Adam Vance woke up before his alarm.
It was 6:12 a.m.
He stared at the ceiling of his small apartment. The paint above him was uneven. There was a crack near the corner where moisture had gotten in years ago. He knew that crack well. He had looked at it almost every morning since he moved in after his father passed away.
He turned his head and checked his phone.
No new messages.
He sat up slowly and rubbed his face. His body felt normal. Nothing unusual. Just another weekday.
Adam worked at his father's old electronics repair shop. It wasn't successful, but it paid rent. Some months were tight. He lived alone. No siblings. No girlfriend. Just routine.
He got up, showered, brushed his teeth, and dressed in a plain black shirt and faded jeans. He tied his shoes carefully. He always tied them tight. He didn't like loose ends.
By 7:05 a.m., he was outside.
The street smelled like fried food and traffic smoke. Vendors were already cooking breakfast. Jeepneys and buses filled the road. People moved fast like they always did.
Nothing looked strange. Nothing felt strange.
At 9:17 a.m., everything changed.
Adam was inside his shop when it happened.
He had just opened the metal shutters and was organizing tools behind the counter when a bright blue screen appeared in front of his face.
It wasn't on a device.
It wasn't reflected.
It was floating in the air.
Clear.
Sharp.
Impossible to ignore.
He stepped back and almost knocked over a chair.
Words appeared.
NAME: Adam Vance
AGE: 23
LEVEL: 0
He blinked.
The screen stayed.
He reached out and tried to touch it. His fingers passed through it like smoke.
From outside, he heard shouting.
"What is this?!"
"I'm Level 3!"
"Bro, I'm Level 5!"
"No way, I'm Level 1?!"
The noise grew louder. Adam looked back at his own screen.
LEVEL: 0
He felt heat in his chest. Zero?
He didn't understand.
The screen flickered and vanished. Just like that. The street outside was no longer calm.
_
Marcus Lee stood in the middle of the sidewalk staring at his own screen.
NAME: Marcus Lee
AGE: 23
LEVEL: 2
"Level 2?" he muttered.
He flexed his hand. It felt slightly stronger. Like his muscles were more awake.
Around him, two men began arguing.
"I'm Level 4. Move."
"So what? I'm Level 3."
"Then test it."
One shoved the other.
The Level 4 man didn't just push. The impact sent the other sliding across the pavement.
People gasped.
Marcus took a step back. That wasn't normal strength. That wasn't human.
He looked toward Adam's shop. "Adam needs to see this," he said under his breath.
Marcus rushed in without knocking.
"Adam! Did you see it?"
Adam nodded slowly. "Yeah."
"What level?"
Adam hesitated. Marcus noticed.
"…Zero," Adam said finally.
Marcus blinked. "You're joking."
"I wish."
Marcus ran a hand through his hair. "That's… that's not possible. Everyone has at least one."
"I don't."
They stood there in silence.
Outside, another crash echoed. Adam moved toward the entrance and looked out. A Level 5 man had lifted a plastic road barrier and thrown it aside like it weighed nothing. People were no longer hiding their numbers. The levels were visible above their heads now, glowing faintly.
Level 1.
Level 3.
Level 6.
Adam looked around.
He felt smaller than he ever had.
By noon, things were worse. Groups had already formed. Higher levels walked confidently. Lower levels avoided eye contact.
Police sirens screamed in the distance. Marcus leaned against the counter.
"This is insane. It's been three hours."
Adam said nothing.
A teenager suddenly ran past the shop.
"Help! He's crazy!"
A tall man followed him calmly.
LEVEL: 4
The teenager tripped and fell.
The Level 4 man grabbed him by the collar. "You bumped into me earlier," the man said calmly. "You think that's okay?"
"It was an accident!"
"Not good enough."
He pulled back his fist.
Adam stepped outside without thinking. "Stop," Adam said.
The Level 4 man looked at him. "…Level 0?" the man laughed. "You're serious?"
Marcus whispered from behind, "Adam, don't."
Adam's heart was beating fast.
"I said stop," Adam repeated.
