Chapter 1 - Portal Novice(F+)
Goddammit!
Goddamnit!
Fuck!!
These curses had been bouncing off the darkness for a while now.
Lucian Vale sat cross-legged and completely naked in the void, his black hair falling over sharp blue eyes that were currently glaring at the glowing 'Status Window' in front of him like it had personally ruined his life.
[Status Window]
[Lucian Vale]
[Evolution Class]: Portal Novice (F+)
[Title]: ██████
[Rank]: F
[Physique]: 6
[Mental]: 10
[Mana]: None
(Note: Your Title—[ ██████] bears all mana costs for skills.)
A few hours ago, he had stepped into an Evolution Portal alongside his classmates, ready to awaken his Evolution Class and embark on a journey that would push him beyond human limits. It was supposed to be the beginning of something legendary.
Instead, he ended up making history — as the first F-Rank Awakener ever recorded. For millennia since the Portals had descended, E-Class had remained the lowest possible tier. And Lucian, without even trying, broke that record.
He wasn't sure whether to call his Class a rare anomaly or a cosmic embarrassment.
After awakening, most people received a Class Skill, followed by a few perks or cheats to set them apart. Lucian, on the other hand, had not even been granted a basic Class Skill, let alone any perks or hidden benefits.
And his Mana…
According to the system, he neither possessed Mana nor needed it — which made perfect sense, considering he couldn't feel even a flicker of it anywhere in his body. His Title, which seemed far too shy to reveal itself, apparently erased all mana costs entirely. That much, at least, was generously spelled out.
What wasn't so generous was the fine print — or the lack of it. Were there hidden limits? Cooldowns? Restrictions? Or had he somehow become the proud owner of an infinite imaginary Mana pool?
Infinite Mana sounded great in theory, but it was about as useful as a bottomless gas tank in a broken-down car. His F-rank classification near his Evolution Class meant he was permanently capped at F, with no potential for ranking up.
What the hell was he supposed to do with infinite mana? Spam endless F-rank skills at his enemies? That was like trying to stab a dragon to death with a plastic fork.
A useless cheat.
Then there were his [Attributes]…
Strength, Vitality, Dexterity, and Perception were the Universal Attributes. The monsters an Awakener hunted would only drop those, allowing them to absorb and increase their stats over time. His system had lumped everything physical—Strength, Dexterity, and Vitality—into [Physique]. Everything else had been shoved into [Mental]. He had no idea how he was supposed to grow stronger.
With a resigned sigh, he decided to at least read what kind of joke his Class had played on him.
[F+ Rank: Portal Novice]
Congrats Kiddo! You've barely figured out that dimensions exist. You might sense some weird vibrations in space, but don't ask how to control them. The most you can do is trip over a rift you didn't know was there. You're basically the kid who can feel the Wi-Fi signal but can't figure out how to connect to it.
He briefly considered whether it was possible to murder this useless Class.
[Awakener! You will be transported to Goblin Dungeon in 5 minutes. Please prepare accordingly!]
A cold, mechanical voice rang in his mind.
He took a slow, measured breath.
Alright, Lucian! You've lived in mediocrity for eighteen years… What's another fifty years?
With that depression inspiring pep talk, he grabbed his black backpack and pulled out a black shirt and matching pants.
You see, during Awakening, there was a fun little event known as Transformation—a process where your body was ripped apart and then reassembled to synchronize perfectly with your Evolution Class. And since the universe had no respect for modesty, your clothes were shredded in the process.
So, every student packed a backpack with the necessary essentials like food, spare clothes, and even more food.
Most importantly, they also carried a [Skill Scroll], because not everyone was lucky enough to awaken with a Combat Class or even a Combat Skill.
Fully dressed, Lucian dug through his bag and pulled out a Skill Scroll—[Arcane Spear].
It had been flung at him by his irresponsible father.
Lucian hesitated. He didn't want to use anything from that man, but right now? He didn't have the luxury of pride.
