Elsewhere
Qin Wuyao was lounging in her living room, flipping through class guides when her father, Qin Lie, impatiently interrupted.
“Why waste time reading? I’ve arranged high-level escorts to power-level you. Prioritize grinding!”
Unfazed, Qin Wuyao stretched lazily. “Relax, Dad. I’m a hidden-class awakener. My spot in the Celestial Alliance next month is guaranteed.”
Qin Lie’s face darkened. “I’m the one overseeing Blackflame Academy’s recruitment! If your level lags behind others, you’ll embarrass me!”
Qin Wuyao chuckled, finally setting the guides aside. “Fine, fine. After lunch, I’ll hit the fields.”
Just then—
Ding!
Her communicator buzzed. The message froze her mid-stretch:
[Report: Lu Ran has exited the Trial Grounds. He’s… Level 5!]
…..
Dining Table
“Stop daydreaming and eat!” Qin Lie snapped. “You need to reach Level 5 by tonight to qualify for dungeons.”
But Qin Wuyao barely registered his words.
How?
She’d suspected Lu Ran’s 130 Spirit stat hinted at hidden potential, but this defied logic.
The Novice Trial Grounds were a deathtrap. Yet Lu Ran not only survived—he’d out-leveled every sponsored newbie in the city within two hours.
“Dad,” she blurted, “hypothetically… could a fresh awakener clear the Trial Grounds to Level 5 that fast?”
“Impossible!” Qin Lie scoffed. “Even hidden-classers would take ten hours to manage it—if they didn’t die first!”
Qin Wuyao gulped.
Then how did Lu Ran…?
“What about a Necromancer?” she pressed.
“Pah! Their starter skill summons two skeletons with a 10-minute cooldown,” Qin Lie snorted. “If those die, the caster’s a sitting duck. No way they’re grinding efficiently!”
Yet Lu Ran had.
“You’re not trying the Trial Grounds,” Qin Lie warned.
Changing tactics, he asked, “Any promising recruits besides you at the academy?”
“One,” Qin Wuyao mused.
“Who?”
“Not telling.”
“It’s one of the five rare-classers, right?”
“Nope. Don’t know them.”
“Then who? No common-class trash is joining the Alliance!”
Ignoring him, Qin Wuyao fired off a command:
[Continue monitoring Lu Ran.]
Then she picked up her chopsticks. “After this, I’m grinding. Hard.“
Blackflame City Streets
Lu Ran walked past Skygrace Pavilion—the city’s most exclusive restaurant, where elite Chefs (even a hidden-class Elemental Cuisinier) crafted dishes that temporarily boosted stats.
Of course, a single meal cost more than his life savings.
He turned toward the slums, where his remaining 100 gold could buy a decent meal.
But then—
“Well, well. If it isn’t the ‘prodigy’ Lu Ran!”
Liang Shaoyu.
Flanked by Wang Yujiao and his lackeys, the smug nobleman blocked Lu Ran’s path.
“No grinding today? Oh wait—” Liang sneered, eyeing Lu Ran’s plain white-tier gear. “Couldn’t afford better equipment? Pathetic.”
He gestured to his own gleaming blue-tier set. “We’re already nearing Level 3. What about you? Still zero?”
Lu Ran ignored him, stepping aside.
“I said, move,” Lu Ran growled.
Liang’s smirk vanished. “You dare—?”
His goons closed in, but Wang Yujiao hesitated, biting her lip. Lu Ran didn’t even glance her way.
Suddenly—
THUD!
Qin Wuyao drop-kicked Liang in the ribs, sending him sprawling.
“You—!” Liang whirled, rage melting into fear when he saw her. “L-Lady Qin…”
“Lu Ran’s a Necromancer,” Qin Wuyao said coolly. “But you? Just a common Berserker. Where’s your pride?”
Liang forced a laugh, backing off—but not before hissing at Lu Ran:
“Watch your back. Don’t let me catch you alone.”
Lu Ran’s eyes glinted.
Funny. I was thinking the same thing.
If Liang ever did corner him alone…
Well. Forty Corpse Explosions tended to leave no trace.
