SUP Chapter 11: Upgrading Artifact! Mysterious Shadow!

The streets of the city might be filled with chaos, screams, and panicked crowds fleeing in all directions, but none of this seemed to disturb the serene calm within Ian's classroom.

"In the summer of 1942, Hitler launched 'Operation Blue,' aiming to seize the Caucasus oil fields and cut off the Soviet Union's oil supply." The history teacher's voice droned on like background white noise, lulling listeners to sleep.

Many students plagued by insomnia found relief from their troubles, but for Ian, even paying close attention to lessons he had already studied brought no additional experience points for his [Student] occupation.

He was deep in thought.

He pondered whether his Superman father had truly saved the passengers from the plane crash, and if so, why the sounds of an explosion and fireworks echoed outside.

Ian was quietly lost in his thoughts.

Meanwhile, Madison, seated next to him, was doodling in her textbook with colorful markers. She had turned President Washington's clothes into a skirt and added cat ears to his head.

"What do you think?" Madison proudly slid her textbook toward him.

"Much better than before, right?"

Her attempt at conversation got no response from Ian, but the blonde girl was used to this and began defacing the most controversial figure in American history, Nixon, without a second thought.

Neither of them was paying attention to the lesson, but the teacher didn't bother with them.

After all, top students didn't need supervision, and struggling students, well, they didn't need it either. Public school teachers, with their modest salaries, hardly had the energy to fuss over their students' coursework.

And so it went.

The class passed quickly.

[You engaged in serious logical reasoning. Though you reached no conclusions, you still burned plenty of brain cells. [Student] occupation experience +1]

Ian hadn't figured out why his Superman father would allow a plane to crash, but he wasn't without gains. The system's performance remained as abstract as ever.

"I'm worrying myself sick over Metropolis, and all I get is this measly experience point? This is hardly a cheat." Of course, Ian's own level of abstraction was no less impressive.

At noon, the cafeteria buzzed like a marketplace, but the area around Ian's seat was strangely quiet. A few girls passed by, pretending to be casual while sneaking glances at him, while the boys either looked at his tray with jealousy or resignation.

For the same price, Ian's portion of food was nearly double that of others.

"What the heck?" Sam Winchester, a lanky boy from the next class, sat across from Ian at the long table, staring at the mountain of fried chicken nuggets on Ian's tray.

"How do you do it?"

He furrowed his brow, clearly baffled.

"It's simple. Just smile at the lunch ladies and say 'good afternoon.' They sense your kindness and return it with their own."

Ian was always eager to share, never one to keep secrets. But his heartfelt advice only earned a stiff smile from Sam Winchester.

"My brother said something similar, but is there a way that doesn't rely so much on personal charm?" Sam asked awkwardly. He was a good-looking guy but didn't seem confident in his appearance.

"There is," Ian nodded.

Sam's face lit up with anticipation.

"Just pay extra, and you can get more food."

Ian arranged his utensils, his tone sincere. However, Sam Winchester's expression remained far from sunny. The boy grabbed his tray and moved to another table, muttering something about a "damn world" under his breath.

"What a strange classmate."

Ian shook his head and dove into his meal with gusto, eating like a starving man reborn, fully focused on devouring his food.

The afternoon classes were simple, at least for Ian. By using his time management techniques to study other subjects, he still earned a few experience points for his [Student] occupation.

When the final bell rang, his classmates rushed out of the classroom like wild animals escaping a cage. Madison, his desk mate, took her time packing her bag.

"Oh, right," she said, as if remembering something. She pulled a small gift box from her bag. "This is a gift I got you from Los Angeles. In return, make sure to give me a custom answer sheet for next month's exam, okay?"

She handed the gift to Ian.

"It's not an answer sheet. My study guides are just very accurate," Ian corrected her unethical phrasing while accepting the box.

"Same thing."

Madison shrugged nonchalantly.

She watched as Ian opened the box. Inside lay an ancient pendant, a cross-shaped charm, entirely black, made of what seemed like bone, cool to the touch.

The pendant's chain was thin yet sturdy, faintly gleaming with a dark silver sheen.

"It's just a street vendor find, but I think it's special. It might even be valuable," Madison said, hyping up the gift, though she might have been hoping it was a hidden gem.

Humans, after all, are like that.

"The texture's pretty nice," Ian said, initially planning to pocket it. But under Madison's expectant gaze, he reluctantly put it around his neck.

It fit perfectly.

Just as Ian wondered if Madison had secretly measured his neck to know its exact size, his expression froze in disbelief.

"What the heck?"

Ian was stunned.

Above the translucent [Anger Value] bar in his vision, a new status appeared: [Slow Corrosion]. This negative status drained one point of his health per minute. Since he had no mana or health bars, Ian could only assume the pendant was secretly siphoning his life force.

He was surprised at first.

Then, a wave of excitement rose within him. To others, this might be a terrifying curse, but for a [Berserker] like him, it was nothing short of a perfect "newbie artifact."

"Really great gift."

Ian praised it sincerely.

"Of course it's great. Look at whose taste picked it out. It totally tones down your nerdy vibe," Madison boasted, still basking in her own glory.

However, she noticed Ian's gaze turn deep and lingering as he stared at her.

"What's wrong?" Madison asked, frowning.

"Nothing," Ian replied. Seeing her confused expression and impatient tone, he realized she likely had no idea about the pendant's unusual nature.

"Little delinquent, you've got some eerie luck," Ian remarked, waving at Madison before turning to leave the classroom under her increasingly puzzled stare.

"Oh, right, thanks."

He doubled back, gave her a quick hug, then left the classroom again.

"..."

Madison, usually outgoing, was utterly thrown off by Ian's behavior. She stood there, baffled, for a good while before snapping out of it.

"If someone told me one day that this guy is an alien hiding on Earth, I wouldn't even be surprised," the blonde girl muttered with heartfelt conviction.

She adjusted her clothes, slung her customized trendy bag over her shoulder, and left the classroom. The empty room fell silent. Moments later, the air shimmered with a sudden distortion.

A strange, crimson pupil "squeezed" out of the space.

"Where's my offering? Where's my perfect offering?" The distorted, scarlet pupil darted around rapidly, its voice a mix of confusion and frustrated anger.

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