Auron slammed the door behind him, tossing the beast core crystal onto his desk with a smirk. The notification still hovered before him.


    Muttering, "System," the familiar interface appeared before him.


    SYSTEM INTERFACE


    Name: Auron Raventor


    Title: Certified Rat Slayer


    Race: Human


    Class: None (yet)


    Beast Contracts: 0


    Attributes:


    Strength: 3 ()


    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: 8 (The threads of fate are twisted in your favor.)


    Unallocated Attribute Points: 0


    (Do you wish to absorb a skill from the beast core crystal?)


    <<Yes>> <<No>>


    He rolled the crystal between his fingers, eyes narrowed. "Alright, system. What am I dealing with here?"


    (Analyzing beast core crystal... Please wait.)


    Moments later, text filled his vision.


    (Analysis Complete.


    Beast Core: Emberwolf (Iron Rank).


    Skill: Iron Skin – Temporarily hardens the user''s skin, significantly enhancing defense against physical attacks. Overuse may cause stiffness and reduced mobility.


    [Skill evolution possible.])


    Auron''s eyes gleamed with interest. "Skill evolution, huh? So, this isn''t the end of it."


    He leaned back, fingers drumming against the table with calculated precision. This was power. Not just some basic trick like the others flaunted with their little beasts, but real personal power. Something he could mold, strengthen, refine.


    "Defense, huh? Sure, offense is supposedly the best defense, but what if your enemy''s strength vastly outstrips yours? At least with defense, you''ve got a chance to survive. Maybe even turn the tables."


    He weighed the risks with surgical precision. The description mentioned stiffness, but if he trained it right, maybe he could minimize that drawback. And if he couldn''t? Well, even the trade-off was worth it if it kept him alive. Beasts rushing at him expecting an easy snack only to have their teeth broken—just the thought of it made his blood rush with excitement.


    "Alright. Let''s see what you can do." Without hesitation, he tapped <<Yes>>.


    Heat surged through him like liquid metal, the pain both excruciating and intoxicating. His skin tightened, every fiber of his being straining as if being reforged by a brutal, unseen hammer. But through the agony, his mind remained sharp. Analytical.


    When the pain faded, he felt... denser. His skin was the same, but something had undeniably changed. The air felt cooler against him, every movement slightly heavier but not enough to concern him.


    (Skill successfully absorbed: Iron Skin.)


    He glanced at the progress bar.


    (Progress: 0.0% [Skill evolution possible.])


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    The system was practically begging him to push the skill''s limits. And he''d do just that. After all, what was the point of having power if you didn''t push it to its absolute breaking point?


    Auron''s grin twisted into something cruel. "Perfect. Now, let''s see who''s really untouchable."


    Except... a glaring problem hit him square in the face. He couldn''t just rush out and start hunting beasts recklessly to accumulate attribute points.Although he hated to say it, he had to be brutally honest with himself, to admit, most of the ferocious iron ranked creatures around Glaivemire would turn him into minced meat faster than he could say "Iron Skin."


    "Alright, let''s start small. Very small." His gaze shifted downward. "Rats. Loads of disgusting little rats."


    Sure, it was humiliating. But the system hadn''t specified what kind of beasts he had to fight. Just beasts. And rats were technically beasts, right? Pathetic, squirmy, little beasts.


    It was like exploiting a bug in the system.


    Auron''s smirk returned, tinged with a self-aware sort of madness. "What''s the harm in a little rat massacre?"


    His plan was simple: Lure them out, smack them down, test his shiny new skill, and rake in progress points. Low risk, high reward. A masterful, if somewhat shameful, strategy.


    "Well then, filthy rats, prepare to face your new overlord. And by ''overlord,'' I mean the guy who''s gonna stomp you flat."


    He couldn''t help but chuckle to himself. Sure, it was a lowly beginning. But every empire needed a foundation, even if that foundation was built on the broken bodies of oversized rodents.


    "Who knows? Maybe I''ll get a fancy title out of this. Like... ''Rat Slayer Supreme.'' Now that has a nice ring to it. Argh, what am I even thinking? It''s like I''m some kind of perverted rat slayer.The things I do for strength..."


    ***


    Meanwhile, as Auron was busy plotting his nightly rat-slaying escapades, an entirely different scene was playing out within the Dean''s office.


    Around an intricately carved mahogany table, figures of authority gathered, each radiating powerful auras, at least most of them did. Their expressions grim


    "How are the preparations coming along?" A burly, middle-aged man draped in a black robe spoke with authority. His voice carried the weight of command, silencing the room in an instant. This man was none other than Dean Darius, the overseer of Glaivemire Beast Tamer Academy. But it wasn''t just his title that earned him respect—it was his sheer strength. The beasts he had tamed had long surpassed the gold realm and crossed into the elusive platinum realm, a rank many could only dream of reaching in their entire lifetimes, a feat that demanded respect.


    Instructor Howard straightened his posture, his gaze firmly fixed on Dean Darius. His tone was respectful, almost reverent. "All preparations have been completed, sir. The end-of-year assessment setup is ready as per your instructions."


