The food court had that typical city plaza atmosphere — plastic tables, buzzing lights, and the smell of deep fryer oil mixed with sugary drinks. They settled around a corner table, each carrying a mismatched tray of food.
Kenji had something saucy and noodle-based.
Leo opted for a box of dumplings and a melon soda.
Hiro went all in with skewers and fish balls drowned in hot sauce, and of course,chips.
Lanz just grabbed the least suspicious rice bowl he could find.
Overhead, one of the big screens was playing a muted hunter broadcast reel, showing highlights from a recent Tier 6 Gate run. A guy in red armor was slow-mo diving through centipede legs, blade glowing like it came with a lightshow subscription.
"I’d kill for moves like that," Hiro muttered, eyes fixed on the screen between bites.
"First you need the rank," Kenji replied, mouth half full of noodles.
"Yeah, yeah," Hiro grumbled. "Still stuck at five."
Lanz glanced up, curious. "You’ve been Level 5 this whole time?"
"For months," Hiro said, not even embarrassed. "I’ve been farming sim-beasts like a desperate mobile gamer. They don’t let you into real dungeons unless you’re at least E-rank or part of a registered guild."
Leo chimed in, poking at his dumpling with a chopstick. "I’m stuck too at five too. My sync rate was only forty-eight percent, so the Association basically laughed me off."
"Mine’s worse," Hiro said. "Forty-seven. I’m like a bootleg hunter, brooooooo."
"Public system’s tough," Kenji added. "Tests, licenses, regulations. You basically need to prove you won’t die before they let you anywhere interesting."
Lanz listened, while absorbing his rice bowl, letting the conversation settle over him. It was weird hearing it all laid out so plainly.
The sync rates, the compatibility issues, the bureaucracy wrapped around each step of growth, it made the whole thing feel less like a fantasy system and more like applying for a hunting permit at the DMV.
Kenji slurped up more noodles and laughed. "Honestly, leveling in the public system is like boiling a potato with a candle. You’ll get there... eventually."
"I once spent six hours on sim runs for seven EXP," Hiro groaned. "It was the saddest moment of my life."
"Why didn’t you stop?" Leo asked.
"I thought I was close to a breakthrough," Hiro said dramatically, then immediately started choking on a fish ball. Leo had to shove his drink across the table while Kenji smacked his back.
Lanz couldn’t help but laugh. But even while the others joked, some part of his brain was still running those numbers. He had solo’d his way to Level 10 with just raw fights, dungeon kills, and EXP by the handful.
Compared to what his friends described, his version of the System felt like a cheat code. It didn’t have restrictions, limitations.
But has skill fusion, developer menu access, even a secret tree that looked like it belonged in a debug folder. It didn’t feel like the same system anymore. It felt... awfully alien.
’Why is my System so different? Where did it even come fro—’
But before he could finish his thoughts, Hiro finally recovered, looked up, and said, "I bet Lanz’s hidden power is eating. Like... just constant snacking until he ascends."
Leo snorted. "You calling him a food-based hunter?"
Kenji grinned. "A rare subclass. Glutton-tier."
The tension broke instantly. Lanz rolled his eyes, but the corner of his mouth twitched into a smirk, he leaned back, scooped another bite of rice, and played along.
"If eating gets me to SSS-rank," he said, "I’ll be the biggest person to ever exist.
The others laughed, and the moment passed.
After polishing off their trays, and arguing over who had the worst gas station milk tea of all time, Hiro suddenly perked up.
"Karaoke or arcade?" he asked, like he was offering a once-in-a-lifetime quest.
Leo immediately groaned. "Not karaoke please. I don’t wanna hear Hiro sing like a dying modem again."
"Uhm actually," Hiro said, using his left index finger to point up at the sky, and using his other index finger to fix his non existent glass. "I perform."
Kenji grinned, already pulling out his wallet. "Arcade then. I need revenge after last time. Lanz wiped the floor with us."
