Eli trudged into school the next morning, backpack slung lazily over one shoulder, eyes half-lidded. His arms still tingled from Shadow Sense Level 2—the feeling of detecting hostile intent was intoxicating, and a little terrifying.
"Morning, Level 0," Lina called from the corner, smirking as she waved. "Heard about last night. People are saying you fought some… construction monster or something?"
Eli groaned. "Yeah, rumor mill's at it again. Can't wait for the entire city to start whispering about me."
Behind them, a group of students gathered, each glimmering faintly as soft holographic screens appeared in front of their eyes. The System awakening ritual had begun for everyone turning thirteen.
[System Awakening Detected]
A cheer erupted as the first student unlocked their class:
- **Class: Elemental Mage**
- **Element: Fire**
- **Level: 1**
- **Stat Points: 3**
A wave of holographic fire swirled around their hands, lighting up the corridor. Eli blinked. Everyone here had a System now—*all of them*. The quiet kids, the jocks, the students who never paid attention… all glowing faintly, awakening.
He shuffled down the hallway, scanning. Three figures caught his eye:
1. **Kai** – tall, cocky grin, already flexing his stats. *Assassin Class, Shadow Element*.
2. **Mira** – glasses, serious, notes floating around her. *Technomancer Class, Electric Element*.
3. **Rin** – short, energetic, practically bouncing. *Beast Tamer Class, Animal Affinity*.
The top 3 students everyone admired last year—Kai for raw skill, Mira for intelligence, Rin for unpredictability—now fully unlocked their Systems. And Eli? Level 3. Barely noticeable compared to them.
[Level Display: 2 – Shadow Step: Proficient, Shadow Sense: Level 2]
Eli sighed. "Great. Everyone's cool, flashy, and already overleveled. And I'm… just me."
"Hey," a small voice piped up. Eli turned. Rin bounced toward him, tail of her small fox companion twitching behind her. "I heard you fought a Rift Hound alone. That's… kind of amazing."
Eli raised an eyebrow. "You're… congratulating Level 0?"
Rin giggled. "Yeah! You survived! That's impressive. Plus, your System's weird… but interesting."
He smirked. "Weird but interesting. I like that. Welcome to my fan club."
Kai rolled his eyes but smirked. "You're Level 0 and somehow surviving. I'll admit… curious."
Mira adjusted her glasses, studying Eli like a moving formula. "Shadow Step and Shadow Sense… your System is reactive. Adaptive. Very rare. You might be more valuable than we thought."
The bell rang. First class. But before anyone could move, a loud **alarm** echoed through the school.
[System Alert: Monster Intrusion Detected – School Grounds]
Students froze. Teachers scrambled. Eli's heart thumped. Not another Rift Hound, surely?
The alarm pointed to the **courtyard**. Shadows warped unnaturally around the stone benches.
"Looks like today isn't boring either," Eli muttered.
Kai grinned. "Finally, a chance to show what we've got. Team up?"
Eli nodded. "Fine. But I'm calling moves. Shadow Step first."
They ran. Eli leapt, vanishing into the shadows, and reappeared behind a low, crouching beast—a skeletal wolf with ember eyes, fangs glinting.
[Monster Detected: Emberfang]
[Threat Level: Moderate-High]
Rin's fox companion lunged, biting at its leg, while Mira's electric sparks danced across the air, stunning the beast. Kai moved silently, daggers flashing, cutting at weak points Eli's Shadow Sense highlighted.
Eli focused, timing his Shadow Step perfectly, striking multiple points in a blur. Shadow Sense tingled. The Emberfang was clever—predicting them. But teamwork… was something he hadn't fully used before.
"Remember!" he shouted. "Coordination. Hit where I mark!"
Kai's daggers struck, Mira's sparks sizzled, Rin's fox leapt… and Eli landed the finishing blow, shadowed blade sinking into the monster's glowing chest. It collapsed in a puff of black smoke, leaving only a faint scorch mark.
[Monster Defeated]
[EXP Gained: 150]
[Shadow Step: Mastered Level 3]
[Shadow Sense: Level 3 – Detect hostile intent, moderate range]
The courtyard was silent. Dust swirled. Eli's chest heaved.
"Not bad for a Level 0…" Mira muttered, smiling faintly.
Eli laughed, exhaling. "Level 2, thank you very much."
Kai shook his head. "You're impossible."
Rin bounded over, tail wagging. "Best team ever! We should do this more!"
Eli smirked. For the first time, **he felt like he belonged**. The System buzzed faintly around him, pulsing with untapped potential.
[New Quest Available – Team Training: Master Collaboration]
[Reward: EXP, Skill Growth, Bond Increase]
Eli's grin widened. "Looks like… we're just getting started."