With a grimace, he tore the scroll open as he watched the parchment disintegrated into glowing runes, which seared into his skin before vanishing.
He felt his mind shook as if something exploded inside, and the memory of an unfamiliar Skill instantly etched into his being.
[You have acquired the skill—Arcane Spear (F)!]
[Arcane Pierce] (F) (Growth)
→ Condense raw mana into a spear, capable of piercing through high-level defenses within 10m range.
→ Mana Cost: 4 per spear
→ Cooldown: None
Lucian read the description silently.
He could feel the skill now, embedded in his mind—ready to activate with a single thought.
And the five minutes drifted by....
~~~~~~~~~~~
Lucian landed in a stone chamber, unceremoniously thrown into the Goblin Dungeon without so much as a warning. Those who had just awakened were granted a head start, a brief window to hunt and strengthen themselves, the only time where growth came easily.
His sharp gaze swept across the cavernous expanse, locking onto two goblins skulking a short distance away. Green-skinned creatures barely reaching four feet tall, their beady little eyes gleamed with the arrogance of predators who thought they had cornered easy prey.
Before he could even process the situation, a sudden notification echoed in his mind, the unexpected voice nearly making his heart lurch.
[Mission]
→ Objective: Kill 50 F-rank Goblins in 3 hours.
→ Grade: F
→ Reward: +1 to All Attributes permanently.
A mission? Since when do Portals issue missions?
His initial confusion soon soured... as the pieces fell into place. Someone or something had altered his Evolution Class.
First, they sealed his Class Skill and Mana. Then, they altered his Attributes, rendering them unique and utterly impossible to develop through normal means. By erasing all conventional paths to strength, they left him with only one option: complete these Missions, or stagnate.
Lucian's expression darkened as he briefly entertained the idea of throwing everything away, and living a quiet, unremarkable life.
But then, as if seared into his very soul, he recalled the promise he had made to his late mother.
A promise to slap his bastard father. Twice.
Though it was a joke on his mother's part, he took it very seriously. That bastard abandoned them in the streets and let his mother die.
His fingers clenched into fists. I will ruin that bastard!
Just like that, his hesitation vanished entirely.
Lucian moved forward, his mind sharpening as he activated his [Arcane Spear].
A swirling blue spear of condensed mana materialized beside him, the air around it rippling from sheer force.
With a mere thought, the spear shot forward.
Swoosh!
It pierced the first goblin's skull with pinpoint precision. The creature barely had time to react before disintegrating into loot, leaving behind a dull-looking F-rank sword.
Screech!
The second goblin let out a startled shriek, but before it could so much as twitch, another [Arcane Spear] formed and lanced through its chest, dropping it instantly.
Lucian didn't even bother checking the loot. F-rank weapons weren't worth the effort—too cheap to sell, too much of a hassle to carry. His backpack was reserved for [Cores], nothing else.
A new group of goblins charged him, clutching crude weapons in their gnarled fingers, their fury ignited by the deaths of their kin.
Lucian stepped back to maintain distance, his body was still too weak to withstand a direct clash, and facing a dozen goblins head-on was out of the question.
Another volley of [Arcane Spear]s rained down, each one finding its mark and cutting through the goblins like paper. When the last one fell, he approached the shimmering loot left behind.
Amongst the discarded weapons, his gaze landed on a glowing Core barely half a size his fist —[Physique Core].
He picked it up as he scrutinized for a moment before placing it in his backpack. He had killed nine goblins so far, yet had only managed to obtain one Core?
Is my luck permanently debuffed or something?
Despite his irritation, something gnawed at the back of his mind.
He had been casting [Arcane Spears] one after another, but he still couldn't feel where his mana was coming from — or any hint of it depleting. There wasn't even a cooldown period!
Mana without mana... What kind of joke is this?
...!
...Maybe my Class isn't complete trash?
He didn't wait long as he ventured deeper into the dungeon, intent on completing the mission.
