7:10 AM

  ?"Hey, Reon! Wake up, or you’ll be late for school!" a woman’s voice shouted.

  ?Yawn... "Yes, Mom... I’m awake now..."

  ?"Today is your first day of high school, right? Go brush your teeth, get freshened up, and eat your breakfast. Hurry up, okay?"

  ?Yawn... "Yes, Mom..."

  ?As you can see, She is my mother. Her name is Mishuri Aoi, a 33-year-old housewife. As for me? My name is Reon Aoi. I’m the MC of this story and—like most protagonists—I’m pretty average at studies and sports. I’m an only child, so I don't have any siblings, That Why my parents dote on me quite a bit.

  ?"Did you brush your teeth properly?" my mom asked again.

  ?"Hey, Mom, I’m sixteen now. I’m not a kid anymore."

  ?"Oh, really?" she teased, kissing me on the forehead. "Take care of yourself on the way to school, okay? Your dad is finally coming home today, so come straight back after school ends. No fooling around!"

  ?"Okay, Mom. I’m heading out..."

  ? That was my Mom so energetics as always.

  My dad, Mashao Aoi, has been away on a business trip and is about to returns today. My life seems simple enough, right? Well, things are going to change today.

  ?After leaving the house, I started walking toward a crowded area. I really don’t like crowds—maybe because I’m an introvert. I’m like your typical manga or anime character; it’s not that I can’t talk to people, I’m just not confident enough in myself.

  ?On the way, I pulled out my phone and logged into my game account.

  ?The game is called Heroes of Heaven, a massive MMORPG. When it launched, it was a global hit because it’s a world where you can be anything and do anything. It has over five billion active daily players because the game is an easy way to get rich; rare drops sell for high prices that you can withdraw as real-world money. People literally put their life savings into this game....

  ?I don’t have that kind of money, and I’ve only been playing for a year. In the game, you choose a species, some of which grant unique talents. After that, you choose a class—Swordsman, Magician, Priest, Archer, etc. Every class is divided into sub-classes. For example, a Magician can specialize in one element or become an Elementalist who uses them all. However, Elementalists consume far too much mana, so most people stick to a single element.

  ?As for me... my class is Novice.

  ?It’s not that I wanted to be a Novice, but because of my species, I can’t choose a class. I chose this species because it’s called Fallen Angel, and that sounded cool at first. But somehow, I can’t level up at all. At first, I thought it was a glitch, but after a whole year, I realized the species is just broken.

  ?According to the description, my mother was a Demon Queen and my father was an Angel. The reason I picked it was for the skill: [Final Glance]. It’s an active skill that increases all physical and magical resistance by 10% and nullifies all debuff attacks. But the mana consumption is staggering—it’s way too much for me. No matter how much EXP I gain, I remain at Level 1. Because of that, my stats and mana are too low to even kill a slime on my own.

  ?Basically, my character is trash. I think I’m the only one in the world using this species. I want to change it, but that costs 3,000,000 Yuan. I don't have that kind of money, so I accepted my fate, quit the adventurer role, and started working as a farmer to earn a little cash.

  ?Beep— A notification alert.

  ?"Huh? Wait... what is this?"

  ?Notification Alert for user: Reon.

  Due to your low level-up progression, we are providing you a chance to level up.

  Click here if you accept our offer.

  ?"Huh... haha... hmph. Now even the game thinks I’m good for nothing. Whatever, let’s try this out."

  ?(Click: Yes)

  ?Your request for a level-up chance is accepted.

  Beep... Beep... Beep...

  Alert: Due to an error, we are putting your request on hold. We will inform you once the error is resolved. Thanks for playing our game.

  ?"WHAT THE HELL!" I screamed.

  ?Stupid game—oh. Now everyone is staring at me.

  ?"Mom, why is that boy screaming at his phone?" a child asked.

  "Shh, don’t look at him... and never become like him in the future, okay?"

  "Don’t worry, I’ll never become like him."

  ?"Hey, but I was just... the game... and that... uh, I’m sorry..."

  ?10 Minutes Later

  ?Finally, I’m here. Today is my first day of high school. Oh my god, I’m so nervous.

  ?"Hey, Ken, look who’s here. Isn't that Reon?"

  "Oh, so you still dare to come to school, huh? You’ve got some guts, Reon."

  ?Ken. He was a classmate from junior high—or rather, one of my bullies. He’s the type who likes to humiliate others to look superior in front of his friends. His favorite target is me. I seriously hate this guy.

