Manny Okoro, the giant of a man who was still stuck in a coma, had never been much of an academic. Although he paid attention in classes, he didn’t study much outside of school and was the type of student who always asked the maths teacher why quadratic equations were helpful for his future. His parents had urged him to do better than his peers, but he always did the bare minimum and was average at best in most subjects.
Caution, on the other hand, was hungry for knowledge. Learning was invaluable. The more he knew about the world and what was required to be a competent adventurer the stronger he would be, and the stronger he was the higher the chances of him returning back home to his family. This basic thought process was the fuel that got him through every single book in his father’s study during his early childhood.
Caution’s first lesson in the Adventurer Academy was on Advanced magic. He sat in the front row of a packed lecture hall, eyes glued to the lecturer. He scribbled down concise notes and every so often raised an arm to ask a question.
The subject was curse magic. Caution already knew the surface level information around the topic but that wasn't much. From a combat perspective, he saw it as a huge threat. Curse magic attacks focused on immobilising the victim and inflicting long term psychological damage. It seemed like a nightmare to deal with, especially for melee fighters. Right before the second lesson, he dashed to the Magic Library to loan a book recommended by the lecturer and stored it in his inventory.
The next lesson was specialist training and, again, much to Caution’s dismay, it focused more on the theory rather than practical. They learned about the various roles in a typical adventurer squad— Rogue, Mage, Healer, Warrior, and Archer. Everyone seemed to pay attention to this lesson which made sense. All of the students were eager to figure out what role they should specialise in. It was an exciting and important decision to make.
Halfway through the lecture, Caution raised his arm.
“Yes?” the lecturer said. Caution had already forgotten his name. He was a wrinkly old man who seemed to be in his late 70s.
“Is it common for an adventurer to enter a dungeon alone rather than in a group?”
“No, it’s actually quite rare,” the lecturer said. “It’s strongly advised for adventurers to travel in at least groups of four or five. As mentioned previously, each class has glaring flaws which can put them in serious disadvantages in certain situations. Having teammates allows you to cover up those weaknesses.”
Caution nodded slightly, accepting the answer, but he didn’t like the mentality. The whole idea of needing someone else in battle in order to survive was strange to him. He preferred to be fully responsible for his own failure and success which was probably the reason why he disliked team sports in his previous life.
It wasn’t that he didn’t want help or support. He just didn’t like dependency. Throughout his boxing career, he’d received heaps of advice from his coach, Azuku, but the old man had never fought in the boxing ring with him. Winning each fight had always been up to him and only him.
As the lecturer continued the lesson, Caution realised the emphasis on teamwork. It was considered an essential skill for an adventurer and “carrying the team” was frowned upon.
The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
----------------------------------------
It’s time!” Lara squealed. Her fists repeatedly shook up and down. “It’s finally time!”
Team Victors stood in an open field for their final lesson of the day— Monster Hunting. Caution envied the lecturer because the middle aged man had the same build as his previous body though physically there were two distinct differences. His complexion was a ghostly white and instead of a shiny bald head, he had silver curly hair.
“Monsters are humanity’s worst enemy,” the lecturer said. “In every sense of the word, they are evil and their purpose is to wreck nothing but pain and chaos. For centuries, we have fought them on these lands and now our beloved country, Asna, is safe. We have driven them back in their dungeons deep below the surface…”
Losing interest, Caution opened up the dashboard and reviewed the profile page. He was well aware of the country’s history with the monster species, having read multiple books on the topic in his father’s study.
Status
Name: Caution Hunt (Level 2)
Titles: Ultimate Challenger
Class: The Champ
Health points (HP): 10
Mana consumption: 0/18 (MC)
Stats
Strength: 21 Agility: 30
Stamina: 43 Vitality: 2
Perception: 5 Magic: 9
Healing: 1 Free points: 0
Special items: Crimson energy store. (Creator gift)
The Champ class had been added but the stats were still the same. Despite his insane workout schedule, it was becoming increasingly harder to increase his strength and stamina stats through practice. Due to choosing a custom class, three skills that he already knew he possessed revealed themselves on the skills page.
Skills
- [Professional Boxer]- Mastery skill in the combat sport known as "boxing."
- [Champion's Soul]- Possessing the iron will and unrelenting drive to become number one.
- [Peak-Human Level of Durability]- The power to be considerably physically tougher than normal humans.
“By the end of these lessons, you will know how to deal with almost every monster found in the dungeons,” the lecturer said. “Today, we will start with the most basic kind. It is the weakest but should never be underestimated. That’s right, ladies and gents. It is the slime. At the lower levels, they are not very dangerous though their agility may surprise you.” The lecturer pointed at Yolga whose arm was raised. “Yes?”
“Is it true that killing monsters sometimes rejuvenates you with energy?”
“Yes, that is correct. After you kill a certain number of monsters, energy will flow in your soul. It’s an opportunity to become stronger. We call it growth."
This must be levelling up, Caution thought.
“I will now summon the monster for you all to face for the first time. Do not hesitate and strike first. Everyone space out!”
The lecturer chanted the longest incantation Caution had ever heard. His eyes glowed purple and a portal materialised. Six green slimes hopped out of the portal and onto the grass.
“Awww,” Lilly said. “They look so— ”
Before she could finish her squeal of affection, Caution and Lara exploded forwards at the same time.
Lara’s daggers were almost a blur, making mincemeat out of three monsters with three broad swipes. Much less elegant, Caution kicked the first slime into the air as if it were a football. The remaining two leaped for his face only to both explode into bits from a single gauntlet strike.
An announcement filled Caution’s vision. He smiled in response.
Congratulations. You have levelled up.