The moment the word 'Dark' materialized on the awakening pillar, a deathly silence fell over the square. The villagers glared at him as if they wanted to devour him alive. Only the city officials, sitting comfortably in their royal carriage, remained calm.
Before he could even process what was happening, the mob surged forward. He bolted, brushing past his friend and shouting, "Brother, I'll catch you later!"
He ducked into a narrow alley, quickly wrapping a piece of cloth around his face to hide his identity. But his luck ran dry; it didn't take long for someone to recognize him. The shouts echoed again, and he was forced to keep running. While fleeing through the maze of streets, he bumped into his friend once more. It suddenly dawned on him that despite everything, he hadn't even asked his name.
"Brother, what's your name?" he panted.
"It's Lucas!"
As soon as the name left Lucas's lips, the angry mob spotted them again. He had no choice but to sprint into the dark. The grueling chase lasted through the entire night.
Eventually, he reached the village perimeter, only to find the walls heavily barricaded. Desperate, he spotted a low-ranking Knight on guard duty who looked like he could use some coin. Handing over his last few pennies, he pleaded, "Brother, I'm a good person. I have no idea why everyone is after my life. Please, just help me get out of here." Swayed by the money, the Knight helped him scale the tall wall.
After putting some distance between himself and the village, he stopped to drink some water and gather his thoughts. When nothing made sense, he opened his system window. A startling piece of information awaited him: the awakening test only revealed a summarized title to the public. Only the user could see their true, complete class.
His actual class was: [Dark Corrosive Power User].
Using basic logic, he figured that since the royal carriage had arrived from the city, the city itself must be in the exact opposite direction. He began his trek.
After a long, exhausting journey, the massive gates of a grand city loomed before him. He was starving and in a wretched state. Just my rotten luck, he cursed inwardly. He was still paranoid that news of his 'Dark' class might have reached here, turning the city folks against him too.
Driven by sheer hunger, he approached the gates. The Knight on duty inspected him and, taking pity on his miserable condition, tossed him something that looked like a thick tree root to eat. Forced by starvation, he ate it and entered the city. He headed straight to the Adventurer's Guild to find work, but all the available jobs were high-tier—mostly B and A-Rank.
With no other options, he walked into a blacksmith's forge.
"Brother, is there any work I can do for you?" he asked the old blacksmith. "Just give me some food and a cheap or broken sword in return."
"I don't need any laborers, so I have no work for you," the old man, Barrett, replied. "But I do have a mission. Will you take it?"
"Tell me the details," he asked.
"There's a boy trapped in the neighboring village," Barrett explained. "His awakened class is 'Dark'. The people there consider the Dark Class a forbidden curse. It's not like this city, where Dark users are just restricted from fighting normal humans but can otherwise roam freely. Long ago, a powerful Dark Class user completely destroyed that village, so they treat anyone with that class as an abomination. That boy is my son's friend. I want you to save him. My son's name is Lucas."
His mind went completely blank. What the fuck! Is this old man seriously giving me a mission to save myself?! On the bright side, he realized the city people wouldn't kill him on sight unless he harmed a normal citizen. But what do I do about this mission?
"Old man, trust me, you will receive good news that the boy survived," he promised confidently. "Could you lend me a broken sword for now, one that's useless to you? I swear you'll hear the good news."
Barrett agreed, chuckling darkly. "Alright. But remember, if this is a lie and our paths cross again, I will kill you myself."
The old man handed him a single-edged sword. He examined the blade. Back on Earth, a sword like this—a katana—was considered a masterpiece, he thought. Here, it's probably considered useless for defense without mana-coating. This fantasy world is surprisingly realistic; things don't just die easily.
Armed with his new weapon, he returned to the Guild and accepted a D-Rank mission: Hunt 5 Fints. He received a map marking their likely habitats in the nearby forest.
"Don't go too deep into the woods," the receptionist warned. He had never read about a monster like this in any fantasy novel. "Fints are entirely white and incredibly fast. One of their arms is as sharp as a blade. However, their physical defense is extremely weak—even a normal person could break their bones. You need to bring back their tails as proof of the kill."
Realizing it was already evening, he decided against entering the forest that day. He found a place to sleep for the night.
The next morning, as soon as he woke up, he grabbed his sword and headed straight for the forest without wasting a single second. Upon reaching the woods, he ventured slightly deep into the trees, found a dense bush, and quietly hid inside, waiting for his prey to arrive.