CH 1

“This is my present to you all, please accept it.”

“Oh, wow! It’s a pendent!”

“Nice! Leopin is really good with his hands!”

Leopin is really good with his hands. And since the designs are matching, they are perfect for us who are going to school together.

“Well, with Leopin around, we’ll definitely be number one class in our year.”

“Leopin! We’ll still be friends in high school, won’t we?”

◆　　◇　　◆　　◇　　◆

I entered the Royal Pioneer Academy with my friends.

The entrance ceremony is being held at the observation deck of the castle towering in the horizon covered with the morning fog.

The entrance ceremony is being held on the observatory of the castle that rises in the morning mist on the horizon.

We are dressed in our brand-new uniforms, and intently listening to the irritating voice of the principal pouring down from the stage.

“I am Nekodran, the first principal of this school!

As you know, this school aims to discover young people who will lead the next generation!

In a bit, “Ritual of Ability Awakening” will be held, and your power will be revealed!

You will use this castle for classes, and unleash your power to your heart’s content in the untouched land around you and your supporters will give you the assistance you need to keep going!”

The principal strokes his greasy bald head as if it is his signature pose.

The long, thin man next to him seems to be the vice principal, and rubbing his hands in a flattering manner the whole time.

“Yes! As expected of the principal! Even this yes-man can’t help but be impressed by your speech!

And that cool pose! I hope you didn’t go too far in winning the hearts of the female students!

So let’s have a round of applause!”

The new students, lined up in a row, give a thunderous round of applause.

The yes-man vice principal was in charge of the ceremony after the principal’s speech.

“Yes! Let’s begin the “Ritual of Ability Awakening”!

The person whose name is called must answer, go up to the stage, and place their hand on the crystal ball of the goddess statue.

Then your status will be displayed on the crystal tablet above the stage!”

There was a statue of a goddess in the center of the stage, and behind her is a huge crystal tablet that looked like a hanging banner.

“Let’s start with class 1, year 1!”

The school is divided into 20 classes, ranging from 1st class to 20th class.

The number of students in each class is not constant since the students from the same junior high school were brought together to form one single class.

My class is Year 1, Class 20, and I is the last one in my class.

On the stage screen, the status and skills of the other classes were revealed one by one, eliciting cheers and applause from the students.

The Royal Pioneer Academy was established this year, and only those who excelled in middle school were allowed to enter.

My grades and athletic ability is average, but I managed to get in by supporting my classmates with my dexterity.

“All right, last one, class of 1-20! Mr. Weiss, this way, please!”

Our leader, Weiss, a member of the student council, stepped forward and said, “Yes!”

He climbs up on the stage and touches the crystal ball of the goddess statue, and a status appears on the crystal tablet above our heads.

Name  Weiss

Occupation  Sage

Lv  1

HP  1000

MP  1000

Status

Life  100

Endurance  100

Toughness  100

Spirit  100

Resistance  100

Agility  100

Basic Skills

Divine Wisdom

The new students started cheering, “Oooooooohhhh!” and a roar of joy erupted.

“Amazing, a Sage? That’s a high level job right there!”

“And most of his stats are 100! Since 10 is considered average, he’s simply a monster!”

“On top of that, your skill is so badass! It’s divine skill!”

The principal and vice principal are both overjoyed.

“Well, that’s wonderful! Weiss will be the first child prodigy since the beginning of our school!”

“Yes! I’m sure his classmates who are watching this will give him a lot of support!”

Weiss fixes his square glasses with his fingertips and smiles.

“Don’t be so surprised yet, everybody. I’m not the only one in 1-20 class who’s great.

Let me introduce you to my wonderful friend! First up is Leopin!”

As he suddenly calls my name, I become dazed, but my friends push me to go up the stage. Weiss shakes my hand and says proudly to the new students below,

“Leopin is very good with his hands! Look at the pendant around my neck!

It’s a gift from Leopin to our class as a token of friendship!

As long as I have this pendant, our friendship will last forever!

Come on, Leopin, let’s show everyone what you can do!”

Half embarrassed and half happy, I make my way to the statue.

To tell the truth, I’d been nervous about my status since yesterday.

I wondered what would happen if my status was not good enough.

But I felt like an idiot for worrying about that.

Because I have my friends.

No matter what my status is, our bonds will never be shaken.

Because we are “friends forever”!

I place my hand on the crystal ball with the hopes of many of my friends.

Name Leopin

Occupation None

Lv 1

HP 10

MP 10

Status

Life 1(fixed)

Endurance 1(fixed)

Toughness 1(fixed)

Spirit 1(fixed)

Resistance 1(fixed)

Agility 1(fixed)

Concentration 1(fixed)

Strength 1(fixed)

Magic 1(fixed)

Dharma 1(fixed)

Intelligence 1(fixed)

Liberal Arts 1(fixed)

Five Senses 1(fixed)

Sixth Sense 1(fixed)

Charm 1(fixed)

Luck 1(fixed)

Dexterity 2000

Basic Skills

Poor Dexterity (Jack of all trades, master of none)

The hall goes completely silent.

Then someone says.

“Eh? Occupation ‘none’? Does that mean he is jobless?”

“The statuses are mostly 1 ……

And since it’s ‘fixed’, it looks like his status won’t increase even when he levels up!”

“Even so, it is too bad that there is only “dexterity” which is basically a useless status!”

“And the skill looks bad as well. It is completely useless!”

Suddenly, I hear a snap, as if something was ripped.

When I look, I see that Weiss had torn off the pendant around his neck with all his might.

Weiss drops the pendant to his feet and steps on it.

“Well, now then, let me introduce you to my wonderful companion! The mighty Monsoon!”

“Oh, I’ve been waiting for this!” says his classmate Monsoon, running up to the stage.

The pendant is no longer around his neck as well.

He isn’t the only one.

All my classmates who are waiting for their turn are not wearing my pendant either.

My head goes blank.

As I stand there in front of the statue of the goddess, I hear footsteps approaching.

“Get out of the way, you piece of trash!”

Monsoon, the strongest student in my class, easily lifts me up and throws me off the stage.

I am blown up like a real piece of trash and slam into the wall at the edge of the hall.

I roll around on the ground like a stone that’s been kicked away.

But no one is paying attention to me anymore.