Goddammit!
Goddamnit!
Fuck!!
These curses had been bouncing off the darkness for a while now.
Lucian Vale sat cross-legged and completely naked in the void, his black hair falling over sharp blue eyes that were currently glaring at the glowing 'Status Window' in front of him like it had personally ruined his life.
[Status Window]
[Lucian Vale]
[Evolution Class]: Portal Novice (F+)
[Title]: ██████
[Rank]: F
[Physique]: 6
[Mental]: 10
[Mana]: None
(Note: Your Title—[ ██████] bears all mana costs for skills.)
A few hours ago, he had stepped into an Evolution Portal alongside his classmates, ready to awaken his Evolution Class and embark on a journey that would push him beyond human limits. It was supposed to be the beginning of something legendary.
Instead, he ended up making history — as the first F-Rank Awakener ever recorded. For millennia since the Portals had descended, E-Class had remained the lowest possible tier. And Lucian, without even trying, broke that record.
He wasn't sure whether to call his Class a rare anomaly or a cosmic embarrassment.
After awakening, most people received a Class Skill, followed by a few perks or cheats to set them apart. Lucian, on the other hand, had not even been granted a basic Class Skill, let alone any perks or hidden benefits.
And his Mana…
According to the system, he neither possessed Mana nor needed it — which made perfect sense, considering he couldn't feel even a flicker of it anywhere in his body. His Title, which seemed far too shy to reveal itself, apparently erased all mana costs entirely. That much, at least, was generously spelled out.
What wasn't so generous was the fine print — or the lack of it. Were there hidden limits? Cooldowns? Restrictions? Or had he somehow become the proud owner of an infinite imaginary Mana pool?
Infinite Mana sounded great in theory, but it was about as useful as a bottomless gas tank in a broken-down car. His F-rank classification near his Evolution Class meant he was permanently capped at F, with no potential for ranking up.
What the hell was he supposed to do with infinite mana? Spam endless F-rank skills at his enemies? That was like trying to stab a dragon to death with a plastic fork.
A useless cheat.
Then there were his [Attributes]…
Strength, Vitality, Dexterity, and Perception were the Universal Attributes. The monsters an Awakener hunted would only drop those, allowing them to absorb and increase their stats over time. His system had lumped everything physical—Strength, Dexterity, and Vitality—into [Physique]. Everything else had been shoved into [Mental]. He had no idea how he was supposed to grow stronger.
With a resigned sigh, he decided to at least read what kind of joke his Class had played on him.
[F+ Rank: Portal Novice]
Congrats Kiddo! You've barely figured out that dimensions exist. You might sense some weird vibrations in space, but don't ask how to control them. The most you can do is trip over a rift you didn't know was there. You're basically the kid who can feel the Wi-Fi signal but can't figure out how to connect to it.
He briefly considered whether it was possible to murder this useless Class.
[Awakener! You will be transported to Goblin Dungeon in 5 minutes. Please prepare accordingly!]
A cold, mechanical voice rang in his mind.
He took a slow, measured breath.
Alright, Lucian! You've lived in mediocrity for eighteen years… What's another fifty years?
With that depression inspiring pep talk, he grabbed his black backpack and pulled out a black shirt and matching pants.
You see, during Awakening, there was a fun little event known as Transformation—a process where your body was ripped apart and then reassembled to synchronize perfectly with your Evolution Class. And since the universe had no respect for modesty, your clothes were shredded in the process.
So, every student packed a backpack with the necessary essentials like food, spare clothes, and even more food.
Most importantly, they also carried a [Skill Scroll], because not everyone was lucky enough to awaken with a Combat Class or even a Combat Skill.
Fully dressed, Lucian dug through his bag and pulled out a Skill Scroll—[Arcane Spear].
It had been flung at him by his irresponsible father.
Lucian hesitated. He didn't want to use anything from that man, but right now? He didn't have the luxury of pride.
With a grimace, he tore the scroll open as he watched the parchment disintegrated into glowing runes, which seared into his skin before vanishing.
He felt his mind shook as if something exploded inside, and the memory of an unfamiliar Skill instantly etched into his being.
[You have acquired the skill—Arcane Spear (F)!]
[Arcane Pierce] (F) (Growth)
→ Condense raw mana into a spear, capable of piercing through high-level defenses within 10m range.
→ Mana Cost: 4 per spear
→ Cooldown: None
Lucian read the description silently.
He could feel the skill now, embedded in his mind—ready to activate with a single thought.
And the five minutes drifted by....