Before The Dungeon

Principal Edwards looked deeply at Ink.

It could very well be on par with legendary-tier professions, perhaps even surpassing them.

But he wasn't sure.

Many professions start off good, but they'll become bad in higher levels.

Some professions started strong, only to become mediocre at higher levels. Others took time to mature**…**

Edwards cleared his throat and raised his voice.

"Alright, students, listen up!"

The murmurs in the courtyard quieted as the students turned their attention to him.

"The Awakening Ceremony is now over."

"No matter what profession you have awakened, your future depends on your dedication. You must work hard to level up and improve your skill proficiency."

"Tomorrow, the college will release the Novice Mission."

A few students straightened at that, while others—especially those who had awakened life professions—looked a bit uneasy.

Edwards continued, addressing their concerns.

"Students with life-related professions, do not worry. The school has arranged a Life Skills Center for you, where experienced teachers will guide you in mastering various life skills."

"I hope every student here achieves outstanding results in next week's exam and gains admission to the higher education institution of their choice."

"…"

As usual principal Edwards's speech was boring and dull, most students felt a bit sleepy after listening for a while.

his monotonous voice made it feel twice as long.

Ink was even yawning…

But you have to listen anyway.

Basically everyone knows the information about the novice mission.

It's the only dungeon owned by the school.

The monsters inside were between level 1 and 8—a relatively low-risk challenge, as long as you weren't reckless.

It's much safer than going into the wilds outside Isowil City.

Of course you can choose to skip the school's novice mission and go directly to level up in the wild.

But then life and death would depend entirely on you.

Even though the dungeon is also risky, but the risk is small, and you can go in groups.

Similar to the party system in Ink's previous life.

You can also choose to do the dungeon solo, if you don't wanna share EXP with other people.

That way the risk is higher, but you would also level up faster.

Of course, the Novice Mission wasn't just about training—it was a necessity.

Only students who reached level 12 would be eligible to participate in next week's exam.

And that exam was everything.

A student's performance and level in the exam would determine which academy they could enter.

The higher their level and combat score, the better their chances of getting into prestigious institutions.

Naturally, reaching level 12 before the exam was only the bare minimum—

Those who surpassed it would have a clear advantage.

And it wasn't just happening in Isowil City—

Every province across the Divine Light Empire would hold the exam on the same day.

Anya's eyes gleamed with excitement.

With her rare Elemental Mage profession, she would shine brighter than anyone!

Rose, on the other hand, remained cold and unreadable.

She stood still, her gaze indifferent, as if she hadn't even heard a single word of the announcement.

Her sharp blue eyes flickered briefly toward Ink—then back to the ground.

Reactions varied among the people

Just then, Principal Edwards raised his hand, signaling for silence.

"That concludes today's ceremony. Disperse."

With that simple command, the crowd slowly began to break apart, students leaving in small

groups, their conversations still filled with anticipation for the Novice Mission.

Ink stretched his arms, letting out another yawn.

"Finally, it's over," he muttered.

With nothing else planned for the day, he decided to head back to his apartment.

He needed to thoroughly review his stats.

It didn't take long and 15 minutes later, he got there.

he sat down on his bed, and opened his status screen once again.

[Character Status]

[Name:] Ink Ashborne

[Profession:] Death Knight

[Level:] 1 (0.00%)

[Vitality:] 100

[Strength:] 30

[Agility:] 20

[Constitution:] 20

[Energy Type:] Necrotic Essence

[Equipment:] None

[Skills:]

Dusk Crescent Slash (Level 1): A sweeping sword slash that releases a crescent-shaped dark energy wave that travels forward, cutting through enemies.

Death Coil (Level 1): Unleashes a twisting coil of necrotic energy that travels in a straight line, dealing shadow damage to enemies.

[Passives:]

Wraithguard (Level 1): Reduces all physical and magic damage taken by 15%.

Revenant's Stamina (Level 1): Reduces stamina consumption by 70%.

Ink rubbed his chin, analyzing the information.

Vitality Determines overall health and stamina. The higher it is, the longer he can fight without exhaustion.

Strength Controls his physical attack power and weapon damage output. Compared to other new Awakened, this was abnormally high.

Agility Affects his speed, reaction time, and mobility. Not bad, but lower than most agility-based classes.

Constitution Influences damage resistance and durability. Combined with his passive skills, it made him much harder to injure.

"Strength is high, agility is decent, and my stamina management is ridiculous... yeah, I'm built like a tank."

His skills were already strong, and his passives made him durable, but the real mystery was Necrotic Essence.

"It doesn't have a number… but I can still use my skills."

Was it limitless?

Or did it function differently from mana?

Either way, he would need to test it out in real combat.

And tomorrow's Novice Mission was the perfect chance.

With that thought, Ink closed his status screen, stretched, and leaned back against his bed.

One more week until the exam.

And he intended to level up as much as possible before then.

With a grin, he closed his eyes.

Tomorrow was going to be interesting.