The orb was colder than I expected.
Not the kind of cold that makes you shiver, but the kind that feels… empty. Lifeless.
Then, all at once, it pulsed.
The orb pulsed once.
White.
Not just white, but blinding, searing white. As if the sun had been condensed into a single, merciless point of light.
The orb shook violently. The floor's runes blazed.
And then
BOOOOM!
A blast of pure white light tore through the hall, swallowing everything.
And in an instant
Everyone,
Everything,
Vanished.
My heart pounded so hard I could feel it in my ears.
Was this it? Was I about to shock them all?
But the light didn't last.
It bled away, swallowed by a creeping darkness. The glow dimmed into grey, then black, pitch black, like the void between stars. The air itself seemed to cool.
The hall fell silent. No more murmurs, no coughs, no shifting feet. Just stillness, heavy and suffocating.
The evaluator, a man known for keeping a perfect poker face, faltered. His lips twitched as if searching for a reassuring smile, but it came out crooked and forced.
A faint ding echoed in my head as a translucent system screen flickered into existence before me.
Name: Haruki Enrai
Rank: F Rank
Class: ???
Skill: Collector
My eyes widened. My throat went dry.
No. This had to be wrong.
Ten years. Ten years of study, of sleepless nights, of chasing this moment with everything I had. Ten years imagining myself slaying monsters, standing tall as the hero my family never had.
And this was what I got?
F Rank.
Not even an E. Not even on the lowest official tier.
The whispers began, sharp and poisonous.
"Did it say F Rank?"
"Collector? What kind of useless class is that?"
"Even guild janitors have better prospects."
"Which guild would take trash like that?"
A ripple of laughter spread through the crowd, cold and merciless. Some students glanced at me with pity. Others smirked. Instructors either whispered among themselves or refused to meet my gaze.
I clenched my fists until my nails bit into my palms. Every step toward the exit felt like trudging through mud. My legs trembled, my vision blurred, but I kept walking.
The heavy double doors loomed ahead. Salvation, or at least escape. If I could just reach them without collapsing.
When I finally stepped outside, the crisp air hit me like a slap. My lungs burned. I kept moving, unwilling to stop until I was far, far away from that hall.
Home was silent.
Too silent.
I locked the door behind me and slumped against it. The room felt colder than usual, though maybe that was just me. I stumbled to my bed, kicked off my shoes, and fell face-first onto the sheets.
The tears came quickly, hot and unrelenting.
What went wrong?
Was the system broken… Or was I just that pathetic?
Sleep found me eventually, but it was restless, full of flickering lights, half-heard whispers, and shadows I couldn't escape.
Morning brought no relief.
My eyes were puffy and sore. Cold water did little to hide it. At school, the same whispers followed me like a shadow.
"There he is, the F-rank Collector."
"Why's he still here? Should just drop out."
"What a waste of space."
I kept my head down, taking the longest routes between classes, skipping lunch entirely. I thought I'd managed to avoid everyone until after school.
I found a quiet spot behind the building, where the mossy stone ledge met the shade of an old tree. My "lunch" was just leftover toast from breakfast. I ate slowly, chewing without tasting, grateful for the solitude.
That's when he showed up.
Tomoru.
B-Class. Arrogant. Cruel. The type who smiled only when someone else was hurting.
"Hey, F Rank," he called, his voice dripping with mockery. "How's it feel being a walking disappointment?"
I ignored him, focusing on my bread.
Wrong choice.
A rough hand seized my sleeve, yanking me to my feet.
"Let me give you a proper evaluation."
The first punch cracked against my jaw, sending a flash of pain through my skull. The second drove into my stomach, forcing the air from my lungs. I staggered, gasping, and then the third blow sent me sprawling to the dirt.
I curled up, arms over my head. His shadow fell over me.
Heat shimmered in the air. I looked up just in time to see a fireball coalesce above his palm, its edges licking dangerously close to his skin.
"Let's see if your trash class can handle this."
"That's enough."
The voice was female, cool, firm, and commanding.
From the shadows, a girl stepped forward. Her black and white combat shirt hugged her frame, with slim trousers tucked into reinforced boots. A short cape hung from her shoulders, shifting in the breeze.
She flicked her wrist.
A sphere of water materialized and shot forward, striking Tomoru's hand with a wet smack. His fireball fizzled out instantly.
"Who the hell are you?" he snarled.
"I could ask you the same," she replied calmly. "Why attack someone who can't fight back? Insecure, Tomoru?"
"He's a loser! Failed his evaluation! Why are you defending him?"
Her eyes narrowed. Flames spiraled from her fingers, not ordinary flames, but a living blaze that twisted into the shape of a great phoenix. It flapped once, sending sparks scattering like stars.
Tomoru paled.
"You don't know who you're messing with."
"Try me."
He hesitated, then turned and bolted, shouting over his shoulder, "I'm not done with you, F Rank! We'll meet again!"
The trees swallowed him.
I groaned, sitting up slowly. My ribs ached with every breath.
The girl knelt beside me, her expression softening. "Are you okay?"
I nodded weakly. "Yeah… thanks."
"I'm Mina. You're Haruki, right? The F-Rank Collector?"
I winced at the label. "Yeah. That's me."
She studied me for a moment. "Don't look so defeated. I did some digging. You aced every theory exam, dungeon analysis, mana flow study, and monster behavior chart. All of them."
"So what?" I muttered. "Doesn't change what the orb said."
Her gaze was steady. "My father runs a small guild. We need someone who can analyze data and run logistics. I think you're exactly the kind of person we're missing."
I blinked. "You're… offering me a job?"
"I'm offering you a chance. Maybe the system didn't give you the class you wanted, but that doesn't mean you're worthless. Let us prove it to you."
Her phoenix flame still smoldered behind her, its wings folding neatly against its body.
No one else had offered me anything since the evaluation. Not sympathy, not kindness, nothing.
Just this girl.
This stranger.
Maybe I wasn't ready to believe her. But in that moment, her words were enough to stop me from falling further.
Enough to make me wonder if there was still a way forward.