The Discarded Son's Skill Market
Chapter 15: First Mission in a Portal

Chapter 15: First Mission in a Portal

Because most of the students in Class F received low scores on the first test, Robinson was forced to teach them some theory and train them in academic subjects before sending them to a dungeon.

A week was set aside to reinforce the material. It wasn’t the only class with that problem; several other classes had it as well.

As a result, most of the Rank F and E classes were delayed by a week from their usual schedule.

At the start of the second week of classes, Robinson wrapped up the week of theory.

"The academy has sent the first overseas mission to all the classes. You’ve also been assigned four missions—one per group. Each group has five members; make sure to organize you properly." Robinson took out the four documents and posted them on the whiteboard so everyone could see them.

Of the four missions, two involved clearing recent F-Rank Portals, and the other two involved going to the Waste Portal zone.

The first two were considerably more difficult than the last two.

"Can we choose which mission to do, Professor Robinson?" Jackson asked. "Our group has already been formed."

Robinson stared at him. "Give me the names of the members of your group. I’ll make a note of them."

Jackson nodded and asked his four friends to stand up. "William, Oliver, Lucas, Jack, and me. Five in all," he said.

Those names struck a chord with several students, who realized that the first test—which had been sabotaged by those five—wasn’t improvised... They had already planned to form a group, so everyone had to pass that test to get the highest score.

John was the most affected. He was seething with rage, but Luke Shawn prevented him from taking revenge. That’s why the anger inside him was growing stronger and stronger.

"All right. Go back to your places. You can’t choose your missions; they’ll be assigned at random once all the groups are ready," Robinson said after checking the group.

"Do you already have a group?" Zaid looked at Alice beside him and asked.

She shook her head. "I’ve been invited... but I turned it down. There are too many... men."

Zaid smiled. "Don’t you get along with men?"

"I-I don’t think I don’t get along with them." She replied, a little nervously.

’But you’re running away from them,’ Zaid thought, though he didn’t say it. Everyone has their own reasons for doing so.

"So you’re planning to join a group of women?" Zaid looked up and counted the women in the room. There were seven. "Four of them are already in groups, so you’ll still have to team up with a man."

He looked at the three women standing on the other side of the room. They were clearly standing together as a group, but they never once turned to look at Alice.

"T-they don’t like me..." She lowered her head. "T-they say they won’t accept a small-town girl," she whispered.

’How despicable. They don’t even come from prestigious families.’ Zaid looked down on them.

"Do you want to team up with me?" he asked. "You can’t do this mission alone, like you thought before."

She looked up. For a moment she was confused, but then she remembered saying something like that. She didn’t think he’d be listening.

"I-if it’s with you... I guess that’s okay."

’If it’s with me?’ Zaid raised an eyebrow. He didn’t know what that could mean.

Did that girl actually like him?

’What an honor that would be. She’s so much more beautiful than that bitch.’

Just as the two of them were talking about forming a group, three shadows loomed over them.

"Do you want to form a group with us?" John’s cold voice hit the two of them like a bucket of cold water.

They looked up at him, taken aback.

"What?" John frowned. "You guys already have a group?"

’Since when does this bully—who knocked over my chair on the first day—like me?’ Zaid wondered.

Still, they spent two weeks together. Somehow, even though he didn’t see them as people he could trust, they did share a certain camaraderie.

Besides, John’s talent... had appeared in his system and was waiting to be purchased. It wasn’t a bad idea to stay on the same team as him.

"I have one condition," Zaid said.

"Do we need conditions now?" John growled.

"If Alice comes with us, you guys aren’t allowed to get too close to her. No messing around with her!"

Alice, John, and the other two were all surprised and stared at him.

Alice could understand him a little. So, she smiled and lowered her head. It was the first time she had ever felt understood by a man.

John, on the other hand, didn’t understand his intentions. "Come with me," he said, pulling Zaid away to another place.

"What’s going on? Since when are we so close that you’re pulling me like that?" Zaid complained.

"I’m not interested in that woman—my boss has his eye on her. You know better than anyone what kind of man my boss is when a woman catches his interest. If you want to stay alive, don’t do anything stupid!" John warned him.

"Oh?" Zaid laughed sarcastically. "Since when does John, the neighborhood thug, care about the Zachary trash?"

"I’m serious, Zaid Zachary. I don’t like you, but you’re more talented than I thought—dying for a woman is..."

"Don’t go on," Zaid interrupted him. "We don’t get along, and I won’t take anything you say seriously. However, I understand what you’re saying. I’ll tell you two things."

Zaid leaned close to his ear and whispered.

"I’m not afraid of your boss," he said, pausing. "Luke Shawn doesn’t strike fear into me."

Then he looked at Alice. "As for my current request, it’s not because I’m interested in her. It’s because she doesn’t perform well when she’s around men. Inside a dungeon full of beasts, that would be dangerous."

John frowned and stared at Zaid.

Zaid turned to leave.

And John spoke up. "So she think you’re a woman, then? Since she seem to be comfortable with you." He teased.

Zaid waved his hand at him. "Take that as the first warning to your beloved boss... I haven’t lost my charm—tell him that."

John couldn’t say anything else. He went to register the group, and after all four groups had been registered, Robinson gave each group a mission.

"Clear the F-Rank Portal at 13-50 Street, near the Building Under Construction 55-80..." John read the mission and sighed. "We won’t even get lucky with a 50% chance," he said, complaining that he’d been assigned one of the two hardest missions.

"What are you talking about? This is our best luck yet!" Zaid exclaimed immediately.