Kaizen stepped out of the cafeteria, clutching his warm bag of food like it was a legendary artifact.
He looked back one last time. Through the glass walls, he could see Helga. She was currently holding a student in a headlock while force-feeding him a carrot.
"Eat your vegetables!" she roared, her voice muffled by the glass. "Or I'll boil you in the soup!"
Kaizen shivered. "She's a saint. A violent, terrifying saint."
He turned away and pulled his coat tighter.
'Phase 1 complete: Nutrition secured.'
'Phase 2: Logistics.'
He checked his ID card. Balance: 0 Crowns.
He needed gear for the mountain. Winter coat, climbing rope, maybe a weapon that wasn't a stick. But he couldn't buy any of that at the "Arcane Exchange" where a single shoelace cost 50 crowns.
He needed the real market.
He needed the Shady Bazaar.
It was a hidden black market located downtown, nestled inside the city market. In the game, it was where players went to sell "questionable loot" or buy "forbidden snacks." Not many people knew about it.
'I need money first,' Kaizen plotted. 'I know a guy there. I could use my ID card to get some money. Though, I have to give him 10x more than what I took from him…'
Whatever, it was the only option for him. Zenith Academy ID cards was one of the most valued and prestige item, of course, people could trust a student with that ID card…
Not to mention, he planned to take the loot from the quest to get the ID card back and make some money for himself.
But first, he had to get to the main gate.
The Zenith Academy was 5,000 acres. Walking to the exit would take three hours.
Luckily, the Academy had a solution for lazy (and rich) students.
Kaizen walked to the nearest "Bus Stop"—a glowing rune circle on the pavement.
A minute later, a vehicle hummed into view.
[The Arcane Caddy System (ACS)]
It looked like a golf cart that had been redesigned by Tesla and then enchanted by a wizard. It hovered six inches off the ground, powered by a silent mana engine. Sleek white curves, plush leather seats, and a roof made of hardened glass.
It stopped silently.
Whirrrrr.
The automated door slid open.
"Welcome, Student," a robotic voice chimed. "Destination?"
"Main Gate," Kaizen said, hopping inside.
He was the only passenger. It was Saturday morning, after all. The rich kids were sleeping. The diligent kids were training. The Kaizens of the world were plotting heists.
The ACS accelerated smoothly. It zipped along the pristine white paths, passing the Elemental Towers and the sprawling parks.
Kaizen looked out the window.
"This ride is free," he muttered. "Thank god for tuition fees I didn't pay."
Ten minutes later, the massive Main Gates loomed into view.
They were fifty feet tall, made of black iron and gold filigree. They looked less like school gates and more like the entrance to Mordor, if Mordor had a strict HOA.
The ACS stopped. Kaizen hopped out.
Standing in front of the gate was a man. He wasn't sitting in a booth. He was standing, arms crossed, wearing a suit that looked like it was made of Kevlar.
[Gatekeeper: Brutus]
[Rank: A]
He was a retired dungeon raider. A literal war hero. And his job was to make sure students didn't sneak out to buy contraband.
Kaizen swallowed.
'Act natural. You are just visiting family. You are a loving nephew.'
He walked up to the scanner.
Brutus looked down. His sunglasses hid his eyes, but Kaizen could feel the gaze. It felt like a sniper laser on his forehead.
"ID," Brutus grunted.
Kaizen held up his black card.
Beep.
[Kaizen Renji Asahina]
[Rank: F-]
Brutus looked at the readout. Then he looked at Kaizen. Then at the backpack.
"Going somewhere, F-Rank?"
"Visiting my sick aunt," Kaizen lied, channeling his inner Oscar winner. "She... she makes terrible cookies. But I have to go."
Brutus stared at him for a long, uncomfortable second.
Then, he snorted.
"Family duty. Rare these days."
He pressed a button. The massive iron gates groaned and began to crack open, revealing the bustling city of Zenith Prime beyond.
"Be back before curfew," Brutus warned. "Or I lock you out. And the gargoyles get hungry at midnight."
"Understood!"
Kaizen slipped through the gap in the gates.
As he stepped onto the public sidewalk, he took a deep breath.
"Okay," Kaizen whispered, adjusting his backpack straps. "Time to go to the dark side."
...
Kaizen walked toward the public transport junction, taking in the view. The city was waking up, painting the sky in bruises of purple and gold.
