The academy dormitory felt unusually quiet that evening.
Most students who had come back from the wilderness training were either crashed out on their beds or huddled in small groups downstairs, whispering about what had happened. The story of the Stoneback Bear had already started making the rounds, though the details kept changing with every retelling. Some said it was a fluke. Others swore they saw the whole thing with their own eyes. Either way, the rumor mill was turning fast.
Aaron closed the door to his small third-floor room and locked it with a soft click. Only then did he let his shoulders drop.
The space was nothing special. A single bed, a plain wooden desk, a narrow wardrobe, and a window that looked out over the academy courtyard. Simple, clean, and exactly what a student needed. He had gotten used to it quickly after transmigrating.
He dropped into the chair at the desk and ran a hand through his hair.
The day kept replaying in his head. The Spineback Lizard. The Stoneback Bear. Zheng Luic waiting at the gate like he owned the place. All of it had happened so fast it still felt a little unreal.
Aaron tapped the desk lightly with two fingers.
"Rumors are already flying," he muttered to himself. "That was bound to happen."
He was not worried. Not really. Killing a level six monster as an E-rank Laborer was never going to stay quiet. Still, he needed to know exactly where he stood now.
"System," he said under his breath.
A faint blue glow appeared in front of him, hovering in the air like a private screen only he could see.
"Open full status panel."
The interface expanded smoothly, showing everything in clean lines.
Player: Aaron Emegrey
Class: Laborer
Rank: E
Level: 10
EXP: 0 / 15,000
[Attributes]
Strength: 42
Constitution: 40
Agility: 28
Spirit: 21
Free Attribute Points: 20
Aaron leaned back and let out a low whistle.
The numbers had climbed higher than he expected. He tapped the screen and the breakdown appeared.
Attribute Growth Per Level - Laborer Class
Strength: +3
Constitution: +3
Agility: +2
Spirit: +1
"Not bad for a so-called trash class," he thought. It was balanced. Nothing flashy, but steady. Most combat classes shot up hard in one or two stats and left the rest behind. Laborer spread the gains evenly, which meant he would never be the absolute best at anything on paper.
But paper did not have the system.
Aaron's eyes moved to the skills section.
Class Skills
Titan's Grip
Description: Overwhelming physical control and grip strength. Allows precise weapon handling and massively increases impact force during critical strikes.
That explained the bear. Without Titan's Grip the dagger would never have punched through that armored throat so cleanly.
Next came the equipment.
Froststeel Hunter Dagger
Attack Power: +52
Additional Effect: Frost Energy
Effect Description: Attacks apply freezing energy to wounds, slowing targets and damaging internal structures.
Durability: Perfect
The original beginner dagger had been nothing special. After the system's random amplification it had turned into something genuinely dangerous.
Aaron flipped the real dagger out of his inventory and spun it once between his fingers. It felt perfectly balanced, like it belonged in his hand.
Then he checked the inventory list.
Windstep Hunter Boots
Stoneback Bear Armor Plate ×4
Monster Core (Low Grade) ×2
Beginner Energy Potion ×3
Academy Survival Kit
Empty Slots: 46
The dimensional storage was simple but useful. Everything he picked up could disappear inside it instantly.
His gaze returned to the free attribute points.
Free Attribute Points: 20
Twenty points sitting there, waiting. Each level gave him two, and he had not spent any yet.
Aaron tapped the desk again, thinking.
Strength boosted raw power.
Constitution meant more health and endurance.
Agility gave speed and reaction.
Spirit helped with energy and focus.
For the way he fought right now, two stats stood out.
He smiled faintly.
"Let's see what this feels like."
He raised his hand toward the panel.
"Allocate ten points to Strength."
The system responded instantly.
Strength: 52
A warm surge rolled through his arms and shoulders. His muscles tightened, not in a painful way, but like they had suddenly remembered how strong they could be. Even his breathing felt deeper, steadier.
"Good," he muttered.
"Ten points to Agility."
Agility: 38
This time the change was sharper. The room seemed clearer. Small sounds from outside the window stood out more. His body felt lighter, quicker, like he could move without thinking twice.
Aaron spun the dagger again. It danced between his fingers even faster than before.
He closed the full status panel. The blue light faded and left the room quiet once more.
He stood up and walked to the window.
Outside, the academy courtyard glowed under warm evening lanterns. Students moved along the paths in small groups, laughing and talking about their day like it had been nothing more than a normal training run.
To them, today was just another step.
To Aaron, it was proof.
His path was simple. Work less. Gain more.
And the system made that path terrifyingly effective.
He looked past the courtyard toward the distant city wall, barely visible beyond the academy buildings. Somewhere out there the wilderness waited, full of monsters far stronger than anything they had faced today.
A small, genuine smile touched his lips.
"Things are about to get interesting," he said softly to the empty room.
He turned away from the window, already thinking about tomorrow.
The academy tournament Zheng Luic had mentioned was coming.
And Aaron had no intention of hiding foreve