I clutched Kira's uniform, the key to my freedom from the system's punishment. But it looked like that freedom was going to be very short-lived. In front of me, the tailed monster was cracking her knuckles, her smile filled with savage anticipation.
"I'll give you three seconds to get ready," she said, her golden eyes glinting. "Three..."
Inside my head, I was panicking. I had already won the bet, the mission was over! I didn't need to fight anymore!
'System! Do something! Teleport me out of here! Give me a shield! What good are you if all you can do is give me suicide missions?!'
[Rewards are being processed...]
[Please wait. Magical transactions take time...]
"Two..."
Kira's fist was raised. I could see the muscles in her arm tense up. The punch was coming with full force. I wouldn't be able to dodge it. My stamina might have increased after I completed the mission, but I hadn't felt it yet. And a stamina boost wasn't going to help me dodge a lightning-fast punch.
"One..."
I squeezed my eyes shut, bracing for the pain that might be the last thing I ever felt.
Just as Kira said it, as her fist shot forward, the system panel in front of my eyes glowed with a blinding light.
[First Main Mission Rewards successfully delivered!]
[You receive: 500 Hentai Points!]
[You receive: Item [Aura Concealment Ring (Common)]!]
[You receive: Random Attribute Increase!]
[Spinning the Wheel of Fate... Decided!]
['Agility' attribute has been drastically increased by +15 points!]
Whoosh!
A wave of energy, completely different from before, flooded my body. It wasn't the warmth of a stamina boost, but a sharp, cold, electric sensation. It felt as if all my nerves were firing at once. My legs, which had felt heavy, were now as light as a feather.
And the world... slowed down.
I opened my eyes. Kira's punch, which should have already landed on my face, now seemed to be moving in slow motion. I could see every detail: the rotation of her fist, the tensing muscles in her arm, even the specks of dust flying through the air from her movement.
I didn't have time to think. My body moved on its own.
With a slight tilt of my head and a shift of my feet a few inches to the side a movement that felt incredibly easy and natural I dodged the punch.
Kira's fist shot past where my head had been a split second ago, just millimeters from my ear. The wind from the punch felt like a bolt of lightning.
She jerked back in shock. Her punch had completely missed. Her massive momentum made her stumble forward slightly.
Kira froze, her eyes wide with disbelief. She looked at her hand, then at me, standing there with an equally shocked expression.
"You..." she whispered, confused. "You dodged it?"
I couldn't believe it myself. I looked at my hands, then my feet. My body felt different. More responsive. More alive.
'System... Open Status!'
[STATUS - Leon Richter]
Level: 1
Strength: 4 (Still pathetic)
Agility: 21 (Now you might be able to outrun a chihuahua)
Stamina: 10 (System Correction: Previous upgrade processed. Overlapping notifications occurred.)
Intelligence: 12 (Still your only asset)
My agility... from 6 to 21. It had more than tripled. This was an insane boost.
Kira took a step back, the smirk on her face gone, replaced by a sharp, calculating gaze. She was no longer underestimating me.
"What was that?" she asked, her voice serious. "That wasn't the move of an amateur. Have you been hiding your strength this whole time?"
"I... didn't even know I could do that myself," I answered honestly.
She stared at me for a long time, her gaze seeming to peel back my secrets. Then, once again, she did something unexpected. She lowered her fighting stance and smiled, but this time it was a genuine, curious smile.
"Interesting," she said. "Very interesting. You're full of surprises, kid."
She walked over and clapped me on the shoulder again, this time more gently.
"Alright. That's enough for today. I got a much better show than I expected."
I looked at her, confused.
"So... you're not going to beat me up?
"I said I'd beat you up for fun," she replied, taking her uniform top back after I tossed it to her. "And I won't have any fun now if the fight ends too quickly. I want to see that move of yours again, when you're ready for a real fight."
She turned and started walking toward the dojo exit.
"Hey, kid!" she called out without turning around. "What's your name?"
"Leon Richter," I replied.
"Leon," she repeated. "I'll remember that. Come to the dojo whenever you want. I'll train you... until you can't stand anymore."
With those terrifying parting words, she disappeared behind the door, leaving me alone in the middle of the duel arena.
