In a final-year classroom at Jinjiang High School No. 2, a man stood before the students, his face serious.
The homeroom teacher of Class 3. Mr. Stone.
"As i just said, the final exam will take place in one week. The Player exam will be held in a dungeon, and the Literary Arts exam will be held in the classroom."
The room remained silent, attentive to his words.
He continued:
"The risks of death during the Player exam are real and high. If you don't have the ability, don't force yourself down that path. You can always choose the Literary Arts exam and live a life different from that of the players."
His gaze drifted toward the back of the room.
It met the eyes of one student.
Remedy.
"This is my advice to all of you..."
Remedy's eyes, however, remained fixed on the blackboard, expressionless. But his fingers tapped twice on the desk. One. Two. Then nothing.
The professor sighed inwardly.
"If everything is clear, then good luck to you all. I'll see you in a week."
He left the classroom. One by one, the students rose and departed.
Remedy stayed seated, lost in thought.
Suddenly, a hand slammed violently onto his desk.
He flinched, his eyes dropping to the hand before rising to the figure standing beside him.
The same trio. Jett, flanked by Leo and Marcus.
"Daydreaming again?" Jett scoffed. "Thinking about the exam?"
"Don't tell me you want to take the player exam?" Leo added.
No response. Remedy didn't utter a single word.
Jett's eyes widened.
"What? Are you serious, man? Hahaha! Let me remind you, you don't even have a System, let alone a Class. And you want to become a player? Seriously?" he laughed.
"Drop it, man. You can't evolve. You're just not cut out to be a player." Marcus concluded.
Remedy still didn't utter a word. He simply slid his hand into his pocket, his fingers brushing against the broken glass of his watch.
The trio finally walked away, laughing. Remedy watched them go, then sighed.
He took the watch out his pocket. It showed noon.
He stood up and began putting his things in his bag.
I have to go now, or I'll be late.
He left the room quickly.
As if the time the watch had shown him was telling him he was already late.
Even though the watch itself no longer worked.
***
On a small football field, a luminous circle, like a dimensional rift, floated at its center.
The dungeon gate.
A security fence surrounded the area.
Two guards in black suits stood at the entrance.
Three boys approached.
"What are you looking for?" one guard asked.
The young man dressed in yellow, positioned ahead of the two others in blue and red, spoke up.
"We're here for the dungeon we reserved."
He showed the confirmation on his phone. The guard checked the guild seal.
"You're the ones who reserved the training dungeon? Very well. You may enter. Your assistant is already here."
"Thank you," the boy in yellow replied.
They entered and walked toward the center.
Beside the gate, a figure was sitting on a pile of metal rods. The figure was calmly cleaning his daggers.
The boy in blue leaned toward the one in yellow.
"Do you think we can pull off the plan with this assistant?"
"Why are you still stressing? You're a player, i'm telling you" the red one retorted.
"I'm not stressing! I just wanted to make sure everything would go smoothly!"
"Yeah, of course…"
"Calm down, both of you. There's no need to worry," the yellow one intervened.
He added:
"Don't forget why we chose him. And don't forget that I have a Class."
In this world, only those with a System can evolve and fight monsters.
And even among them, not everyone has a Class.
But he had one. And not just any Class.
A translucent interface appeared before his eyes.
═════ STATUS WINDOW ═════
Name: Yellow
Lineage: Human
Tier: 0 — Base Human
Level: 1
EXP: 0%
Health: 100%
Energies:
• Mana: 100%
═════ CLASS ═════
• Elemental Mage — Lightning
═════ SKILLS ═════
• Discharge (Novice)
═════ INNATE TALENTS ═════
• None
════════════════════════
A smile formed on his lips.
"Don't worry. Everything will go as planned."
After all, he's just the technical assistant. The one who can't evolve.
They stopped in front of the figure.
Remedy looked up at them.
"You're late," he stated, his voice calm and neutral.
"Haha! Sorry, we got a bit lost," the yellow one replied with a strained smile.
Remedy's gaze briefly analyzed them.
Then he stood up.
"Let's go… And make sure you listen to me in the dungeon."
He took the lead of the group and headed toward the gate.
The yellow one's face tightened slightly.
"Let's go."
They followed Remedy and entered the dungeon.
***
They arrived inside the dungeon, a dark stone cave.
Ahead of them, up high, red lights flickered on.
Then came the sound of claws on rock and the flapping of wings.
Multiple bats, larger and visibly more vicious than usual, flew toward them.
Remedy brought both hands behind his back and drew the two daggers from their sheaths. The blades traced an arc before his hands firmly gripped them again.
"I'll weaken them to the brink of death. All you have to do is finish them off afterward" Remedy declared.
He didn't wait for their response. He launched himself at the monsters.
Remedy's role wasn't to teach or give advice. It was simple: he just had to allow them to increase their level. He was an assistant.
Reaching them, a few controlled body movements allowed him to slip past the creatures. Sequences of dagger strikes followed.
The sound of blades slicing wings and stabbing bodies echoed, knocking the bats to the ground, half-dead. You could directly see the fruit of hard work and the mastery of impressive techniques.
This was Remedy. The technician assistant.
The boys didn't waste time. They approached in and finished off the monsters.
The bodies disappeared, leaving loot behind. With such ease, experience points poured in.
Their bodies glowed, marking their level up. Something Remedy had never experienced.
After a while, all the bats, about sixty in total, had been eliminated. The total experience gained, 18,000 points, was distributed among the three boys.
They were now each Level 3.
Remedy stood apart while they grouped together, seemingly discussing something. He took a bottle of strong alcohol from his bag.
He lifted his clothing, revealing multiple wounds on his chest and abdomen. He poured the alcohol over the injuries, which stung intensely. But his remained as calm as ever.
He couldn't afford healing potions, so his only remedy was this alcohol. And this pain was his daily life.
He bandaged his wounds, then took out his phone, pressed a button before putting it back in his pocket. Then he walked over to the three boys.
"If you're finished, let's go outside. You'll pay me outside. For the rest, settle it with the guild."
The assistant job wasn't really tied to the guild. It was a transaction between players. The guild was merely an intermediary. The loot belonged to those who reserved the dungeon; the assistant took a commission, and as did the guild.
As Remedy passed them, the one in yellow blocked his path with an arm.
"Wait a second." His voice, once that of a rookie, had become that of a boss addressing his employee.
"We'll pay you here. I hope you don't mind?" he hissed, the other two flanking him.
Remedy smiled, almost amused.
Their smiles—he knew them too well. It was the smile of those who had just discovered they had a knife, facing someone who possessed none.
---
End of Chapter 1