Three days passed.
He barely slept.
Every time he closed his eyes, he saw his uncle falling.
So instead of lying in bed, he trained.
Not like Hunters did.
He had no manuals. No instructors. No Universe Energy to circulate.
He simply pushed his body until it burned—running through empty streets at dawn, doing pushups in abandoned lots, punching cracked concrete until his knuckles went numb.
But the strange thing was—
He didn't feel tired the way he used to.
His lungs didn't scream.
His heartbeat stayed steady.
And sometimes, when he focused, he could feel that presence again.
Deep inside.
Silent.
Watching.
On the fourth day, he went to a public information terminal near the lower district.
Large holographic panels displayed recent Rift activity and Hunter reports.
He searched:
HUNTER POWER RANKING SYSTEM
The screen lit up.
🔹 Official Awakener Rankings
F-Rank – Newly awakened. Minimal combat ability.
E-Rank – Can fight weak Rift Monsters with support.
D-Rank – Capable of solo combat against low-tier monsters.
C-Rank – Veteran Hunters. Trusted with medium Rifts.
B-Rank – Elite combatants. Rare talents.
A-Rank – National-level assets. Cities depend on them.
S-Rank – Legendary existences. Human weapons.
Below that:
Rift Monster Threat Levels
Low → Medium → High → Catastrophic
Assigned based on destruction potential.
He stared at the rankings.
So this was the ladder everyone climbed.
And he wasn't even on it.
No awakening record.
No rank.
No existence.
He turned away from the terminal.
"Doesn't matter," he muttered.
"I'll make my own."
That night, sirens echoed through the lower district.
A small Rift had opened near an abandoned warehouse zone.
Normally, he would've stayed far away.
Tonight, he didn't.
He followed the sound.
Carefully.
His heart pounded as he moved through broken streets, staying in shadows, keeping low.
The Rift glowed faintly between two collapsed buildings.
No Hunters had arrived yet.
He counted three monsters crawling out.
Low-tier.
Same type that killed his uncle.
His breathing slowed.
Fear tried to rise.
He crushed it.
This is it.
His first step forward felt heavier than any before.
His body screamed at him to run.
Instead, he walked closer.
One monster noticed him.
It screeched.
The others turned.
They rushed him.
His legs moved before his mind could catch up.
He dodged the first swipe, barely.
The second monster grazed his shoulder.
Pain flared.
He stumbled.
Focus.
He reached inward.
Deep into that dark space in his chest.
The world seemed to slow.
Not time—
just his perception sharpening.
He felt lines of movement.
Weak points.
Instincts that didn't belong to a normal human.
The closest monster lunged.
He grabbed a broken steel rod from the ground and drove it forward.
Straight through its core.
The creature dissolved into fading particles.
His hands shook.
He didn't stop.
The second monster came from the side.
He ducked, rolled, and smashed the rod upward.
It collapsed.
Only one left.
It hesitated.
So did he.
They stared at each other.
His chest burned.
His arms felt heavy.
But his eyes were calm.
"I'm not running anymore."
He stepped forward.
The monster attacked.
He met it head-on.
One clean strike.
It vanished.
Silence returned to the street.
He stood there, breathing hard.
Sweat ran down his face.
His knees almost gave out.
He had done it.
No Hunter.
No Universe Energy.
No rank.
Just him.
His first solo kill.
He looked at his trembling hands.
"I did it…"
There was no joy.