A long time ago, so long that everyone has completely forgotten its history, mana emerged in our world from distant outer space. It affected the nature of the world, as well as its living and non-living creatures. All bodies began to unconsciously absorb this energy in the air. When they absorbed it to a certain extent, abilities manifested in the individual, which we now call "skills." Skills are ranked from E to the rarest and most powerful rank, S. With the appearance of these skills, the so-called heroes, "hunters," emerged. Their mission is to eliminate monsters and demons that have seeped into our world for unknown reasons. Humanity reached a point where one's social standing depended on the rank of their skill. The country's economy and military strength now relied on individuals with high-ranking combat skills. Even the political, cultural, and educational fields depended on individuals who possessed skills beneficial to these areas. It seemed like a wonderful system, right? Everyone is equal, living in peace, with our heroes fighting monsters for our safety, right? Well, there is no such thing as a perfect system. Even in a world like this, there are people who have no abilities at all, called "flaws." Of course, I wouldn't mind these "flaws" if they existed in more than just one person. Unfortunately, I am the only "flaw" in this world.
A boy with short black hair and a moderate length walks through the school. His eyes are deep, dark, and sharp, but distant. His skin is fair, and his face is marked by sharp features, including a strong jawline. His body is tall and slim. Though his expression often carries a calm intensity, his overall appearance emanates a quiet aura, but with a slightly sad undertone.
"I am Noah Grace," Noah thought. "In a world that celebrates perfection, I am the mark of a flaw. They say flaws are the cracks that let the light in, but what if the flaw is so deep that the light can never reach it? In a society where value is measured by strength, I am the reminder that not all value is visible, and some flaws are so deep they can only be seen as burdens."
Noah arrives at "Kaisel" High School and heads toward his classroom. As soon as he enters, everyone starts whispering to each other, as though he is a monster they would curse if they heard. He couldn't hear their whispers, but he knew they were insults—disgusted looks, revulsion, and disdain. Noah sits at his desk and pulls out his books. A boy, nearly the same height as Noah, with blonde hair and somewhat dark golden-yellow eyes, approaches. He wears an arrogant smile and places his foot on Noah's desk, quickly snatching one of the books from his hand.
"You still look as disgusting as usual, New No! What's this you're reading? 'How to Become Useful?'" Blake laughs while Noah looks down, trying to avoid meeting his eyes. Noah can hear the laughter of his classmates behind him, even some of them beginning to insult him. Noah thinks to himself, "Blake Miller, the son of the Miller family, the leading company in mana stone exports. He's considered of middle nobility. No one can oppose him. I once tried to defend someone who was being bullied, and I became Blake's new target. But if anyone could oppose him, it's…"
Blake feels someone tap his shoulder. He turns around and sees a boy with shoulder-length black hair and jewel-like blue eyes. The boy smiles, a simple but cold smile, devoid of any emotion.
"Back off," his voice is calm but carries a hint of anger and annoyance.
"Liam Graves…" Blake steps back from Noah and throws the book on the floor, approaching Liam. "Do you have a problem with me?!"
It's clear that Blake is annoyed by Liam's interruption, as it cut into his only time to enjoy himself at this boring school. "It's strange you'd say that while you're bullying an innocent person," Liam replies calmly. His smile disappears, and his gaze becomes sharp and frightening. "Stop bothering people and go study. Didn't your grades drop so low you're failing anyway?"
Blake's mood worsens, but he pulls himself together. A confrontation with Liam would be futile. He comes from the noble "Graves" family of Britannia, specializing in harvesting the souls of their enemies, loyal to their beloved King "Arthur Pendragon." Attempting to face Liam here would be tantamount to asking for death. Blake walks away from Liam and Noah. "Whatever, it's not worth it."
Blake leaves the room, and Liam sighs in frustration. "Man, how do you deal with someone like him every day?" he asks, puzzled.
"I—I don't really know," Noah answers, just as confused. Had dealing with Blake always been this easy? Wasn't Blake usually so stubborn? Anyway, it doesn't matter now that he's gone.
"Thanks..." Noah says to Liam, feeling like a complete waste of space. Every time Liam helps him, he doesn't even know how someone like him could repay Liam.
