"Hey Boss, you're here! Can I quickly copy your assignment before class starts?" called out a voice to Chan Fan as he entered the classroom.
"Sure, Tian, but make it quick," replied Chan Fan, who was tall and muscular, and not quite as good-looking as he thought he was.
"Thanks!" Tian said while grabbing the notes and starting to write.
A few minutes later, the teacher walked in, and the lessons began. Chan Fan, sitting in the corner and gazing out the window, fell into his thoughts.
"My name is Chan Fan, and I'm a second-year student at Crossroad College, a reputable institution. I come from a rather unusual family of six. My dad is a retired special forces captain, my mom was a covert information broker/assassin, and my older brother, a former champion martial artist and now an actor, is working as a journalist. To top it off, I have twin little sisters recognized as geniuses, while here I am with nothing noteworthy to show for myself… sigh." Chan Fan continued staring out the window, unaware that everything in his life was about to change.
[Announcement: Code X has arrived on Blue Star 121266 (Earth). Awakening of Earth's mana: ... Successful. Creation of system: ... Successful. Connecting to 'myriad worlds': ... Successful. Installation of 'Tower of Trials': ... Successful. As the first arrival of Code X, a status window will be shown to everyone. Become strong and explore the unknown.]
As the last announcement faded, a blue screen appeared before Chan Fan.
{Level 1. AGE: 18 Name: Chan Fan
Race: Hybrid [Human + Primordial Beast [Shadow Wolf] Class: None
Title: Bearer of the Primordial Beast bloodline [Shadow Wolf], Origin.
STR: 13 AGI: 15 HP: 100 (10) STA: 19 Mana: 120 (10) Magic: 120 (10) Points: 0
Trait: Shadow Wolf Pact [7 stars], Evolution [10 stars].
Skill; Passive: Martial Art [unranked lv 4], Weapons Art [unranked lv 3], Quick Thinking [unranked lv 3].
Active: None.}
Bearer of the primordial beast bloodline [shadow wolf]:One who holds a faint bloodline of the primordial beast [shadow wolf].
Effect 1-Compatibility with all beast type is increased .
Effect 2-Compatibility to all Wolf type is significantly increased.
Effect 3-You are bestowed with a random 'gift' from the [shadow wolf] series.
Effects: 4 - Reduces light and dark damage by 20% 5 - You are welcomed by the shadows.
Origin: A title bestowed upon someone who is the origin of a new trait never previously seen (10-star trait).
Effect 1: All status points gained from leveling are doubled, and health increases by ten times for each point added from any permanent source.
Effect 2: locked
Effect 3: locked Effects: locked ???
"Most of the effects are locked for the Origin title, but the first one already seems powerful. Still, I can't shake off the feeling that this title is primarily to keep me from dying," he thought as he surveyed the Trait section.
Trait: A power that grows and evolves with its owner, existing within their very being.
★Shadow Wolf Protection [7 stars] - A trait from the shadow wolf lineage, said to be formless while still embodying the essence of a wolf.
Passive effects:
- Shadow Wolf Instinct: Enhances all five senses.
- Shadow Wolf Dignity: Boosts mental and spiritual defense, enhancing comprehension (strength increases with level).
- Shadow Wolf's Recovery: Accelerates recovery rate (strength increases per level).
- Connection: Communicates with the pack from a distance (range increases with level).
- Ten percent of each wolf's stats are shared with the pack leader (cannot be enhanced).
Active effects:
- Wolf Summoning: Can summon a random wolf for assistance, with ranks varying from common to divine, but common-ranked wolves won't appear due to possessing the shadow wolf bloodline.
- Leader's Privilege: Copy one ability from any wolf and convert it into a skill (24-hour cooldown; maximum of three abilities can be copied from a single wolf).
- Shadow Wolf's Aura: Consumes 10 mana to activate and 5 mana each second for a maximum of 10 minutes with a cooldown of 5 minutes, cloaking the user in an aura that enhances power and defense (strength and duration increase with level, but mana usage also rises).
"Wow, is this really happening? This is just like having superpowers. I wonder how strong a 7-star trait is. My original trait is a 10-star, right?"
*Evolution [10 stars]: An origin trait, the first of its kind, marking the start of a new path. This trait seeks constant transformation in all forms.
- Active effect: Eyes of Evolution (max level): An eye that perceives every evolutionary path. It can analyze any material or being's evolutionary path. It can be activated without cost for entities two ranks above the user; higher ranks consume mana.
"You know, this seems quite powerful, but what does 'max' mean? Will it not improve along with me? And what exactly is an evolutionary path? The description said this trait has never been seen before." Before he could think further, one of his classmates shouted.
"What's that?" pointing towards the window. When Chan Fan turned to look, he saw a massive purple crack in the sky along with several smaller cracks of varying sizes and colors, even erupting from the ground, with a red one appearing outside the classroom building.
"Everyone, step away from the windows!" yelled the teacher, panic evident in her tone.
In the back of the classroom, a girl fell onto the floor, muttering, "I knew it. They're not just giving out superpowers for no reason… so Code X wants us to fight?"
"Haha, funny!" she laughed, sounding unhinged, but no one paid her any mind; all eyes were fixed on the window and what lay beyond.
"Everyone, calm down! If kids like us can gain superpowers, that means military personnel have awakened too, right?"said the class rep.
"She's right." This time, it was the Ice Queen speaking. "Outside isn't safe right now, but inside is also at risk; we can see that one of those portals is producing goblin-like creatures and they're about to break into the school."
Everyone turned back to the window, confirming her words: goblin-like creatures had already breached the school gate but were still lingering by the portal.
Noticing that she had everyone's attention again, she continued, "Don't worry; I'm sure the student council and staff are working on a solution. Phones are useless right now due to the lost signal, but let's focus on what we can control first."
She paused to look at the class representative. "I know you have a plan, so let's hear it."
Shocked for a moment, the class rep quickly regained composure. Her gaze swept across the class, and she asserted, "As you all know, the world is about to undergo a transformation, like in those light novels, but we're not characters in a story; we're smart individuals. So first..."
She sighed before continuing, "Those who have awakened a Trait, stand to my right, and those who haven't, to my left. I can tell if you're lying." Her eyes glowed purple briefly before returning to normal.
Everyone began to move, some hesitantly, aware that this was a separation of the exceptional from the ordinary, but no one complained. In total, out of 23 students and 1 teacher, 11 had awakened traits and 13 had not.