The morning sun felt different on Kai's skin. For years, he had walked to Astrum High with his shoulders hunched, bracing for a blow that always came. Today, he walked with his back straight. He wasn't arrogant; he was simply solid.
As he approached the school gates, the usual whispers started.
"Look, it's the mule," a student snickered, pointing at Kai's tattered uniform. "I heard Ben and his crew gave him a 'graduation present' in the alley last night. Surprised he can even walk."
Kai didn't look at them. He didn't have to. His [Endurance: 80] made their words feel like distant buzzing insects.
Suddenly, a bright red sports car screeched to a halt near the gate. Lucius stepped out, looking radiant in his Holy Knight initiate armor. Sarah followed, clutching his arm, her eyes scanning the crowd until they landed on Kai. She frowned, her lip curling in a mix of guilt and annoyance.
"You're still wearing that dirty uniform?" Sarah called out as they approached. The crowd parted for them like they were royalty. "Kai, have some dignity. If you're going to be a Gatherer, at least be a clean one. You're embarrassing our class."
Lucius laughed, tossing a small, copper coin at Kai's feet. "Here, errand boy. Buy yourself a sandwich. I heard you lost your wallet last night. Ben told me you dropped it while you were 'scrambling' away."
The surrounding students burst into laughter. Kai looked down at the copper coin. In his pocket, he had the 5,000 Credits he had "Harvested" from Ben's own stash.
"Keep it," Kai said. His voice was calm, devoid of the usual tremor. "You'll need it for your medical bills later this year."
The laughter stopped. Lucius's face turned a deep shade of purple. "What did you just say to me?"
"The air is clear today," Kai said, looking past Lucius as if he were a pane of glass. He walked right between them, his shoulder brushing Lucius's armor.
"Hey! I'm talking to you!" Lucius reached out to grab Kai's shoulder, but Kai shifted an inch—a movement so subtle and fast that Lucius's hand swiped through empty air. Lucius stumbled, nearly tripping over his own feet.
"Don't touch me," Kai said over his shoulder. "I'm busy."
Before Lucius could roar in rage, a loud whistle blew. Standing by the school bus was Instructor Miller, a scarred veteran with a prosthetic mana-arm.
"Load up, losers!" Miller shouted. "The Shadow Woods won't clear themselves. If you don't get at least ten monster cores today, you fail the semester!"
The Shadow Woods were a nightmare of twisted black trees and purple mist. It was a Level 1-10 zone, perfect for testing new Awakened.
"Alright, listen up," Miller barked. "Stay in your assigned ranks. S-Ranks and A-Ranks in the front. F-Ranks... stay in the back and pick up the trash. That means you, Chen."
"Yes, Instructor," Kai said, stepping away from the main group.
"Wait!" A girl with messy pigtails and oversized glasses ran toward him. This was Mina, a fellow F-Rank who had been bullied almost as much as Kai. Her class was 'Cartographer,' a non-combat role. "Kai! Let's team up. If we stay alone, the Shadow Rabbits will eat us alive!"
Kai looked at Mina. She was one of the few people who had ever shared her lunch with him when he was starving. He nodded slowly. "Stay five paces behind me, Mina. And don't scream."
"Wait, what? Kai, we're Gatherers! We're supposed to find a bush and hide!"
Kai didn't hide. He walked straight into the tall, obsidian grass. Within seconds, a rustle echoed. A Shadow Rabbit—a creature the size of a dog with red eyes and jagged fangs—leaped from the brush.
"Kai! Run!" Mina shrieked.
Kai didn't run. He watched the rabbit's trajectory. To his [Agility: 40], it looked like it was jumping through underwater gel. He reached out and caught the rabbit by its throat mid-air.
Snap.
[Kill Confirmed: Shadow Rabbit (Level 1)]
[Experience Gained: 10 XP »»100 XP (10x Multiplier Applied!)]
[Level Up! Level Up!]
"You... you just caught it?" Mina gasped, her jaw hitting the floor. "With your bare hands?"
"I'm a Gatherer," Kai said, his eyes glowing. "I'm just... gathering."
He looked at the dead rabbit.
[Skill Activated: Basic Harvest]
[Target: Shadow Rabbit Carcass]
[10x Multiplier Triggering...]
Normally, a Shadow Rabbit dropped a single 'Tainted Fur.' But under Kai's touch, the rabbit's body began to dissolve into streaks of light.
[Obtained: Shadow Essence (D-Rank) x10!]
[Obtained: Agility Shard (Common) »» Swiftness Crystal (Rare) x1!]
"What is that?" Mina pointed at the glowing purple crystal in Kai's hand. "That's a Swiftness Crystal! Those only drop from Level 20 bosses! How did a rabbit drop that?"
"Lucky, I guess," Kai said, tucking the crystal into his pocket. He could feel the power radiating from it. If he consumed it, his speed would explode.
Suddenly, a loud scream echoed from deeper in the woods.
"Help! Someone help!"
It was Sarah's voice.
Kai looked toward the sound. He saw a plume of Holy Light—Lucius's power—flickering weakly against a massive, towering shadow. An Iron-Tusk Boar, a Level 12 Elite, had wandered into the beginner zone.
Lucius was on the ground, his "Epic" armor cracked. Sarah was crying, her mana exhausted. The "Geniuses" were about to be slaughtered by a pig.
"Kai, we have to call the Instructor!" Mina cried, trembling.
Kai didn't call the Instructor. He pulled his hoodie over his head, masking his face in shadow. He gripped the iron ingots he had harvested the night before.
"Stay here, Mina," Kai said.
"Where are you going?!"
"I'm going to collect some trash."
In a blur of speed that left a trail of dust, Kai vanished into the trees.