In class.

The history teacher was in the middle of a lesson.

“I’m sure you’ve all learned about the lives of the war criminals from the Second World War. Back then, a single leader’s mistakes could have a devastating impact on an entire population. This shows just how much the constitutional systems of the modern era have changed…”

As the lesson went on, the school PA system suddenly crackled to life.

“All classes, please turn on your TVs and tune in to the news channel immediately.”

“Repeating: all classes, please turn on your TVs and tune in to the news channel immediately. If that’s not possible, you may watch on your phones or head to a multimedia classroom.”

The school announcement urged the students to watch the news as soon as possible, and the whole place instantly erupted into chatter. Quite a few students pulled out their phones and saw that their mobile carriers had sent out mass texts telling them to get ready to watch.

With this much fuss, something important had to be happening.

Jiang Yuan was bored, too, so he took out his phone and started scrolling through the latest updates. In fact, an earth-shaking event had taken place just yesterday. The news that followed was something people all over the world had been eagerly awaiting.

Yesterday, a mysterious machine had appeared in central London, right in public view. It had suddenly materialized amid flashes of lightning and thunder, along with a number of inexplicable phenomena.

According to videos that surfaced yesterday, the scenery around the machine had changed when it appeared. It was like a mirage, showing a street that had long since been destroyed and fallen into ruin, with nothing left but rubble.

Some sharp-eyed viewers had even worked out from the videos that the ruined street was the very same block where the mysterious machine had appeared.

The incident had, without a doubt, set the internet ablaze across the globe. Everyone was wondering what had happened, and the upcoming news broadcast was clearly meant to explain it to the public.

“Jiang Yuan, what do you think actually happened? Some people say it’s a time machine, and that the mirage around it was an image of information left behind from the future. They say it means some kind of major disaster will strike the world.”

The classmate sitting next to Jiang Yuan leaned over and asked him curiously. Jiang Yuan shook his head to show that he had no idea either.

“Let’s just wait for the news. No matter how convincing people online make it sound, it’s still just made-up stories.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the classroom TV—which had been showing commercials—suddenly cut to something else. A strangely dressed person appeared on the screen. They looked terribly unwell, as if they didn’t have long to live.

The person spoke in English, but thankfully, subtitles appeared at the bottom of the screen.

“People of the world, hello. I come from roughly thirty years in the future.”

“I don’t have much time left, so I’ll get straight to the point.”

“In about two years, changes of varying degrees will begin to appear all over the world. Things that have only ever existed in myths and legends will start appearing in reality.”

“A small number of us will also develop special abilities that science can’t explain yet. I’ve already given the government detailed information about them, and work is underway to develop weapons against the unknown enemy.”

“Thanks to the efforts of these people, we made it through the initial hardships. But in the end, we were too late. We missed the golden window for developing our abilities, and now humanity is facing extinction. So please, make the most of these next two years and train them as much as possible!”

When the person finished speaking, the screen changed to a long list. It included people from countries all over the world, along with information about their abilities and more.

The abilities listed ranged from a simple doubling of physical strength to control over natural phenomena, and even the power to overturn the laws of physics. There was so much variety it was hard to take it all in.

The list didn’t include everyone. It had already been handed over to the local governments, who could contact the people on it in due course.

“Cough, cough… One last thing: please pay special attention to the people who appear in the following videos.”

The man from thirty years in the future was already coughing up blood. It was clear that he was in very poor condition. After he finished speaking, the TV began showing other footage. It seemed to have been recorded in advance, since a woman’s voice was there to narrate it.

“Weather Controller Dilunsi Ault. Possesses the ability to strongly influence the weather and can create thunderstorms or even typhoons. Became a mainstay of humanity’s resistance against the unknown creatures in the future. One of humanity’s Ten Heroes.”

“Metal King Andrei Ivanov. Can instantly reshape most metals and alter their chemical bonds. Also one of the Ten Heroes. On the Northern European front…”

As the footage changed, the abilities of these people were shown in action. Controlling storms, turning stone into gold—the scenes looked like something out of a movie.

