The drive from Hell's Kitchen to his school didn't take long. The city was already busy, cars honking and people rushing to work. Kian kept one hand on the wheel while his eyes occasionally drifted to the golden mark on his wrist.
Still 99%.Still not moving.
He clicked his tongue in annoyance.
Soon, he turned onto a clean, wide street lined with trees and modern buildings. At the end of it stood Manhattan Ridge High, one of the better-known schools in the city.
It wasn't a school for the ultra-rich, like Midtown Tech or the private academies the rich kids attended.But it also wasn't a normal public school for middle or lower-income families.
Manhattan Ridge High sat somewhere in between—a place where:
kids from well-off families
scholarship students
children of business owners
and a few lucky middle-class kids
all studied together.
The parking lot already had expensive cars: BMWs, Audis, a couple of Mercedes, and even a modified sports car that definitely belonged to some show-off senior.
Kian drove in, found his usual spot, and parked the Mercedes.A few students nearby turned to look. A Mercedes in this school wasn't shocking, but it still drew attention.
Kian grabbed his bag and stepped out of the car.
As he walked toward the school building, a few girls whispered while glancing at him.He pretended not to hear.
His black hair, blue eyes, and calm expression always made him stand out—but he didn't enjoy the attention.
"Morning, Kian!" a boy called from the gate.
Kian nodded casually."Morning."
Everything looked normal.
Students laughing, teachers supervising, security guards checking IDs.
The day felt like any other.
Students were laughing loudly near the courtyard, a group of girls were taking selfies by the fountain, and a couple of seniors were arguing over basketball practice. Teachers stood by the entrance, reminding everyone to tuck in their shirts or stop running in the halls.
Kian walked through the gate and blended into the stream of students entering the building.
He passed a few familiar faces.
"Yo, Kian! You coming to PE today?"
"Don't skip math again, bro!"
"Tell your mom her curry was amazing last time!"
Kian lifted his hand in small waves, smiling politely.
"Yeah, yeah. I'll be there."
"I didn't skip—Mr. Harris dismissed me early."
"I'll tell her."
He wasn't exactly popular, but he was well-liked. Calm, polite, and easy to talk to. His face definitely helped, though he never cared much about that.
Inside the building, lockers slammed shut and the chatter grew louder. Posters for club activities covered the walls: robotics club, art club, music team, basketball tryouts, charity events.
Kian headed to his locker, swapped a couple of books, and walked to his first class—English.
He sat by the window, his usual spot.
Students slowly filled the room. Some were scrolling on their phones, others were half-asleep. The class clown, Jake, was already teasing someone. A girl at the front was studying intensely like a model student preparing for a life-or-death exam.
Kian rested his chin on his hand, staring out the window as sunlight spilled into the classroom.
Just another ordinary day.
The bell rang.
Their English teacher, Mrs. Thompson, entered with her usual bright smile.
"Good morning, class! Let's begin with yesterday's homework."
Groans filled the room.
Kian exhaled quietly and opened his notebook.
Hours passed like that.
English.
Math.
History.
Lunch with a few friends.
PE, where he outperformed half the class without even trying.
Then Chemistry—where he nearly fell asleep.
A normal high school routine.
Nothing strange, nothing exciting.
And this peaceful routine continued for another five days.
On the fifth day, while Kian was playing games on his computer, a sudden golden light flashed in front of him.
A screen appeared.
Kian immediately paused the game and stared.
"Finally…"
[ System Loading Complete ]
[ Starting... ]
[ Congratulations, Host, on awakening the Super Trading System ]
[ Super Trading System is now online ]
[ Hello Host, Coiny at your service ]
Just as he was processing the words, another message popped up.
"Coiny? Is that your name?" Kian asked.
[ Yes, Host. It was given to me by the Mother System ]
[ As for my functions, I am currently only at Level 1 ]
[ At Level 1, only the 'Random Trade' function is active ]
[ Random Trade allows the Host to trade anything for anything. ]
[ For example: a leaf may be traded for a holy sword… or just another piece of trash ]
[ This function has a cooldown of 30 days ]
[ Additionally, the System includes: Status Display, Appraisal, and Infinite Inventory Space ]
[ There is also a free 'Blessed Trade' available as a bonus for using the system for the first time ]
Looking at the series of system notifications, Kian nodded.
"What is Blessed Trade?"
[ The Blessed Trade means the host will receive an ability or item that ensures you won't die easily in this chaotic universe full of hero-villain battles. ]
"So right now I have two trades, right? One Random Trade and one Blessed Trade?" Kian asked.
[ Yes. ]
"Okay then… let's try the random one first," he muttered.
He looked around, grabbed the last slice of pizza on his plate, and held it up.
"Use this for Random Trade."
[ Activating Random Trade… ]
As the system worked, the pizza slice vanished from his hand.
[ Congratulations, Host. You have gained 10% of Domino's Pizza company shares. ]
"…Well, that's definitely something," Kian mumbled, surprised.
Still, he put that thought aside. "Anyway, let's see what's next."
This time, he activated the Blessed Trade, using a pencil as the item.
The pencil vanished.
The system's voice returned:
[ Congratulations, Host, on gaining the Legendary Class Book: Soul Predator ]
[ Congratulations. It seems your luck hit the jackpot. ]
[ This item allows the host to activate the Player Function of the system and grants the powerful Soul Predator class. To learn more, please accept the class. ]
Kian stared at the floating golden book in front of him.
"Can you… tell me a bit more about this?" he asked, slowly extending his hand toward the Legendary Class Book: Soul Predator. "If I accept this class… what exactly happens?"
The system responded almost instantly.
[ Of course, Host. Explaining: ]
[ Soul Predator is a Legendary-grade class is one of the best class available in whole of Multiverse. Once the host accepts it, several transformations will occur. ]