The morning classes passed in a blur of lectures about system theory, combat techniques, and dungeon ecology. Zororo paid attention while simultaneously exploring his system interface discreetly. He discovered he could minimize the screens to tiny icons in the corner of his vision, making them nearly invisible to others.
During the break between second and third period, Daichi dragged Zororo to the cafeteria.
"You need to eat more," Daichi insisted, loading Zororo's tray with food. "You've lost weight. Your sisters would kill me if I let you skip meals."
The cafeteria was massive, easily accommodating over a thousand students across multiple floors. Digital menus displayed food options that catered to different system types. Apparently, certain foods enhanced specific abilities protein-rich meals for strength-based systems, high-sugar options for magic users, and special supplements for rare system types.
Zororo chose a balanced meal and followed Daichi to a table near the windows. As they ate, Zororo observed the social dynamics of the school. Students naturally grouped by their system rankings and types. The high-rankers sat together, radiating confidence and power. Lower-ranked students kept to themselves, avoiding attention.
"See that guy over there?" Daichi pointed subtly at a muscular student with red hair. "That's Kenzo Arakawa. He's got a B-Rank Berserker System. Total meathead, but strong as hell. He's been challenging everyone to fights lately."
"Why?" Zororo asked, taking a bite of his rice.
"Trying to climb the school rankings. We have an unofficial power hierarchy here at Seika. The top ten students get special privileges access to exclusive training facilities, first pick of dungeon expeditions, recommendation letters to elite guilds." Daichi sighed. "I'm ranked seventy-eight. Pretty average."
"What rank was I?" Zororo asked carefully.
Daichi gave him a surprised look. "You don't remember? You were ranked thirty-second before you got sick. You might have dropped a few spots by now since you've been absent."
Thirty-second out of nearly two thousand students wasn't bad. The original Zororo had been quite capable despite his depression. That gave Zororo a decent foundation to build on.
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]
[SCHOOL RANKING SYSTEM DETECTED]
[CURRENT RANK: 35TH]
[CLIMBING THE RANKINGS WILL INCREASE INFAMY]
[SUGGESTION: CHALLENGE HIGHER-RANKED STUDENTS]
Zororo dismissed the notification. He wasn't ready to draw that much attention yet. He needed to understand his abilities first.
As they continued eating, a commotion erupted across the cafeteria. Students were standing up, craning their necks to see something. Zororo heard excited whispers spreading like wildfire.
"It's her!"
"The Thunder Goddess!"
"She never comes to the student cafeteria!"
Zororo turned and immediately understood the excitement. A girl had entered the cafeteria, and her presence was electrifying literally. Small sparks of blue electricity danced across her skin and hair.
She was beautiful in a wild, untamed way. Her long purple hair was styled in a high ponytail, and her golden eyes swept the room with predatory interest. Unlike most students who wore their uniforms properly, she had modified hers shorter skirt, unbuttoned blazer showing a tight shirt underneath, and combat boots instead of standard shoes.
[SYSTEM ANALYSIS COMPLETE]
[TARGET IDENTIFIED: RAIKOU KAMINARI]
[AGE: 18]
[LEVEL: 22]
[SYSTEM: A-RANK THUNDER GODDESS SYSTEM]
[ROLE: RANK 3 STUDENT]
[THREAT LEVEL: VERY HIGH]
[CORRUPTION POTENTIAL: LOW]
[PERSONALITY TYPE: AGGRESSIVE, COMPETITIVE, BATTLE-HUNGRY]
"Oh no," Daichi muttered. "Raikou's here. That's never good."
"Who is she?" Zororo asked, though the system had already provided information.
"Raikou Kaminari. Third-ranked student at Seika Academy. She's obsessed with fighting strong opponents. Rumor says she's already defeated several professional hunters." Daichi's voice dropped to a whisper. "She's crazy strong and completely unpredictable. Most students avoid her."
Raikou's golden eyes scanned the cafeteria like a hawk searching for prey. Then, suddenly, they locked onto Zororo.
A predatory grin spread across her face.
"Oh hell," Daichi breathed. "She's looking at you."
Before Zororo could react, Raikou began walking directly toward their table. Students scrambled out of her way, electricity crackling more intensely around her body. The air itself seemed to vibrate with power.
