The next morning, Starlight Academy buzzed like a storm hive.
Students whispered in panic and excitement.
"Did you hear the rumor?"
"They say someone fought a corrupted host last night!"
"I bet it was an A-rank!"
"No way, maybe an S-rank sneaked into the city!"
Charles walked through the hall with Midnight's fur still stuck to his uniform. Midnight wasn't allowed in school—but he clung so tightly this morning, Charles practically had to pry him off and shut him inside the apartment.
Rift, curled around his wrist like a ghostly bracelet, pulsed quietly.
[Host Stress Level: Elevated]
[Recommending Breath Control]
Charles inhaled sharply.
"Just… don't panic," he muttered to himself. "It's just orientation. Nothing too crazy…"
He was dead wrong.
---
The Gymnasium—Again
The gymnasium was transformed once more.
Tables arranged in rows.
Screens projected dungeon maps.
Bureau agents stood at the exits.
Guild representatives lingered on the sidelines—watching closely.
A man stood in the center, arms crossed.
Tall. Broad. Muscular.
Silver hair tied back like a soldier.
Sharp eyes like a seasoned warrior.
This was Instructor Ronan Vale—A-rank awakened, ex-guild captain, current combat instructor.
He smashed his fist into his palm, and the microphone squealed.
"LISTEN UP, BRATS!"
The room fell silent instantly.
"You awakened yesterday. Good for you. Doesn't mean you're worth anything yet."
Some students flinched.
Ronan scanned the crowd, gaze sharp as a blade.
"You want to fight demons?
Then you need to enter a rift.
And next week—YOU WILL."
Students gasped.
Charles nearly fainted.
Arianna lifted her chin calmly.
Lance pumped his fist.
Damian smirked confidently.
Charles whispered:
"…Next week!? That soon?!"
Rift tightened in alarm.
[Warning: Host not combat ready]
Yeah. No kidding.
---
Ronan Explains the Rules
Ronan pressed a button.
A hologram rose from the stage:
A dark forest—twisted trees—glowing pools.
"A Rank-F Familiarization Rift," Ronan said.
"Beginner-level. Safe enough not to die, dangerous enough for pain."
Students gulped.
"We will form teams of five.
Each team will enter with one instructor shadowing you."
Shadowing? Charles thought.
So they DO have protection…
"Your goal is simple:
Survive.
Fight.
Bring back the boss core."
The screen switched to monster images:
• Goblin-like Riftlings
• Shadow Wolves
• Feral Imps
• Low-rank Slimes
• A Boss: Rift Beast — Rank F+
Charles's stomach twisted.
I can't fight that yet.
Ronan continued:
"Power stones dropped inside the dungeon are YOURS.
Sell them at the Awakener Market Hall.
Some of you might even buy your first skill books."
Charles swallowed.
Everyone will buy skill books.
Everyone will think I should too…
But I can't reveal anything.
Suddenly, his system chimed quietly:
[Reminder: System will provide all combat skills] [Host does NOT need public skill books]
"Let's hope nobody notices…" he muttered.
Arianna glanced sideways at him.
"Did you say something?"
"Uh—no! Nothing!"
---
Team Assignments
Ronan slammed a stack of lists on the table.
"Teams are chosen based on rank compatibility."
He read aloud:
Team Alpha
– Arianna Velhart (S-rank)
– Lance Harrow (B+)
– Damian Crowe (A)
– Tomas Gale (C)
– Reed Voss (D)
The gym buzzed.
"Those monsters!"
"They put all the elites in one team!?"
"Arianna AND Damian together??"
Charles blinked.
Wait…
That means—
Ronan flipped to the next list.
Team Echo
– Charles Reyes (F-rank Bishop)
– Liam Sorrin (E-rank Defender)
– Mira Yune (E-rank Mage)
– Jonah Park (F-rank Scout)
– Aegis unit trainee: Kyren Hale (D-rank Spear)
The room went quiet.
Then—
"…Oh."
"F-rank group."
"Good luck with that…"
"I guess someone has to babysit the weak ones."
Charles scratched his head awkwardly.
Mira waved timidly.
"Um… hi! I'm your teammate?"
Liam nodded politely.
"I'll protect you."
Kyren Hale, the Aegis trainee, looked unimpressed.
"Don't slow us down."
Charles smiled weakly.
"Sure… I'll try…"
Arianna immediately marched toward Ronan.
"Instructor! Why is Charles not with us?"
Lance followed. "Yeah, he's our guy!"
Ronan raised an eyebrow.
"Teams are balanced by rank.
You two are too strong. Charles is… an F-rank Bishop."
Arianna bit her lip.
Lance looked annoyed.
Charles waved franticly.
"N-No, it's fine! I'm fine! Really!"
Rift pulsed.
[Host attempting social deflection: Successful]
Ronan cleared his throat loudly, snapping the students' attention back to the stage.
"We're not done yet. Before the rift exam, support classes will perform a small demonstration."
