Leveling Artifact! Mysterious Shadow!

There might have been riots in the city streets, screams, and panicked crowds fleeing in every direction, but none of it seemed able to disturb the peaceful tranquility of Ian's classroom.

"In the summer of 1942, Hitler launched Operation Blue, intending to seize the Caucasus oil fields and cut off the Soviet Union's oil supply." The history teacher's voice was like background white noise, lulling everyone to sleep.

Quite a few insomniac students found relief from their condition, while Ian, even if he listened attentively, could not gain Student class experience from knowledge he had already learned.

He was thinking.

He was thinking about whether his Superman father had really managed to save the passengers aboard the crashing plane. If he had, then why were there sounds of an exploding aircraft and flames outside?

Ian quietly drifted off.

Meanwhile, Madison was doodling in her textbook with colored markers. She drew President Washington in a dress and added two cat ears to his head.

"How is it?" Madison proudly pushed the textbook over.

"Looks much better than before, right?"

Her attempt at conversation received no response from Ian. The blonde girl was used to it and went back to vandalizing Nixon, one of the most controversial figures in American history.

Neither of them paid attention to the lesson, but the teacher did not bother them.

After all, top students did not need managing, and poor students... naturally did not need managing either. How much did public school teachers even earn a month? Who had the energy to worry so much about the students' lessons?

And so.

The class ended quickly.

[You seriously engaged in logical deduction. Although you reached no conclusion, you still burned quite a few brain cells. Student class experience +1]

Although Ian had not figured out why his Superman father had allowed the plane to fall, he had not come away empty-handed. The system was still as absurd as ever.

"I've worked my heart out for Metropolis, and it only gave me this much experience? This isn't cheat-like at all." Of course, Ian was not much less absurd himself.

At noon.

The cafeteria was as noisy as a marketplace, yet the area around Ian's seat was eerily quiet. Several girls pretended to pass by while sneaking glances at him, while the boys either watched his tray with envy or helpless resignation.

For the same price, Ian's portion was nearly twice everyone else's.

"Damn it." Sitting across from Ian at the same long table, Sam Winchester, a lanky boy from the neighboring class, held his tray and stared at Ian's mountain of fried chicken.

"How did you do that?"

He frowned, as though he simply could not understand it.

"It's simple. Just smile at the lunch ladies and wish them a good afternoon. They'll sense your pure kindness and repay you with theirs."

Ian had always been the type who liked to share and did not care much for keeping secrets. Still, his heartfelt experience and conclusion only earned Sam Winchester a stiff smile.

"My brother said something similar before, but is there a way that depends less on personal performance?" Sam Winchester asked awkwardly. He was actually a handsome young man himself, but he did not seem particularly confident in his own looks.

"Yes."

Ian nodded.

His response put an expectant look on Sam Winchester's face.

"You can pay more money and get more food."

Ian arranged his utensils, his tone sincere. Yet Sam Winchester's expression remained anything but sunny. The boy carried his food to another table, muttering things like "damned world" under his breath.

"What a strange classmate."

Ian shook his head and lowered his head to start stuffing himself. He was now like a starving ghost reborn, so naturally he had to focus when eating.

The afternoon classes were also very simple, at least for Ian. He used time-management methods to study other subjects and still gained a few points of Student class experience.

When the dismissal bell rang, the students rushed for the classroom door like beasts released from a cage. Ian's deskmate, Madison, slowly packed her bag.

"Oh, right."

As if she had found something, she took a small gift box from her backpack. "This is a gift I brought you from Los Angeles. Remember to give me a separate set of test answers for next month's exam."

The girl handed the gift to Ian.

"Those aren't test answers. My predicted question range is just more accurate." Ian corrected her unethical wording as he accepted the gift box.

"Same thing."

Madison shrugged indifferently.

She watched Ian open the box. Inside lay an ancient pendant. It was a cross-shaped pendant, entirely black, its material resembling some sort of bone and cold to the touch.

The chain was also thin but tough, faintly gleaming with a dark silver luster.

"Even though it's just a street-stall trinket, I always felt it was special. Maybe it's worth a lot of money." Madison was talking up the value of her gift, though perhaps she also had some hopes of finding hidden treasure.

Humans.

They were all like that.

"The texture is pretty good." Ian had originally wanted to toss it into his pocket, but under his deskmate's expectant gaze, he reluctantly put it around his neck.

It fit perfectly.

Just as Ian wondered whether Madison had secretly measured his neck and knew its exact size, his expression suddenly froze in disbelief.

"What the hell?"

Ian was deeply startled.

He saw it.

Above the rage bar at the bottom of his vision, a new marker had silently appeared—Slow Corrosion. This negative status deducted one point of health every minute. Of course, since he had neither a mana bar nor a health bar, Ian could only roughly assume that the pendant was secretly draining his blood.

At first, he was surprised.

Then.

A surge of joy rose in his heart. This might have been a terrifying curse to others, but for a Berserker like him, it was an exceptionally suitable "starter artifact."

"Great gift."

Ian praised it sincerely.

"Of course it's great. Just look at my taste... It instantly toned down your bookworm aura." Madison continued proudly praising herself.

However.

She noticed that Ian's gaze had become somewhat deep as he stared at her for a long time.

"What is it?"

Madison frowned and asked.

"Nothing." Seeing her bewildered expression and impatient tone, Ian realized that she might not know what was unusual about the pendant.

"Little Punk Girl, you really do have some strange luck."

Ian sighed, waved at Madison, and turned to leave the classroom under the increasingly confused gaze of the blonde girl.

"Oh, right, thanks."

He came back, gave her a hug, and only then left the classroom again.

"..."

Even the usually outgoing Madison was left completely stunned by Ian's actions. She had no idea what he was doing, and it took her quite a while to recover.

"If someone told me one day that this guy was an alien living on Earth, I don't think I'd find it strange." The blonde girl let out a heartfelt sigh.

She adjusted her clothes.

Then, carrying her redesigned fashionable backpack, she also left the classroom. The empty room was very quiet. A moment later, the air suddenly twisted.

Then.

A strange pupil squeezed out from the space itself.

"Where is my sacrifice? Where is my perfectly high-quality sacrifice?" The twisted, crimson pupil spun rapidly, its voice confused and slightly exasperated.