AFK System: Level Up By Doing Nothing!

"Austin Carter! Step forward immediately, or your name will be disqualified from the selection!"

The booming baritone voice from the loudspeakers at the end of the grand hall made Austin flinch. His eyelids, which felt as heavy as a ton each, lifted with great effort. All around him, thousands of eighteen-year-olds stood tall, their eyes sparkling with ambition, their faces radiating youth and vitality.

As for Austin? He was slumped against a marble pillar, his breath shallow, his face as pale as a freshly dug corpse. Dark, heavy circles heavily shadowed the skin beneath his eyes.

"Austin! Are you even listening to me?!" A rough slap landed on his shoulder. It was Leo, his only friend from the same orphanage. "Don't embarrass yourself. Today is the Awakening! The registration for the Mythic Tower Academy, 'The World Tree'! If you fall asleep now, you'll be deported to the outer zones as a manual laborer!"

Austin let out a massive yawn, not even bothering to cover his mouth. "I know, Leo... but my chest feels... so tight. I'm just so sleepy."

"Of course it's tight, you're chronically sick!"

A cynical voice cut through their conversation. From behind them, a group of luxuriously dressed teenagers strutted forward. Leading the pack was a young man with slick blonde hair, a silver badge gleaming on his chest. He stared at Austin with utter disdain. It was Jaxon Cross, the son of a high-ranking official from the prestigious Pantheon Guild.

"Jaxon," Leo hissed, immediately stepping into a protective stance in front of Austin.

Jaxon chuckled scoffingly, crossing his arms over his chest. "You two slums from the orphanage should learn your place. Especially this friend of yours. Every doctor in the lower district has already diagnosed him with Mana Deficiency Syndrome, haven't they? A body that actively rejects mana. A cripple like him has no place inside the Tower."

The teenagers behind Jaxon burst into loud laughter.

"Look at his face, he’s so pale. Is he going to kick the bucket right here?"

"Hey, trash! If you want to die, don't do it in the academy hall. Don't dirty the floor!"

Austin didn't bother to counter the provocation. It wasn't because he was patient or possessed a noble heart, his energy was simply too precious to waste on barking dogs like Jaxon. Every second spent standing upright felt like it was draining his remaining lifespan. His body was completely devoid of energy.

"Austin Carter! Final call!" The instructor's voice on the stage grew increasingly impatient.

"Go on, you malnourished trash," Jaxon sneered, deliberately shoving Austin’s shoulder as he walked past. "Let the whole world see how the potential crystal rejects your crippled body."

Austin took a faltering step forward. Every single step felt like climbing a mountain with heavy iron chains shackled to his legs. On the grand stage of the hall, a massive black crystal, the Awakening Crystal, radiated a mystical, deep purple glow. Nearby, a stern, middle-aged instructor held an evaluation clipboard.

"Place your right hand on the crystal, state your name, and focus your mind to draw mana from the tower," the instructor commanded expressionlessly.

Austin took a deep breath, gathering the fading remnants of his blurry consciousness. He pressed his cold palm against the warm surface of the crystal.

"Austin... Carter," he whispered weakly.

One second. Two seconds. Three seconds.

Normally, when a genius touched this crystal, like Selena Vance, who had received an S-Rank Valkyrie class earlier that morning, the crystal would unleash a blinding pillar of golden light soaring straight to the ceiling. Even ordinary people would at least make the crystal glow dimly, revealing standard classes like F-Rank Warrior or F-Rank Mage.

However, in Austin’s case, the black crystal remained completely dead. No light, no vibration. On the contrary, the purple hue inside the crystal suddenly dimmed, as if the energy within refused to interact with Austin’s body.

The instructor frowned, checking the readings on his magical instruments. He let out a long sigh and shook his head.

"Austin Carter. Internal mana circulation: Zero. Compatibility with tower elements: Negative. Medical verdict: Chronic Mana Deficiency Syndrome." The instructor tapped his pen against the board. "Evaluation result: No talent, no class. Failed."