She stopped in front of Zororo's table and leaned forward, placing both hands on the surface. Her grin widened, showing perfect white teeth.
"You're Zororo Kurogami, right?" Her voice was energetic, almost musical. "The guy who's been hiding for weeks?"
"That's me," Zororo said calmly, though his heart was racing. Up close, he could feel the raw power radiating from her. She was dangerous.
"I heard you were sick, but you look fine now." Raikou's eyes studied him intensely. "Actually, you look different. Your eyes especially. They're glowing gold. That's new."
Several nearby students whispered in agreement. Zororo cursed internally. His system had changed his appearance slightly, and people were noticing.
"Side effect of recovering," Zororo improvised. "My system adjusted during my illness."
"Interesting." Raikou tilted her head. "What rank is your system anyway? I don't think I ever asked."
This was dangerous territory. Zororo couldn't reveal his SSS-Rank Villain System, but he needed an answer that wouldn't seem suspicious.
"C-Rank," Zororo lied smoothly. "Nothing special."
It was the rank the original Zororo had told everyone he had. Better to maintain that cover story.
Raikou's expression showed disappointment. "C-Rank? That's boring. I thought maybe you'd awakened something interesting." She straightened up. "Oh well. If you ever get stronger, come find me. I'm always looking for good fights."
She turned to leave, but then paused and looked back over her shoulder.
"By the way, your sisters are hot. Tell Himeko I want a rematch. She beat me last time, but I've gotten stronger."
With that, Raikou walked away, leaving behind the scent of ozone and stunned students.
Daichi let out a breath he'd been holding. "Dude, you just survived an encounter with the Thunder Goddess. Most people she approaches end up challenged to fights."
"Why didn't she challenge me?" Zororo asked.
"Because you told her you're C-Rank. She only fights people she considers worthy opponents. If you were higher-ranked, she definitely would have dragged you to the battle arena."
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]
[YOU HAVE SUCCESSFULLY DECEIVED A HIGH-LEVEL OPPONENT]
[+10 VILLAIN POINTS EARNED]
[CURRENT VP: 110]
[DECEPTION IS A VALUABLE VILLAIN SKILL]
Zororo blinked in surprise. He had earned villain points just from lying? The system rewarded deception. That was both useful and concerning. It meant the system wanted him to manipulate and trick people.
The rest of lunch passed without incident, though Zororo noticed more students staring at him than before. Raikou's attention had marked him as someone noteworthy.
After lunch, they returned to class for afternoon lessons. The teacher announced that team assignments for the dungeon training would be posted at the end of the day. Students buzzed with anticipation.
During a break between classes, Renji approached Zororo's desk again.
"Hey, Kurogami. Can I talk to you for a second?"
"Sure," Zororo said, immediately on guard. The hero system user wanted to talk privately?
They stepped into the hallway, away from other students. Renji's friendly expression became more serious.
"I wanted to ask you something," Renji said quietly. "Have you noticed anything strange about your system lately?"
Zororo's blood ran cold. Did Renji suspect something?
"What do you mean?" Zororo asked carefully.
"It's just... my Justice Hero System has been reacting oddly today. It keeps giving me alerts about a 'disturbance in the balance' nearby." Renji looked genuinely confused. "It's never done that before. I thought maybe someone awakened a new system or something changed."
[SYSTEM WARNING]
[HERO SYSTEM IS DETECTING YOUR PRESENCE]
[DETECTION LEVEL: 35%]
[RECOMMENDATION: CREATE DISTANCE]
Zororo needed to deflect suspicion immediately.
"I haven't noticed anything," Zororo lied smoothly. "But there are almost two thousand students here. Could be anyone, right?"
"Yeah, you're probably right." Renji scratched his head. "Sorry for bothering you with weird system stuff. I just thought since you were sick recently, maybe your system acted up too."
"No problem," Zororo said, already backing toward the classroom. "I should get back. Don't want to miss the team announcements."
"Right, right. See you in class!"
As Zororo returned to his seat, he felt sweat on his back. That had been close. Too close. Renji's hero system was actively trying to detect him. He needed to be more careful.
