[Mission Completed. Reward Acquired: +1 Attribute Point, 1 Lottery Draw]
[(Path to Promotion): Current Rank - Provisional Investigator]
[At Rank 3 Investigator, every promotion will grant 1 Attribute Point and 1 Lottery Draw]
A faint smile tugged at the corners of Uesugi Ryu's lips.
Although the attribute point was modest, the lottery draw was a rare and valuable reward. Promotions at the Rank 3 Investigator level were comparatively easy to attain, making this a good start.
Now came the excitement moment of allocating new stats. Uesugi Ryu's eyes held a trace of eager anticipation, the sensation of his body growing stronger was a pleasure no kind of entertainment could match.
"System, add +1 to Agility!"
A strange power surged through his body. Uesugi Ryu felt as though the world around him had slowed to a crawl. Even the dust particles in the air became sharply defined before his eyes.
But the feeling faded after a few minutes as the sudden jump in physical stats left him somewhat unaccustomed to the changes.
At present, his Agility Attribute had reached a staggering S- level, far surpassing his other three stats, which still lingered around the B tier.
This kind of extreme, unbalanced build might have its downsides, but for now, Uesugi Ryu didn't have the luxury of spreading out his attribute points evenly.
---
[Current Strength Evaluation: A Rank (Overall)]
[Note: System's evaluation is based solely on physical attributes; actual combat also involves experience, weapons, tactics, and other factors.]
---
Uesugi Ryu let out a slow breath.
"Looks like I'll need some time to adjust."
Increases in physical stats were never something one could get used to overnight.
Back when he first started allocating points, even brushing his teeth would accidentally shatter the toothbrush cup. He had to be cautious in everything he did.
Ghouls were naturally high-attack, high-defense beings. But once humanity had access to Quinques, their advantage in defense dwindled.
Now, both Ghouls and humans had become high-attack, low-defense entities. Battles hinged more on skill and experience than brute force.
Humans simply had less margin for error, being wounded often meant dying.
Uesugi Ryu didn't draw his lottery reward just yet. Something this important deserved proper preparation: a clean shower and incense offerings at the very least.
....
CCG Investigator Training Academy, Indoor Combat Arena.
A bald, scar-faced middle-aged man stood at the front, his face twisted into a fierce expression.
He was Tokage Goumasa, formerly known for torturing Yamori the Gecko, now serving as the academy's combat instructor.
Uesugi Ryu openly studied the man, making no effort to hide it. After all, he was a new student, it was normal to be curious about those in charge.
Beside him, Yamashita Tetsuno whispered nervously, "Uesugi-kun, don't stare. That's Instructor Tokage Goumasa. His teaching style is just as brutal as his appearance. He'll single you out."
Uesugi Ryu nodded. "Thanks, Yamashita-kun. But... It seems I'm already too late."
Tokage Goumasa was already glaring directly at them, clearly having noticed the little exchange.
"Yamashita, you bastard, what were you whispering over there, huh? Looks like you've been living too comfortably lately!"
His misshapen mouth twisted into a terrifying grin.
Yamashita Tetsuno straightened up at once, pale with fear. "I wouldn't dare! I was just introducing you to the new student!"
That only made his smile widen.
"Then you ought to thank your new classmate properly. He's just given me a brilliant idea for today's lesson."
The color drained from many of the students' faces, except for Suzuya Juuzou, Yasuhisa Kurona, and Yasuhisa Nashiro. They knew better than to expect anything normal from Tokage Goumasa.
His terrifying appearance and sadistic tendencies were enough to inspire fear in all but the boldest of students.
At that moment, a teaching assistant approached with a large case, flipping it open to reveal seven neatly arranged short knives, each about the length of a forearm.
"These are the Poison Wasps (1/7). I don't think I need to explain," Hoto said.
"This time, the top six students in performance rankings will each receive a Quinque, and the newcomer as well."
He paused, then added coldly, "Cowards have no place among Investigators. We face man-eating monsters. Today's session won't be one of those meaningless exercises, we're having a real live combat lesson!"
As his voice fell, the wall behind him slowly turned transparent.