Lanz sipped the last of his drink with the air of a retired champion. "I didn’t wipe the floor. I merely showed you the floor existed."
Kenji clapped him on the shoulder. "Spoken like someone who failed his Awakening so hard he unlocked philosopher mode."
Lanz smirked. "I’ll take that as a compliment."
"You’re literally living proof that the FFF rank still walks among us," Leo added with mock solemnity. "A humble reminder that failure builds character."
Lanz let out a scoff, leaned back in his chair, and gave them a dramatic nod. "You guys never cease to surprise me with your stupidity."
He laughed harder than he expected to. Maybe it was the food. Or maybe it was just... nice being around people who didn’t know the truth. But it was probably just him being insane.
But to them, Lanz just looked like someone with a few loose toys in attic.
"Yup. He’s crazy," they all said in unison.
After playing at the arcade, and ultimately loosing to Lanz once again. They decided to end the day after going to karaoke.
For your own sake. Let us skip this part of the day.
The sun had already dipped low by the time they decided to call it.
Karaoke left Hiro sounding like he’d swallowed sandpaper, and Kenji was two steps from crashing on the sidewalk.
Even Leo, who usually had infinite energy when taunting strangers in rhythm games, looked like he was running on vibes alone.
They walked the same route back, side by side on uneven pavement, the orange streetlights starting to blink on overhead.
A few shops were still open, their neon signs buzzing. Somewhere in the distance, a kid was crying about losing a capsule toy again. Probably the same one from earlier.
Hiro was deep in a monologue about the most broken fantasy class combo he could think of. "Okay, but imagine: bard with necro subclass. You sing your enemies to death, then duet with their skeletons—"
Leo cut him off with a dramatic groan. "No one’s beating Juvena Raine’s hair stats. That man’s bangs could tank a dungeon boss."
"Shut up," Kenji muttered ahead of them. "I’m genuinely too tired to survive another Raine argument."
Lanz just smiled, walking a little slower, hands in his pockets.
They were loud, dumb, but kind of perfect.
But in the back of his mind, something buzze — not the system, just... the contrast.
Their world was slow. So locked up in permits and ranks and guild referrals. It gave you tiny scraps and told you to be grateful. And his? It threw the doors wide open, dangerously so.
’Where the hell did my system even come from?’ he thought, blinking up at the darkening sky.
Before the thought could settle, something smacked him in the chest, it was a chicken bone.
"Focus, Zero-rank," Hiro said, grinning.
Lanz picked it up and tossed it back. "Love you too, jackass."
The others were laughing again. Lanz almost tripped over a crack in the sidewalk. Kenji threatened to leave them all behind. Leo tried to climb a streetlamp for reasons no one understood.
Lanz didn’t say much after that, he just walked with them.
But they didn’t caught his ass smiling. So he just kept smiling. Or was it grinning?
ALT SYSTEM — USER PROFILE: ZERO
Next Unlock: Skill — Crimson Slash
Global System Tracking: DISABLED
World Rank Association: UNLINKED
STR: 8 | AGI: 8 (Affinity) | VIT: 3 | DEX: 1 | INT: 7 | WIS: 0
[Available Stat Points: 0]
[Derived Stat — MANA: 35 / 35]
[Basic Footwork Lv.2]
[Feint Step Lv.1] (Active Skill)
[Reflex Sync Lv.1] (Passive Skill)
[Combat Awareness Lv.2] (Passive Skill)
[Skill Slot Available — Unassigned]
[Skill Fusion Menu: Active]
[Dev Tree: Tier 0 Access Granted]
Aged Blade Fragment (??? Rarity) (Bound)
Goblin Dagger (Looted – Rusted, Jagged, Minor Bonus to DEX when equipped)
Spiked Boar Tusk Shard (Trophy Item – No bonus, kept as memento)
Lightweight Chest Padding
Boots of Basic Mobility
Fingerless Gloves (Basic)
Starter Cloak: Faded Black
Training Ring (+1 VIT)