Quinn slowly opened his eyes, and to his surprise, it was all dark. His head was still throbbing.
But then the memories started to return — he remembered seeing Vorden entering the portal room last, but by then he had already been thrown in.
Damn it. This was the worst possible outcome. How did it turn out like this? Quinn's breath quickened; panic crawled up his chest. But when he remembered that he wasn't the only one, he forced his heart to steady.
Right now, I have to find the others… that's the only thing I can do — at least for now.
The moon shone dimly over the vast, dark land — its cold light the only trace of life in that silence.
Quinn began to wander, trying to get a sense of where he was. That's when he remembered the stream of notifications he'd received earlier. Back then, there hadn't been a moment of peace to check them. But now, with nothing but the wind and this godforsaken wasteland around him, he decided it was time.
Just as the thought crossed his mind, the familiar blue tint of the system flickered into view —
— and a flood of messages appeared before him.
[Ability Level Up][Ability Level Up][Ability Level Up][Ability Level Up][Ability Level Up]
Current Ability Level: 8
Status:Maximum level reached
Then, the calm interface glitched.
[ERROR] User does not meet the required conditions to harness this ability.
[ERROR] System Override Initiated...[System Rewrite in Progress...]
Lines of distorted code flashed, before stabilizing into a new format:
MC Cells: 390
Unlocked Attributes:• Earth• Water• Ice• Healing
Locked Attributes:
• Fire — Requirements not met
• Lightning — Requirements not met
Wind— Requirements not met
• Hardening — Requirements not met
•Poison — Requirements not met
•
[System Alert] User lacks synchronization ratio for higher-tier elemental compatibility.
Then came the quest prompts, clean and cold as the system's voice echoed in his mind:
New Quests:– Reach System Level 20 to unlock your 5th Attribute.– Reach System Level 35 to unlock your 6th Attribute.– Reach System Level 50 to unlock your 7th Attribute.
Reach System Level 70 to unlock wind and poison.
[ New Quest: ???????]
Quinn blinked rapidly against the glowing interface hovering before him. His throat went dry, and he swallowed hard, bewildered.
What in the world is this...?
"Shit—when did I even become Level 8?" The words rang in his head like a bad joke. "This... this is impossible! How the hell did I manage that?"
A wild rush coursed through him — pure disbelief twisted into something like exhilaration. Quinn had never felt this level of excitement in his entire life.
Damn… what are even my limits now?
A chuckle escaped him, low and disbelieving at first, then growing louder. Fragments of his past flickered behind his eyes — the mockery, the humiliation, the endless reminders that he was nothing special, a powerless nobody. Yet now... now everything had turned on its head.
"The lady luck's really on my side today," he muttered with a half-grin.
But then the thought hit him, cold and sharp."Wait... why the hell are some of these abilities locked?"
His gaze darted over the holographic list again.
Fire... Lightning... two of the strongest attributes in the world — and I've got both? His pulse spiked. "This is insane… this might be the best damn day of my life!"
Then another thought crashed in. "Wait… Jack Truedream. He must've had this. That's the only explanation. But how did I end up with 390 MC cells?"
He frowned. He'd started with only twenty. Even after using his ability multiple times, he'd never gained any MC cells before.
That meant only one thing.
When Truedream steals abilities… he doesn't just take their affinities. He absorbs their residual MC cells too.
The realization hit him like lightning. It was a massive discovery — a game-changer.
Quinn immediately tried pulling up the system again, searching for any trace of Truedream's stolen skill. But no matter how many menus he flipped through, there was nothing. No ability named Steal Ability anywhere.
"What the hell… why didn't I receive Truedream's power?"
Maybe i shouldn't be this greedy.. he chuckled.
Then suddenly, a sharp pain shot up his leg, snapping him out of his flabbergasted daze."Shit—!" he hissed through gritted teeth.
[–2 HP ]
As he turned, the beast came fully into view.
It was about the size of a large dog, with the head of a rodent. Its entire body was black, moving on all fours with unnerving speed. He might've called it a giant rat — but its arms were unnaturally muscular, while its body was thin to the point of horror. The outline of its ribs pressed against its skin.
Quinn yanked his leg in panic, trying to shake it off, but the creature's jaws held tight.
[–2 HP]
"Damn it!" Quinn gritted his teeth, focusing his will. A ring of earth spikes erupted around his leg, stabbing into the beast. It screeched in pain and stumbled backward, releasing him.
What is this thing...? Quinn thought, eyes narrowing. Then he remembered. The Inspect skill!
While the beast writhed and recovered, Quinn activated Inspect.
< Name: Rattaclaw >< Type: Basic-tier Beast >< HP: ??? >< ??? >
Unlike when using it on humans, the system didn't show its HP or blood data — only the name and tier.
Still, seeing that it was a Basic-tier beast, Quinn's fear began to ease.He was in an unknown world, sure, but this creature — this Rattaclaw — didn't seem like much of a threat.With his current level, this should be child's play.
The Rattaclaw shrieked and lunged for round two. Quinn reacted instantly, forming a sharper, cleaner earth spike like never before. It felt lighter — faster — more refined, thanks top his new mc reserves.
With a single sweep of his arm, the spike flew forward and pierced straight through the beast's skull.
Black blood splattered across the dirt.
< Basic-tier Beast (Rattaclaw) Defeated >< 100 EXP gained >< First Basic-tier Beast killed: Bonus 200 EXP >< First kill (Rattaclaw): Bonus 100 EXP >< Total EXP: 330 / 200 >
[ Level Up! ]
[ System Level: 3 ]
exp 130/400[ +1 point to all Physical Stats ]
Strength: 17Agility: 17Stamina: 17
Quinn skimmed the notifications while clutching his leg — the bite still burned like fire. Concentrating, he summoned his Healing ability.
[System Notice: Healing ability can now be auto-activated]
A soft green light began to emanate from his wound, wrapping around his leg. Warmth spread through the pain as the flesh knitted back together — faster than ever.
HP: 6/10 , 7/10 , 9/10 , 10/10
That's better, he thought, flexing his leg.
Though he could use all his abilities now, Quinn still wasn't fluent in every one. Earth and Water came naturally — he'd practiced those before. Ice followed similar principles, but using them together was a whole different challenge.
Only real combat could sharpen that control.
He clenched his fists, looking out into the pale-lit wasteland. Then from the sidelines more rataclaw started to emerge hearing the screech made earlier by their fellow bretheren.
Quinn readied hismelf, even a little carelessness can take his life nomatter how much he had grown, even Goliath fell by the hand of a child and a single stone.
Now, Quinn had one clear goal — find the remaining eight students... and level up as much as he can , surviving this place and getting the hell out of this place.