Auron stared at the wriggling rat with a twisted grin.


    "Alright, little guy. You''ve got two choices. Help me acquire attribute points, or... well, there''s only one choice, really."


    The rat looked up at him, its beady eyes twitching in panic as if it somehow understood its fate. Auron''s fingers clenched around the small rock in his hand. His heart thumped with twisted excitement. Sure, this wasn''t exactly the most dignified way to get stronger, but hey, power was power.


    He hurled the rock down, and with a faint squeak, the rat lay still.


    [You have slain a Rat. 0.1 Attribute Points awarded.]


    "Wait… that''s it?" Auron blinked at the notification. "0.1? What is this, a freaking scam?!" He kicked the tiny corpse in frustration. "All that effort for a decimal of a point? What about the last time he got a full attribute point for slaying a rat?


    Maybe it was a first-kill bonus thing, or maybe… these rats are just weak trash."


    He scratched his head, his frustration quickly fading into something else. A glint of cunning flashed in his eyes. "No… no, this isn''t so bad. I just have to kill ten of these little bastards to get a full point. And if the system rewards me for killing them, maybe there''s another way to exploit it."


    Auron''s grin widened, his thoughts tumbling over each other in excitement. "This skill of mine… Iron Skin. It''s supposed to improve the more I use it, right? But what if I don''t have to do anything?"


    He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "If I can activate Iron Skin and keep it on while I sleep, wouldn''t that be like gaining experience points while doing absolutely nothing?" His grin turned almost feral. "I''ve discovered a damn bug. The laziest power grind in existence,He could be a legendary overpowered figure just by sleeping."


    Auron laughed quietly to himself, earning a few strange glances from students passing by in the distance. Not that he cared. As far as he was concerned, the whole world was just a stepping stone to his power.


    "Just you wait, rats. Soon, I''ll be a walking fortress."


    His internal monologue was rudely interrupted by a familiar feeling—the itch of being watched. He didn''t need to turn around to know who it was. Elora Greyson, the golden-bloodline princess with her ridiculously overpowered Steel Wolf. Why was she always around when he was on his rat-slaying escapades?


    He shot her a quick, dismissive glance. As usual, she was just standing there, staring at him with a raised eyebrow and a hint of amusement, like she was watching some sort of bizarre street performance.


    "Are you always this creepy?" Auron called out, not even bothering to hide his irritation. "If you''re here for a show, at least throw me a coin or something."


    Elora chuckled lightly. "You really are something else. Lurking around here at night, killing rats… I mean, most people would try hunting something a bit more—oh, I don''t know—impressive?"


    "Sorry, I like my prey weak and pathetic. Makes me feel better about myself," Auron shot back.


    "Hm." Elora folded her arms, an almost curious look crossing her face. "You know, for a supposed failure, you sure seem… determined. Maybe even a little smart."


    Auron shrugged. "Wow, high praise. I''m almost touched."


    Elora looked like she was about to say something else, but her attention suddenly shifted to a smug and creepy voice approaching from behind.


    "Hey there, baby. Are your parents bakers? ''Cause you''ve got some hot buns."


    Auron''s eyes twitched in pure secondhand embarrassment. Some wannabe macho dude had strolled over, all puffed-up chest and greasy hair, armed with the kind of confidence only true idiocy could produce.


    Elora''s expression went from curious to disgusted so fast Auron nearly burst out laughing. The dude, however, either didn''t notice or was too dense to care.


    "I''m serious," the greasy dude continued, flashing what he probably thought was a charming grin. "You''re so hot, even my beast wants to make a contract with you."


    Auron gagged. "Now that''s just sad. And cringe. Mostly cringe."


    Elora , restrained the urge to beat the crap out of him . Instead, she turned on her heel and began walking away, clearly having lost all interest in both Auron and the greasy moron.


    "Well, that''s one way to chase her off," Auron mused with a smirk. "Congrats, buddy. You managed to do what a whole pack of rats couldn''t—annoy her into leaving."


    "Shut up, loser," the dude spat, finally noticing Auron''s existence. "At least I actually tried."


    "Tried what? Being cringe?" Auron snickered. "I mean, that''s gotta be a talent all on its own."


    Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    The guy shot him a glare before storming off, muttering something about "filthy trash from the Raventor bloodline" and "women who don''t appreciate greatness."


