Auron stumbled into his room, barely able to contain his excitement. The world outside seemed brighter now.


    His room was dimly lit, something he preferred. It was nothing special, and yet it felt like a palace compared to the years he''d spent in the shadows, neglected and forgotten. His fingers twitched in anticipation as he closed the door behind him, muttering to himself.


    "I can''t believe it... A rat. I killed a rat and got stronger." He laughed, the absurdity of it all still sinking in. "I''m officially a certified rat slayer,i love you system!."


    As the word "System" left his lips, something strange happened. A soft, mechanical beep echoed in the room, and before he could process it, a glowing screen appeared in his line of vision. It was... a notification?


    "System Interface?" Auron muttered, blinking in disbelief.


    The screen was enchanting and sterile, but it hovered there, an undeniable presence. It didn''t feel alive, didn''t seem sentient—just a blank, impersonal tool. But that didn''t stop Auron from staring at it in awe. The text was simple, listing out his stats in a way that almost made him laugh.


    SYSTEM INTERFACE


    Name: Auron Raventor


    Title : (Certified Rat Slayer)


    Race: Human


    Class: None (yet)


    Beast Contracts: 0


    Attributes:


    Strength: 3 (Below average but better than nothing.)


    Agility: 2 (A journey you''ll never start unless you actually try. But hey, who needs agility when you have..... whatever it is you have.)


    Intelligence: 5 (Knowledge is within you, though often overshadowed by a tendency to forget where you put it.)


    Charisma: 2 (Who needs friends, right?)


    Endurance: 2 (Your stamina is a whisper of a dying ember.)


    Luck: 7 (The threads of fate are twisted in your favour.)


    The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Unallocated attribute points (1)


    Auron blinked again, his mouth going dry. His stats were so... underwhelming. But that didn''t matter. What mattered was the attribute point in the corner of the screen, sitting there like a golden nugget of potential.


    He grinned, clicking on the small "Attribute Point" icon.


    The screen shifted, showing a list of his attributes. With the tap of a finger, he could allocate the point to any of them. Strength? Agility? Charisma? Well, he wasn''t exactly charming... and luck, with a score of 7, seemed high enough to carry him through. He hovered over Strength.


    "Strength, huh? Gotta get stronger. If I could''ve taken on a iron rank bear by now, I could probably—"


    Auron froze. Bear? Where was he even going with this? He wasn''t thinking rationally at all. Still, the idea of pumping up his strength had a certain appeal. But then again...


    "What about luck?" he muttered, tapping the screen again. "Maybe my luck will carry me to something even better. Like... a big, dangerous beast that just happens to stroll by and decides to give me its powers. Could happen, right?"


    His finger hovered between Strength and Luck, indecision fighting with pure impulse. He imagined himself buff and unstoppable—no, too obvious. But what if luck could make the next encounter with a beast even easier? After all, he''d already struck it lucky once.


    "Yeah, screw it," he said, chuckling to himself. "Let''s go with luck."


    With a tap, the attribute point was added. Auron stared at the screen, watching the numbers shift slightly. Luck now had a value of ( 8.)


    "Now I''m feeling lucky," he said, unable to suppress a grin. He sat back in his chair, feeling a sense of accomplishment despite the ridiculousness of the entire situation.


    But even as he basked in the glory of his newfound power, a nagging thought crept into his mind. The system—what was it really? Could it be trusted? It didn''t feel quite right, almost like it was too convenient. Too good to be true. Auron''s fingers twitched at the thought, and a deep, uncomfortable suspicion started to grow within him.


    His mind wandered to darker places then. What if this wasn''t just a tool for gaining power? What if it was some sort of trap? What if—he chuckled darkly at himself—he was just some sort of test subject? What if the Raventor family had orchestrated all of this to see how far someone like him could go without forming a contract with a beast? They''d probably be laughing at his failure, watching from the shadows as he spiraled into madness, a puppet in their game.


    He shook his head, trying to rid himself of the thought. "No," he muttered. "No, I''m not some pawn in their sick game."


    But even as he said the words, they didn''t seem to make him feel any better. The memories of the Raventor family''s cruelty hit him hard. How they''d dismissed him, left him to rot in the academy while they paraded their perfect beast-tamers around like prized show animals. He could almost hear the sneering voice of his so-called "mentor," Lord Severin Raventor, echoing in his mind.


    "You''ll never amount to anything, Auron. You should be thankful you even have the chance to learn from us."


    Auron''s fists clenched as the anger bubbled up again.


    "If the system really lets me get stronger like this... maybe I won''t need a beast to stand at the top."


    He grinned wickedly. That''ll show ''em. They''ll wish they''d never crossed me.


    But even as he reveled in the absurdity, another thought flickered across his mind—something more practical. The library. He''d been meaning to visit the academy''s library to learn more about the world beyond his tiny corner of it afterall some knowledge had been restricted from him by the Raventor''s


    What was it they said again, "Some knowledge was best kept away from weak and fragile minds, since it was incomprehensible to them."


    Damn! Those stupid Bastards.


    He also needed a decoy that didn''t raise suspicions.


    After all what was he supposed to say when he inexplicably gained strength?


    He couldn''t say he was a one in a million years prodigy right?


    Wait, could he?


    "Nah," he muttered, standing up and stretching. "Tomorrow. I''ll go to the library, figure out this whole world. Maybe I''ll even figure out how to get stronger without relying on these stupid beasts."


    Auron paced around the room for a few moments, his mind whirling with possibilities.


    One thing was certain, though—his path was just beginning, and it was going to be one hell of a ride.


    But for now, he had to sleep on it."Tomorrow, he''d hit the library. After that? He''d push this system to its limits."