The objects were heavy at my palms. The countdown was still at three, but nothing happened. I had so much going on in my head, but the adrenaline from the last few minutes prevented me from thinking about anything except the present.

When zero appeared before my eyes, a part of me expected a red lightning bolt to descend from the sky and transform me into one of those slime things kids enjoyed playing with.

Except it didn’t happen.

The insignias vanished from my hands as if they were made of ash. The table followed suit, and I waited in silence, hearing only my breath.

Ding!

The sound made me jump, and I almost fell on my ass.

Congratulations! You earned a new title!

[Smartass]: You’re good at text comprehension! You should be thankful you didn’t decide to pick three classes or you’d be fried by now. You were the first and only to pick two classes in the #966 Ascension Games!

Effects:

Passive: Magic, Mana, Speed, Strength upgraded 3 levels instantly.

Passive: Using an attack from a basic class after using one from the other will cause a critical strike with 50% more damage.

The words appeared inside a blue box before my eyes, and I read them several times, slowly comprehending all of it. I could be dead if I had been too greedy. It was the first thing that came to mind, but I was quick to shove it aside. It worked; I have two classes and a powerful effect. Being called a smartass by the system was a minor thing compared to the real accomplishment.

Another message popped before my eyes as I stood there, basking in being alive and apparently special now.

Rhia Sullivan just earned the [Goblin Slayer] title - Be the first to kill a goblin inside the proving grounds.

The message made it clear that my accomplishment had just appeared for everyone else. That could be dangerous. On the other hand, I knew I was probably going to face an enemy very soon.

I just need to discover how to actually use the classes.

The proving grounds didn’t give me the time to explore my new powers, however. From the end of the corridor, I heard stomping steps dashing toward me.

“How am I supposed to fight a monster with no weapons?” I asked out loud, closing my fists and preparing to fight whatever creature was about to appear on the horizon.

Something struggled against my closed fists—an invisible force desperately trying to open my palm.

I stopped fighting it after just a few seconds and watched in awe as a dagger appeared in my right hand and a wand in my left. When I looked at the first object, new boxes appeared.

Beginner’s Rogue Dagger: A reliable yet simple double-edged dagger.

A similar description appeared when I gazed upon the second weapon.

Beginner’s Magic Wand: A reliable yet simple magic wand.

The wand seemed to be removed from a Harry Potter movie. It was made of crooked wood and fit perfectly in my closed hand. Close to its point, a small crystal shone with a dim blue light.

The dagger had a black hilt and a ten-inch blade that glimmered with the lamp lights. Nothing about it screamed power, but I had survived enough fights to know this dagger could cut and thrust easily. A small shudder ran through my spine as I recalled the last time I had suffered under someones blade.

You are being watched.

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

You are being watched.

You are being watched.

I quickly found out I could shove the messages away with a turn of the eye as they kept coming and coming, spamming me with what seemed like endless lines of junk right now. I couldn’t see any cameras around, but I wasn’t really looking either. All my attention was devoted to the thing coming in my direction.

Soon its silhouette appeared in the distance.

It was small and it moved fast. The creature was close to five feet tall and ran in a somewhat gangly way. If it were in another situation, I’d probably laugh at the absurdity of it. It looked like I was being attacked by a gremlin straight out of an '80s movie, but the sword it carried gave off a glint from the light in the hallway and appeared sharp enough to make me take it seriously.

The monster’s skin was similar to leather, but it was gray as a rainy-day sky. It moved barefoot with simple clothes covering its legs and torso. Its ears were pointy like those of an elf, and its eyes were big, red, and filled with hate.

I had seen that burning murderous determination not long ago in that demon’s gaze. Just like before, I wasn’t going to budge.

I moved the wand toward the creature just like the mages did in the movies, but nothing happened. Honestly, I wasn’t expecting it to work, but I had to test it anyway. I kept the wand in my left hand and decided to move.

The goblin was smaller than me, but since I didn’t know how to use magic, it had the upper hand in reach with its bigger sword against my small dagger. I had to shorten the distance and make the first move.

Normally, the first to strike in a street fight was the one who won, and I doubted it was different with monsters. As soon as I started running toward it, the goblin showed surprise with its hairless eyebrows moving up. As if the acknowledgment of its surprise was a major offense, the goblin raised its sword and screamed in an incomprehensible language.

As soon as the sword rose, I knew it was too short to reach me in time. I would only need to guess the right angle it was going to strike. Reflex, not strength, was the most important aspect of a knife fight.

When we were just a few feet from each other, I caught a glimpse of the creature’s shoulder moving to my left. It’ll try to hit my right thigh.

I couldn’t stop the movement. I had to trust my instincts.

The blade came down, and I moved to the right. The sword hit the stone ground with a loud clang just as I stepped to the side, already descending the dagger toward the creature’s neck.

It struck true. I felt the dagger enter deep inside it. The creature gurgled, the sword falling to the ground. Its knees bent, and it looked at me with the corner of its eyes.

It’s dead.

The creature’s eyes reddened, blood veins popping as it screamed loudly. Its tiny hands moved toward my arms. The creature’s mouth gaped, and its crooked teeth were all wet with saliva. The monster seemed to enter a fit of rage, and all the strength I was forcing into the dagger wasn’t enough to stop it.

I heard flesh and muscle being torn apart, but the monster kept going. Its jaw snapped several times as its nails dug deep into my skin, marring my white work shirt with blood.

The only thing separating the small bastard from my throat was the wand I held firmly against its chest and the dagger against its neck. Turns out, whatever was fueling that bloodlust was more than my arms could take. Being strong wasn’t something I was known for.

Never giving up. That was something people always described as one of my biggest traits.

I gritted my teeth, pushing against my weapons. “Back off!” I grunted, feeling the adrenaline pushing my strength to the limit. “Just die!”

The words seemed to ignite something inside me, and a rush of energy traveled from my heart to my left hand and then to my magical wand. A strong light erupted from it, and then the monster was thrown away. A thunder exploded inside the tunnel, and the smell of burnt meat filled my nostrils.

Holy shit!

I had just thrown lightning at that creature.

The goblin crashed against one of the side walls and fell to the ground, its body limp and its eyes wide open. It was as dead as anyone could be.

Ding!

Congratulations! You defeated a Gray Goblin Level F9.

Congratulations! You passed the first challenge of the proving grounds!

Congratulations! Your Soul Core upgraded.

Calculating…

Speed upgraded.

Magic upgraded.

New stats:

Subject: Zach Walker.

Race: Human (Earth)

Class: Mage, Rogue.

Merged Class: Undergoing calculations.

General Rank: F9

Constitution F9

Magic F6

Mana F7

Speed F6

Strength F7

I had no way to know if the numbers were good or not, but I felt they were. A boost of three levels in three different attributes didn’t seem bad at all, and the numbers seemed to go from nine to one, or maybe zero, so there was a limited amount of progress to achieve. Was it the end of Rank A or Rank S? Some video games even had SSS as a rank. That, however, was a question for the future. The message that appeared for me after the upgrades was way more important.

You are in a personalized area of the proving grounds. Outside, the other seven towers await you.

This test has three floors filled with challenges, the last one being a boss.

There are only two hundred bosses on each proving ground and one thousand competitors.

The first two hundred people or parties that defeat them will continue in the challenge.

If only two hundred players remain (counting the winners), the challenge will be suspended and the victors will be sent to the outside world. You can decide for yourselves if you’re going to join forces to fight or eliminate the competition.

Remember: There’s no place for the weak in the multiverse.