With the academy grounds buzzing with excitement and nerves, Jiang Yu's eyes quickly locked onto the familiar slim figure of Lin Xue among the crowd of her class. She, too, noticed him in the same instant.
"My class is going in first," Jiang Yu said, walking up to her as they both registered themselves in the same party through the sleek watch device handed out by the teachers. "I'll go ahead. Good luck."
Lin Xue gave a small nod, her voice as cool and distant as ever. "Don't rush it. Take your time… play it safe." Jiang Yu smiled faintly. He was used to her icy tone by now—beneath that calm exterior, he knew she cared. Without saying more, he turned toward the glowing portal ahead.
And stepped through.
The moment Jiang Yu opened his eyes, he found himself standing in the middle of a vast forest, cloaked in a dark, gloomy atmosphere. Shadows stretched long beneath the twisted trees, and the air felt heavy—almost suffocating.
A faint, glowing circle surrounded him—an entry-phase safe zone designed to protect beginners right after arrival. Just beyond its boundary, chaos had already begun. Students were locked in battle with a swarm of green-skinned creatures—goblins.
Though often dubbed the weakest monsters in the dungeon realm, these goblins were anything but pushovers. Jiang Yu watched as two fairly skilled awakeners struggled to bring down just one, sweat and desperation on their faces. Elsewhere, groups of three barely held their ground.
In the past, Jiang Yu would've waited—hesitated—hoping for someone to form a party. But not today.
Not after what had changed.
With a quiet breath, he slid his sword from its sheath, the steel whispering out with confidence. From the north, a lone goblin emerged, snarling as it noticed him. Others were too busy fighting their own battles to intervene.
Jiang Yu didn't hesitate. He dashed forward, slipping past the boundary of the safe zone.
"Oi! Are you nuts?" someone shouted behind him—a student who had just finished off a goblin with his team. He made a move to intercept, but Jiang Yu was already on the move. The goblin let out a guttural roar, swinging its crude club at him with violent force.
But Jiang Yu didn't flinch.
To the others, it looked reckless. But Jiang Yu had already seen this fight play out—hundreds of times—through the eyes of the training bot. He had simulated these moments so many times that his body moved almost on instinct.
As the club came down, he sidestepped fluidly—precisely. The swing missed him by a breath. Without losing momentum, Jiang Yu switched his grip and slashed clean across the goblin's neck.
The blade met flesh, and the creature's head separated in a single, clean motion—falling with a dull thud.
For a moment, silence hung in the air.
The others watched in stunned disbelief. To them, it was an impossible manoeuvre for someone who had just awakened.
But for Jiang Yu… it was just the beginning.
"That was awesome," someone muttered, watching Jiang Yu calmly retrieve a glowing mana core from the pile of ash where the goblin's body had just disintegrated.
In dungeon worlds, monsters rarely left corpses behind. Instead, they crumbled into dust or light, and their essence—mana cores—was left behind. These cores were a vital resource. Absorbing the mana within allowed awakeners to level up. Sometimes, if luck allowed, they'd also drop their hides, used for armour, or even meat, which was prized for its regenerative properties. Though specific monster types were more likely to drop meat—goblins weren't exactly on the gourmet list.
As Jiang Yu pocketed the core, his instincts suddenly kicked in. He jerked his left leg back and pivoted swiftly.
Another goblin had emerged from the brush.
But this one was different.
It held a crude spear, its posture alert and trained.
[Goblin Sentry]
A higher variant of the base goblin. Unlike their brutish cousins, these had actual combat skills. Fighting them wasn't just a matter of reflex—it required precision, timing, and quick decisions.
Jiang Yu's eyes narrowed as he spotted two more goblins—standard ones—lurking a few meters behind the sentry, each clutching spiked clubs.
He exhaled slowly.
This was the problem with non-combat-orientated classes. No instant-cast, high-damage skills. No flashy finishers. Just raw technique and analysis.
'If I let that sentry use its skill… I'm done.'
His brain fired into overdrive, analysing patterns, spacing, and timing.
'I'll have to end it before it gets the chance.'
