A hundred years ago, the sky broke.
A thin violet scratch appeared across a clear morning, glowing like an open wound. People stared. Filmed it. Laughed nervously.
Then the crack widened.
Reality tore apart, and demons poured out—winged beasts wrapped in black fire, claws dripping with corruption, eyes starving for human souls.
Cities fell in hours.
Civilization collapsed in days.
Humanity didn't win.
Humanity endured.
Fortress Cities rose.
Academies were built.
Dungeons erupted everywhere.
At sixteen, every human awakened a profession, a talent, and a rank—the system's way of keeping humanity alive.
Today was Aren's turn.
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The Awakening Plaza buzzed with tension. Hundreds of students lined up beneath towering fortress walls etched with glowing runes. Soldiers patrolled the perimeter—more than usual. Demons had breached the outer barrier last month.
In the center stood the Awakening Obelisk, a massive obsidian pillar pulsing with cold white light.
Names were called.
"Ingrid!"
Blue light washed over a nervous girl.
Profession: Water Mage (C)
Talent: Fluid Mind (C)
Respectable.
Next.
"Darin!"
Flames burst upward.
Profession: Flame Warrior (B)
Talent: Burning Force (B)
People cheered.
"Mila!"
A faint grey flicker.
Profession: Scout (D)
Sympathetic murmurs followed.
More awakenings came—D, E, C, a rare A—until the announcer stepped forward with reverence.
"Kale!"
The plaza fell silent.
Kale marched confidently to the Obelisk.
Golden light erupted—blinding and overwhelming.
Profession: Titan Fist Warrior (S)
Talent: Indestructible Body (S)
Gasps. Envy. Praise.
"Our strongest this year!"
Kale basked in the attention.
At the back of the crowd, Aren quietly watched. Hood up. Expression calm. He'd trained alone for years—no support, no friends, only relentless discipline.
He wasn't here to impress anyone.
He wanted strength—because weakness meant death.
"Next—Aren."
Whispers erupted.
"That weird guy?"
"He practices archery without arrows…"
Aren stepped forward and placed his hand on the Obelisk.
Nothing happened.
One second.
Two.
Three.
Snickers spread.
"Did it break?"
"Maybe he's rankless—"
Then the Obelisk detonated.
KRRRRAAACK—BOOOOM!
A pillar of black-violet energy burst into the sky, tearing cracks across the plaza floor. Students staggered back. Instructors shouted.
The Obelisk's runes flared uncontrollably.
"What rank is that?!"
"That's not SSS—what IS that?!"
"Is he a demon?!"
A cold voice echoed in Aren's mind:
Profession: Void Archer (Unique)
Talent: Limitless Evolution (Unique)
A translucent panel appeared:
STATUS PANEL
Name: Aren
Profession: Void Archer (Unique)
Talent: Limitless Evolution (Unique)
Level: 1
Free Stat Points: 10
Strength: 8
Constitution: 10
Agility: 14
Perception: 20
HP: 100
MP: 50
Skills: Void Flicker Arrow (F), Spatial Awareness (F), Basic Archery (E)
The panel vanished.
Aren exhaled. Everything felt sharper, heavier, alive.
The crowd didn't care—panic had already turned into mockery.
"Unique? Probably trash."
"He's worse than F-rank!"
"Kale got S. This guy got nothing."
Kale laughed the loudest.
"Void Archer? Void means zero. Good luck killing a goblin."
Aren didn't reply.
Because someone else sensed something different.
A tall instructor approached—Kane. A calm veteran known for accuracy and discipline.
He moved a hand through the air near Aren.
The air rippled.
Kane's eyes narrowed.
"…Spatial distortion?"
Aren hesitated. "Is Unique bad?"
"Not bad," Kane said quietly. "Unknown. And unknown… is dangerous."
He leaned closer.
"That awakening—I've only seen distortions like that in ancient ruins."
Kane stepped back.
"The Academy Trials begin in one hour. If your combat ability matches what I felt… we will speak again."
Aren nodded.
No promises. Just a challenge.
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Far beneath the plaza, sealed under layers of forgotten ruins, something massive stirred.
Stone chains trembled. Runes flickered.
A colossal violet eye opened.
A dragon's eye.
Its voice rumbled through the dark:
"Void… in a human?"
A slow, hungry growl followed.
"Interesting."
Aren walked away, unaware of the awakened monster beneath his feet.