The Boy Who Had Nothing But Dexterity

“This is a present from me to everyone—please take it.”

“Ohhh, amazing!? It’s a necklace!?”

“How lovely! Leopin, you really are incredibly dexterous with your hands!”

“And matching designs too—this is perfect for us since we’re moving on together!”

“Indeed. With Leopin around, our class is sure to be number one.”

“Leopin! We’ll be best friends forever, even when we’re in high school!”

I enrolled in the Royal Pioneer Academy together with my companions.

The entrance ceremony was held on the observation deck of a castle towering above the morning haze on the horizon.

Dressed in our brand-new uniforms, we listened intently to the principal’s raspy voice pouring down from the stage.

“I am Nekodran, the first principal of this academy! As you all know, this academy exists to discover young talents who will bear the next generation! From here on, the Rite of Ability Awakening will be conducted, revealing the power each of you possesses! You will make this castle your place of learning and fully unleash your abilities in the surrounding untamed lands! By doing so, you will receive generous funding from sponsors, and rake it in big time!”

As if it were his signature pose, the principal slickly rubbed his greasy bald head.

The tall, skinny man beside him seemed to be the vice principal, constantly rubbing his hands in a sycophantic manner.

“Yes! As expected of the principal! Even this humble yes-man was utterly captivated by such a splendid address! And that cool pose! Please don’t steal the hearts of all the female students too much! Now then, everyone—applause, applause~!”

The neatly lined-up new students erupted into thunderous applause.

After the principal’s speech, the yes-man vice principal took over as master of ceremonies.

“Yes! Without further ado, we shall proceed with the Rite of Ability Awakening! When your name is called, respond and come up to the stage, then place your hand on the crystal orb of the Goddess statue! Once you do, your status will be displayed on the crystal panel above the stage!”

At the center of the stage stood a Goddess statue, and behind it hung a massive crystal panel like a backdrop.

“Now then, we’ll begin with Class 1-1!”

Classes at this academy were divided into twenty groups, from Class 1-1 to Class 1-20.

Class sizes varied, with students from the same middle schools grouped together into a single class.

My class was Class 1-20, the very last one.

On the stage screen, the statuses and skills of students from other classes were revealed one after another, drawing cheers and applause.

The Royal Pioneer Academy was a newly established school, and only the most outstanding middle school students were permitted to enroll.

My grades and athletic ability were average, but I supported everyone with my manual dexterity and somehow managed to scrape by.

“Finally, Class 1-20! Weiss-kun, please come forward!”

Our leader, the class representative Weiss, stepped forward with a sharp “Yes!”

When he climbed onto the stage and touched the crystal orb of the Goddess statue, a status display appeared on the crystal panel above.

A roar of astonishment burst from the new students.

“Amazing—he’s a Sage!? That’s an advanced class right off the bat!”

“And almost all his stats are 100!? The average stat is supposed to be 10—he’s an absolute monster!”

“More than that, that skill is insane! It’s a god-tier skill!”

The principal and vice principal were overjoyed as well.

“Excellent! Weiss-kun is truly the greatest prodigy this academy has ever seen!”

“Yes! The sponsors watching this will surely provide immense funding!”

Weiss adjusted his square-framed glasses with a fingertip and gave a confident smile.

“Everyone, it’s still too early to be surprised. I’m not the only standout in Class 1-20. Now, let me introduce my wonderful companions! First up is Leopin!”

I was taken aback at having my name called so suddenly, but my friends pushed me forward, telling me, “You’ve got this!”

As Weiss shook my hand, he spoke proudly to the new students below.

“Leopin is incredibly dexterous! Everyone, look at the pendant around my neck! This was a gift Leopin gave to all of us in our class as a symbol of friendship! As long as we have these pendants, our bond will last forever! Now, Leopin—show everyone what you can do!”

Half embarrassed and half delighted, I stepped toward the Goddess statue.

To be honest, I had been nervous ever since yesterday.

I kept worrying about what would happen if my status turned out terrible.

But now, it felt foolish to have worried about that.

Because I had my friends.

No matter what my stats were, this bond would never waver.

After all, we were best friends forever*…!

With the expectations of many companions in my heart, I placed my hand on the crystal orb.

…The hall fell deathly silent.

Someone muttered softly.

“Huh…? Class ‘None’…? Does that mean… unemployed?”

“Almost all his stats are 1…!?

And they’re marked as Non-Growth, so they won’t increase even if he levels up!”

“And yet the most useless stat, Dexterity, is absurdly high—this is way too bad…!”

“And that skill looks awful too… that’s a complete dud skill, isn’t it…!”

Suddenly, there was a sharp sound, like something snapping.

I looked up to see Weiss forcibly tearing the pendant from around his neck.

He dropped it to the floor and ground it under his heel.

“Well then, let me introduce my wonderful companion next! The powerhouse, Monsoon!”

“Ohhh, I’ve been waiting!”

Monsoon, a classmate, thundered up onto the stage.

There was no pendant around his neck anymore.

He wasn’t the only one.

Every classmate waiting their turn was no longer wearing the pendant I had made.

My vision went dark.

As I stood frozen before the Goddess statue, heavy footsteps approached.

“Move it, you piece of trash!”

Monsoon, the strongest brute in the class, effortlessly lifted me and hurled me off the stage.

I flew like real garbage and slammed into the wall at the edge of the venue.

I rolled across the ground like a kicked stone.

But by then, no one paid me any attention anymore.