[SYSTEM ALERT]
[FIRST MANDATORY MISSION WILL APPEAR IN: 6 HOURS, 23 MINUTES]
[PREPARE YOURSELF, HOST]
The final period of the day was combat theory, taught by a grizzled man named Instructor Hayato. He was a retired A-Rank dungeon explorer with countless scars and a permanent scowl.
"Listen up!" Hayato barked. "Next week's dungeon expedition will be to a C-Rank rift that appeared near the city outskirts. It's been cleared once, but monsters respawn quickly. Your teams will have specific objectives inside."
He pulled up a holographic display showing a dark, cave-like environment.
"This dungeon is called the Shadow Grotto. Primary monsters include Shadow Wolves, Dark Slimes, and occasionally a mini-boss called the Shade Knight. Your mission is to clear the first three levels and retrieve monster cores for analysis."
Students listened intently. Zororo studied the hologram carefully. A C-Rank dungeon would be perfect for him to test his abilities safely.
"Now for team assignments." Hayato pulled up a list. "I've grouped you based on complementary abilities. Listen for your names."
He began reading off teams. Most students seemed satisfied with their groups, though some grumbled about being paired with people they didn't like.
"Team Seven," Hayato continued. "Zororo Kurogami, Yukari Shirogane, Mei Tanaka, and Hiro Sato."
Zororo's eyes widened. He was teamed with the Ice Princess herself?
He glanced forward and saw Yukari turn slightly, her ice-blue eyes meeting his for a brief moment. That mysterious smile appeared on her lips again before she faced forward.
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]
[INTERESTING DEVELOPMENT DETECTED]
[YOU HAVE BEEN GROUPED WITH HIGH-VALUE TARGET]
[CORRUPTION OPPORTUNITY INCREASED]
Daichi leaned over and whispered, "Dude, you're on a team with Yukari Shirogane? How do you feel about that?"
"Not sure yet," Zororo muttered honestly.
The other two teammates were students Zororo barely knew. Mei Tanaka was a quiet girl with a B-Rank Healing System. Hiro Sato was an average student with a C-Rank Shield System. Both were support types, which meant Zororo and Yukari would be the primary fighters.
As class ended, students began filing out. Zororo packed his bag slowly, thinking about the upcoming dungeon expedition and the mysterious mission that would appear in just a few hours.
"Kurogami."
He looked up to find Yukari standing beside his desk. Up close, she was even more striking. Her silver hair seemed to shimmer with an inner light, and her blue eyes held depths he couldn't read.
"We should meet before the dungeon expedition to discuss strategy," Yukari said in a cool, professional tone. "As team leader, I want to ensure we're prepared."
"You're the team leader?" Zororo asked.
"I'm the highest-ranked student on our team. Therefore, I lead." It wasn't arrogance, just a statement of fact. "Meet me at the library tomorrow after school. Don't be late."
Before Zororo could respond, Yukari walked away, her silver hair flowing behind her like a cape.
Daichi whistled. "The Ice Princess just gave you a direct order. That's... actually kind of amazing. Most people don't even get her to acknowledge their existence."
"Lucky me," Zororo said dryly.
They left the classroom and headed toward the front gate where Zororo's sisters would be waiting. As they walked through the crowded hallways, Zororo's system suddenly flashed urgently.
[SYSTEM ALERT]
[FIRST MANDATORY MISSION ACTIVATING EARLY]
[SPECIAL TRIGGER DETECTED]
[MISSION BEGINNING NOW]
Zororo stopped in his tracks. What? The mission wasn't supposed to appear for several more hours!
[MANDATORY MISSION: THE THIEF'S TEST]
[OBJECTIVE: STEAL A VALUABLE ITEM FROM ANOTHER STUDENT WITHOUT BEING CAUGHT]
[TARGET: ANY STUDENT WITH B-RANK OR HIGHER SYSTEM]
[TIME LIMIT: 24 HOURS]
[REWARD: 500 VP, +1 TO ALL STATS, NEW SKILL UNLOCK]
[FAILURE PENALTY: -200 VP, SYSTEM LOCKDOWN FOR 48 HOURS, PUBLIC EXPOSURE RISK]
Zororo's heart sank. His first villain mission was to steal from another student. If he failed, his system would lock down, leaving him powerless. Worse, there was a risk of public exposure.
---
[END OF CHAPTER 4]