When Ranly opened his eyes, he was met with a leaking ceiling. It didn't take long for him to come to himself. because today was a special day. he immediately jumped out of bed and put on his academy uniform. Actually, he didn't need to wear this uniform. It was the last day of the academy, but since he had no other clothes to wear, he had to wear them.

He took one last look at the room, it was one of the cheapest houses in town, big enough to fit a single bed, with a toilet and a faucet. But Ranly loved this room, it was the only place he could keep with the money the Empire had given him, and that money wouldn't come anymore. He needed to earn money as soon as possible.

As he was about to open the door and step outside, he saw Mike in uniform standing in front of the door. Mike was huge. Despite being 16 years old, he was almost 2 meters tall, and he wasn't skinny either. It was as if his body was genetically covered with muscle.

"Oh, you're just in time!" said Ranly, smiling.

"Hey, you'd be sleeping until noon if it wasn't for me," said Mike It was Mike's job to wake him up for school every morning.

Ranly went out and closed the door. "Aren't you getting anything?" ' Mike asked.

“Will they not give everything?” he asked this time.

“Oh, I forgot about your ability to put up with the uncomfortable underwear they give you,” Mike said.

"Dude, don't you think you care a little too much about your underwear? You've already spent almost 100 gerr on them."

"A man should take the best care of his most important asset, man. I'm surprised you don't understand that." said Mike, as he clarifies an important matter.

"Is this bullshit again?" said Ranly, shaking his head.

The two began to walk along the dirt roads of the town, talking. The town was quite a small place. It was a place where a few thousand people lived.

When they got a little closer to the town center, the dirt road left itself to the asphalt.

On the way, mike suddenly stopped. He nudged Ranly with his hand and pointed to a place.

Ranly turned his head and realized what Mike was pointing at.

He was pointing at a dark-haired girl leaning against an open door. The girl's name was Emily and she was an orphan like Mike and Ranly. Since she was 2 years older than them, the empire's aid was already cut off. And she started working as a prostitute in a brothel in town. It was a survival method for girls who didn't choose to go to the dungeon and get stronger.

When Ranly looked a little more carefully, he saw bruises on her face and body. When he saw where Emily was looking, his attention shifted to it.

In front of the brothel, the pimp dressed in colorful clothes was bowing before a man in a suit, and rubbing his hands.

After the man in the suit said something, he gave 2 crystalline beads to the pimp, turned around, and got into his floating car. After the man got in, the car soared into the sky and flew away from town.

The pimp smiled and turned around. "This is a serr, not a gerr!" he chuckled. But there was no smile on Emily's face.

Emily hesitated a bit as she turned her head and saw Ranly and Mike looking in her direction. Then she quickly turned around and entered the brothel.

Ranly and mike continued walking in silence.

"I never want to be like that." ' Mike said in a low voice. Realizing that he was speaking out loud, he felt the urge to continue and began to speak.

"Don't get me wrong, I have no problem with what she does. I know she's trying to make living but... It's just… I don't want to be seen as garbage by others or to live like an expendable person. I just want to be free. To have my destiny in my own hands." said Mike.

"Me too...buddy me too," Ranly said.

Mike then turned to Ranly.

"To the end, even if there is death await us," said Mike, smiling. Then he made a fist and raised it towards Ranly.

Ranly also made a fist and slammed it into Mike's.

The atmosphere between the two had grown serious. Ranly asked, laughing, to soften the air.

"Well, has your dream changed?" Mike loved to talk about his dreams.

"Haha, of course, now I have a completely different dream. I'm going to be Tier 4 and participate in a planetary tournament. When I win, I'll only take women to my planet and live as a harem king."

"Oh, you won't even take me?" said Ranly, pretending to be a little offended.

"As a matter of fact... if you wear a wig why not ?" he said and burst out laughing.

Ranly couldn't take it anymore and he joined Mike. The two continued on their way in laughter.

When they arrived at the academy gate, they saw the crowd gathered in the courtyard. Today was their 16-year-old's graduation day. Families and students were laughing and taking pictures.

"I suppose there's a little more to the ceremony?" said Ranly.

"Let's find a corner and wait," Mike said with a nod.

Just as they were about to head towards a corner, a voice stopped the two of them.

"Space junks have arrived, or are you planning to go to the dungeon?" said a voice.

'space junk' was a term for children who were dropped off from a spaceship in a capsule to the nearest planet. That's how Ranly and Mike came to planet Erta. That's why they always used those words when someone wanted to hurt the two of them.

"Alex, I think you want to taste my fists one more time before you graduate." said Mike, circling the sleeves of the uniform.

But Ranly stopped Mike before he could take a step. and spoke in a low voice. "His father is here, so he's acting like this, calm down."

Mike turned his head to the side and spat.

Alex's father was quite famous at school. He was one of the rare people who managed to become Tier 2.

Ranly took Mike by the arm and they sat down and waited for the ceremony to begin.