It was nearing 6:00 AM.
The junction was quiet. A single mana-bus stand stood under a flickering streetlight. Since it was off-peak hours, the bus was taking its sweet, sweet time.
Kaizen sat on the metal bench, placing his bag on his lap.
At the other end of the bench sat a father and his young son. The father looked dead on his feet, clutching a lunchbox like a lifeline. He caught Kaizen's eye and gave a polite, exhausted nod.
Kaizen nodded back. 'Respect, salaryman.'
Then he looked at the kid.
The kid, maybe five years old, was staring at Kaizen with wide, unblinking eyes. He had a line of snot running down his nose.
The kid stuck his tongue out.
Kaizen blinked. He looked left. He looked right.
'You want to go, scrub?'
Kaizen pulled his eyelids down, puffed his cheeks, and crossed his eyes.
The kid gasped, giggled, and hid his face in his dad's coat.
Kaizen chuckled softly. 'Too easy. I'm winning against toddlers, and I get my ass kicked with anyone else.'
He leaned back, watching the empty road. The silence gave his brain too much time to think.
His mind drifted back to yesterday. To the alley. To the skewer.
'Wait a minute.'
Kaizen frowned, looking at his own hand.
'I broke his femur. I literally snapped a human thigh bone... with a piece of processed wood.'
He flexed his fingers. They were pale, skinny, and callous-free.
'That... that doesn't make physics sense. Even if I hit the perfect angle. Even if I used kinetic momentum. The stick should have snapped. The meat should have cushioned the blow.'
He was an F-Rank. His Strength stat should be single digits. The Goon was an E-Rank. His durability should be higher than a normal human.
'It felt... weird. When I swung that stick. It didn't feel like wood. It felt like I was swinging a bedrock block.'
He scratched his head.
'I think... I think I heard a beep? Like a notification? But I was too busy mourning my 500 crowns to read it.'
He looked around to make sure no one was watching. The dad was dozing off. The kid was busy picking his nose.
"System," Kaizen whispered. "Status Open."
Ding.
A holographic blue window appeared in front of his face. The dad didn't react. The snotty kid didn't react. It was client-side only.
Kaizen took a deep breath. In the game, the Status Screen was everything. It told you if you were a God or a Goblin.
He looked at his stats.
[ Name: Kaizen Renji Asahina ]
[ Class: NPC ]
[ Rank: F- ]
[ STATS ]
[Strength: 3 (A toddler is roughly 2.5)]
[Agility: 4 (You run like a duck)]
[Vitality: 3 (A strong breeze might kill you)]
[Intelligence: 12 (Above Average)]
[Mana: 2 / 2 (Pathetic)]
[Luck: -5]
Kaizen stared.
"Strength... three?" he whispered, his voice trembling. "I have the physical strength of a slightly athletic toddler? I am weaker than the snotty kid next to me?!"
He looked at his hands.
"Then how? How did I break a femur? An E-Ranker has at least 20 Strength and 15 Defense. I should have bounced off him like a wet noodle."
He scrolled down. Past the depressing numbers. Past the "Mild Asthma" debuff.
To the [ Skills ] tab.
Usually, F-Ranks had zero skills. Maybe [ Cleaning ] or [ Walking ].
Kaizen had three.
[ 1. Blink ]
Description: A classic NPC ability. The user vanishes the moment someone looks away, then reappears somewhere else as if they had been standing there the whole time.
[ 2. Nonstandard Weapon Authority (NWA) ]
Description: The Universe has officially classified the user as a "Static Mesh"—a background prop.
Effect: Any item labeled Trash, Prop, or Non-Weapon instantly ranks up the moment the user holds it.
The weaker and more useless the item…
the stronger it becomes.
Congratulations, you are—technically—SSS-rank material.
Kaizen stared at the screen.
He blinked.
Then blinked again.
His brain executed a front-flip.
Was the system mocking him?!
He grimaced and moved on to the last option, already hating this interface.
[ 3. Native Soul Instinct ]
Description: The world recognizes you as one of its own. Knowledge flows into you instinctively—magic theory, runes, glyphs, ancient scripts, forgotten dialects.
Your mind syncs with the world's "memory," making comprehension effortless.
You are recognized as a native entity, not an outsider.
"what does that even mean?"