Red stood before the Infostone, an ancient, glowing monolith at the heart of the Adventurer's Academy. This was the moment of truth—his stats, his fate, all laid bare in glowing script. He placed his palm against the cool stone, and a deep hum filled the air.
[Infostone Status Display]
Name: Red
Level: 7
Class: ???
Strength (STR): 30
Vitality (VIT): 24
Agility (AGI): 22
Intelligence (INT): 18
Dexterity (DEX): 26
Charisma/Luck (CHA): 15
Unique Trait: Fatebound Reroll
He exhaled. Not bad. Not overwhelmingly powerful, but perfectly balanced for what he had in mind.
"Another newbie, huh?" A voice snapped him out of his thoughts.
He turned to see a girl standing beside him. She was a fighter through and through—tanned skin, toned arms, and a confident smirk. Her brown hair was tied in a short ponytail, and her knuckles were wrapped in cloth, as if she was always ready for a fight.
"I'm Anna. You look like you're about to overthink this whole thing."
"I'm Red," he replied. "And I don't overthink. I strategize."
Anna crossed her arms. "Uh-huh. Well, don't strategize too hard. You might forget to actually fight."
He grinned. He liked her already.
Training Begins – Shadow Drills
The Academy's training grounds were packed with new recruits. The first trial wasn't a battle—it was shadow training, designed to refine movements before actual combat.
The instructor barked, "Swing! Step! Reset! Again!"
Red followed the routine, but instead of treating it as mere repetition, he experimented—adjusting his stance, changing the angle of his strikes, and finding weak points in traditional forms. The other recruits mindlessly followed orders, but Red was studying the deeper mechanics of each movement.
Anna, on the other hand, was a whirlwind of motion. She threw punches and kicks as if fighting an invisible opponent, her energy boundless.
"You trying to kill the air?" Red asked.
Anna scoffed. "Air's tougher than you'd think."
"You don't conserve energy?"
She punched forward. "Nah. I just hit harder than I need to."
Red chuckled. She really did remind him of the hot-blooded heroes from old RPGs—the kind who fought first and asked questions never.
Rerolling for the Best Rates
As the day progressed, Red's focus shifted to his multi-dimensional backpack. Unlike regular inventory systems, this one had a reroll mechanic—allowing him to reset certain items and skills if he timed it correctly.
[Reroll Attempt: Available]
During break, he activated it, watching as his stored items shuffled. He kept rerolling low-tier potions and junk weapons, holding out for something better.
Anna peeked over his shoulder. "What are you doing?"
"Optimizing."
Anna is puzzled what he meant by that.
The First Test – Unorthodox Thinking.
The final task of the day was a mock skirmish. Instead of sparring one-on-one, recruits were placed in groups of three and had to land a hit on an elite instructor. Most failed instantly.
Red was paired with Anna and a nervous mage-in-training.
"Alright, strategist," Anna said, cracking her knuckles. "What's the plan?"
Red glanced at their opponent—a towering knight in full plate armor. No openings.But he had an idea.
"Anna, go in first. Just… do what you do best."
"Hit things really hard?"
"Exactly."
Anna grinned and **charged head-on, throwing a barrage of strikes. The knight blocked them easily, his armor absorbing every impact. But Red wasn't relying on her to break through.
He turned to the mage. "Now. Cast ice on the ground—just beneath his back foot."
The mage hesitated, but obeyed. A thin sheet of ice formed.
Anna launched a heavy punch at the knight's chest—he stepped back to absorb the blow and **slipped on the ice.
That's when Red lunged forward, using his agility to slip past the knight's guard. He tapped the knight's shoulder with his wooden training sword.
"Tag. You're it."
The knight sighed. "Unorthodox, but effective. You pass."
Anna clapped him on the back. "Alright, I'll admit—that was pretty clever."
Red just smirked.
The Road Ahead
As the sun set, Red checked his Infostone once more.
He had leveled up.
Level 8.
Things were just getting started.