Silence enveloped the hall for a fraction of a second before it instantly shattered into a roar of laughter and mocking whispers from thousands of new students.

"Hahaha! Truly a legendary piece of trash!"

"Negative compatibility? That means even the Tower is disgusted to touch him!"

"How did someone like that even pass the academy’s administrative screening?"

Jaxon Cross shouted from the middle of the crowd, "Hey, instructor! Kick him out right now! His very presence lowers the dignity of our entire batch!"

In the corner of the hall, Leo could only clench his fists tightly, his eyes reddening as he fought back anger and frustration at his inability to defend his friend.

Up on the stage, Austin didn't hear the mockery clearly. His ears began to ring violently. His vision spun in circles. An intense, biting cold started to spread from the tips of his fingers straight toward his heart. Mana Deficiency Syndrome didn't just prevent someone from using magic; the condition actively siphoned the vital energy of its host whenever they were near areas with high mana density, such as the vicinity of The World Tree.

"Sorry, instructor..." Austin clutched his chest, gasping for air. "I... need... to rest..."

"Huh? What did you say?" The instructor stared at him, bewildered.

Before another word could be uttered, Austin’s knees buckled. His body collapsed forward, crashing heavily onto the stage floor. His consciousness instantly plummeted into a pitch-black abyss. The last thing he heard was Leo’s panicked voice screaming his name, followed by Jaxon Cross’s satisfied laughter.

Dark. Cold. Serene.

Austin felt as though he were floating in a bottomless ocean. There was no pain, no fatigue, and most importantly: no noisy voices mocking him. For the first time in his eighteen years of life, Austin felt incredibly comfortable. If this was what death felt like, he didn't mind it at all.

However, that comfort was soon disrupted as a warm sensation began to creep up his back. The pungent, sharp smell of medicine pierced his nose.

Austin slowly opened his eyes. The ceiling of the room was a clean, spotless white, illuminated by a dim magic lamp. He turned his head to the side and saw several empty mana IV bags, along with a medical curtain partitioning his bed.

"Am I... in the academy's infirmary?" he muttered, his voice hoarse.

He tried to push his body up into a sitting position, but his muscles immediately screamed in protest from sheer exhaustion. Letting out a resigned sigh, Austin let his head sink back onto the fluffy pillow. His deep-rooted laziness whispered that there was no point in forcing himself.

"A failure is a failure. Besides, being a laborer in the outer zone doesn't sound too bad if they let me sleep eight hours a day," he thought sarcastically.

Just as Austin decided to close his eyes again and drift back to sleep, a strange vibration shook the inside of his head. It wasn't a headache caused by his illness, but rather a static sensation, like a radio signal trying to connect.

BZZZZT...

Suddenly, a cold, monotonous mechanical voice, one that nevertheless radiated absolute cosmic majesty, echoed directly within the center of his consciousness. The voice was so real that Austin bolted upright in bed.

[Ding! Critical cosmic anomaly detected.]

[Scanning Host soul... Target: Austin Carter.]

[Scan Complete. Confirming permanent condition: Mana Deficiency Syndrome (100% Core Blockage). Rating: Masterpiece of Absolute Sloth.]

Austin’s eyes widened. He looked around the empty room. There was no one there. "Who... who is talking?" he whispered in panic.

The mechanical voice did not answer his question. Instead, it continued to stream lines of vocal code, materializing a semi-transparent, neon-blue panel right in front of his face.

[Condition cleared for the Ultimate Hidden Inheritance.]

[Binding to the World Will... Successful.]

[Cosmic AFK System Initialized.]

[Detecting Host’s lazier lifestyle... System Protocol adjusted: The lazier the Host is, the faster the progression. Welcome, the Ultimate Slacker.]

Austin froze, staring at the floating panel before him. His previously weak heartbeat began to thud wildly against his chest in sheer disbelief. 'The Cosmic AFK System? Leveling up just by being lazy?' Before he could even process what was happening, his status panel automatically unfolded, revealing rows of text that would alter his destiny forever.