week had passed since the dungeon incident.
They told us to rest, to process what happened—but how could anyone? Half the class didn't come back. The school gates felt heavier when I walked through them again. Ten students returned. Ten didn't.
Class 1A was quieter now. The seats in the back stayed empty, untouched. I thought the school might merge us with students from Class 1B or 1C to make up for the numbers. They didn't.
The principal and a few teachers called me into the office on the first day back. I could tell they were suspicious, even if they tried to mask it with polite smiles and fake concern.
"What exactly happened inside the dungeon, Jihoon?"
"You were found outside its radius. Can you explain?"
I lied. I had to.
"I awakened before the dungeon, but I didn't know how to use my ability," I told them. "When things got dangerous… I don't know. Instinct, maybe? I just… teleported out."
They nodded, pretended to accept it. But I saw the look in the principal's eyes. He didn't buy it entirely.
Some students talked behind my back in the hallways. I wasn't surprised.
"If he wasn't such a useless loser, maybe more people would've made it out."
"I heard his ability is teleportation. What kind of coward uses it just to run away?"
I didn't respond. I let them talk. That's all they could do—talk.
In truth, my power was still a mystery even to me. "Teleportation" was a convenient lie. I couldn't exactly say, I made a deal with an ancient race of forgotten monsters sealed in another realm. That would go over well.
Besides, I only used the ability once. That wasn't enough. I needed to actually make it mine.
---
Three days from now, our school would hold the Ability Exams, in partnership with a pro-level training center. First years usually didn't get tested this early—but this year was different. Everything was different now.
The exams would test three things:
Physical Strength – Basic, but necessary.
Mana Capacity – How much raw energy your body can hold.
Combat – Either against another student… or if you are unlucky against a teacher.
Speaking of luck… One of the top three students in the entire school was in my class. Her name was Shin Nayoung, and her ability? Luck manipulation.
Sounds harmless until you realize how broken it actually is. Her ability warps probability in her favor—and drains it from others around her.
If you had a 70% chance of hitting your target and she had 30%, your chances would drop the longer you were near her. Hers would climb. She didn't just shift the odds—she bent them around her.
Fighting her would be like flipping a rigged coin. Every time, she wins.
I never participated in these exams before. Middle school never had them. But I had a good feeling about it this time. No—I needed to do well.
In three days, I had to master this fake ability I claimed—teleportation—and turn the lie into reality.
I couldn't afford to be powerless anymore.