    "This year''s assessment is going to be quite fascinating," a familiar, slightly playful voice chimed in. If Auron had been present, he would''ve immediately recognized her as Lyra, the librarian. Her lips curled in a smirk as if she were already anticipating the tournament to come.


    Dean Darius''s mouth twisted into a smile, though his eyes remained hard. "Good, good. It''s time to weed out the hidden gems and promising beast tamers." His voice dropped, turning cold and deliberate. "I trust you all understand why this year''s assessment is different. The top ten participants will represent Glaivemire in the upcoming competition against the other academies for control over the newly-discovered secret realm."


    The mere mention of the secret realm brought a ripple of excitement and tension throughout the room. It wasn''t just an honor. It was a life-changing opportunity.


    "Now," Dean Darius continued, his gaze sweeping over the instructors like a hawk. "Present to me our most promising talents. Begin with Elora Greyson. I hear she is quite the prodigy, having contracted a beast with a golden bloodline."


    The instructors, who had been silently brooding up until now, suddenly came to life. Their chatter was a mix of admiration and jealousy, each of them eager to present their finest students and gain the Dean''s approval.


    But even as the meeting continued, not a single one of them realized the potential of a certain ''rat slayer'' wandering the academy grounds at night, chasing strength in his own peculiar way.


    The meeting carried on, instructors throwing around names and accomplishments. Each tried to make their own students sound like the next beast-taming legend. But through all the chatter, one name kept coming up with a sense of reverence.


    "Elora Greyson," Instructor Howard declared, his voice filled with admiration. "She''s undoubtedly the strongest talent we''ve seen in years. Contracting a Steel Wolf with a golden bloodline at her age is nothing short of remarkable."


    The other instructors nodded, some with admiration, others with poorly-disguised envy. The reputation of Elora Greyson was no secret within the academy. She wasn''t just a star; she was,uhm what was it again? yeah like practically the entire damn constellation!


    Dean Darius nodded thoughtfully. "Keep a close eye on her progress. With talents like her, Glaivemire''s reputation will only continue to grow."


    Meanwhile...


    Auron had managed to slip out of his room undetected, blending into the usual academy chaos with the skill of a seasoned low-key dude. If anyone asked, he was just another bottom-feeder scurrying around looking for a place to hide from the day''s training. Just a harmless loser with nothing better to do.


    It was a role he''d played for so long it almost felt natural.


    He wove through crowds of students, keeping his head down and his expression blank. It was a calculated move—walking among them made his nighttime rat-slaying activities look less suspicious. After all, why would anyone suspect someone who looked so painfully ordinary?, well although not ordinary enough as a guy with a preceding reputation as the trash of the Raventor bloodline, ordinary was not quite the word..


    "Just a failure at day," he muttered under his breath with a smirk. "But the supreme slayer of rats by night."


    But there was a flaw in his genius plan. For some reason, rats weren''t as plentiful as he''d imagined . It was like someone had tipped them off that he was coming.


    "Come on, it''s not like I''m asking for a frieking dragon," he grumbled as he checked the dark corners of the academy grounds. "Just a bunch of disgusting, rodents. How hard can it be?"


    Auron''s search stretched on longer than expected. Every crevice, every shadowed nook he inspected seemed to be empty. As if the rats had developed some sort of sixth sense for his murderous intentions.


    "Pathetic little cowards," he scoffed. "What''s next? Am I going to have to start leaving cheese as bait? No, that''s too desperate. Gotta maintain at least a sliver of dignity."


    He wandered deeper into the academy grounds, his eyes sharp, his senses on high alert. His goal was to find at least five rats. A small number, sure, but it was enough to test the limits of his new skill, not that he particularly needed it to slay rats but what he was really looking forward to was the attribute points he could acquire to strengthen himself as much as possible before he stepped up his game to hunt iron ranked beasts.


    Besides, if he could grow stronger just from rats, then who knew what the future held?


    But just as he was about to give up and try another area, he spotted one. The rat was nibbling on something near a discarded scroll in the shadows.


    Auron''s grin returned. "Target acquired. Now, let''s see how tough this ''Iron Skin'' really is."


    Just as he took a step forward, something prickled at the back of his neck. An instinct honed from countless days of being mocked, ridiculed, and occasionally ambushed kicked in. Someone was watching him.


    He cast a quick glance over his shoulder, his expression indifferent. But what he saw made his eyes narrow slightly.


    Elora Greyson. The so-called ''prodigy'' everyone couldn''t shut up about. What was she doing here? And why the hell was she staring at him like he was some sort of particularly amusing puzzle?


    She hadn''t approached him, though. Just watching from a distance, her gaze curious, almost entertained. Like she''d caught a glimpse of something interesting but hadn''t yet decided whether to poke it with a stick.


    "Tch. Another nuisance," Auron muttered under his breath, pretending not to notice her as he continued on his hunt. If she wanted to stalk him, fine. Let her witness a little of his nightly work. Maybe then she''d get bored and leave him the hell alone.


    Still, he kept his expression calm, his actions steady. Elora Grayson''s presence might be an inconvenience, but it wasn''t going to stop him. Not when he was so close to testing his newfound power.


    Auron had rats to slay. And he wasn''t about to let some golden bloodline princess interfere with that.