"...Don't mention it, we're friends after all," Liam smiles, his expression full of warmth, compassion, and understanding. Noah relaxes a little and smiles, looking down in embarrassment. No one had ever called him "friend" before. It felt new, a little annoying, but at the same time, it was a feeling he had always wanted to experience.
"Huh? What's this, man? You look more handsome when you smile! You should smile more!" Liam exclaims in surprise, clearly astonished. This was the first time he'd seen Noah smile.
Noah remains silent, not responding to Liam. The teacher enters and asks everyone to sit in their places as the class begins. Hours later, school is over. Noah gathers his things to finally head home. He notices that Liam has already left and that a cigarette pack has fallen from his pocket, seemingly unnoticed. Noah quickly grabs the pack, wondering if Liam smokes or if he was taking it to someone else. No, it doesn't matter now. He has to return it.
Noah catches up to Liam, but he's already disappeared. He heads toward the bathrooms, the only place to smoke without being caught by the teachers.
When he gets closer to the bathrooms, he notices that Blake and his gang have also entered. As he gets closer and enters, he hears their laughter, along with Liam's voice, and is surprised.
"Man, that was really disgusting. I can't believe I called him my friend. I really want to puke," Blake speaks to Liam and his gang, leaning against the wall and smiling mockingly. "That boy is a living joke. He thinks I'm really helping him, while I'm just keeping him around to look good. Do you know how many girls tried to get close to me because of this? But seriously, how can someone like him be this stupid? I mean, he's pathetic, weak, useless, a waste of space, and an idiot. The gods must hate him to make him like this!" Blake and the others laugh, continuing to mock and belittle Noah, not realizing he's listening.
Noah stands outside, holding the cigarette pack tightly. His eyes are shaded by his hair, and his gaze is cold and dark. "Was it all just a show? A well-planned act to gain the admiration of others? But why me? Why was I the one used to make him look good? Is this how the world works? Everyone plays roles, pretends, while I'm just the background of their stage? And what does that make me? Just a fool blind to the truth?"
Noah thinks to himself. Then the door opens, and Blake, Liam, and the gang come out. They finally notice Noah.
Liam looks at Noah, his expression calm, as expected. "You dropped your cigarette pack," Noah says, holding it up to Liam.
Liam takes the pack as the others stand behind him. "Did you hear everything?" Liam asks calmly.
"Yeah…" Noah answers, not knowing what to do now. His understanding of the world had been wrong all this time. His only friend and companion was a lie. He was just another pawn, discarded when necessary. He was just a side character, no, not even that—he didn't even have a role in this world, in this life, other than to make others shine and look better while he looked pathetic. Does that even make sense? Isn't everyone supposed to be the main character of their story? So what's wrong with my story? This isn't fair. All those smiles and feelings he had before were fake, meaningless. "What a story…" Noah mutters, the first words he speaks.
The others look at him, puzzled. Noah's eyes are empty, dark, and colorless, so devoid of life that even light couldn't reach them. They were simply eyes that held no life. Liam and his gang felt a chill when they made eye contact with him.
Blake approaches Noah and wraps his arm around his neck. "Oi, oi, you scum, what's with that look you're giving me? Do you want me to gouge your eyes out or what?" Blake says, his voice filled with anger. Liam tries to stop him, perhaps feeling some regret for what happened. But before he can react, Noah shoves the cigarette pack into Blake's eyes, causing him to fall to the ground, clutching his eyes and screaming in pain.
The rest stood frozen, perhaps frightened. Noah's eyes were lifeless, and he didn't show any reaction, concern, or hesitation. It was a truly terrifying sight. It seemed as though he had tried to rob Blake of his sight. "You bastard!!! Hold him and kill this son of a bitch!!!" Blake screamed in anger and pain, still pressing on his eye, wincing from the intense pain. Blake's companions hesitated for a moment, but as soon as Noah began to run, they chased after him.
Noah's breath quickened, his heart pounding faster with each step. He could hear the sound of their footsteps closing in on him, echoing in his ears like a sharp buzz. "What the hell have I done?!" Noah himself was shocked by what he had done to Blake. He couldn't believe he had done something like that. He was afraid he'd be caught, but at the same time, he felt something strange. Despite his heart nearly exploding with fear, he felt light. It was an odd feeling, as if he had spread his wings. He believed that if he fell now, he would soar far away. Was this... freedom?