The academy gates loomed like the jaws of a monster.
Forged from blackstone and etched with glowing silver runes, they towered over the horde of new students entering the Hunter's Academy of Damaris. Some looked excited, others nervous. But not Zaro.
He stood at the very back of the crowd, quiet, forgotten, clutching a worn satchel with one broken strap and a cracked badge barely hanging on his chest: Class F – Powerless.
"Oi, move it, trash!"
A hand shoved him from behind. Zaro stumbled, nearly falling into the mud that had turned the academy grounds into a swamp after last night's rain.
The laughter that followed burned more than the push.
"Still here, Zero?" sneered Malk, a second-year student built like a boulder and with a mouth full of venom. "I thought you'd drop out like your mommy dropped you at the gates."
Zaro didn't reply. He never did. Words didn't protect you in this world not when everyone else had powers and you had none.
Instead, he fixed his bag and walked past the crowd, ignoring the whispers.
That's the loser with zero mana, right?
He failed his Awakening twice.
Why is he even allowed to be here?
They weren't wrong.
In a world where hunters were born with unique classes and mana cores, Zaro had neither. He was tested. Scanned. Prodded. And the results never changed Class: None. Power Level: 0.
He was the only student in the academy without a system.
But he wasn't here for pity. He had one reason , a promise.
"I'll become a hunter, no matter what. Even if the gods themselves stand in my way."
Those were the last words he said to his sister before she disappeared during a monster raid three years ago. No body. No trace. Just blood-soaked soil and silence.
He clenched his fists.
The Broken Classroom
Room F-7 was cold, dim, and smelled like mold. While elite students trained in simulation domes and holographic arenas, Class F students were dumped here , the ones with weak mana, unstable classes, or, like Zaro, no class at all.
Their instructor, a middle-aged woman with tired eyes and scars running down both arms, entered without a word. She glanced around the room filled with misfits, losers, and broken dreams.
"I'm Instructor Velda. I won't waste your time. Half of you won't survive the year."
No one laughed. Everyone had heard the stories. Monster hunts. F-class trials. Death wasn't uncommon here.
"You want glory? Prove you're worth training. You want pity? Get out now."
Her eyes landed on Zaro for just a moment and then moved on.
"Your first test begins tomorrow. A beast culling in Zone 3. Survive. Or don't."
With that, she left.
The silence that followed was heavy.
Another Night Alone
Zaro sat on the edge of his bed in the academy dorm , a room barely big enough to stretch. The lights flickered, and the walls were stained with age. Outside, he could hear the howls of distant monsters and the laughter of elite students drinking under the moon.
He opened his satchel. Inside was a torn photograph of his sister, Aina. She had the same black hair, the same stubborn fire in her eyes.
"I'll bring you back. I'll tear this world apart if I have to."
Just then, his stomach growled. He hadn't eaten since yesterday. The academy gave F-class students half-rations, and he'd already given his meal to a younger boy who couldn't stop crying.
His hand trembled as he reached into his pocket and pulled out an old, cracked coin his last.
He clenched it in his fist.
Suddenly, something flickered in his vision.
[SYSTEM DETECTED]
Zaro froze.
"What…?"
A strange glow pulsed in front of his eyes, forming letters out of thin air.
[Ancient Code Detected]
[Unique Class Awakened: GOD SLAYER]
[Warning: You are not authorized for this class.]
[Initializing... Scanning Host Memory...]
[Success. Syncing with Soul.]
His heart pounded. This had to be a mistake. He had never had a class. No system. Nothing.
And now… this?
[Welcome, Forsaken One.]
[You have been chosen to inherit the power to slay gods.]
Zaro staggered back, his breath ragged.
Suddenly, pain shot through his chest not burning, but freezing, as if his blood turned to ice. Symbols carved themselves across his skin, glowing faintly before fading.
And then
[You have unlocked: Skill – Divine Perception Lv.1]
[You have unlocked: Trait – Monsterbane Soul]
[Class Skill – Godrend Blade: Locked]
He gasped, falling to his knees.
His cracked mirror reflected something new. His eyes once dull now flickered with faint silver embers.
Power. Real power.
For the first time in his life… he felt it.
The Hunt Begins
The next morning, they were led outside the academy walls into Zone 3 , a ruined battlefield turned monster nest. F-class students stood in trembling groups, holding rusted blades and basic gear.
Zaro stood alone, holding nothing.
"Instructor Velda," Malk said with a smirk, "he doesn't even have a weapon. Can we leave him for bait?"
Some laughed. Velda didn't.
"Everyone enters. No one leaves until the beast is slain."
Zaro stared into the fog. Somewhere in there, a monster waited. The others had weak blades. He had nothing… except a system that shouldn't exist.
"Let's see if this power is real."
He stepped forward into the mist, alone.
[Quest Accepted: Trial of the Forsaken]
Defeat: Shadowbeast (Lv. 15)
Reward: Class Skill Unlocked. Bonus Stat Growth x2.
As the first growl echoed through the trees, Zaro's lips curled into a quiet, dangerous smile.
The hunt had begun.
End of Chapter 1