In a world full of magic and highly skilled fighters, many people dream of becoming one of them someday. They are called Heroes, beings capable of wielding immense power compared to ordinary humans.
There are many hero classes in this world. Each class has ten advancement stages, from Level 1 to Level 10. Every advancement changes a hero's class title, refining their skills and abilities. In short, the stronger your skills and abilities, the stronger the class you can advance into.
However, advancing is not easy. Every advancement requires reaching Level 99. Because of this, there are only ten people in the entire world known to have reached four advancement stages. That alone shows how difficult leveling up is, even for those strong enough to slay monsters.
Hero classes include Fighter, Tamer, Swordsman, Mage, Healer—and the worst of them all: Ranger.
Ranger is considered the hardest path. Rangers must form bonds with monsters, yet they are limited to only one companion. Because of this, many heroes look down on Rangers. A Tamer can scout, attack, and defend with multiple companions, while Rangers are fragile and unreliable in comparison.
Having this class is often mocked, and some people are openly ridiculed for it. One such person was a boy named Chris.
Chris had black hair, brown eyes, and decent looks—at least enough for people to notice. A bruise marked his cheek, as if he had been in a fight earlier. He sat quietly on a bench, staring ahead.
"Sigh… Status," Chris muttered.
A translucent screen appeared before him.
[Status]
Class: Ranger (1)
Level: 10
Companion: None
Strength: 15
Agility: 7
Endurance: 7
Perception: 20 + 5
Intelligence: 28
Mana Pool: 0
Skills:
Slash (Mastery F) – Damages an opponent with a slashing attack.
"What a useless ability," Chris muttered, his gaze drifting to the sky as he let out a long breath.
An average person usually had Strength between 16 and 20, along with decent endurance and speed. Even though the system had a 68% chance of awakening someone, Chris ended up with below-average physical stats. The only thing he had going for him was his intelligence.
Worse still, his skill didn't even match his stats. Slash relied on strength, yet his strength was lacking. His class didn't match his skills either.
As memories of his awakening surfaced, Chris slapped his own cheek, the sharp sting grounding him. He chuckled softly. "It hurts… haha."
"What a useless life," he muttered. "I quit my job for this… and people still laugh at me."
Sitting there, replaying everything in his head, Chris finally made a decision. He would change. He had achieved Valedictorian even when people mocked him.
Realizing his goal, Chris looked up at the sky, motivation burning in his chest. He clenched his fist and raised his arm high.
"I will think of a way to raise my class. I will not become a burden to my mom again," Chris said.
He took a deep breath before continuing.
"I'm a valedictorian for a reason. I will find ways to gain decent stats and find companions in a dungeon."
While Chris was lost in his thoughts, people passed by without stopping. Some glanced at the boy sitting alone on the bench.
One child tugged at his mother's sleeve and asked, "Mom, what is he doing?" while sucking on his finger.
The mother quickly covered the child's eyes and guided his hand away.
"Don't pay attention to him," she said softly. "It might be bad for you."