    "Yeah, sure. Greatness," Auron snorted, turning his attention back to his hunt. But he couldn''t quite shake off the irritation of getting only 0.1 points per kill. At this rate, he''d have to massacre a small rodent city just to make any real progress.


    Then again, if his theory about Iron Skin was correct, then his grind just got a whole lot easier. All he needed to do was find a quiet place, activate the skill, and get some beauty sleep.


    "Alright," he whispered to himself, eyes gleaming with determination. "Time to exploit the hell out of this system."


    He began searching for more rats, his steps quick and purposeful.


    ****


    Back in his dimly lit room.


    Auron paced around like a mad scientist on the verge of a breakthrough. He''d been out hunting rats for hours, only managing to scrape together 0.4 attribute points for his trouble. Worse, the rats were getting harder to find—as if they had some sixth sense warning them of the imminent genocide.


    "Stupid rats. You''d think this academy was training exterminators, not beast tamers." He tossed the bloodstained rock on the floor , flopping down beside it with a dramatic sigh.


    But tonight wasn''t about the rats. No, tonight was about his new brilliant theory. Iron Skin—the skill that could be his ticket to power. If his hypothesis was right, he could leave it running while he slept and accumulate experience without lifting a finger. It was genius. Revolutionary. A masterstroke of efficient laziness.


    He couldn''t help but chuckle to himself. "If I pull this off, I''ll be the laziest powerhouse in existence."


    Sitting up, he wiped the sweat from his forehead, as if the sheer brilliance of his plan was enough to make him break out in a sweat. With a gleam of determination in his eyes, he activated the skill.


    [Skill Activated: Iron Skin (Level 1)]


    A familiar sensation spread through his body, his skin hardening subtly beneath the surface. It wasn''t like wearing armor, but more like his flesh had gained the density of toughened leather. It wasn''t exactly comfortable, but it wasn''t unbearable either.


    "Perfect. Now just… stay active," Auron muttered, as if coaxing the skill to cooperate. He kept his eyes wide open, daring his body to shut it down from fatigue. Seconds ticked by, then minutes. A dull, throbbing pressure began to build, as though his skin itself were vibrating. Sweat collected at his temples, but he forced himself to ignore it.


    Five minutes. Ten. He bit his lip, the tension crawling through his muscles. Just as he thought he might lose focus, a notification popped up.


    [Skill Progress Increased: Iron Skin (0.6%)]


    "Yes!" Auron almost shouted, clenching his fists triumphantly. "I knew it! Just gotta keep it on long enough, and the progress racks up."


    His grin widened. If ten minutes earned 0.6%, then an entire night could give him a serious boost. All he needed was endurance—both physically and mentally. He took a deep breath, trying to normalize the prickling sensation coursing through his skin.


    "Alright. Step one: Tough it out. Step two: Sleep. Step three: Wake up overpowered."


    He let out a chuckle, reveling in his own brilliance. He layed back on his bed, allowing his body to relax despite the tension building through his skin. As his eyelids grew heavy, he couldn''t help but imagine himself waking up with Iron Skin leveled up several times over.


    "Sleeping my way to greatness… who would''ve thought?"


    He activated Iron Skin once more, determined to push it as far as he could.


    "Sweet dreams, Auron. May your laziness be forever fruitful."


    ***


    Days blurred into a mess of endless naps and twitchy muscle aches. Auron''s room had turned into some twisted training chamber where comfort met torture. His only companions? A bloodstained rock and the absurdly stubborn determination to milk his ''Iron Skin'' skill like a broke farmer squeezing his last cow.


    He squinted at his modified system interface.


    [Skill Progress Increased: Iron Skin (12.6%)]


    "Damn, it''s slow. Like trying to sharpen a sword by rubbing it against a pillow," Auron muttered, rubbing his sore arms. But the progress was there. And it was free. Sort of. If free meant waking up feeling like he''d been body-slammed by a bear.


    "Whatever. I''ll sleep my way to the top if it kills me."


    Suddenly, a loud banging rattled his door, followed by an familiar voice.


    "Auron! You in there, man?" Dante''s booming voice echoed through the room, sounding way too lively for this hour.


