The city streets might have been filled with chaos, screaming, and confused people running everywhere, but none of it seemed to disturb the peaceful passage of time inside Ian's classroom.
"In the summer of 1942, Hitler launched 'Operation Blue,' intending to capture the Caucasus oil fields and cut off the Soviet Union's oil supply." The history teacher's voice was like white noise, lulling people to sleep.
Many students suffering from insomnia found relief from their condition. As for Ian, even if he listened carefully, he couldn't gain [Student] profession EXP for knowledge he had already learned.
He was thinking.
He was contemplating whether his Superman father had truly successfully saved the passengers in the plane crash, and if so, how could there still be the sounds and smoke of a plane exploding outside?
Ian was quietly distracted.
Next to him, Madison was using colored markers to doodle in her textbook. She had drawn President Washington's clothes as a dress and added two cat ears to his head.
"How about it?" Madison proudly pushed the textbook over.
"Doesn't it look much better than before?"
Her attempt at conversation was met with no response from Ian. The blonde girl was used to it and began defacing the highly controversial Nixon of American history.
Neither of them was paying attention, but the teacher didn't manage them either.
After all, straight-A students don't need managing, and slackers... naturally don't need managing either. Public school teachers were only paid so much a month, so why bother worrying so much about the students' coursework?
Just like that.
The class quickly passed.
[You seriously engaged in logical deduction. Although there was no result, it still consumed a fair amount of brain cells. Student profession EXP +1]
Although Ian hadn't figured out why his Superman father would allow a plane to crash, he wasn't without gain. The System's behavior was still just as abstract.
"I've genuinely worried myself sick over Metropolis, and I only get this little EXP? That's not much of a cheat." Of course, Ian's own level of abstraction was no less potent.
Noon arrived.
The cafeteria was as noisy as a wet market, but the area around Ian's seat was strangely quiet. Several girls pretended to walk by, secretly glancing at him, while the boys either looked at his lunch tray with jealousy or helplessness.
For the same price, Ian's food portion was nearly double everyone else's.
"What the hell." Sam Winchester, a tall, skinny boy from the next class, sat across the long table from Ian, staring at the small mountain of fried chicken on Ian's tray.
"How do you do that?"
He frowned, seemingly completely baffled.
"It's very simple. You just have to smile at the lunch ladies and wish them a good afternoon. They can feel your pure kindness and will return their goodwill to you."
Ian was never the type to hoard secrets and was always willing to share. However, his sincere experience and summary only brought a stiff smile to Sam Winchester's face.
"My brother said something similar, but is there a way that doesn't rely so much on personal performance?" Sam Winchester awkwardly asked. He was actually a handsome young man, but he didn't seem very confident in his "character model."
"Yes."
Ian nodded.
His response brought an expectant look to Sam Winchester's face.
"If you pay more, you can also get more food."
Ian set up his cutlery, his tone sincere. However, Sam Winchester's expression remained gloomy. The boy picked up his tray and went to another table, muttering phrases like "damn world" under his breath.
"What a strange classmate."
Ian shook his head, lowered his head, and began to devour his food fiercely. He was currently like a hungry ghost reborn and naturally had to focus on eating.
The afternoon classes were also very simple, at least for Ian. He used time management methods to study other knowledge and still managed to gain a few points of [Student] profession EXP.
When the dismissal bell rang, the students burst out of the classroom like beasts released from a cage. Ian's deskmate, Madison, was slowly packing her school bag.
"Oh, right."
As if she had just remembered something, she took out a small gift box from her bag. "This is a gift I brought you from Los Angeles. Remember to make me a separate answer sheet for next month's exam, okay?"
The girl handed the gift to Ian.
"That's not an answer sheet; it's just that my scope of predicted questions is quite accurate." Ian corrected her unethical wording while accepting the gift box.
"It's all the same."
Madison shrugged indifferently.
She watched Ian open the gift box—inside lay an ancient-looking pendant. It was a cross pendant, but it was completely black, its material resembling some kind of bone, and it felt cold to the touch.
The chain of the entire pendant was thin but tough, subtly shimmering with a dark silver luster.
"Even though it's a cheap item, I just feel like it's special. Maybe it's worth a lot of money." Madison was exaggerating the gift's value, but she likely had a small hope of finding a treasure.
Humans.
They are all like that.
"The texture is quite good." Ian originally intended to casually put it in his pocket, but under his deskmate's expectant gaze, he somewhat reluctantly put it on his neck.
The size was just right.
Just as Ian was wondering if Madison had secretly measured his neck to know its size, his expression suddenly froze in surprise.
"What the hell?"
Ian was extremely puzzled.
He saw.
A new marker had quietly appeared above the rage bar at the bottom of his vision—[Slow Corrosion]. This negative status would deduct one health point from him every minute. Of course, since he didn't have a mana bar or a health bar, Ian could only roughly assume that the pendant was secretly draining his blood.
He was surprised at first.
Then.
A feeling of joy arose in his heart. This might be a terrifying curse for others, but for him, a Berserker, it was a very suitable "beginner artifact."
"This is a great gift."
Ian praised it sincerely.
"Of course it's great. Look at whose taste it is... it completely washes away your nerdy vibe." Madison continued her vain self-praise.
However.
She noticed Ian's gaze was profound, staring at her for a long time.
"What's wrong?"
Madison frowned and asked.
"Nothing." Ian saw her bewildered expression and impatient tone and realized that she probably didn't know about the pendant's unusual nature.
"Little delinquent, you really have some weird luck on you." Ian sighed with emotion, waved at Madison, and turned to leave the classroom under the increasingly confused gaze of the blonde girl.
"Oh, right, thank you."
He turned back, gave her a hug, and then left the classroom again.
"..."
The usually outgoing Madison was completely baffled by Ian. She was utterly confused by his actions and only snapped back to reality after a while.
"If anyone ever told me this guy was an alien blending into Earth, I wouldn't be surprised." The blonde girl sighed sincerely.
She adjusted her clothes.
Then, carrying her modified stylish bag, she also left the classroom. The empty classroom was very silent. A moment later, a ripple of distortion suddenly appeared in the air.
Behold.
A bizarre pupil "squeezed" out of the space.
"Where is my sacrifice? Where is that high-quality sacrifice of mine?" The twisted, crimson pupil rotated rapidly, emitting a sound of confusion and slight exasperation.