  If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

  ?"You’ve got some guts, Reon."

  "What do you mean, Ken?" I asked.

  "Oh, sorry. I mean: get the hell out of here, you fucking rat!"

  ?Suddenly, he kicked me in the stomach.

  ?"Ahhh... Cough... cough..."

  "Oh, I’m sorry. Did that hurt, Reon? Sorry, sorry. Hey, you guys, help him up."

  "Yeah, sure, why not?" his friends replied.

  ?"Hahaha! Look at him!" Ken laughed. "Look, Reon, every person here is laughing at you."

  ?I knew this would happen. They’re all just here to watch me fail. They’re all the same.

  ?"Cough... Ken... do you think you can get away with this?" I managed to say through the pain.

  "Ha! So what? Are you going to fight me, you loser? Hey, look at him, guys! This loser is going to fight me!"

  ?The crowd jeered. "Hoo! Yay! Come on, Ken, beat him up!"

  ?"Look, Reon. There isn't a single person on your side. So why try so hard? Just accept it. You are a loser."

  "I’m not a loser!" I tried to stand, but he punched me in the face again.

  ?"Hahaha, look at him, what a loser," some girls whispered nearby.

  ?"Hey, Ken, look. Rin is coming," one of his friends said.

  "What? Where? Oh, Rin! How are you? Look, I’m teaching him a lesson for you."

  ?"Huh? Who are you?" she replied in a cold voice.

  "W-what do you mean? I’m Ken, from your class, remember?"

  "Hah, why would I need to remember you? And as for him..."

  ?She looked at me for a second.

  ?"You can do whatever you want with him, it's none of my business. But remember, don't use my name for your shady business."

  ?Then, she walked away.

  ?Rin Yuki.

  ?She was my childhood friend, my first crush, and the reason I couldn't fight back. There was no way I could win against five or six people alone, but it hurt that she wouldn't even look at me.

  ?We’ve known each other since we were kids. Back then, she was easily scared and would hide behind my back, following me everywhere. But when we were ten, she had to move abroad because of her father's job. We cried the whole night, and she even insisted on running away with me, but our parents caught us. She cried even harder when they were about to leave. At that time, I promised her we would meet again and stay together forever.

  ?She had gone quiet then, staring at my face blankly. Then she asked, "Will you marry me when we meet again?"

  ?She caught me off guard. I liked her, but the question was a lot for a ten-year-old. I gathered my courage and answered, "Yes, I promise. If you still want that then, I will."

  ?Six years passed. When I heard she had returned, I was so happy that I ran to her house. I found a girl with black hair and black eyes standing at the door, unpacking luggage. She had become truly beautiful. I called her name, and she looked back. I thought she would be happy.

  ?But she showed no expression at all. The silence was deafening. I tried to talk about her life abroad, but she only gave short, empty replies. When she tried to carry a big suitcase, I stepped in to help. Suddenly, she snapped. She started shouting, saying she couldn't tolerate me anymore because I reminded her of her "shameful past" when she was a scared little girl. She said I was the one person in the world she wanted to avoid most.

  ?I was speechless. I asked her, "Hey, you’re joking, right? You don’t mean it. I mean, we’re childhood friends, right?"

  ?She smiled coldly. "We were childhood friends. Not now."

  ?She closed the door in my face and told me she hoped I never spoke to her again. It’s been a year since then. I’ve tried to talk to her in many ways, but she always avoids me.

  ?Back in the present, the crowd had finally dispersed.

  ?"Huh... so everyone left. Well, I’m used to it now."

  ?I stood up and walked toward my classroom. I could hear voices from inside.

  ?"Hey, Rin, do you really have to be that cruel to him? He’s your childhood friend, isn’t he? Why don’t you help him?" a girl asked.

  ?Rin stayed silent.

  ?"Again, huh? You always go silent when we talk about him," the girl continued. "Come on, Rin..."

  ?I heard everything from outside.

  ?"Huh, I can't help it. I think I should just bunk my first day of high school."

  ?I looked back for a second, then left the building. I couldn't believe my first day went like this. Thanks to Ken and his friends... I really want to beat them up.

  ?Beep. A message popped up on my phone.

  ?"Oh, right. What about my game level-up?"

  ?Suddenly—CRACK. CRACK. I heard a strange, bone-chilling cracking sound coming from the sky.