[Lucas Howell P.O.V.]
Classes were the same as always: teaching how to read a dungeon's rank, how to survive in dungeons, and types of monsters based on the dungeon setting and whatnot.
These were all things I'd rigorously studied in my free time since I'd already planned on diving into dungeons anyway. Sometimes, though, the class did give me some useful information.
Soon enough, everyone was free to go home, and I made my way off the campus, sneaking away before that annoying rat found me and caused more problems than he was worth.
I just barely managed to slip by him, though I wasn't sure if he actually couldn't see me or if he was trying to give me a false sense of confidence...
Yeah, it was a false sense of confidence, and I found that out the hard way when, the instant I turned the corner, I ran right into him as he checked me, forcing me to kneel over, falling to my knees from the pain.
"W-What a nice welcome... did your dad teach you that one when he was drunk?" I forced a smile as he chuckled.
"Nah, the old man doesn't drink; he's a decent guy," he said, hands in his pocket.
His name was Vincent Crowe. He was the son of a powerful Dungeon Diver, and he was my childhood friend until he awakened and I didn't.
At first, he didn't care, stuck in his heroic mentality typical of children, but when his father openly looked down on me, his whole personality began to shift until, finally, he became what he is today.
"Are you listening, dipshit?" Vincent asked, slapping me in the face and making me grit my teeth.
"Sorry, it's difficult for me to understand horseshit. Could you repeat that for me?" I said, knowing it would only earn me another—
Crack
Yep, that's the fourth time this bastard had broken my arm this year, and if not for the healers at the hospital, my arm would probably be useless by now...
"Hm, not even a whimper like a few years ago? Perhaps I'm getting stale with my methods..." Vincent sneered before sighing, his face going neutral.
"I'll deal with you when I think of something. Just, I don't know, get outta my sight or whatever.." Vincent shooed me away as he vanished from his spot, leaving me to walk home with my jacket as an artificial sling.
"I can't fucking stand this anymore! I'm going mad just thinking about it! The first thing I'll do when I get home is absorb those monster cores. I can't stand being weak anymore!" I gritted my teeth.
Every time I saw him, the urge to kill him intensified within my heart, and I grew closer and closer to losing all reason and attacking him as is, but I knew that'd only get me killed—at least as I am now.
So I have no choice but to suck it up until I become his equal or even surpass him. Then, I can finally get him back.
"You'd think people only become dickheads overnight in movies, yet here we are..." I muttered, opening the door to my apartment.
After locking it behind me, I winced when I bumped my broken arm against the wall, then shook it off and continued toward my room. I opened my adventurer's bag and took out the 5 cores I'd collected over the month.
They weren't all that common, and I wanted to study them more before taking them into my body, but I clearly couldn't afford to wait much longer.
"That bastard might end up killing me one of these days, and I refuse to take that risk when there's an answer right in front of me..."
From what I'd learned, absorbing cores wasn't all that difficult—all you had to do was hold one to absorb it. However, I'd also heard that absorbing your first core is painful for Jackals like myself.
"It's worth the pain, in my opinion, but I won't know that for sure until after the fact," I said before closing my hand around the small cores and closing my eyes, bracing for the pain.
Soon enough, I felt a warm sensation flowing through my veins, and I thought the speed of it spreading was increasing every second.
Not even 20 seconds in, the warm feeling began to feel like my veins were being filled with boiling water, forcing me to grit my teeth. But soon, even that wasn't enough.
"Why the hell does it hurt so much!" I gritted, feeling like I was burning alive, my veins bulging violently beneath my skin, and my broken arm felt even worse.
That's when I noticed it—my body was changing rapidly. I could hear the crackling beneath the flesh of my broken arm as my bones reformed and grew stronger than before.
I could feel all my insides shifting and changing into something better than what they were. It was unnatural, though probably normal for this world.
"W-When will this be o-over..." I forced out, gasping in pain. This whole process was agony, and I didn't know how people could let their children go through this. Then again, people do anything for power, don't they?
It took about 10 minutes before the heat coursing through my body receded completely, leaving me sweaty and gasping on the ground, staring up at the ceiling.
[Basic requirements for the system have been met... Initiating total bonding process]
"Huh? Who's talking in my head?"
[5 F Rank cores have been absorbed... Calculating stats... Calculations complete... Congratulations on being chosen as the host]
That voice didn't respond to me, only continuing to speak in my mind as if it weren't sentient.
[System Bond at 100%... Please say or think OPEN to open the system panel... Good luck]
After that, the voice vanished completely, but the words it had said stuck with me. It reminded me of those novels I used to read over and over in my past life.
"Hahaha, a fucking system, huh? Well, depending on what it is, this changes everything, doesn't it?" I laughed to myself before using my will to open the system panel.
"Open!" I thought, and instantly, a system panel like the ones from countless novels manifested before me. It floated before my eyes, shining a deep purple, with white letters forming across its surface.
---
[Name: Lucas Howell]
[Age: 18 (36)]
[Affinity: N/A]
[Title(s): Jackal]
[Innate Ability: Dungeon Maker]
[STATS]
[STR - 30 (10 + 20)]
[DEX - 30 (10 + 20)]
[END - 30 (10 + 20)]
[INT - 30 (10 + 20)]
[WIS - 30 (10 + 20)]
[SPELLS: N/A]
---
"Nice, those cores made me quite a bit stronger, though I doubt these stat points are linear since I'm more than 200% stronger after the absorbing process—maybe about 5-600% stronger?"
"Either way, I'll need more tests," I thought to myself before looking back at the system.
"System, what's my title for, and what does my innate ability do?" I asked mentally as the panel changed.
[Titles grant boosts to certain aspects of the user; everyone has a title that boosts them, though they typically align with one's status and personality, or whatever fits them best.]
---
[Jackal: Lowers user's social standing. People value your existence less than they would the average stranger]
[Dungeon Maker: Allows the user to create a dungeon of their liking. Dungeons give rewards based on their difficulty, and rewards will be given based on overall contribution during the Dungeon's competition.]
---
"Well, ignoring the disrespectful title... This [Dungeon Maker] ability sounds extremely useful for my future growth," I muttered before stretching to get somewhat used to my newfound strength.
"Alright then, tomorrow I'll just skip my classes and test out my ability so I can grow stronger... strong enough to kick that bastard's ass!"