Right after the first notification, the golden screen flickered and a second line of text appeared.
> [Bonus Reward]
> 1x Rare Martial Soul Tier Enhancement Potion.
Ran's eyes widened, and his heart skipped a beat. A Tier Enhancement Potion! In the game, this was an incredibly valuable item used to force a martial soul to evolve to the next tier. However, there was a strict rule: the potion only worked on the tier it belonged to. Because this was a Rare potion, it could only be used to upgrade a Rare tier soul into an Epic tier soul. It wouldn't work on a Normal soul, nor would it work on an Epic soul.
It was absolutely perfect for Mia. Ran was thrilled. He didn't have to wait to find a way to make his sister stronger; he could do it right now!
But before that, he wanted to see what the summon ticket would give him.
Ran quickly closed the golden screen before anyone could notice his odd expression. "Mom, Dad, Mia," Ran said, putting on a big smile. "Because I just became the Lord of this Private World and awakened my soul inside it, the World gave me a special 'Lord's Reward'."
Ran used the Lord title as a perfect excuse. He didn't want to explain his past life or his Unique System to his family; it would just confuse and worry them.
"A Lord's Reward?" Randolf asked in surprise. "What is it?"
"It gave me two things. The first is a Summon Ticket," Ran explained. He opened his normal inventory and pulled out the golden paper ticket.
Ran knew all about summoning. Back on Earth, in the game, summoning was just like a gacha system. You used tickets or premium currency to pull random items or even living units out of thin air to help you. Everything in the game had a tier: Normal, Rare, Epic, Legend, Mythic, Divine, and finally, the most powerful of all, Rebirth. Ran had spent almost every penny he had on Earth trying to pull Rebirth tier items, so he knew exactly how this worked.
"System, use the Rare Artifact Summon Ticket," Ran commanded out loud.
The golden ticket slipped out of Ran's fingers and floated into the air. It spun around, suddenly bursting into a bright, beautiful blue light. In this world, blue was the color that represented the Rare tier.
When the light faded, a golden bracelet dropped neatly into Ran's open hand. The metal was beautifully carved, and it constantly emitted a faint, soft blue glow.
> [Item:] Strength Bracelet
> [Tier:] Rare
> [Effect:] Adds +20 to the Strength Attribute when worn.
> [Note:] This item can be Reforged.
"Wow, it's a Strength Bracelet," Ran said, holding it up for his family to see. "It instantly adds 20 points to your physical strength. And the best part is that it can be reforged later."
"Reforged? What does that mean, big brother?" Mia asked, leaning over the table to look at the shiny jewelry.
"Reforging is a special skill," Ran explained simply. "If we find the right materials or another similar item later, a blacksmith can melt them together to upgrade this bracelet to the Epic tier. It means this item won't become useless when we get stronger."
Ran turned to his father and held out the bracelet. "Dad, I want you to wear this."
Randolf blinked, stepping back. "Me? No, Ran. You need it the most."
"Dad, listen to me," Ran said seriously. "You need to sell our second batch of Spiritual Blade Grass. You will be carrying a lot of money. The city can be dangerous, and people get greedy. I have my Chaos Armor for defense. You need this extra strength to protect yourself and Mom. Please."
Randolf looked at the glowing blue bracelet, then at his wife. Aurora gave him a gentle nod.
"Alright, son," Randolf said, his voice thick with emotion. He took the bracelet and slid it onto his wrist. Instantly, Randolf's muscles tensed, and he let out a surprised breath as the magical strength flowed into his body. "I feel... incredibly light. Thank you, Ran."
"Okay, now for the best part," Ran grinned. He opened his inventory again and pulled out a small glass bottle filled with swirling, glowing blue liquid.
"What is that?" Aurora asked.
"This is the second Lord's Reward," Ran said, looking directly at his little sister. "It is a Rare Martial Soul Tier Enhancement Potion. Mia, if you drink this, your Butterfly soul will evolve from Rare to Epic."
The whole room went dead silent. Evolving a martial soul was something poor families like theirs only dreamed of.
"For me?" Mia gasped, her hands flying to her mouth.
"Drink it," Ran encouraged, pulling the cork out and handing it to her.
Mia didn't hesitate. She took the bottle and drank the glowing liquid. The moment she swallowed it, the blue butterfly floating above her head suddenly shined as bright as a star. The blue light slowly shifted, turning into a deep, rich purple—the color of the Epic tier! The butterfly grew slightly larger, and its wings began to leave a trail of sparkling purple dust.
Mia closed her eyes as a new system screen popped up for her. When she opened them, she was crying happy tears. "It worked! My soul is now the Epic tier Spirit Queen Butterfly! My skills upgraded too! My Healing Dust now cures poisons, my Flutter Dodge leaves behind two fake butterflies instead of one, and my Pollen Cloud now paralyzes enemies for three seconds!"
Ran smiled warmly. His family was finally stepping out of the mud. They were getting stronger.
***
The next day, Ran walked toward his high school with a relaxed posture. A lot had changed in just a few days. He was now Level 10 and had two powerful skills. Compared to the other students his age, he had completely left them in the dust; most of his classmates were probably stuck at Level 5.
Ran knew exactly why. Leveling up required money.
If you wanted to level up fast and safely, you hired a party of strong, professional hunters to protect you while you killed monsters. But that cost a fortune. Even just stepping out of the safe city required money—you had to pay an exit gate fee, an entry fee to the wild forests, and travel expenses. This was why poor families, like his parents, were stuck at Level 9 for their entire lives. The poor stayed poor because they couldn't afford to hunt; the rich got stronger because they could buy safe levels.
Of course, solo leveling was much faster because you didn't share the experience with a party, but solo leveling without money for good gear meant almost certain death. Now, Ran didn't have to worry about that.
