Shane might have acted like he was cool and had overcome the event of his parent's death, but his heart had still died a little on the inside. The smile on his face had fooled everybody throughout the day as he ate and chatted without hesitation, but when nightfall came as he went to his room and shut the door behind him, the smile disappeared.
He had been living a pleasant life filled with friends and loved ones. He would meet his parents twice a month on the weekends, and the previous weekend before his death was the only time he could not reach his parents because he had joined extra classes for the annual exam.
Now, he couldn't see them even if he wanted to!
When he died, he was fine with it. It wasn't that he could change anything, but he could feel his shoulders relaxed, thinking at least his loved ones were there to remember him. If possible, he would find a way to reach them.
But now….
His entire life seemed to have crumbled to dust.
'I'll never see my mom bursting out in anger just because I failed to eat a salad every morning. I wish I had spent more time with them… just one more second….'
The light in his eyes dimmed as he thought of past days. Too much had happened in one day, making him feel as if his entire body was weighed down with an endless amount of weight. His shoulders hung as he looked all gloomy with a terrible aura around his body.
'Why did I have to die? Why did fate take Tess away? She had so much to do….' he thought as he staggered over to his bed.
The room was fairly normal, similar to a mediocre hotel room with all the modern facilities. Except for a TV, everything was there. He turned off the light and buried his face into the pillow, clutching it on both sides. White knuckles were visible as he tried to suppress the mixture of anger and depression in his heart.
He wanted to kill the person who made this accident happen, but he couldn't. He wanted to hate the destiny that destroyed his entire life, but that still wouldn't satisfy his heart.
At this point, he was helpless.
'What should I do next? Survive? But for whom?' he thought as if he had lost all his will to live. He looked at the ceiling above him, 'It's not like I hadn't died before. I think I can handle the second time.'
Just as this thought came, he shook his head, 'No! I have to stay alive for my sister! She still needs me! Both of us will try our best to survive!'
As he determined his goal, his eyes automatically closed on their own, and he fell asleep.
The next day when he woke up, he found a blue uniform placed neatly on the desk beside his bed. He got ready and walked out of the room.
All the students were ordered to gather around the training ground Shane had seen on his right while entering the institute. They had already eaten as they made their way toward the open ground.
A few people were assembled when Shane, Tess, and Frank walked over. The former looked around as he frowned. His eyes stuck on two people with black hair standing on the ground, staring at him with a hint of vigilance in their eyes. After a moment, their vigilance changed into confusion as if they were thinking about something.
'Why do I feel like I have seen these people? It's kinda like Deja Vu,' he thought to himself as his frown deepened. He couldn't shake this feeling away as he noticed changes in their expressions, 'Did they also feel that?'
Shane didn't talk to these two people this time as he walked over with his group and stood on the side. They waited, waited, and waited, but the instructor still didn't arrive. He tapped on his arm while crossing them on his chest as he glanced around in a bored manner.
The students around him talked about useless things, so he didn't even listen clearly until—
"You got a hundred thousand crana?! Dude, that's like a lot!" A blond guy exclaimed as his eyes widened.
A purple-haired guy waved his hand, "Yeah. I can easily afford a one-room apartment for at least a few months!"
"Can I room in with you?"
"You gotta wash my clothes."
Shane frowned. He had thought that two thousand crana was a lot, but he was wrong. And what the heck was up with renting apartments? Weren't they supposed to stay in the institute?
As he kept thinking about it, he heard a voice echoing in the background, "Everyone, assemble here."
He raised his head only to see a huge guy with a bald head and dark complexion, wearing nothing but the armor on his chest, staring at everyone standing on the ground. There was a scar on his face that made him look even more dangerous.
Even his cold glance was enough to scare anyone for eternity.
Shane pursed his lips as he pressed down the waves of discomfort in his heart. He took a deep breath and nudged his sister, "What's up with that guy?"
"That's the instructor, System 28369," Tess moved closer as she tried to hide behind her brother while speaking, "I've heard that this guy had killed those monsters we all saw during the first so-called test. All of them. With his bare hands! He's that ruthless! And he has a record of obtaining the highest number of crana through the viewers."
Shane raised his brows, "Then he must be powerful. What's he doing being an instructor?"
"He hates the System God, and people say he's secretly rebelling."
"System God?" Shane wanted to ask more questions when a long stick hit their heads with suppressed strength. Even then, their heads turned dizzy as a gush of pain appeared throughout their heads, making them stunned at that place.
"You like to talk too much about me, don't you?" The bald guy snickered, "Come aside. Fight me as a punishment."
Tess's face paled as she stared at the man with widened eyes. Her entire body trembled under the man's gaze. At that instant, Shane suddenly came in front of her and blocked the instructor's gaze.
"Don't f*cking involve her. It was my fault," Shane's eyes turned cold as he stared at the huge man in front of him in anger. It seemed a black aura surrounded his entire being as he continued to stare coldly at the bald man.
All the students around them could feel the atmosphere turning colder. The more time passed, the more everyone trembled. Neither of them had expected a newbie system who had just arrived here to have such a dark aura around his body. They were all stunned, and even the instructor showed a surprised expression on his face momentarily.
The next second, he turned back to normal as he smirked, "Yeah? Let's see what you've got."