicker of orange flame appeared above his palm. It was small, barely larger than a candle flame.
The fire danced weakly for a few seconds, flickering uncertainly. Then it faded away into wisps of smoke that quickly dispersed into the air.
The whole display had lasted maybe five seconds at most.
He let out a long breath, feeling disappointed but not surprised. His shoulders sagged slightly as the reality of his situation sank in deeper.
"Tier One, Stage One," he murmured to himself. That was the technical classification of his current power level.
The weakest level in the entire academy. Even among F-Ranks, he was at the very bottom. There were probably only a handful of students weaker than him in the entire school.
Still, he wasn't without hope. His situation wasn't completely hopeless. He knew this world better than anyone else possibly could.
He had cleared this game before, multiple times in fact. He had explored every corner, completed every quest, and discovered every secret.
He knew about the hidden quests that most players never found. He knew where the secret rewards were located.
He knew which characters would become important later. Most importantly, he knew about the one event coming up that could change everything for him.
His eyes opened, now sharp and clear with newfound purpose.
The despair from moments ago had transformed into determination. He stared at the dark ceiling above him, but his mind was already planning ahead.
"I've got two days," he said under his breath. His voice was quiet but filled with determination.
No one else in the room stirred. They continued sleeping peacefully, completely unaware of the thoughts running through his head.
'This time, I'll survive,' he promised himself.
'I know what's coming. I know where to go. And I'm going to use every single piece of knowledge I have to make sure I don't die like I'm supposed to. This story is going to change, starting with me.'
Ethan had no choice.
'I don't want to die man.'