The next morning, the "Novice Dungeon Portal" at the center of the playground was surrounded by hundreds of students.
"Look, the 'Skeleton Prince' is here!"
Someone shouted, and the crowd parted like the Red Sea. Lucas walked through calmly, ignoring the whispers.
On the big screen, the rules were displayed:
[Dungeon: Goblin Forest (Level 1-5)]
[Time Limit: 2 Hours]
[Passing Requirement: Kill 10 Goblins.]
[Recommendation: Party of 3-5 players.]
A female teacher holding a clipboard frowned when she saw Lucas standing alone.
"Lucas," she said sternly. "Where is your team? An F-Rank Necromancer cannot survive inside alone. Without a tank to protect you, the Goblins will tear you apart in seconds."
Before Lucas could answer, Blake walked over, surrounded by his lackeys.
"Teacher, don't bother. Who would want to team up with trash?" Blake laughed loudly. "If anyone teams up with him, they'll just have to carry a dead weight. We want to get high scores, not babysit a skeleton."
The students around them nodded.
"Yeah, I don't want to fail."
"Stay away from him."
Lucas looked at the teacher calmly. "Teacher, I apply to enter Solo."
The crowd went dead silent.
"Solo? Is he crazy?"
"He's committing suicide because of the humiliation!"
The teacher sighed and shook her head. "Fine. But if you tap out, the rescue team might not get to you in time. Sign this waiver."
Lucas signed his name without hesitation and walked straight into the swirling blue portal.
Buzz—
Lucas disappeared.
...
[Inside the Dungeon: Goblin Forest]
The smell of rotting leaves and damp earth filled the air.
Grrrr!
Just ten meters away, a group of green-skinned Goblins holding wooden clubs spotted Lucas.
"Giek giek!" (Kill the human!)
Five Goblins charged at him. Their speed was fast! For a normal student, this would be a nightmare scenario.
Lucas stood still, his expression cold. He didn't even take a defensive stance.
"Come out, Seraphina."
Swoosh!
Darkness exploded from his shadow. A breathtaking silver-haired beauty emerged, her black wings spreading wide, blocking the sunlight.
The rushing Goblins froze. Their instincts screamed pure terror. This wasn't a human... this was the top predator of the abyss!
"Master," Seraphina glanced at the dirty goblins with disgust. "These ants dare to offend you? Shall I burn them?"
"Burn them all," Lucas ordered. "We need speed. We need the highest score."
"As you wish."
Seraphina opened her mouth slightly. She didn't turn into a dragon; she just used her Human Form breath attack.
[Skill: Abyssal Breath (Suppressed)!]
BOOM!
A stream of black fire erupted from her lips.
It wasn't a fight. It was an erasure.
The five Goblins didn't even scream; they instantly vaporized into ash. The fire didn't stop—it continued to roar through the forest, burning trees, rocks, and hiding monsters for a hundred meters in a straight line.
[Ding! Killed Level 2 Goblin. Exp +10]
[Ding! Killed Level 3 Goblin Archer. Exp +15]
[Ding! Killed Elite Goblin Fighter. Exp +50]
Notifications spammed Lucas's vision like a waterfall.
...
[Outside the Dungeon]
The students were casually chatting, waiting for the results. The big scoreboard showed the real-time ranking.
Rank 1: Blake's Team - 15 Points
Rank 2: Team Alpha - 12 Points
...
"Blake is amazing! 15 points in 5 minutes!" someone cheered.
But suddenly, the entire crowd gasped.
"Hey... look at the bottom of the screen! Something is wrong!"
Everyone looked up.
At the very bottom, a name was rising. It jumped from Rank 100 to Rank 50. Then to Rank 20.
Then, in a blink of an eye, it skyrocketed to the top!
Rank 1: Lucas (Solo) - 350 Points!
"What?!"
"350 points?! It's only been two minutes!"
"Is the machine broken?"
The teacher dropped her clipboard. Blake's smile froze on his face.
The name "Lucas" sat at the top of the leaderboard, glowing in a mocking red color, while the points continued to jump.
400... 500... 800!
The legend of the "F-Rank Trash" had begun.