Every unfortunate goblin that crossed his path never survived more than a single spear. It wasn't surprising — this was a beginner dungeon inside an Evolution Portal, a place designed solely for newly awakened hunters.
Just like that, he killed 50 goblins before he even realized it. More importantly, he had only managed to collect 3 [Strength Cores] and 1 [Perception Core] — which only deepened his suspicion that luck wasn't just avoiding him; it was outright mocking him. Normally, a [Core] dropped every three monsters, five if you were unlucky — but him? He might as well have been cursed.
[Mission Complete!]
[Congratulations, Kiddo! You successfully completed the mission. Your stats have permanently increased by +1!]
[Diligence must be rewarded! You received a bonus +1 Physique for completing the mission in 30 minutes!]
Suddenly, an invisible force penetrated his body, a dense, almost overwhelming energy flooding his muscles, bones, and organs—refining them without his control.
His entire body turned red as heat surged through his veins as if he'd been thrown into a forge. He let out a low groan, barely keeping himself upright before the sensation finally faded.
...! What the hell was that... How do they even have access to my body?
He took a deep breath.
Lucian felt the subtle increase in strength as his limbs felt lighter than ever. His vision and mind, too, improved a little.
A rush of excitement surged through him.
If I get a couple thousand missions like this... maybe I really can slap that bastard?
At this point, he didn't even care if he was someone else's pawn.
[Mission]: Clear the Goblin Dungeon in 10 hours
[Grade]: F+
[Reward]: +1 random attribute for every 50 goblins killed, +2 to all attributes upon mission completion.
As if listening to his ambitions, another mission flashed across his mind. Lucian accepted it without hesitation — and marched straight into the deeper zones where goblins were abundant.
On this day… a catastrophic rain of [Arcane Spear]s descended upon every goblin settlement in the dungeon, their cries and shrieks never lasted longer than minutes.
After 4 hours....
Lucian arrived before a large door, and behind it lay both the dungeon's exit and the Goblin BOSS guarding it.
He took a deep breath and pushed the door open.
A green goblin, standing as tall as a human, awaited him with an axe gripped in one hand.
Lucian didn't give it time to act.
Whoosh!
The first spear shattered on impact, barely leaving a dent in its thick skull.
The second dug in deeper, making the goblin BOSS recoil, but it wasn't enough to bring it down.
With 20 points in [Mental Power], he could cast two spears simultaneously—three, if he didn't mind flirting with a migraine. Of course, he could still cast them endlessly in sequence, since his nonexistent mana was infinite?
"I guess I'll just push my limits, then."
Another pair of spears materialized beside him as he unleashed them with a sharp motion.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Again and again, he fired, his relentless barrage carving through its forehead until, finally... The Boss crumpled.
Its body glowed white before disappearing, leaving behind an ancient parchment.
A [Skill Scroll] – [Brute Force (E)]
An useless Skill.
Without hesitation, he shoved it into his backpack—already heavy with [Cores] he had looted from the massacre.
[Mission Complete!]
[+2 Increase to all Attributes!]
The familiar force once again invaded his body, refining him even further. He had gone through this enough times by now — but that helplessness never really faded. It felt like someone, somewhere, was casually poking around his anatomy with a remote in hand.
Lucian took a deep breath as he scanned the room.
His gaze landed on a large blue gem embedded in the wall opposite the entrance—the exit. There were two ways to exit an Evolution Portal: one was to die and be expelled or kill the BOSS. Death was not permanent here, but it came at a cost. Sometimes, it was as minor as losing a skill's proficiency or a stat, but those who died excessively risked losing their Evolution Class entirely.
With a smirk, he stepped forward and placed his hand on the gem, watching as the light engulfed him as he was soon vanished.
[Status Window]
[Lucian Vale]
[Evolution Class]: Portal Novice (F+)
[Title]: ██████
[Rank]: F
[Physique]: 22
[Mental]: 24
[Mana]: None
(Note: Your Title—[ ██████] bears all mana costs for skills.)
[Skills] → [Arcane Spear (17.4%)]