The second day of school dawned like any other—except inside Room Z, where chaos had already begun brewing before the bell rang.
Kaizen Reign sat at his desk like a king on a crumbling throne, sipping from a convenience store soda with a lazy smirk. He hadn't said a word yet. No need. This class practically taught itself how to implode.
"Why is he sitting next to me?" snapped a voice filled with entitlement.
Rika Kwon, elegant and precise, stood with arms crossed beside her assigned seat. Her elite family crest gleamed on her uniform like a badge of superiority. She looked ready to wage war against the sleepy boy beside her, who was still chewing his toast.
"Sorry," said Taemin Jo, yawning as he adjusted his crooked tie. "Didn't realize royalty was allergic to commoners."
"I am when they smell like ramen and regret," Rika replied coldly.
Kaizen grinned. Yup. This is gonna be fun.
A chair scraped loudly as Do Yoon, the heavily-built upperclassman with a reputation for fists over words, leaned back and crossed his arms. "Tch. Can you two shut up? I didn't finish my protein bar yet."
"Why is someone like him even still enrolled?" Rika asked, eyes narrowing.
"Ask the principal," Do Yoon grunted. "I'm here 'cause the old man said so."
In the back row, a girl in a gray hoodie scribbled silently in a notebook. Her eyes scanned the room beneath thick-rimmed glasses.
Minari, Kaizen thought. Mysterious, private, and sharper than she looked. Her background file had more black bars than words.
"All right, children," Kaizen finally stood, stretching. "Let's get this over with. Welcome to Unconventional Heroism. You're here because you're unpredictable, unstable, unrankable, or just plain unlucky."
He pointed at the whiteboard where the words Class Zero were crudely written in marker.
"You're the ones nobody else wanted... or the ones someone powerful wanted to keep close. So. Introductions. Name, what you can do, and something fun. Lying is fine."
Rika stood first. "Rika Kwon. Specialize in high-speed weapon summoning. Trained by my family since I could walk. I don't belong here."
Kaizen nodded. "Perfect. You fit right in."
"Taemin Jo. My power is sleeping through lectures. Probably has something to do with my survival instinct."
Laughter. Some genuine, some annoyed.
"Do Yoon. I punch stuff. It breaks."
"Minari," came the soft voice. "I'm good at observing. Also... I know who here is lying."
That shut them up.
Then came the twins, Yul and Yuna, speaking in perfect sync:"We're Yul and Yuna. We make people see what's not there. You'll never know if this intro is real."
Next:Jae Eun – "Um... Jae Eun. I-I can heal. I'm not very good yet. Sorry."
Leo – "Leo. From France. I… shadow bend. I try speak good. Sorry if no make sense."
Then Kaizen nodded toward the rest of the class.
Ha-Joon Lee shot up, adjusting his hi-tech goggles. "I'm Ha-Joon. I make things explode. On purpose. Usually. Please don't touch my bag."
Mira Song stood with a casual roll of her shoulders, her sealed power collar glowing faintly. "I'd tell you my ability, but that'd spoil the surprise."
Byul Han raised a hand weakly. "I, uh, I don't have powers. But I'm... I'm good at strategy games?"
"Don't sell yourself short," Kaizen said. "Chess players save lives."
Sori Ahn jumped onto her desk. "Speedster! Fastest girl alive! Wanna race?"
"No," several people muttered.
Juno Park spoke quietly. "I talk to animals. They usually like me more than humans."
Nari Kim, wearing a constant sweet smile, waved. "Hi~ I help people feel things. Calm, love, fear... Depends on the mood!"
Everyone avoided eye contact after that.
Ryuu Tanaka, silent and intense, stood without speaking. He unsheathed a wooden training blade, performed a fluid move, then sat back down.
And finally, Dae-Min stood—and another Dae-Min popped up behind him, and another out the window."I clone myself! But my clones are jerks."
"Hey, no we're not!"
"Shut up!"
"Make me!"
"Enough," Kaizen said, chuckling. "Fifteen students. One teacher. And not a single boring person in sight."
He tapped the board.
"Tomorrow, we do a mock mission. You'll be split into teams. There will be traps. Injuries are optional, but emotional damage is guaranteed."
A pause.
"I expect at least one of you to cry."
The class stared at him, a mix of dread and curiosity buzzing in the air.
"Class Zero," Kaizen said with a grin, "welcome to hell. You're gonna love it."