Charles nearly choked on air.
No. No. NO.
The worst possible scenario.
A demonstration meant:
– Casting spells
– Showing skills
– Revealing mana signature
– People staring at him
Rift pulsed rapidly around Charles's wrist.
[Host stress rising]
[Breathing irregular]
[Prepare minimal skill output]
Charles whispered, "I wasn't prepared for this…"
Kyren scoffed. "You're a Bishop. Just cast a glow or a heal. Nothing hard."
Easy for YOU to say.
---
Support Skill Demonstration
Ronan pointed to the middle of the gym.
"You two—step forward."
Only two students walked out:
A girl with light magic capability.
And Charles.
Charles walked like a man approaching his own funeral.
The girl cast first.
"Beginner Blessing!"
A soft glow touched her teammates.
Barely 1% buff.
Cute. Normal. Safe.
Ronan nodded.
"Passable."
Then he turned toward Charles.
"Your turn, Reyes."
Charles felt every eye in the gym lock on him.
Arianna.
Lance.
Damian.
Creed's Bureau officers.
Guild scouts.
Even the ceiling lights stared at him.
His hands trembled slightly.
The system whispered:
[Use the diluted version of Holy Fortitude]
[Public Skill Name: Low-Grade Party Blessing]
[Output: 4% — safe]
Charles whispered back, "Please don't explode anything…"
Rift buzzed like an anxious child.
Midnight was too far away to help.
He raised his hand.
"...Blessing Light."
Golden energy rippled outward.
Soft—gentle—controlled.
But even diluted, it was stronger than any beginner Bishop.
Liam stiffened.
"My armor feels… lighter?"
Mira gasped.
"My mana pool just jumped—by 10%?!"
Jonah blinked rapidly.
"I feel—whoa—did my eyesight sharpen!?"
Kyren twisted his spear, eyes narrowing.
"…This isn't a beginner skill."
The gym fell dead silent.
Even Team Alpha stopped talking.
Ronan's expression turned sharp.
"That is NOT a basic Bishop buff."
Charles panicked.
"Ah—uh—i-it's just… something weird in my mana! I-I can't control it well!"
Ronan stared harder.
Everyone waited.
Then—
"…Hmph. Fine. Some awakeners do mutate slightly during awakening."
Charles nearly cried in relief.
The system chimed:
[Concealment successful]
[Holy signature masked — 100%]
Arianna leaned toward Lance.
"Did you feel that? That wasn't normal."
Lance nodded slowly.
"He's definitely hiding something."
Charles pretended not to hear anything.
---
Dungeon Warnings
Ronan turned the hologram back on.
"Next part. Listen carefully."
The hologram zoomed in on a massive beast.
Rift Beast — Rank F+
Thick fur
Sharp claws
A single broken horn
A power stone glowing inside its chest
Ronan said:
"This is the dungeon boss.
It drops a Power Stone.
Rank F or E."
Students gasped.
Power Stones were valuable — 300 to 1,500 credits.
Ronan continued:
"Bosses can also drop:
– Skill books
– Basic armor
– Weapon cores
– Rare items"
Charles swallowed.
Skill books…
Armor…
Weapons…
The system whispered:
[Host does not require skill books]
[System will provide superior rewards]
Thank god.
Ronan's tone grew grave.
"Dungeons ALWAYS have a boss.
If you encounter it—do NOT panic."
He stared at Charles's group specifically.
"If a team is too weak to fight it, withdraw.
I repeat: Withdraw.
Do NOT be a hero."
Charles nodded rapidly.
He wanted to survive.
Not show off.
Not get attention.
Not die.
Rift pulsed.
[Host safety priority: HIGH]
---
Schedule
Ronan held up a clipboard.
"Your dungeon run begins in three days."
A wave of panic rolled through the gym.
"Three days?!"
"That's so soon!"
"We're going to die—"
"This is too fast!"
"Some of us just awakened!"
Charles felt dizzy.
Three days.
Three days to prepare.
Three days to not expose himself.
Three days before facing monsters.
He could barely handle a corrupted host.
Now a whole dungeon?
Rift buzzed anxiously.
[Urgent Recommendation:
Train Host Physically.
Expand mana capacity.
Practice low-level skills.]
Charles exhaled slowly.
"…Okay. I'll survive this."
Then the system gave a chilling notification:
---
[WARNING]
A presence inside the Rift Beast has sensed your divine aura.
It has marked you.
Avoid direct confrontation if possible.
---
Charles went pale.
"…Why? Why is it ALWAYS me?!"
He wasn't ready.
He wasn't strong.
He couldn't defend himself against higher-ups.
He couldn't fight a beast that wanted him dead.
He was supposed to be low-profile.
But somehow the dungeon boss already wanted to kill him.
Rift tightened on his wrist protectively.
"Don't worry," Charles whispered weakly.
"I'm panicking enough for both of us."
---