If someone had asked me about my goals three days ago, my answer would've been simple — I wanted to slap my father. Twice, if given the chance. But things had changed. Ever since I saw that image two days ago, my goal had shifted entirely.
Now, I wanted to find the woman who resembled my mother.
Roar.
An Orc let out a weak growl just before I grabbed its head and tore it clean from its shoulders. Blood gushed from its severed neck, drenching me in more crimson. As the headless body crumpled, leaving behind its bronze armor, I moved deeper into the forest — leaving a trail of blood droplets behind me like breadcrumbs.
ROAR!
ROAR!
Another roar echoed through the trees.
Then another.
I smirked as a dozen more Orcs barreled toward me.
Four [Arcane Spears] shimmered in the air beside me. I launched them forward first, chasing right after them to test whether the spears or my own body would reach the Orcs first.
I caught up just as the spears struck.
Seizing one mid-flight, I drove it straight through an Orc's chest. The other three impaled their targets in perfect succession. What little resistance remained, I tore apart in a savage display.
By the end of it, I looked like I had bathed in blood.
For the past two days, since receiving the mission to reach Peak F Rank, I'd been relentless, almost mechanical in my actions. I attended classes in the morning, spent the rest of my day clearing Portals, and sold the collected [Core]s.
This was my seventh Portal raid in that span of time, and I was only a few points shy of reaching the 50 limit.
There was a reason behind my barbaric fighting methods.
Morganna, my Combat Training instructor, had once explained that most rookies raised in the High Cities didn't die from lack of power — they died because of carelessness.
Specifically, it was because of blood stench.
Most High Citizens, pampered with cleanliness, couldn't even handle the smell without gagging. That brief moment of disgust was all it took for smarter monsters from the Outer Ruins to land a killing blow.
Morganna had been a responsible instructor. She'd earnestly and brutally warned us: Get bloodied in the Portals. Get used to the smell. Or die embarrassed when the real monsters came.
I'd taken her advice to heart. And I had to admit, she was right.
Fighting while drenched in blood was harder than I had expected. The stench clung to my skin, clogged my nose, and the slick, sticky sensation made my grip falter more times than I cared to admit.
It was revolting and distracting.
Maybe that was why the monsters inside the Portals had blood at all — despite being creatures made of energy and loot.
Without slowing, I pushed forward through the forest, lancing every Orc that charged at me.
Eventually, I reached the clearing where the Portal Boss awaited — an Orc towering twice my size, clutching a round mace the size of my torso.
[Mission]: Kill Portal Boss.
[Difficult]: F
[Reward]: +1 Physique
Since my strength matched the Boss, the difficulty and reward were barely passable.
The Boss Orc let out an ear-splitting roar and charged.
I calmly stepped back, summoning four more [Arcane Spears] in an instant. I shot them toward the Boss with precision, watching as two spears slammed into the Orc's knees, the other two striking its forehead. The damage wasn't fatal, but it was enough to stagger the beast and buy me time.
More spears followed, hammering into the same spot with relentless force until a gaping hole was drilled straight through the Orc's head. Its massive body teetered for a heartbeat — then collapsed.
In its place, the familiar shimmer of loot appeared — a [Skill Scroll], its parchment glinting faintly.
As my [Physique] increased, I collected the scroll and shoved it into the black Space Ring on my index finger. The ring had a storage capacity of four cubic meters and had cost me far more than I'd expected — draining the cores from five Portal raids just to buy it. But at least I didn't have to haul myself back and forth to the market every time my backpack was full.
Stepping out of the Portal, I entered the ivory hallway, waiting for Evelyn as I opened my 'Status Window.'
[Status Window]
[Lucian Vale]
[Evolution Class]: Portal Novice (F+)
[Title]: ██████
[Rank]: F
[Physique]: 48
[Mental]: 49
[Mana]: None
[Skills] →
That 'None' beside my Mana never failed to sting. Every time I saw it, it felt like being stamped 'defective product' — made by a drunk factory worker.
Still, just one more raid, and I'd reach Peak F Rank. Then it was straight to E Rank.
At the same time, I forced part of my focus onto the 'storm' my System had warned me about. Just because I couldn't feel fear didn't mean it was any less dangerous. And for someone like me, carelessness was an early ticket to the afterlife.
