A transparent window appeared before Arin:
[You will be rewarded for killing all the goblins]
[You will be given a sword to aid you]
Suddenly, the air in front of him split apart, and a gleaming sword emerged from the system window, dropping into his hand.
He held it in disbelief, then muttered,
"What a beautiful sword..."
Another window appeared:
[Go deeper into the forest to face the boss]
A bitter smile formed on his lips.
"Face the boss directly? How am I supposed to defeat him in my current state?"
He took a deep breath and said,
"I have no choice… I must go in."
He ventured deeper into the forest. As he walked, the silence was broken by the sound of rustling leaves, and soon, a pack of wolves emerged before him.
[Savage Wolf – Level 5]
His eyes widened.
"Level…? Just one of these wolves is stronger than I am right now!"
[Quest: Defeat the wolves]
One wolf lunged at him with blinding speed. Arin barely dodged.
"That speed…!"
The wolf attacked again, and Arin narrowly evaded once more. His expression turned cold.
"Do you think I'm weak?"
With a swift motion, he charged forward, his new sword slicing cleanly through the wolf's body in a single strike.
He stared at the blade in awe of its power, but his amazement was short-lived—
the rest of the pack snarled and charged together.
Arin moved quickly, parrying and striking, cutting down one wolf after another… until the ground around him was littered with their corpses.
The scene shifted far away…
In a modest home, a woman in her forties stood by the window, whispering to herself:
"I wonder… what is my son doing now?"
The scene returned to the forest…
Arin was panting when a new system window appeared before him:
[Your level has increased to 11]
He smiled.
"I've grown a little stronger."
[Your energy will be fully restored as a reward]
Warmth and vitality surged through his body, making him smile faintly.
"This system… it's really useful."
But the calm didn't last long.
The ground shook under heavy footsteps coming from the trees.
A massive wolf emerged, its eyes glowing with a dark light.
[Wolf Leader – Gate Boss – Level 28]
Arin swallowed hard.
"A Gate Boss at this level… can I really defeat it alone?"
The wolf roared, sending shivers through his heart, before charging at him.
Arin dodged just in time and began running.
"It's toying with me…"
[The Heir is in danger. A temporary skill will be granted to defeat this wolf]
[You have acquired the skill: Infinite Cleave]
The wolf lunged again, nearly tearing him apart—
but Arin vanished from its sight.
The beast froze, scanning in panic… only to find Arin standing behind it, his eyes glowing with a crimson aura.
"This is your end… leader."
Sensing danger, the wolf tried to escape, but the skill activated—
strike after strike rained down, until its massive body was cleaved in two.
[Gate Cleared]
[Your level has increased to 15]
The area trembled. Arin dashed out of the gate, gasping for breath, and collapsed against the mountainside.
The scene shifted again…
Inside the headmaster's office, he was speaking on the phone when his deputy entered.
"Sir, a mid-rank gate appeared near the mountain… and it was cleared without the guild sending any fighters."
The headmaster's face darkened.
"An unknown person cleared a mid-rank gate… Send one of the strong students to investigate immediately."
The scene returned to Arin, sitting by the mountain with a system window before him:
[Your energy will be restored and you will receive a special sword to clear a mid-rank gate]
"A special sword… and full recovery?"
Energy once again surged through his body.
[You have met the conditions to unlock your inventory]
[The sword is in your inventory]
He opened the inventory window, seeing the sword icon. The moment he touched it, the weapon materialized in his hand.
"It's even stronger than the first sword…"
He returned it to his inventory—
but then, he felt a dark aura rapidly approaching.
He hid behind a tree, spotting a powerful-looking young man in academy uniform pass by.
Arin's heartbeat quickened, and he ran back toward the academy.
… The next morning …
He sat on his bed in his academy uniform, a system window floating before him:
[Name: Arin – The New Heir]
[Level: 15]
[Rank: Mid]
[Health: 1500]
[Mana: 1500]
A smile tugged at his lips.
"I'm now a mid-rank… just like the other students."
A knock came at the door. He opened it to find the headmaster's deputy.
"The headmaster is calling for you… he has an important matter to discuss."
As they walked through the academy halls, Arin thought,
"Strange… this is the first time the headmaster has called for me personally. Could it be… he's discovered my strength?"
They reached the office door. Arin opened it to see an elderly man in a black suit seated behind the desk.
The headmaster smiled warmly.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Arin."
And thus… Chapter Three came to an end.