"If you kill us, you'll face the consequences from the family head," a boy warned, his knife poised defensively as he scanned the area for any approaching monsters. He appeared around eight years old.
"Oh, Orion, even if we can’t kill you, I’m sure the monsters will," Cyan taunted, pointing to the creatures encircling the group. Despite the group of vicious monsters, they didn’t seem hostile to Ibuki and Cyan. Ibuki was a girl with long black hair and black irises, while Cyan had similarly dark features but with shorter hair.
The other three children could only watch in horror as the twin girls, both around eight years old, smiled menacingly.
"Tristan, save me!" Xinjie cried as a wolf yanked at her leg. Her deep blue hair was matted with dirt, and her clear black eyes were filled with fear.
"I don’t wanna die!" Xinjie screamed, unleashing a massive sonic wave. The soundwave struck the horde of monsters, turning them into minced meat and sending some flying. Miraculously, none of the children were harmed by the wave. Ibuki and Cyan were momentarily stunned, their defenses still up.
"We might have a chance," Orion said, a glimmer of hope in his eyes. The sonic wave was unmistakable—Xinjie was a Bard.
Bards might lack physical strength, but their power lies in their voice. They could use their screams to make minds explode and ears bleed or sing to charm monsters into submission or even make them self-destruct. When a Bard learns to wield an instrument, the effects can be even more powerful. Despite their physical weakness, Bards are often more dangerous than any Class from F to A.
"Xinjie, use your beatbox!" Tristan shouted as he fought off the monsters with his broadsword.
Struggling to stand with her injured leg, Xinjie clutched a crystal ball that exploded into a cloud of dust. The dust coalesced into a floating DJ stand, with music notes swirling around her. Xinjie’s eyes met the stunned twins, their expressions a mix of shock and disbelief.
"Activate Class {Bard}."
A light green glow surrounded Xinjie as music notes floated around her, her eyes locked on the twins with determination.
"Well, let's see what you’ve got," the twins smirked, eagerly awaiting Xinjie’s next move.
Xinjie quickly placed a music CD onto her beatbox and declared, "{Beat Rush}." Instantly, a powerful sonic wave burst from her beatbox, obliterating the monsters within a 100 meter radius. All that remained was the acrid stench of blood; the corpses had vanished.
But the battle was far from over. A massive black and red snake, five meters long, emerged and coiled around Cyan.
"What the hell?" Xinjie, Tristan, and Orion gasped, stunned by the sight of the enormous snake.
The trio stood paralyzed with fear, unable to act as Xinjie’s MP had been exhausted from the earlier spell.
"Sister Ibuki, they actually thought they could hurt us," Cyan chuckled, eyeing the snake and patting it gently.
"It’s quite laughable, really," Ibuki now the snake replied, looking down at the three children with a smug expression.
"From the power you displayed, you must be a level 10 Bard—a genius for your age," Ibuki said, acknowledging Xinjie’s prowess.
"Impressive, but not enough to face us," Cyan grinned, mounting Ibuki's back. The two of them slithered away, leaving the children behind.
"A Beast Tamer and a Beast Shifter," Orion murmured, trembling as he tried to make sense of the situation.
____________
In a theater-like room filled with parents, three figures stood out: Yue and Lena, sitting at the back, facing the ire of a group of irate parents.
"What’s the meaning of this?" a burly, handsome man with dark grey eyes demanded, glaring at Yue and Lena.
"Oh, come on," Yue replied with a sweet but firm tone, "This isn’t our doing. The children are just playing a game; we don’t control their actions in the Rift."
"Calm down, Cousin Hector. It’s just a simple game between our children," Lena sneered, a smug grin on his face. The parents' anger was palpable as they glared at the two, their children having narrowly escaped death.
If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
"It’s not our fault your children are so weak," Lena shrugged nonchalantly, his lips curling into a slight smile.
"Lena, shut your goddamn mouth and fight me if you dare!" one of the women yelled, rising to her feet. Her delicate fair skin contrasted with her long black hair, and her bright blue eyes glared at the man with disdain. She conjured a long spear from thin air, aiming it directly at Lena's head.
"You can't hurt me," Lena grinned, unfazed by the woman's fury.
"You son of a…," she spat, withdrawing her spear in frustration.
(Author’s Note: You might be wondering about the ranking system in this world, so let me clarify. F-rank is considered the weakest Job Class, often seen as useless. However, these seemingly weak classes have the potential to evolve into higher forms within their category, such as a Lancer evolving into a Lancer Cavalry. When a human evolves their class, they experience a significant boost in their abilities, becoming much stronger. The highest rank is SSS.
SSS-ranked individuals can single-handedly destroy entire nations, which is why every country seeks to recruit them. Anyway, enough of that—let’s get back to the story.)