I closed the window as Evelyn approached from the corridor, her crimson hair swaying slightly.
She greeted me with a mischievous grin.
"Big Brother, have you started living in here or something?
...Ew! Why do you look like that? You smell like a monster that hasn't seen water in years!"
I ignored her teasing. "That mouth of yours is going to get you into trouble one day."
Despite my words, I knew she'd be just as filthy as I was a few minutes later. Evelyn was a brute, through and through — the type who loved getting up close and personal with monsters.
Evelyn giggled sweetly, flashing a UV light from her ridiculously expensive smartwatch. The blood stains on me began to evaporate in seconds. Satisfied, she plopped down beside me with a disgruntled sigh.
"Dad yelled at me because of you, you know. He found out you had the Orb. You totally owe me for that."
I let out a long-suffering sigh. I didn't even argue. What was the point? This girl always found a way to twist things around until I owed her a favor. If I protested, she'd probably cry nonstop. In just the past two days, she'd stacked up 20 favors against me — god knows how many more were coming.
Truly, I had a manipulative little sister. I could only imagine the havoc she caused at her home.
I looked at her playfully and said, "After one more raid, I'll hit E Rank. If you don't catch up soon, I won't be able to party with you anymore. Guess I'll have to leave the great Natural Awakener, Evelyn Sungrave, behind."
It was a rule — only people of the same Rank could enter the same Rank Portal. You could challenge higher Rank Portals if you were bold enough, but lower Rank Portals would straight-up reject you.
Her eyes widened. Three days. It had only been three days since her brotherAwakened — same as her. How the hell had he grown this fast? Especially as a Forced Awakener.
She crossed her arms and puffed her cheeks like a sulking brat. "Hmph! Just you wait. I'll hit E Rank by tomorrow! I was only holding back because of you, my untalented brother!"
I rolled my eyes sideways, shaking my head in defeat.
"Big Brother," Evelyn leaned closer, curiosity lighting up her eyes, "What Grade Class did you even Awaken with? Your Mana reserves are crazy — it feels like I'm watching a D Ranker fight."
She'd seen her brother cast hundreds of [Arcane Spear]s like it was nothing. Even Natural Awakeners like her — with triple the Mana — would've burned out after maybe two dozen.
She was starting to wonder… Was her brother's Class Grade even higher than their dad's? Could it be on par with hers?
I smiled. "Would you believe me if I told you I'm the first F Grade to ever exist?"
She gave me that suspicious, squinty-eyed look. "Hmph! If you don't want to reveal your Class, just say so. Don't talk nonsense like that."
Hmph! Does he think I'm that easy to fool? I'm not a little girl anymore. Everyone knows E Grade is the lowest.
Despite that, she didn't press further. Her brother's Class might really be something unusual, just like hers.
I let out a quiet chuckle but didn't ask about her Class either. I had my reasons. Instead, my gaze abruptly shifted toward empty space, holding it there with a long, knowing look.
If I were strong enough, the one hiding behind that spatial layer would already be dead — for daring to let murderous intent leak toward my sister.
I mentally noted that aura.
Ever since my Awakening, my Sense of Space had changed in a subtle way, and with every stat increase, that sense had become sharper.
Whenever I met her, I could feel it — faint presences, like shadows, blocking certain parts of Space. It felt like parts of Space were sealed off because someone was standing there. I assumed these were spies keeping watch over Evelyn due to her unique status.
That was why I always stayed careful about what I asked when we weren't inside a Portal. Despite that, I wasn't worried about her safety. Our cheap father could probably kill someone from across the planet if he was serious.
At least he cared for his daughter.
True to her whimsical nature, Evelyn suddenly changed her mind. She didn't feel like entering the Portal today. Instead, she wanted to just sit and chat with me.
Truthfully, I was growing tired of blood and [Cores] myself.
We ended up talking for hours… well, mostly Evelyn doing the talking while I listened patiently, teasing her now and then. If I was the type who could get along with just about anyone, my sister was the complete opposite, the kind who would curse anyone who tried to start a conversation.
And she certainly wasn't short on grievances either. She had an entire list of complaints against every so-called 'brat' in her class.
I treasured the time I spent with her.