The August sun burned like fire, and the heat wave in Yuncheng felt like an invisible wall pressing down on everyone.

Inside the Second Martial High classroom, the air was thick and stifling.

The ceiling fan overhead spun helplessly, stirring nothing but more tension in the already charged atmosphere.

Aaron Archer sat in his seat, nails digging into his palms, but he couldn’t even feel the pain anymore.

His body was covered in bruises, but none of that hurt as much as the humiliation festering inside him.

He bit his lip hard, the metallic taste of blood spreading in his mouth.

Around him, classmates whispered among themselves.

Some watched the scene like they were enjoying a show, others threw him pitying looks. Most just kept their heads down, pretending they saw nothing — no one wanted trouble.

Brandon Gale stood right in front of him. His once-handsome face was marred by a bruise that twisted his features into something cruel.

He looked down at Aaron with smug disdain in his eyes.

"I'm gonna ask you one last time," Brandon said coldly, voice full of arrogant authority far beyond his age. "Are you dropping out, or coughing up the cash?"

Aaron’s fists were clenched tight, veins bulging. He wanted nothing more than to land a punch, but he knew better.

As someone stuck with an E-rank Archer talent, he didn’t stand a chance against Brandon and his cronies.

It all started the day before.

Brandon had picked a fight, cornered Aaron with a bunch of his flunkies, and beat him up.

Aaron finally snapped and punched Brandon once in self-defense.

That one punch dragged his whole family into trouble.

At first, Aaron had naïvely thought the principal would give him a fair hearing.

But then he saw the way the principal smiled and bowed when welcoming Brandon’s father — and he realized how wrong he was.

What crushed him even more was what came after.

“Why did you hit back? Why didn’t you just run?” the principal had scolded.

“I was defending myself!” Aaron snapped.

“Defending? That’s obviously fighting and causing trouble,” the principal replied with an icy gaze that made Aaron feel like he’d fallen into a frozen lake.

Justice clearly didn’t live here.

The headmaster, of all people, wasn’t stopping the bullying — he was enabling it.

To him, Aaron had no right to fight back. He was supposed to just take it in silence.

All because Brandon’s dad happened to be the deputy leader of Yuncheng’s largest hunting guild — a powerful Martial Lord — and also a major donor to the school.

That was all it took.

Aaron’s downfall came down to nothing more than a few casual words shared with the girl both he and Brandon liked.

In this world, being poor and weak was like having a target on your back. You could barely breathe without getting condemned for it.

Brandon looked down at him, voice dripping with mockery.

“What, you guys gonna fork out a million? Don’t make me laugh.”

He sneered. “Your dad’s been cleaning sewers his whole life — won’t even scrape that together if he saves every penny till he dies. Face it, your whole family reeks of poverty.”"Heard you’ve got younger siblings, huh?" Brandon Gale squinted slightly, his tone laced with menace. "If you don’t back off, I’ve got plenty of ways to make you regret it."

His words stabbed straight into Aaron Archer’s chest. He was trembling, fists clenched tight.

"Brandon, shut up!"

Aaron finally snapped. He roared, lifting his head to glare at Brandon’s smug face.

"I’ll drop out. But you—leave my brother and sister alone. That’s non-negotiable."

"At least you know your place." Brandon smirked. "Honestly, picking on trash like you is beneath me."

The real reason Brandon had it in for Aaron? The girl he liked had been way too friendly with Aaron.

Brandon had always been the kind of guy who thought the world owed him something. If he wanted something, he’d take it—by force if needed. That included people.

And Aaron, poor and saddled with a totally useless awakening, was someone Brandon didn’t even consider a threat. Just another speck beneath his feet.

Still, Brandon liked tying up every loose end. If there was even a small chance someone could get in his way, he’d squash it early.

Watching Aaron drag himself through the withdrawal process, Brandon felt nothing but satisfaction.

As for that promise he just made?

Yeah, that wasn’t worth a damn to him. He’d do whatever he wanted.

Once Brandon and his entourage left, Aaron slumped into a chair, staring blankly at the ceiling fan above. He looked like all the life had been drained from his body, eyes dull and unfocused.

In this world where high-level martial skills reigned, everyone had a chance to awaken a gift. These talents fell into three categories—combat, support, and enhancement—and formed the backbone of cultivation.

Talents also had strict tiers, from the lowest F-rank to the ultra-rare 3S-rank.

Aaron’s awakening? A bowman class. Barely E-rank. Not even worth mentioning.

Brandon, on the other hand, had awakened a powerful S-rank wind manipulation ability. That alone put him on a totally different life track.

That kind of gap? Like a canyon you could never hope to cross.

Aaron stared ahead, dazed. A single thought kept repeating in his mind: "If I’d just awakened something like a B-rank, or even A-rank… would things have turned out different?"

But dreaming wouldn’t change anything.

The crowd of students heading home surged around him. An E-rank like him? He was just one of many—nothing more than background noise.

Somehow, he ended up in front of the school gates.

His eyes landed on the bold military recruitment poster pinned to the wall. Aaron’s fingers curled into a fist.

Since going to a top martial academy was no longer an option, maybe this… maybe the military was his last chance.

Right then, a mechanical voice echoed in his mind:

“Withdrawal conditions met. Military intent detected. System activation triggered.”

“Current talent: E-Rank – Bowman. Beginning reassignment…”

“Matching complete: Acquired 3S-Rank talent — Hou Yi.”