As Ran walked through the school gates, two arms wrapped heavily around his shoulders.
"Ran! My man!" Ken laughed loudly, while Leo grinned on his other side.
"Hey guys," Ran smiled, easily carrying their weight.
"Did you do it? Did you sign up for the internships?" Leo asked quickly. "Ken and I put our names down for five different security guard internships this morning. You have to sign up for as many as possible because the competition is crazy!"
"I didn't sign up," Ran said, pretending to sigh. "You guys know me. I'm too useless for guard duty. They wouldn't pick me anyway."
"Stop saying that!" Ken frowned, shaking Ran's shoulder. "You aren't useless. You just have to try! Come on, we'll go with you to the office right now and help you fill out the papers."
"Yeah, man, don't give up," Leo added kindly. "We want all three of us working together."
Ran felt a warm feeling in his chest. His friends really cared about him. "Thanks, guys. But seriously, I have another plan. Don't worry about me."
Before Ken and Leo could argue further, the school bell rang loud and clear. It was time for morning training.
The three boys hurried inside and changed into their training clothes. The school was moving fast this week. The instructors from the Academy were here to assess the students. At the end of the week, those who impressed the instructors would receive an invitation to their respective academy.
Ran, Ken, and Leo hurried into the massive indoor gym.
Suddenly, the heavy gym doors opened, and the room went completely quiet.
A new instructor walked in. He looked entirely different from Instructor Hara, who had tested their weapon skills yesterday. This man wore simple, flowing orange robes, looking exactly like an ancient monk. He was bald, with a calm, peaceful face. But despite his gentle look, Ran could feel a heavy, suffocating pressure radiating from the man.
The students murmured in awe. Another Level 100 powerhouse!
Master Kael stopped in the center of the gym and bowed politely to the students. "Good morning, students. I am Master Kael. Yesterday, Instructor Hara tested your ability to handle weapons, but a weapon is useless if the body holding it cannot move."
Master Kael's voice was soft, but it echoed clearly in everyone's ears. "Today, I will test your body movements and your natural survival instincts. Because of the nature of my test, this gym will not be enough."
The monk smiled calmly. "Please, follow me to the school's back mountain. We are changing venues."
The students followed Master Kael out of the gym and walked toward the school's open field. Waiting for them was a sleek, silver aircraft.
In this era, human technology was flourishing alongside magic and awakening. The aircraft looked like a modern jet mixed with a mini spaceship. It hovered silently just a few inches off the ground. The school used these advanced transports for small, quick trips because they were incredibly fast and safe.
Ran, Ken, and Leo boarded the ship along with the rest of the nervous students. The engines hummed quietly, and within seconds, they were lifting into the sky.
Looking out the large glass windows, Ran could see the back mountain of the school approaching fast. Near the top of the mountain, a massive flat area had been cleared out.
"Look down there!" Leo pointed, pressing his face against the glass.
Ran looked down. A wide, square arena was set up in the middle of the field. It was surrounded by a tall, thick metal fence to keep whatever was inside from getting out. Scattered everywhere inside the arena were giant boulders, each one taller than a grown man. It looked like a rocky maze.
But it wasn't the rocks that caught the students' attention. It was the monsters roaming around them.
As the jet landed smoothly just outside the metal fence, the students filed out. When they got a closer look at the beasts through the metal bars, almost everyone turned pale.
The monsters were giant rats. They were easily half the size of a human, with thick, muscular legs and heavily built arms. They walked upright on their back legs, glaring at the students with glowing red eyes.
"Are those... Pac Rats?" Ken swallowed hard, taking a step back.
"Yes, they are," Master Kael said calmly, stepping to the front of the group. "For those who do not know, these are Pac Rats. They are a unique variant of monster. Oddly enough, they do not fight like normal animals. They prefer to punch and kick. And trust me, they are very good at it. A single punch from a Pac Rat can break a normal human's ribs. They only use their teeth for the finishing blow when their prey is already beaten to the ground."
Some of the girls whimpered, and a few boys started to shake. These weren't basic slime monsters; these were brutal, brawling beasts.
Master Kael's peaceful face suddenly turned serious. His heavy, Level 100 aura pressed down on the students, making it hard to breathe.
"You are Awakeners," Master Kael's voice boomed, completely different from his soft tone earlier. "You have awakened your souls to fight for humanity. Do not cower before a mere beast! Out there in the real world, monsters will not hesitate to rip you apart. If you cannot face a caged rat, you have no business calling yourself an Awakener."
He pointed a finger toward the path leading down the mountain. "If you are too afraid, you can retreat now. But if you walk away, do not bother coming to school tomorrow. You will be expelled."
Nobody moved. Nobody wanted to be expelled, even if they were terrified.
"Good," Master Kael nodded, his aura pulling back. "Now, here is the deal. You will enter the arena one by one. Your goal is simple: survive. You can dodge their attacks as much as you can, or you can choose to fight back."
The monk walked over to a terminal near the gate. "I will be watching closely. If a beast knocks you down and goes in for the finishing bite, I will step in and save you. But the moment I save you, your test is over. Whatever points you have accumulated will be locked."
Master Kael raised three fingers to explain the rules clearly.
"First, every successful dodge and every solid attack you land on a Pac Rat is counted as a point. Second, if you are strong enough to actually kill one, you get to keep all the Experience Points (EXP) for yourself. Any loot or items the beast drops are also yours to keep."
The students murmured, a little bit of greed mixing with their fear. Free EXP and loot without having to pay a wild forest entry fee? That was a rare opportunity.
"The points you earn will determine your ranking for this test," Master Kael continued, a small, mysterious smile appearing on his face. "And ranking high is very important. Because the reward for the top three students is this..."