A bead of sweat traced his temple. Three goblins, one of them skilled. For someone without a combat boost, it was already considered a losing match.
But Jiang Yu wasn't someone relying on brute force or luck.
He had the system—and he had training.
'Guess I'll have to use that now.'
He steadied his breathing. His grip on the sword shifted—precise, calm. The foundation of Level 1 mastery allowed him to draw out the full physical potential of his current body. And if he combined that with the basic body-strengthening spell…
Then he could temporarily perform like a seasoned fighter.
Maybe not with the finesse of a high-level skill user—but enough.
'This is where the grind pays off.'
Basic Swordsmanship Level 2 Mastery.
A glimmering blue mana appeared on Jiang Yu's body. In level 2 mastery of basic swordsmanship, the bot trained the same sword technique, but this time its body was covered with mana, increasing all physical activity by 40%.
So, with level 2 mastery complete training, Jiang Yu's physical activity became higher than his normal stats and even made his swordsmanship sharper and stronger. With that, Jiang made a dive toward the goblin sentry, which was already in a combat-orientated position toward Jiang Yu, and by the time Jiang Yu had reached its proximity,.
The goblin, already locked into combat stance, reacted instantly. Its crude spear pulsed with a faint, blue light—a telltale sign of a skill being activated. In the blink of an eye, the weapon shot forward, aiming straight for Jiang Yu's head. The thrust was near-silent and incredibly fast.
Jiang Yu's eyes widened slightly, but his body had already anticipated it.
He dove in—not away, but toward the goblin.
A spear had reach, but it lost advantage in close quarters. Jiang Yu narrowed the distance, barely shifting his head aside. The spear grazed his cheek, drawing a thin line of blood, but he was already too close for the goblin to readjust.
His body twisted mid-dive.
Crack—
A swift, brutal kick connected with the goblin's hind leg, knocking it off balance just as the other two goblins began closing in from behind.
The sentry fell, but it was quick—even while toppling, it raised its spear staff defensively toward its neck, trying to intercept the kill.
Too late.
Jiang Yu's sword cut upward in a clean, fluid motion—opposite of what the goblin had anticipated.
Shank—
The blade sliced through flesh and bone. The Goblin Sentry's head tumbled into the grass.
Jiang Yu exhaled once, already sensing movement behind him.
The other two goblins were just a few steps away.
No panic.
Instead, he took a sharp breath, steadying his rhythm—then spun, planting his heel into the sentry's limp body, kicking it toward the incoming enemies.
The corpse crashed into them, staggering their approach. Their formation broke.
That was all Jiang Yu needed.
With a burst of speed, he darted behind them, his blade arcing in a wide horizontal slash.
Slash—
One goblin's head fell. The second screamed, its arm severed at the shoulder before it could even react.
Jiang Yu didn't stop.
No hesitation.
In this world, hesitation got you killed.
"Shit—who is that guy? He's insane," someone muttered, eyes fixed on Jiang Yu, who had just dismantled three goblins like it was nothing. Calm. Precise. Efficient. He didn't even look winded, as if it had all been routine.
"Are we even the same age...?" another student whispered, his voice laced with disbelief. His teammates turned to look at him, sharing that silent, universal expression of yeah, same here.
Meanwhile, Jiang Yu was already crouched near the bodies, quietly gathering his loot with a composed face and a faint smile.
Three Level 1 mana cores shimmered in his palm. Then he felt the weight of the fourth one.
A Level 3 mana core.
The sentry's.
Nice. He tucked them away, fingers brushing over the cores with a sense of silent satisfaction. But that grin faded quickly as his thoughts took over.
'Even with this... it probably won't be enough to level up my class.'
Jiang Yu knew his class was different—rarer, deeper, more demanding. It wouldn't respond to just a few cores like others might. But that was fine.
This whole trial was a rare opportunity for students to push themselves and grow stronger at their own pace. And Jiang Yu had no plans to waste it.
Three days.
That's how long the test lasted.
And in those two days, he planned to grind until he hit at least level 10. He needed to—because the high school entrance exam was just around the corner. In the third month, everything would be decided.
Time to hunt some more.