"Tch!" Shin clicked his tongue, sitting on the bed. He had spent the last hour reading through the skillbooks and practicing their instructions but struggled to understand their meanings and failed to utilize the initial stages in their most basic forms.
He ruffled his hair in frustration before returning the skillbooks to his inventory and laid back on the bed, logging out of the game.
He exited the pod and departed from the academy grounds, following the navigation on his wrist device to his new home.
He walked up the driveway, his hand tracing across the sleek hoverbike parked beside the townhouse. He grinned to himself, excited to take it for a ride.
He walked up the steps and held his wrist device beside the door's scanner lock, entering his new home.
It was unnerving how empty the house was. A cold emptiness encroached upon him as he walked through his new home.
The apartment was large with lots of additional space for various purposes, a kitchen, living room, training center, where he found his Dive Pod, two extra bedrooms, three bathrooms, and his master suite with attached ensuite.
He entered his room where the moving androids had delivered, reassembled his furniture, and stowed his clothes and belongings.
Shin fell onto the bed with a heavy sigh, staring up at the ceiling. The young man had been alone his entire life despite the fact he had been under constant surveillance.
First, he was an orphan abandoned at an orphanage. Next, as a young teenager recruited into a shadow organization and brutally forced into an obedient dog.
Then, in the various institutions, he was ostracized due to his robotic personality and his lack of social skills.
Now, inside his new home, Shin felt more isolated than he had ever been. His mind was fixated on his loneliness until he eventually fell asleep.
The following morning, Shin had shaken off the prior night's emotions and quickly started his morning routine before hopping on his hoverbike and driving to the academy.
His days were monotonous, attending the classes by James and Allison and occasionally attending a class by Karina.
Eventually, the classes were combined, and the students were taught together. Standard party practices were instilled into them, and their sparrings were more frequent.
Before class, Shin would meditate, cultivating his Mana Circuit one day and his Stamina Well the next. Every afternoon, he practiced with his various weapons, advancing his Weapon Proficiency.
The days turned into weeks, and the weeks turned into months without much incident, and he maintained his progress until James congratulated everyone, snapping him out of his daze.
"Congratulations on reaching level five, everyone!" James said, clapping as Allison and Karina joined in.
"Now that you've reached the starting line, you can all now select your Primary Class." James loudly declared.
"As you all know, Rookies are able to utilize any of the three archetypes, but when you select your Primary Class, you will no longer have access to those abilities." Allison added, holding her finger up and pointing to the ceiling.
"This will increase the number of Attribute Points you gain on leveling up and is not retroactive, so make sure you select it as soon as possible!" Karina warned.
Shin rolled his eyes inwardly; each of his attribute points counted as numerous points, which negated his need to advance.
This was his secret path to maintaining his position despite not advancing to the next class. In addition, thanks to completing his weaponmaster training, his attributes were enhanced.
"Now, after you have selected your Primary Class, you will be eligible to enter the practice dungeons we have available." James announced.
"So take some time to think about which archetype you will select for your Primary Class, who you want in your team, and what their roles will be." Allison added, raising her hand once more and pointing to the ceiling again.
"Please note that due to the restrictions on the tutorial server, unless you select your Primary Class, you will be unable to enter the practice dungeons." Karina included, and the three instructors departed.
The dungeons included in Savage Gods Online were their own pocket dimensions within Themiscrya and contained their own rules and requirements needed to exit.
Each dungeon had various difficulties to choose from and offered better tiers of equipment and materials, but on the tutorial server, only Beginner difficulty could be selected.
The beginner difficulty was a tutorial server exclusive and couldn't be selected after joining the main game. This difficulty removed the ability to gain rewards from the dungeons besides reduced experience.
The students broke into a loud clamor, quickly breaking into groups as they began discussing the teams they'd create.
Shin silently stood in the back of the class and slipped out without anyone noticing as he ran after the instructors.
"Excuse me!" He called out, raising his hand as the three teachers turned around, "Since I'm on the Rookie Challenge, how am I expected to enter the dungeons?"
"Ah, Shin!" James jovially responded, brightly smiling as he opened his arms, "I was wondering how long it would take!"
"I'm sorry, Shin." Allison said, reaching out and grabbing his shoulder, giving him a consoling grip.
"Unfortunately, the rules are the rules. You will not be able to participate." Karina added, shaking her head.
Shin's stomach plummeted at the news, but he maintained his blank facade, "There has to be something I can do! Why is Instructor James so excited to give me bad news?"
"Again, Shin, I'm sorry, but you must select a Primary Class if you wish to enter the dungeons." Allison said.
Now, wait, Allison!" James interjected, but before he could continue, Karina grabbed him and dragged him away.
"James, you can't suggest that!" She hissed into his ear, covering his mouth to stop him from continuing.
"No! Wait!" The young man threw his hand toward the departing teachers and called out, "Please! I can't fall behind!"
"We shouldn't be telling you this…" Allison sighed, "It's very dangerous, and in the nine years the academy has been active, no one has succeeded…"
James huffed, throwing Karina off him as he approached Shin with a smile, placing his hand on the young man's shoulder and smiling, "You can challenge the Headmaster for the right to enter the dungeons."