The footage stunned the whole world—and, of course, the people being talked about. They might never have imagined that one day they’d shoulder the fate of all humanity.

They were hailed as heroes, and, much like figures from myth and legend, each was given a second name: an honorific title befitting a hero.

At that moment, Jiang Yuan couldn’t help feeling a little envious. A part of him hoped they’d mention him next, but he knew that was impossible. He knew his own limitations, didn’t he?

He was just an utterly ordinary high school student. His chances of becoming a hero in the future were zero.

The footage continued. Almost everyone featured had powers that seemed godlike to ordinary people.

And then…

The screen changed again. The person introduced next made the entire class gasp!

Jiang Yuan was no exception.

Everyone turned to look at the girl sitting in front of Jiang Yuan.

“Thermal Stasis Qin Xin. Can halt the kinetic energy of matter at the molecular level. Her most striking ability is to remove heat, freezing whatever she targets. She performed a world-saving feat on the Pacific front, freezing 130 million alien foes in the sea. Measurements later showed the temperature was only one degree above absolute zero.”

On the TV, a stunning woman stood atop a frozen sea, gazing into the distance. Countless monsters, their claws raised, were frozen beneath the ice. The man from the future called Qin Xin’s achievement a world-saving feat.

At that moment, every person in the class was staring at Qin Xin.

“No way. The savior of the world is my classmate?”

“Qin Xin, you’re incredible in the future!”

“She can directly interfere with the second law of thermodynamics? That’s insanely powerful!”

The students all marveled that a future hero was right there among them. Even the homeroom teacher gave Qin Xin a second look, unable to believe that this quiet, unremarkable girl would grow up to become a hero who saved the world.

But Jiang Yuan felt miserable. He couldn’t even stop himself from forcing out a few bitter laughs.

Because Qin Xin was his girlfriend. They’d only officially gotten together a month ago, but with Qin Xin’s fame now, there was no way they could stay together. How could a world-saving hero waste time dating an ordinary person?

“Jiang Yuan…”

Qin Xin herself felt as if none of this were real. Without thinking, she turned to the person she trusted most, only to see the bitter smile on Jiang Yuan’s face. Her heart gave a sudden jolt. It seemed he’d already given up.

He hadn’t even said anything, and he’d already given up on keeping their relationship going.

“Uh… I hope things go well for you from now on.”

Jiang Yuan knew the last thing he should do right now was cling to Qin Xin and beg her to stay. She was just about to say something when her phone rang. It was probably her parents—or perhaps someone from the government—trying to reach her.

The footage on the TV continued. After introducing several of the most powerful heroes, the man from the future appeared on screen again.

“Next, I’m going to introduce the criminals who will bring ruin to human civilization in the future. They’re utterly wicked. Despite having great power, they’re viciously selfish and have no regard for the greater good. They’ve even tried to overthrow the World Alliance several times, hoping to establish absolute rule by Espers over non-Espers!”

“They trample on human rights, slaughter the innocent, and even help the monsters!”

“Here, I earnestly ask every nation to find them immediately, then take them into custody, imprison them, or kill them outright!”

“I know this is inhumane, but I could talk for three days straight and still not finish listing the terrible crimes each of them has committed!”

“Every piece of information about them was gathered at the cost of countless lives!”

As the man from the future spoke, he clenched his fists without realizing it. Tears of grief and rage rolled down his cheeks. At that moment, people all over the world were surely waiting in fury for these future criminals to be brought to justice.

“Aruye. Suspected to be South Asian. Nicknamed Blood Scorpion. Kills Espers and sells their corpses to certain mysterious organizations…”

“Cassandra. Suspected to be North American. Deliberately lured alien foes into a city and slaughtered its inhabitants, just to prove her theory…”

“Puot. Northern European. Killed an entire Esper legion over a petty personal grudge, directly causing the Northern European defenses to fall…”

Every time the man from the future named someone, the anger and hatred on his face deepened. At that moment, people all over the world memorized those names. They wouldn’t let those people get the chance to commit any crimes.

