Emily, Jeff, and Jack all curiously glanced at the dust Lucas held in his hand. Then, they crouched down and began rummaging through the dead goblins, looking for loot.
"Found it! Here's the energy core!" Jeff shouted excitedly. He pulled out a tiny, bead-like object from between a goblin's ribs.
Lucas glanced over. That small bead? It was one of the newer energy sources that had been popping up over the past few decades, super useful for building cities.
This summer dungeon hunting exam was all about gathering those energy cores. The more goblins you took down, the more cores you collected, and the higher you ranked.
"Didn't expect these goblins to be so easy to kill. Looks like we won't even need Lucas to step in. We'll just breeze through," Jack said, clearly relieved.
Before entering the dungeon, the teachers had hyped it up like it was some terrifying ordeal. But now? It didn't seem so bad.
"We should still be careful. These are just the regular goblins. We haven't run into any evolved ones yet," Emily warned, always cautious.
"No worries, we've got Lucas with us," Jeff said nonchalantly.
Lucas shook his head, thinking, If real danger shows up, I'm not sure even I can handle it.
In the game, he was used to fighting solo. But now? He had three teammates. If they ran into three evolved goblins, his plan was simple: hit and run.
The Lightning Goblin Dungeon was massive. The group decided to plow through, cutting down goblins that came at them like small armies.
Lucas, however, hung back, not lifting a finger. Killing these goblins wouldn't level him up—it was just a waste of energy. So, naturally, he pulled out his phone and started gaming, completely in his zone.
Emily, Jeff, and Jack glanced at him, then exchanged silent looks. No one said anything, but they took out their frustration on the goblins.
Thanks to their armor, they weren't worried about getting hurt, except Jeff, who had to watch out for his chest plate.
Along the way, they bumped into other groups of students.
"Having money sure makes things easy. They've just stacked up on gear to boost their power. If I had that kind of armor, I'd be unstoppable too," one student grumbled as they struggled to kill a goblin.
"Exactly! Look at Lucas, down in a dungeon, and he's still glued to his phone. The guy's gonna game himself to death. Honestly, I wouldn't mind tagging along and doing nothing either," another said.
"I hate these rich kids. No effort, just leaning on their parents for everything."
Students who had fought tooth and nail against goblins couldn't help but complain when they saw how easily Lucas's team was breezing through.
Then there were the powerhouses like Seraphina's group. They didn't just fight goblins—they were steamrolling through them, heading straight for the heart of the dungeon.
"Let's take a break," Lucas said, suddenly pausing his game. He looked ahead, spotting a forested area. That's where the evolved goblins were likely waiting.
Jeff and Jack had already taken down over a hundred goblins. They hadn't been hurt, but they were starting to run low on stamina, breathing heavily from the effort.
"Thorne and the others are way ahead. If we keep slowing down, we'll fall way behind. With this armor, we should push forward!" Jack argued, not wanting to lose ground.
Sure, their beginner armor gave them solid defense, but their offensive capabilities were still lacking. A few other teams had already passed them by.
Jack was getting anxious. If they didn't make it into the top three, it would be a massive loss. College entrance bonuses were at stake. With their grades, even a little family money might only get them into a second-rate school.
"No need to rush. They'll slow down soon enough. This dungeon isn't as simple as it looks," Lucas said seriously. He wanted to rank high too, but not at the cost of his life.
Seeing how serious Lucas was, Emily nodded. "Let's follow Lucas's lead. We'll rest for 30 minutes before moving on."
With both of the team's strongest members speaking up, Jeff and Jack had no choice but to agree.
Lucas, realizing grinding his game wouldn't get him to level 15 anytime soon, put away his phone and focused on something more practical.
He began refining dust—the lowest-grade dust, but still powerful enough to boost stats for anyone who hadn't yet chosen a class.
Seeing Lucas at work, Emily, Jeff, and Jack followed his lead, refining dust to power up their stats too.
Half an hour later, after refining a solid 30 pieces of dust, Lucas checked his status.
Player: Lucas
Class: None
Level: 13
Life Rank: Initial Tier
Passive Skill: Mana Surge
Skills: Fire Blast, Frost Shield, Wind Dash
Though his character stats hadn't changed much beyond some XP, Lucas could feel the real-life benefits of absorbing the dust. He was stronger, more agile, and his magic felt more potent.
"I've heard that top players in the Federation have passive skills that give them massive boosts when they pick a class. I wonder how much this Mana Surge will help me when I finally level up," Lucas mused.
"This stuff powers you up so fast! I feel like I can take on one and a half of my old self," Jeff exclaimed, stopping his training and glancing at his status screen with a grin.
Then, with a sigh, he added, "Too bad we can't take this dust out of the dungeon. If we could, I'd just buy a ton and power up instantly."
"If dust could leave the dungeon, that'd be like breaking the game," Lucas chuckled. "It's a balancing act."
With the whole world digitized and everyone turned into "players," it was almost like a giant MMORPG. If dust could be traded freely, it'd be like an exploit, giving players an unfair advantage.
"My strength's way up!"
"My agility's off the charts!" Emily and Jack chimed in one after the other, grinning ear to ear. The dust had boosted their stats according to their personal strengths, steering them toward their eventual class choices.
"Alright, let's move," Lucas said with a satisfied nod. "Sharpening your blade doesn't waste time."
His magic was stronger, his spells hit harder, and his confidence in surviving this dungeon had shot up.
Plus, he felt like he could fight for much longer without tiring out. That extra stamina would come in handy.