[Lucas Howell P.O.V.]
18 years...
For 18 years, I've lived in this peculiar new world where people are born with strange abilities and innate powers. They dive into dungeons, gain strength, and do whatever it takes to become someone worthwhile in this world.
All around me, ever since my birth, there have been those with the ability to shoot flames from their hands or freeze an entire room with a glance. And as they grew older, their powers only grew stronger.
Yet, throughout all this time, I've never shown a single sign of power—no magic, no special ability, not even an ounce of strength. I've been... nothing.
At first, I didn't care. I lacked any special supernatural powers in my previous life, so why would I care now? But after ten long years of being harassed by these worthless brats, it got old. Fast.
My new parents? Useless. They didn't even bother to defend me. After all, who would want a worthless son?
Everything changed when I turned 18. I still had no ability, but now I had something else: legal permission to enter dungeons. I could start my ascension in this forsaken world, or at least try.
That leads me here, now.
Face to face with this disgusting little goblin, a green bastard in a filthy loincloth that barely covered its disgusting body. Its shrill screech echoed through the dungeon as it lunged at me, dagger in hand.
"GREE!" it screeched, its yellow eyes wild.
I dodged to the side, feeling the air whoosh past me, and swung my hammer with everything I had. It cracked into the back of its elongated skull with a sickening crunch, silencing its shriek and ending its pathetic life.
"Finally. These bastards smell worse than they look," I muttered under my breath, wiping sweat from my brow as I crouched next to the creature's body.
I pulled out a kitchen knife, the one I always bring, and sliced into the goblin's chest, digging out the marble-sized core from its heart.
I'd killed five goblins in this dungeon today, and with a quick glance around, I decided to exit.
I wasn't stupid. I'd studied the dungeon diving parties. Most people assumed they had to clear an entire dungeon, but I knew better. If you didn't go too deep, it wouldn't close behind you, which meant you didn't have to clear it all.
"Three of the five had cores inside their hearts—60% rate this time around. Last time I only got two out of five," I thought to myself, pocketing the three cores I had harvested. "I'll need more tests to figure out the pattern."
The walk back to my apartment was quiet, a few minutes of reflection. The sound of the city echoed in the distance, but I barely noticed. I was thinking about my next step.
"Maybe it's time to absorb one of these cores," I mused. "After all, it's inevitable if I ever want to grow stronger than I am now."
When I finally reached my apartment, I tossed my bloody hammer and kitchen knife into the kitchen sink, barely caring about the mess. I rinsed off the cores I'd gathered, watching the dim green glow as they shone through the water.
"Well, for now, I'll set them aside," I thought, placing them into my dungeon diving bag for safekeeping.
With that done, I walked over to my desk and opened the notebook I'd started. It had only been a month since I'd gotten access to dungeons, and I hadn't ventured deep enough into one to gather much useful information. But I kept track of what I could.
As I wrote down the few things I had learned, my mind wandered. A strange mixture of anger and desire bubbled up. I needed to be ready for what was coming. So far, everything I had done was just scratching the surface.
"I guess I should head to school today, even if I missed the first two classes already..." I sighed. I'd enrolled in a dungeon diving school for the resources they provided, but it was coming at a cost.
I'd expected it, of course. A school full of super-powered assholes who felt the need to "mess with me" just because I didn't have any abilities of my own.
They were born with affinities, each one having an innate ability tied to their mana that allowed them to use spells at a fraction of the cost and with greater efficiency than anyone without an affinity. Naturally, they looked down on me—the "Jackal."
Jackals were people like me—those without an affinity. Sure, we could use any spell, but we were always mediocre. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't compete. The only upside was that we didn't have an elemental weakness. But that didn't matter when your opponent was a walking furnace or a storm waiting to strike.
"Guess I'll have to get stronger and show them all," I thought with a smirk. "I won't stay at the bottom for long."
I wasn't a fool. Even with no affinity, I could still fight back. But right now, I had to endure.
When I entered the school grounds, I was immediately greeted by a swift kick to the face, sending me crashing to the ground.
"What's the smart-ass muttering about, fuck face?" A kid with messy black hair and purple eyes sneered at me, grinning. His friends snickered beside him.
"I said you smell like musty cock, you bitch," I growled, only for his boot to slam into my chest.
"You always have something smart to say, don't you?" he taunted, wiping the dirt off his shoe onto my chest.
I didn't even try to resist. I knew better. He was a C+ Rank, nearly at B Rank. The difference between us was like night and day. Even if I tried to hit him, he'd see it coming. A gun wouldn't do anything to him at this level. I'd need something way stronger to even scratch him.
"You're lucky today. I don't have time to waste on a filthy Jackal like you," he chuckled, applying more pressure with his foot. "But remember to watch your back. I'm not done with you yet."
He kicked me one last time and walked off, his friends laughing behind him. I stayed still, grinding my teeth.
"You think I'm weak just because I lack an affinity, huh? Just wait," I muttered to myself, dusting myself off and walking into the school, my pride a little battered but not broken.
I made it to class just as the bell rang, but my thoughts were elsewhere. This world... was starting to get on my nerves.