And finally…

“The next person is the chief culprit who once brought human civilization to the brink of extinction. He planned countless cruel and bloody incidents, personally killed three heroes, and dragged half the world into hell. The destruction caused by the monsters was nothing compared to his!”

“We sacrificed countless Espers just to uncover the tiniest bit of information about him. Please, keep a close eye out for this person and find him as soon as possible!”

“Codename: Jiang. Suspected to be East Asian. Ability unknown. Leader of the cult known as the Divine Era Society. He calls himself a god and leads a group of madmen in an attempt to rule the world. This single photograph is the only reliable information we have about him!”

As soon as the man from the future finished speaking, a person appeared on the TV screen. They looked quite young—at first glance, like a college student. They wore a black trench coat and stood atop the ruins of a city, surrounded by countless alien monsters.

There were also many bodies on the ground around them.

The image zoomed in. At that moment, people all over the world could see the face of the future’s number-one criminal. It was a cold, expressionless profile. The image was blurry, making it hard to tell for sure, but his basic features were still clear.

And right then, everyone in the class turned to look at Jiang Yuan.

“Uh…”

Jiang Yuan stared at the image on the TV, then took a selfie with his phone. The young man on the screen looked about eighty percent like him. At a glance, they could’ve been the same person.

The history teacher hurried out of the classroom in a panic and locked the door. The entire class screamed.

“Jiang Yuan, is… is that you?”

“You two look so alike!”

“What the hell?!”

“We need to call the police first!”

“Should we pin him down first? He doesn’t have any powers yet!”

The classroom erupted into chaos. Every student stared at Jiang Yuan in fear. In an instant, someone they’d known for ages had become a stranger. One after another, they took pictures with their phones and uploaded them online, exposing Jiang Yuan’s identity immediately.

“Everyone, calm down! It’s just that our profiles look alike…”

“Then how do you explain that he’s called Codename Jiang? Your surname is Jiang too!”

One of the students stepped forward and pointed at Jiang Yuan’s face as they challenged him. Jiang Yuan was starting to panic. He didn’t care what the others thought. What mattered was making sure Qin Xin didn’t misunderstand.

“Maybe he’s some distant relative of mine. I have older and younger male cousins, after all. Anyway, everyone, calm down and hear me out. I understand how you feel, but you’ve known me for so long. Don’t you know what kind of person I am?”

Jiang Yuan couldn’t make them believe him. No matter how he explained, nobody listened. He was at a loss himself. He admitted he’d once imagined being mentioned by the man from the future. Of course he’d wanted to become a glorious hero. But he’d never imagined that, even though he was mentioned…

It would be as the most heinous terrorist in the world.

No matter how much Jiang Yuan tried to explain, his classmates showed no sign of believing him. At least Qin Xin seemed to accept what he’d said.

“Everyone, I know Jiang Yuan very well. For my sake, could you please calm down for a moment?”

Qin Xin began speaking up for Jiang Yuan, too. She was the last person who wanted to believe that her boyfriend—the person she was so deeply in love with—would become the great villain of the future.

No one knew how much time had passed when an even louder commotion suddenly rose outside the classroom windows. Jiang Yuan stood up and looked out. Military Humvees and tanks had appeared on the street, leading the way, and more than ten helicopters were circling over the school.

A short while later, a group of soldiers kicked open the classroom door and rushed inside. The moment they entered, they aimed their guns at Jiang Yuan’s head.

Jiang Yuan was close to tears, but all he could do was raise his hands. With guns pointed at him, he didn’t dare make a single rash move.

He might turn into some kind of terrible person in the future, sure—but right now, he was still a perfectly healthy student, both in body and mind!

The other soldiers saw Jiang Yuan raise his hands. After exchanging wary glances, they immediately moved in and cuffed him without a word.

“Jiang Yuan, you’re under arrest. Come with us.”