---
"BZZZZZZZZ…"
A distorted signal buzzed in Alka and Kaguya's head, causing them to wear a panicked expression.
"What was that?" she thought, trying to make sense of what was happening.
"I'm wondering shit that myself," Kaguya declared coldly.
It felt as if someone was trying to connect with her. She frowned, pacing back and forth, but the signal quickly faded.
Though she didn't like it one bit, the signal that had tried to reach her was dangerous. Someone—or something—frightening was attempting to send a message to the Black Gemaris Jewels.
"System, do you have any idea what's happening?" Kaguya asked, his voice echoing in the void.
[Unfortunately, the system has no leads on what that distorted signal was.]
"I guess we just have to wait and see," Kguya mumbled to himself sitting back down on his chair and watching Iris, whiles Alka settled onto a black, comfy cloud and rested.
* * *
"Hah, a new day," Iris greeted as she stretched, easing out the stiffness from sleeping on the comfy floating cloth they’d used through the night.
"We’d better catch some monsters," Krumi suggested, scanning the area for any signs of danger.
"Yes! And this time, Iris will help," Iris said, full of motivation.
"As if you can with that tiny body of yours," Tael teased.
"Don't insult Iris! Iris can do something!!" Iris pouted, her eyes welling up as she fought back tears.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Let’s get going. We’ve been here too long; our scent might attract monsters," Tael said, scratching his head as he started moving forward.
"Isn't that a good thing? We can catch plenty now," Sheila beamed, clasping her hands together.
"It's not! We won't just be attracting one monster, but a whole group or pack! And I don't know how the monsters in this rift behave, but they’re definitely more terrifying than you can imagine. But… it’s a good idea," Tael admitted, his frown slowly turning into a smirk.
"Indeed, why don’t we set a trap?" Ozymandias suggested, and everyone nodded in agreement.
This would make things easier—traps could catch the monsters off guard, making it easier to kill many at once. The simplest yet most effective method.
"However, we need to know each other's Job Class to set up a proper formation," Ozymandias said, casting a suspicious glance at everyone.
"That's not a problem; I'm an Electro Mage," Krumi said, raising her hand.
"I'm a Pyromancer," Sheila added, gripping her sword.
"And I’m a Wizard," Ozymandias declared, closing his eyes as if deep in thought.
Tael, Krumi, and Sheila immediately tensed, exchanging nervous glances. A Wizard at his age? Impossible.
"He's not lying," Tael confirmed, staring at Ozymandias.
"You're a System User, aren't you?" Ozymandias asked, his gaze fixed on Tael.
"Aren't you one as well?" Tael grinned back, meeting Ozymandias’s eyes.
Krumi and Sheila were stunned, but Iris seemed unfazed, thinking it was normal.
System Users were special individuals who gained their title upon meeting certain mysterious requirements. No one knew exactly how the system was created or how one could obtain it, but only about 1 in a ten thousand people could receive this title, along with all the benefits it brought.
System Users were often ranked as A Class Heroes or even SSS Class Heroes. Those with a System didn’t need Tina—the standard method—to check their Class, Level, or skills. This was a significant advantage since, once you visited the Hero’s Organization, no skills or powers remained secret after Tina revealed them. But the most remarkable benefit of being a System User was the ability to buy skills from the system with points, unlike regular people who gained skills only by leveling up.
What was even more shocking was that no one knew the true limit of a System User’s power.
"I have one question, though. Why can’t I see her stats?" Ozymandias asked, perplexed as he focused his gaze, trying to evaluate Iris.
"I have no idea myself," Tael replied with a shrug. Even someone as powerful as him couldn’t see her stats, a phenomenon he had only encountered once before.
"Also, I'm a Necromancer," Tael added proudly.
Krumi and Sheila were now in double shock. It wasn’t just that the two Classes were powerful—they were incredibly rare. Wizards were often considered weak because it was difficult to control more than three elements at once, and even the slightest mistake could render their spells useless. However, a Wizard could become extraordinarily powerful class if they mastered all the elements, though no one had ever achieved such mastery. This was why the Wizard Class had been downgraded to a Human Class Job.
Mages, on the other hand, could only master one element—no more, no less—making their training more straightforward. Mastery depended on the individual, and Mages could specialize as Pyromancers, Geomancers, or Cryomancers.
Necromancers, however, were even more strange. The Class was categorized as a Human Class simply because no one had ever encountered a true Necromancer. Ancient texts found in dungeons described Necromancers as individuals aligned with evil, capable of summoning dead souls to fight for them. They were known for their cruelty, but it would be unfair to judge someone’s character solely based on ancient writings, wouldn’t it?