Just when I thought I could finally relax and take a break, the screen flickered to life once again, displaying Instructor A's face.

"Oh wait, I almost forgot something! Silly me, let me explain your status windows further," she laughed at her own mistake. "This status window is like your guide. You can see how strong you are, track your abilities, and more."

Abilities? I frowned, wondering if I had missed something important. How strong am I, anyway?

"Try saying 'status window'," she urged excitedly. Curiosity piqued, I repeated, "Status window." Immediately, a translucent screen appeared before me, larger this time, showing my personal details along with a strange new set of stats.

[Name: Hoon Ravi]

[Age: 16]

[Height: 5'9 (175 cm)]

[Weight: 130 lbs (59 kg)]

[An evil person who does mischievous deeds. A mysterious past, with rumors of extorting money from students.]

[Tall, slim build, dark circles under his eyes, black hair with a red streak in the middle.]

My private information was on display, and the descriptions made my stomach twist. An evil person? What the heck do they know about me? I could feel panic rise, my heart pounding as I stared at the words. The details about my evil deeds were unnerving, and my past—one I'd long tried to forget—was now a part of my identity for everyone to see.

Underneath, my stats were laid out, looking almost like something from a video game.

[Status]

[Strength: 54 (D)]

[Speed: 59 (D)]

[Wisdom: 90 (C)]

[Tenacity: 39 (D-)]

I stared at my numbers, still grappling with my initial shock.

"See your stats now?" Instructor A's voice broke through my thoughts. "The order from weakest to strongest goes like this: D < C < B < A < S, and so on. If you get B or above, you're considered strong. If it's lower than that, don't worry! You can still upgrade your stats with Karma points. Try pressing the '+' button."

So, my stats are weak, huh? No surprise there. I clicked the '+' button, hoping to upgrade something. A message popped up before me:

[Insufficient Karma Points]

I froze. Then it hit me. My Karma was negative because of the -25 I had from my earlier mistakes. That meant I couldn't purchase anything—no upgrades, no tools, nothing. I sighed heavily, regretting how I'd used Sakura as a shield before. I needed to be kinder if I wanted to earn Karma points back.

Instructor A's voice broke through my thoughts again, "Fascinating, right? You can feel yourself getting stronger once you upgrade your stats, can't you?" Her enthusiasm was almost contagious. "Oh, and do you want to know about your Karma? It's accumulated from all your past actions—good or bad. Bad deeds like shoplifting, cheating, or even just being a jerk… they take away Karma points. So if you've been evil, expect your Karma to drop. It can even go negative, meaning you can't use Karma points anymore. But don't worry! You can earn it back by doing good deeds."

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

The mention of bad deeds made my stomach churn. I knew I wasn't exactly a saint, but hearing it laid out so bluntly made me anxious. Still, I found some comfort in knowing that there was a way to recover my Karma.

Instructor A continued, her voice light and teasing, "If you're a saint, don't be too surprised if your Karma is high! But be careful how you spend it. There's a shop button in your status window, so you can use your Karma points there too!"

I hesitated, knowing I couldn't shop with my current Karma, but I clicked the Shop button anyway, curious about what was available. The screen displayed several items:

[Shop]

[Food: 25 Karma Points]

[Dragon Tail: 100 Karma Points]

[Sword: 500 Karma Points]

[Evolution Stone: 1000 Karma Points]

The Evolution Stone was the most expensive, but it seemed like something I might need in the future. For now, I couldn't even dream of getting it, though.

"Do you get it now?" Instructor A's voice was gleeful. "If you want to see your current Karma, just say 'Show Karma'!"

My heart raced at the thought. I had done a lot of bad things over the years, and now I was about to see the consequences. I wiped the sweat off my forehead, took a deep breath, and gathered the courage to say, "Show Karma."

The numbers that appeared made my heart drop. A cold shiver ran down my spine as I saw the dreadful total:

[Karma: -4938]

It was worse than I had imagined. I stood frozen, my thoughts swirling with memories of everything I'd done wrong. Faces of people I had hurt flashed through my mind. My past was haunting me, like a bloodstain on my hands that wouldn't wash away.

I couldn't help but wonder: How could I recover from this? But no. There had to be a way. I was Hoon, the self-proclaimed Master of Misery, but now, maybe, there was a light at the end of this dark tunnel.

Suddenly, I heard a chuckle from the baldy standing nearby. He looked at me and asked, "Hey, your face looks horrible. How much Karma do you have?"

I couldn't tell him the truth. Not with the way he was mocking me. I straightened my posture, calmed my breathing, and looked him square in the eyes. "I have 500 Karma," I lied smoothly. "What about you?"

He blinked in surprise but didn't suspect anything. "Oh, shoot, your Karma is higher than mine. But I won't tell you my Karma, since I'm not as dumb as you." He chuckled arrogantly.

"Dumbass," I muttered under my breath. I had a good feeling his Karma was below 500. And as for mine? It wasn't 500. But who was really the fool here?

Just then, a cloaked figure appeared on the screen, the same mysterious person from before—the instructor's bodyguard. The baldy immediately recognized the cloak. "Hey, isn't that one of the little kid's bodyguards? I remember that cloak!"

The figure removed their cloak and hood, revealing a stunning woman with brown hair, wearing a dress straight out of a fantasy novel, complete with a witch's hat and staff. She looked every bit the part of a powerful sorceress.

"Wow, what a beauty," the baldy whispered, practically drooling.

The woman spoke, her voice smooth and calming, like a cool breeze on a hot day. "Hello, everyone. I'm Cyanide."

"I'm here to explain your 'Gifts'," she continued. "These are abilities unique to each person, born from your personality and past experiences. My Gift is 'Summon Beasts'. I can summon monsters, like the goblin you saw earlier. I'm sorry for that."

The baldy practically worshiped her. "Don't worry, milady, it's fine. You're so gorgeous after all," he said, his voice dripping with infatuation. I couldn't help but roll my eyes.

Cyanide continued, "Now, I'm going to show you a video of Instructor A using her Gift: 'Solaris Command'. This ability lets her draw energy from the sun and control light."

The screen shifted, showing Instructor A floating in the air. Her small form was barely visible, but her golden hair radiated like the sun. In front of her was a massive dragon, but she remained unfazed.

"Celestial Swordfall!" she called out, and suddenly, a barrage of massive light swords appeared behind her. With a single motion, she commanded them to strike, and the dragon was instantly pierced, collapsing in defeat.

Instructor A appeared on the screen, beaming with pride. "Hmph! See that? You're lucky to have me as your instructor! After all, I'm the strongest!"

I couldn't help but be in awe. She was undeniably powerful. But I was still in shock. Dragons were real?

Cyanide appeared on screen once more. "Now, we're going to give each of you a Gift Orb. This orb will grant you a unique Gift based on your personality and past. But be warned, you can only use it once."

A mysterious orb materialized before me, and I hesitated for a moment before opening it.

[Gift Orb]

[Grants the user their 'Gift' based on their personality and accumulated past experiences. Note: Can only be used once.]

The orb glowed brightly, nearly blinding me with its light. When it subsided, a message appeared:

[Congratulations, You got your Gift]

[Gift: The Art of Trickery]

[Description: You can control emotions, perceive people's perspectives, and deceive others. Note: Unlocks skills using the stat 'Misery'.]

[New stat unlocked! Misery]

[Description: You earn Misery for every mischievous act you commit, but be warned, it will further lower your Karma.]

I stared at the screen,

trying to process everything. This was it. My Gift. The Art of Trickery. It was perfect. But at what cost?