Ethan stepped into the principal's office at Ravenshade No. 3 School.
It was as plain as always — just a simple desk, two old chairs, scattered documents, and a teacup that had clearly survived a decade or two.
The principal wasn't back yet.
Not that it mattered.
Ethan was familiar with this place. He sat down casually, tapping into his system panel while waiting.
Only two skills were currently displayed:
Taming
Beast Master Space
Both were self-explanatory.
Taming was for bonding with summoned beasts. Beast Master Space was where his summoned beasts could rest, heal, and reside when not in battle.
Ethan focused his mind and explored the Beast Master Space. What he saw surprised him.
It was massive—a 10×10×10 meter cube, giving him a full 1,000 cubic meters to work with.
Currently empty, but full of potential.
Curious, Ethan picked up the old teacup from the desk and willed it into the Beast Master Space.
It disappeared from his hand instantly.
"Nice... So this can act as a storage ring too."
Compared to the standard inventory space in his interface, this was clearly better. The system backpack required expensive items to expand, while Beast Master Space scaled up with his Spirit stat.
"Beast Master isn't a bad class after all."
He absentmindedly played with the remaining objects on the desk before sitting back, thinking.
He still didn't have a summoned beast. He needed one soon if he hoped to start leveling properly.
Just then—
Squeak—
The door opened behind him. He didn't need to turn around to know who it was.
The principal of Ravenshade No. 3.
Then—
Click.
The distinct sound of a lock sliding into place.
Ethan turned around, puzzled. "Principal, why are you locking the door?"
At first, Ethan called him "Principal" out of formality. But after spending enough time around him, the name had simply stuck.
Oddly enough, he didn't recall the man ever locking the office door before.
The principal walked in calmly and set several items on the table.
Ethan leaned forward to see.
A full set of bronze armor.
Helmet. Chestplate. Gloves. Belt. Greaves. Boots.
Everything but accessories.
He whistled internally.
Equipment in this world was ranked by tiers: Whiteboard, Bronze, Silver, Gold, Dark Gold, Platinum, Diamond, Epic, Legendary, and God-tier.
This wasn't your average hand-me-down gear.
Despite the principal's humble lifestyle—the worn-out office, the ancient teacup—he had clearly been holding onto something valuable.
Ethan narrowed his eyes. "When did you decide to give me this?"
Whack!
The principal flicked his forehead sharply.
"Ow! Hey!"
"What do you mean, 'decide'?" the old man scolded. "I'm not hoarding bronze gear like a miser!"
Ethan rubbed his head, but he chuckled.
Fair enough. After a lifetime as a professional, the man could probably hand out silver gear too—he just didn't flaunt it.
Grinning, Ethan started storing the armor pieces. "Thanks, Principal. Guess you're not stingy after all."
But the surprises weren't over.
The principal pulled one more item from his coat pocket—a small object glowing with purple light.
"Take this too. Quick, before anyone sees."
Ethan didn't even get the chance to examine it. He instinctively dropped it into his Beast Master Space.
"You picked the Beast Master class just to impress Old Fairwind, didn't you?" the principal muttered. "But hey…"
He sighed and waved it off.
"You've already chosen. What's done is done. Go to Darunhua, get your first summoned beast. Bill it to my account."
Ethan: ???
Impress Fairwind?
He hadn't done it for ego.
He did it for the SSS-tier Talent Pack.
The principal motioned toward the door, already tired of talking. "Hurry back. We'll have dinner tonight."
Ethan was used to this tone. That mix of gruffness and nostalgia meant the principal was probably thinking about his own reckless youth again.
Without arguing, Ethan turned and left for Darunhua.
---
While sitting in the backseat of a taxi, Ethan pulled up the gear he'd just received.
Each piece bore the name "Guardian":
Guardian's Helmet
Guardian's Chestplate
Guardian's Gloves
Guardian's Belt
Guardian's Greaves
Guardian's Boots
All bronze tier. All part of a matching set.
He quickly equipped them.
The set bonus activated immediately.
He disabled the visual effects so the glowing armor wouldn't attract stares in public.
Then he examined the stats:
Helmet: Constitution +45
Chestplate: Constitution +45
"Whoa. That's near max for bronze gear."
The top-end for bronze items was usually around +50 stat points. These pieces were clearly premium quality.
Then it hit him.
Wait a minute…
He quickly scanned the rest:
Gloves: +45 Constitution
Belt: +45 Constitution
Greaves: +45 Constitution
Boots: +45 Constitution
Set Bonus: +45 Constitution
That brought the total to +315 Constitution.
He slumped into the taxi seat.
"Did he set me up for a tank build?"
It was all coming together now.
The principal had previously offered him S-tier professions, most of which were defense-focused.
And now this?
Armor stacked entirely for durability and health?
Ethan laughed bitterly.
Was he really that fragile in the principal's eyes?
He opened his stat screen.
Constitution directly affected:
Max HP
Defense
Health Regeneration
Injury Recovery Rate
With this much Constitution, Ethan could probably walk into a beginner dungeon and come out unscathed—without even attacking.
But then again…
Maybe it wasn't about fear.
Maybe the principal just wanted him to be safe.
Ethan's expression softened.
"This entire set would sell for hundreds of thousands easily."
Plenty of wealthy families would throw cash at a set like this just to protect their children during their early levels.
And assembling a full set? Nearly impossible in one go without pre-planning.
The principal must've been collecting these pieces for him for years.
Ethan used to avoid showing off or accepting favors. He never wanted anyone thinking he got in through connections.
But now?
If someone tried accusing him of favoritism, he'd flash his stats in their face.
> "Backdoor? Envious much? Want to borrow it for a dungeon run?"
Ethan couldn't help but laugh.
Then he glanced at the purple-glowing item he had tucked away earlier.
His heart skipped a beat.
Whatever that was… it wasn't bronze.
It wasn't even silver.
It was epic.
And that meant one thing:
The principal was placing his future in Ethan's hands.
---
End of Chapter 6