Behind it, two Ghouls were locked in cages, their glowing kakugan eyes blood-red with hunger. The moment they saw humans, one began smashing itself violently against the bars.
Its mouth dripped with saliva as it snarled like a beast, clearly driven mad by starvation.
Both Ghouls wore strange collars around their necks, pulsing with a constant blue light.
The other Ghoul, a middle-aged woman, looked far less frenzied. Though somewhat disheveled, she still seemed mentally intact.
The students in the audience gasped at the sudden reveal, some faces filled with unease. But most showed no signs of backing down. Instead, they stared intently at the Ghouls, eyes gleaming with curiosity.
After all, a thick barrier still separated them. Caged beasts were hardly threatening.
The students quickly lined up to receive their Quinques. When it was Uesugi Ryu's turn, Tokage Goumasa suddenly spoke.
"Kid. Try not to break it, these are rare training tools."
Uesugi Ryu gave a helpless shrug and smiled faintly.
"Of course, of course. But Instructor... if one of my classmates is in life-threatening danger, I can't just stand by and do nothing, can I?"
"You don't need to worry about that," He said coldly. "If someone can't even handle a Ghoul of this level, then they're better off dead."
The assistant beside him adjusted his glasses, a faint smirk on his face.
"You're not required to kill the Ghouls. The room has three exits. Two minutes after you enter, the doors will open. Escaping also counts as passing."
The main gate slowly creaked open, and students began entering in groups of four.
The first group, composed of lower-ranked students, was assigned the frenzied, mindless Ghoul.
Though terrifying in appearance, a Ghoul that had gone too long without food suffered greatly diminished strength. Its physical abilities degraded, and it lost all rationality.
If the students kept calm, the threat wasn't as severe as it seemed.
Yamashita Tetsuno, who had warned Uesugi earlier, was in that first group.
As the gate to the crazed Ghoul's cage began to open, the atmosphere in the arena shifted. It was one thing to observe from afar. Facing such a creature head-on brought an overwhelming sense of fear and tension.
Uesugi Ryu stood silently among the crowd. Kurona and Nashiro were right next to him.
Yasuhisa Kurona and Yasuhisa Nashiro were respectively ranked first and second among this cohort of students.
Suzuya Juuzou, on the other hand, had dismal grades due to constant slacking in class. Still, he clung eagerly to the wall, watching the combat unfold with great interest.
Uesugi Ryu privately suspected that Tokage Goumasa, this perverse sadist, was planning to torture the two Ghouls after the training ended for his own amusement.
Since stepping down from active duty, he no longer had the authority to torment Ghouls as he pleased. Now, he could only find excuses under the guise of education.
Why he included Uesugi Ryu in this session remained unclear to the latter. Perhaps he believed that, as long as Uesugi had any brains at all, he wouldn't go out of his way to antagonize him.
Back inside the training chamber, the four students split up within a minute.
The frenzied Ghoul locked onto one random student and lunged.
It was nearly mad from starvation, desperate for fresh meat.
The other three students tried to intervene several times, but each time, their courage faltered.
Just as the Ghoul was about to sink its teeth into its chosen target's face, Yamashita Tetsuno clenched his teeth and charged in, slashing at its back with his Quinque dagger.
The Ghoul ignored the pain and lunged harder at its prey.
Yamashita's blade cut deep, spilling blood.
The targeted student took advantage of the distraction, kicking the Ghoul and scrambling away in terror.
The Ghoul roared in rage and spun toward Yamashita instead, charging full force.
"Are you kidding me?! This thing'll really kill me!!" Yamashita yelled as he turned and ran.
The four students dodged and fled, barely surviving the full two minutes.
Few could keep their composure when facing a Ghoul for the first time, especially knowing they had an escape route and teammates nearby.
No one was truly willing to risk their life.
Once the two minutes passed, they fled out of the chamber in a pitiful state.
None of them noticed that the Ghoul's movements had grown slower and more sluggish, starved Ghouls had little real strength, no matter how crazed they appeared.
Tokage Goumasa showed no disappointment. Instead, a smirk tugged at his lips, he was enjoying the show.