Goddammit!!
Goddamnit!
Fuck!
I'd been shouting into the void for a while now, but all it did was echo my curses back at me.
I sat cross-legged and completely naked in the darkness, my black hair falling over my eyes—sharp, blue, and currently locked in a death glare with the glowing 'Status Window' in front of me like it had personally ruined my life.
Well, I think it had!
It screwed me 9 ways vertically, 6 ways straight!
[Status Window]
[Lucian Vale]
[Evolution Class]: Portal Novice (F+)
[Title]: ██████
[Rank]: F
[Physique]: 6
[Mental]: 10
[Mana]: None
(Note: Your Title—[ ██████] bears all mana costs for skills.)
A few hours ago, I had stepped into an Evolution Portal alongside my classmates, ready to awaken my Evolution Class and embark on a journey that would push me beyond human limits. It was supposed to be the beginning of something legendary.
Instead, I ended up making history — as the first F-Rank Awakener ever recorded.
For millennia since the Portals had descended, E-Class had remained the lowest possible tier. And I, without even trying, broke that record.
I would have shouted 'hooray' if I wasn't a ambitious person.
Okay, I know I would surely regret it, but let me muster the courage to quantify how royally screwed I was at the moment.
Deep breath!
Another one.
Hmm, I wasn't sure whether to call my Class a rare anomaly or a cosmic embarrassment.
After awakening, most people received a Class Skill, followed by a few perks or cheats to set them apart. I, on the other hand, hadn't even been granted a basic Class Skill, let alone any perks or hidden benefits.
I awakened a simple, plain Class with its complexion reaching zero.
And my Mana…
According to the system, I neither possessed Mana nor needed it — which made perfect sense, considering I couldn't feel even a flicker of it anywhere in my body.
My Title, which seemed far too shy to reveal itself, apparently erased all mana costs entirely. That much, at least, was generously spelled out.
Thanks system! Appreciate your sense of responsibility!
What wasn't so generous was the fine print — or the lack of it. Were there hidden limits? Cooldowns? Restrictions? Or had I somehow become the proud owner of an infinite imaginary Mana pool?
Infinite Mana sounded great in theory. But I was literally the last person that should be wielding it. My F Grade classification near my Evolution Class meant I was permanently capped at F, with no potential for ranking up.
In simple words, I would never even reach E Rank!
What the hell was I supposed to do with infinite mana? Spam endless F-rank skills at my enemies? That was like trying to stab a dragon to death with a plastic fork.
A perfectly OP cheat wasted on me!
Then there were my [Attributes]…
Strength, Vitality, Dexterity, and Perception were the Universal Attributes. Mana didn't count. The monsters an Awakener hunted would only drop those [Core]s, allowing them to absorb and increase their stats over time. My system had lumped everything physical—Strength, Dexterity, and Vitality—into [Physique]. Everything else had been shoved into [Mental].
Which led me to a serious question - "How the hell am I suppose to move forward with these stats?"
There was no such thing as [Physique] Core or a [Mental] Core.
[Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to World Breaking News! I'm your host, Basil Cranford, and today we bring you the man known as The Ultimate Disappointment - Mr. Lucian Vale! First F Grade Trash... ahem, Awakener!
Reporter : Mr. Vale, tell us, how does it feel to awaken the worst Evolution Class in recorded history?
Lucian : I feel bad, I never...
Reporter : Mr. Vale said he feels bad. Stay tuned, folks—coming up next, a pet squirrel accidentally evolves into C-Rank!]
With a resigned sigh, I figured I might as well read the Class description. Couldn't be worse than the rest of this disaster.
[F+ Rank: Portal Novice]
Congrats Kiddo! You've barely figured out that dimensions exist. You might sense some weird vibrations in space, but don't ask how to control them. The most you can do is trip over a rift you didn't know was there. You're basically the kid who can feel the Wi-Fi signal but can't figure out how to connect to it.
I stared at it blankly for a moment as I seriously considered whether it was possible to murder this damn Class!
It was one thing to be useless, but it dared to be sarcastic?
My Mana - Gone!
My Class Skill - N/A
My Stats - MIA
My cheat - Useless
[Awakener! You will be transported to Goblin Dungeon in 5 minutes. Please prepare accordingly!]
A cold, mechanical voice rang in my mind.
I nodded as I took a slow, measured breath.
Alright, Lucian! You've lived in mediocrity for eighteen years… What's another fifty years?
With that depression inspiring pep talk, I grabbed my black backpack and pulled out a black shirt and matching pants.
Why was I naked in the first place?
You see, during Awakening, there was a fun little event known as Transformation—a process where your body was ripped apart and then reassembled to synchronize perfectly with your Evolution Class. And the universe, being a pervert with no respect for privacy, vaporized your clothes in the process.
So, every student packed a backpack with the necessary essentials like food, spare clothes, and even more food.
Most importantly, they also carried a [Skill Scroll], because after getting a Class, we must first clear the Goblin Dungeon to exit, and not everyone was guaranteed to awaken with a Combat Class or even a Combat Skill. And the [Skill Scroll] served as a back up.
Fully dressed, I dug through my bag and pulled out a Skill Scroll—[Arcane Spear].
It had been flung at me by my irresponsible father.
I hesitated. I didn't want to use anything from that man, but right now? I didn't have the luxury of pride.
With a grimace, I tore the scroll open as I watched the parchment disintegrate into glowing runes, which seared into my skin before vanishing.
I felt my mind shake as if something exploded inside, and the memory of an unfamiliar Skill instantly etched itself into my being.
[You have acquired the skill—Arcane Spear (F)!]
[Arcane Pierce] (F) (Growth)
→ Condense raw mana into a spear, capable of piercing through high-level defenses within a 10m range.
→ Mana Cost: 4 per spear
→ Cooldown: None
I read the description silently.
I could feel the skill now, embedded in my mind—ready to activate with a single thought.
And the five minutes drifted by....