    "Leave me alone. I''m dead. My ghost will haunt you if you open that door," Auron groaned, rolling over to hide his face in his pillow. His body ached from last night''s grind session — or more accurately, sleep session.


    "No can do, bro. Lyra''s losing her mind thinking you''ve died or something. I told her you were just being your usual slacker self, but you know how she is."


    Auron felt the irritation building. Dante''s talent for turning concern into annoyance was downright magical. Still, Dante was his friend. Kind of. And Lyra… well, she was more like the academy''s unofficial pest control officer who couldn''t leave him alone.


    The door creaked open, and in walked Dante and Lyra. Dante was his usual upbeat self, grinning like he''d just scored a free meal. Lyra, on the other hand, looked like she''d aged ten years from worry.


    "There he is. The legendary shut-in himself," Dante said, plopping down on the chair like he owned the place.


    Lyra''s frown could curdle milk. "What''s wrong with you, Auron? You haven''t been showing up to classes. Not even to get laughed at. What''s going on?"


    "Just been… training. You know, honing my skills and all that." Auron waved a lazy hand, trying to act casual.


    "Training? You?" Lyra''s eyes narrowed, like she was trying to figure out if he was joking.


    "Believe it or not, yeah. I''ve been working on something special," Auron said, letting a smug grin slip onto his face.


    Dante raised an eyebrow. "Special, huh? Please tell me you didn''t try to contract a beast and get kicked in the face again."


    Auron rolled his eyes. "No. I''m trying a different approach. One that doesn''t involve making myself the laughingstock of the academy."


    Dante chuckled. "Good luck with that. The only way you''re not getting laughed at is if you somehow become stronger than all those beast-taming freaks."


    "Exactly."


    Dante''s smirk faded. "Wait, you''re actually serious?"


    "As serious as a Raventor can be. Speaking of which, you wouldn''t happen to have any beast cores lying around, would you?"


    "Beast cores?" Dante frowned. "The hell are you planning, man?"


    "Just… research. You know, expanding my horizons."


    "Those things are expensive as hell, Auron. Even the cheapest Iron-ranked beast cores go for more than we make in a month."


    Auron''s shoulders slumped. Damn, there went his backup plan, to think carrying the Raventor name would at least earn him a decent allowance, but damn those bastards who were miserly as hell. The rats weren''t going to cut it forever, and he needed something stronger to push his Iron Skin skill to the next level. But if beast cores were that pricey, he''d have to find another way.


    "Yeah, figures. Guess I''ll just keep doing things my way for now."


    "What''s your way?" Lyra pressed, crossing her arms. "Because right now, it looks like you''re doing your best impression of a corpse."


    Auron forced a grin. "Let''s just say… I''ve discovered a new form of cultivation. Sleep Training."


    "That sounds like something only you would come up with." Lyra huffed, eyes rolling so hard Auron wondered if they''d pop out of her head.


    "Hey, call it what you want. It''s working."


    Dante shook his head. "Alright, dude. Just don''t turn into some kind of lunatic. You''ve already got that ''crazy shut-in'' look going on."


    "Noted. Now, if you two are done playing concerned parents, I''ve got training to get back to."


    Lyra huffed but didn''t protest further. Dante just laughed, clapping Auron on the shoulder before they both left, murmuring something about him being a lost cause.


    As soon as they were gone, Auron let out a relieved sigh. Friends or not, he didn''t have time to waste on them right now. Not when he was on the verge of something big.


    He flopped back onto his bed, activating Iron Skin again. The familiar sensation of his skin hardening felt almost comforting now.


    "Alright. Back to business."


    The days continued to blur. Eat, nap, Iron Skin, repeat. The progress crawled at a snail''s pace, but it was progress nonetheless.


    Finally, on the seventh day of his insane regimen, something miraculous happened.


    [Skill Progress Increased: Iron Skin (99.9%)]


    Auron''s eyes widened. "I''m… I''m almost there." His heart pounded like a war drum, excitement surging through him. Just one more push, one more sleep session, and he''d reach 100%.


    He lay back, his mind spinning with wild thoughts. Would the skill evolve? Would it just get stronger? Either way, it didn''t matter. Whatever it took, he''d find out.


    But he knew one thing for sure. If this plan worked, the next step would be something far riskier than hunting rats.


    He was going after real prey. Iron-ranked beasts.