I stood there, silent, trying to process everything that had just happened. I held the uniform in my hand, then quickly tore a button from the sleeve cuff and stuffed it in my pocket. My mission was complete. I was safe. And I had gained an unexpected new power.
I looked toward the main academy building, where the other students were probably heading to their dorms, talking about their normal first day.
Meanwhile, I had successfully manipulated a shy Elf, pissed off a tsundere noble, and survived a duel with a Beastkin martial arts master.
My life as an extra... was well and truly over. And I had a feeling this was just the beginning of a much bigger chaos.
I stumbled away from the duel arena, every step feeling strange. My legs were light as a feather thanks to the insane Agility boost, but my mind felt like it had just been dragged through hell and back. The uniform top I was holding felt heavy in my hand, tangible proof of the impossible mission I had just completed.
I managed to sneak back into the dorm building without incident. The [Aura Concealment Ring] now on my finger seemed to be working perfectly. Students who passed me by barely gave me a second glance. I was just another shadow in the hallway, an extra returning to his den. This anonymity had never felt so precious.
Klak. Click.
The moment my room door was closed and locked behind me, I sagged against it, letting out a long, shaky breath. I tossed Kira's uniform top onto the bed, then dropped into the chair at my desk, burying my face in my hands.
Quiet. Safe.
"I did it..." I whispered into the silence of the room. "I actually did it."
[Yes, yes, you did. You tricked a shy girl, provoked a noble into wanting to kill you, and almost got beaten to death by a senior, all for a few personal items. Truly an accomplishment to be proud of.]
'Screw your sarcasm,' I shot back in my head, too tired to be truly angry. 'I'm alive, aren't I? And I got the rewards. That's what matters.'
I pulled the other two trophies from my pants pocket: Lyra's white handkerchief and Isolde's red strand of hair. I laid the three items out in a row on the desk next to Kira's uniform top. A strange sight. The collection from my hard day's work.
[All objectives for the First Main Mission have been achieved. Previously withheld rewards have now been fully delivered.]
I felt a second wave of warm energy flow through my body, this one more soothing. That must be the delayed Stamina boost. I immediately commanded the system.
'Open Status.'
[STATUS - Leon Richter]
Level: 1
HP (Health Points): 50/50
MP (Mana Points): 30/30
[Basic Attributes]
Strength: 4 (Weaker than a goblin)
Agility: 21 (Now you might be able to outrun a chihuahua)
Stamina: 10 (Won't die of exhaustion climbing three flights of stairs)
Intelligence: 12 (Your only decent attribute)
[Special Attributes]
Hentai Points (HP): 550
Lewd Charm: 2 (Still look like an awkward, perverted teenager)
[Equipped Skills & Items]
[Eagle Eye (Lv. 1)] (Passive)
[Aura Concealment Ring (Common)] (Passive)
This time, the stats felt much better. My agility was a lifesaver, and my new stamina meant I wouldn't collapse after a ten-meter sprint. But the rest of my attributes... were absolute garbage.
I looked at my MP bar: 30/30. The number wasn't bad for level 1, but I had no idea how efficiently I could use it. Using [Eagle Eye] earlier only took a little, but offensive magic would surely drain it quickly.
With stats like these, what class could I even join tomorrow? The class introductions would determine my educational path at this academy.
The Swordsmanship Class? With a Strength of 4, I probably couldn't even lift a training sword properly.
The Hand-to-Hand Combat Class? Kira was the captain. I'd rather swallow a sword than join that club.
The Offensive Magic Class? I'd be a laughingstock when my spells only produced a spark the size of a matchstick.
My options were severely limited. Maybe there were more suitable classes for me. A Tactics and Strategy Class? My intelligence was decent. Or maybe an Infiltration and Reconnaissance Class? My high agility would be very useful there. I'd have to find out all the available options tomorrow.
As the sun began to set, painting the sky outside my window in shades of orange and purple, my stomach rumbled again. I had neither the energy nor the desire to go back to the dining hall and risk running into one of my targets again. I found some dry bread and a water pouch in my desk drawer, standard provisions for new students. I ate them in silence; they were bland but enough to fill my stomach.