The moment Leo called up his status, a faint chime echoed in his mind. A translucent screen shimmered into existence in front of his eyes, almost like a hologram projected from nowhere. He blinked, leaned closer, and read carefully.
---
The Celestial System
Name: Leo Stevens
Race: Human
Level: 0 (Complete daily quest to fully unlock system)
Abilities:
Lightning
Space
Time
HP: 100
Strength: 10
Agility: 10
Endurance: 10
Skills:
Insight (Improves all cognitive abilities)
Daily Quest:
100 push-ups
100 squats
10 km run
100 sit-ups
Reward: Battle Mastery
---
Leo stared at the glowing panel, his reflection faintly visible behind the translucent blue text. For a moment, he forgot to breathe. Lightning, space, and time? If he had seen this in a novel or anime, he would have laughed and called it broken. Now it was floating in front of him.
A slow smirk crept across his face.
Powerful and respected. Handsome and gifted. I'm basically the guy everyone hates but secretly wishes to be.
He let himself bask in that fantasy for a full fifteen seconds—until his eyes drifted to the daily quest section.
His smile vanished.
"...What do you mean 10 km run?"
He felt his soul leave his body. Push-ups? Fine. Sit-ups? Whatever. Squats? Doable. But a full ten kilometers? That wasn't a warm-up. That was the kind of distance he only saw in anime montages or training arcs that skipped to the next scene before reality kicked in.
He sighed deeply.
"Well… I guess it's my duty as an otaku to complete the Saitama special."
Even saying it out loud didn't make it any easier. But he forced himself to stay focused. He couldn't afford to walk into the Alliance Academy completely clueless. He knew almost nothing of this world.
So he sat back, closed his eyes, and began sifting through the memories of the original body.
That lasted all of three minutes.
Then he face-palmed.
"Wow… my previous self was a certified fool."
The memories were shallow, messy, and full of useless information. He remembered basic etiquette, family faces, the engagement drama, and a few random facts—but nothing of real importance. Worse, the guy had been an unawakened teenager with zero achievements to his name.
That explained the second realization:
The original Leo had no friends. At all.
Most of his peers awakened abilities at fifteen. By seventeen, they were already moving into higher tiers. The batch he would meet at the Academy? Many of them were Tier 2 awakened.
And him?
Level 0.
He groaned loudly and fell back on his bed.
"Oh, I'm in for a world of hurt…"
After a moment of self-pity, he pushed himself up. He couldn't afford to sit around moping. Not when he had the one thing no one else did.
"The ultimate cheat code—the system."
He repeated it like a mantra, and it actually helped.
---
To avoid embarrassing himself later, he opened the Aethernet, the world's version of the internet. The interface resembled a sleek, futuristic web browser, with floating windows and gesture controls. He began with the basics.
The Alliance.
From what he understood, it was a coalition of three races:
Humans
Elves
Dwarves
The history ran deep. The demons were a powerful galactic threat, pushing civilization after civilization to the brink of extinction. The three races, once rivals, had banded together to survive. Against such an overwhelming force, they had no other choice.
Leo continued reading.
Humans were the last to join the Alliance. Before then, humanity had almost been wiped out. But when they finally adapted, evolved, and reorganized, they grew fast—so fast that by the time they joined, they were nearly equal in strength to the other two ancient races.
The dwarves caught his eye next. Contrary to the stereotype, they weren't short. Generations of inter-racial marriages and selective breeding made them nearly the same height as humans. They were still stockier and stronger, but no longer the knee-high artisans depicted in old fantasy.
The elves were… well, elves. Sharp features, naturally gifted, powerful ability users, and annoyingly perfect. Every race had stereotypes, and apparently, those ones stuck.
Leo scrolled further.
The Alliance Academy.
This was the core institution—where the best of each race were trained. A total of 300 students were selected from each race based on merit. An additional 100 slots were reserved for "charity cases," a polite term for children of powerful individuals or those with connections rather than talent.
Leo rubbed his forehead.
"So that's how I got in…"
It made sense now. His parents were high-ranking government officials. Even if he hadn't awakened before, his background and their influence secured him a spot.
He continued reading until his eyes began to sting. There was far too much information to absorb in a single morning, and he had only scratched the surface—star systems under human control, joint military operations, the current state of the demon threat, inter-academy competitions, and countless regulations he would need to follow.
He finally leaned back in his seat, overwhelmed.
"Man… this world is intense."
Before he could spiral into thoughts again, the shuttle's intercom chimed.
"We will be arriving at Alliance Academy shortly. Please prepare your belongings."
Leo snapped out of his daze and looked out the window. The shuttle was descending from the upper atmosphere, passing clouds tinted with brilliant streaks of violet and blue. The planet below came into full view—massive continents, floating platforms, and shining spires that pierced the sky like silver pillars.
As they drew closer, he spotted the Academy grounds.
It was enormous.
Dozens of giant interconnected structures, training plazas the size of stadiums, simulation towers, and lush green fields stretched across the landscape. The architecture blended futuristic technology with artistic designs from all three races—sleek silver lines, elegant curves, and sturdy geometric shapes.
Candidates around him pressed their faces to the windows in awe. Even Leo had to admit that the place looked like the setting of a top-tier sci-fi cultivation novel.
The shuttle slowed, engines humming softly as it prepared to land.
Leo took a deep breath.
Level 0 or not… I'm here now.
He straightened his posture, his heart beating a little faster.
If he wanted to survive—much less thrive—he would need to start strong.
The shuttle door hissed open.
And the next chapter of his new life was about to begin.
---