The man released the teenager and walked toward Adam slowly.
"You think you can tell me what to do?"
Adam didn't answer.
The man pushed him. It wasn't full force. But Adam fell back hard. The impact hurt more than it should have.
Marcus ran forward.
"Hey! Back off!"
The Level 4 man smirked. "You're Level 2. Don't try it."
Marcus clenched his fists but hesitated. The man turned back to Adam.
"Stay out of things you can't handle," he said and walked away.
The teenager scrambled up and ran.
Adam stood slowly.
His hands were shaking.
Not from pain. But—
From something else.
_
A woman stood on top of a building watching the chaos below. Her screen hovered calmly before disappearing.
NAME: Elena Cruz
LEVEL: 7
She adjusted her jacket.
"So it begins," she said quietly.
She watched the Level 4 man who had just pushed Adam. "Small fish already acting big."
Her phone buzzed.
A message read:
"Meeting tonight. High levels only."
She typed back one word. "Understood."
Her eyes drifted back toward Adam's shop. "For someone Level 0… you stepped forward without fear," she murmured.
Then she walked away.
_
Adam sat in silence.
Marcus paced.
"You can't do that again," Marcus said.
"You're zero, Adam."
"I know."
"You could've been killed."
"I know."
Marcus stopped pacing.
"Why did you do it?"
Adam thought for a moment.
"…Because no one else would."
Marcus didn't respond.
Outside, the city was louder than ever. People were testing strength openly now. Someone lifted a motorcycle to prove a point.
Two Level 3 men were fighting near the corner.
It wasn't organized.
It was instinct.
Power was being measured.
Dominance was being established.
And Adam had none.
Night fell quickly. The shop closed early. Adam walked home alone. He noticed something strange.
When he passed close to certain people, they hesitated. A Level 2 man who had been arguing suddenly looked confused. His glowing number flickered for half a second. Then stabilized.
Adam didn't notice. He kept walking.
Behind him, the Level 2 man checked his own level again. "…Was it always 2?" he muttered. He wasn't sure anymore.
Adam reached his apartment and locked the door. He sat on his bed and stared at nothing.
Level 0.
It wasn't just weakness. It was a target.
He lay down and closed his eyes. Outside, sirens continued. Somewhere in the city, high-level individuals were already gathering.
Planning.
Testing limits.
And in the middle of all of it—
Adam Vance. Level 0.
Unaware that the world had not finished changing.
Adam did not sleep well.
He kept waking up every hour. Every time he opened his eyes, he expected to see the blue screen again.
But nothing appeared.
At 6:45 a.m., he gave up trying to sleep and sat up. The city outside was already noisy. Louder than usual. There were more sirens during the night than he could remember.
He washed his face and looked at himself in the mirror.
Nothing looked different.
No glow.
No aura.
No power.
Just Level 0.
Marcus did not go home right away the night before. He stayed outside, watching.
He wanted to understand what Level 2 meant.
So he tested it.
Behind a closed grocery store, he picked up a heavy metal trash bin that normally required both hands and effort.
This time, it felt lighter.
Not easy.
But manageable.
He dropped it carefully.
"Okay," he muttered. "So it's real."
A group of three men approached him.
LEVEL: 3
LEVEL: 2
LEVEL: 4
The Level 4 stepped forward.
"You testing your strength?" the man asked casually.
Marcus stayed calm. "Just curious."
"Curiosity gets people hurt," the Level 4 said.
Marcus did not respond.
The Level 2 in the group smirked. "He's one of those excited beginners."
Marcus turned to leave.
The Level 4 grabbed his shoulder.
The grip was firm. Too firm.
"Relax," Marcus said.
"Show us what you can do," the Level 4 said.
Marcus pulled his shoulder free.
That small motion was enough.
The Level 4 shoved him.
Marcus stumbled back but didn't fall.
The Level 3 stepped in and swung a quick punch.
Marcus reacted on instinct.
He ducked.
The punch grazed his ear.
Marcus threw a counterpunch. It landed on the Level 3's ribs.
The impact was solid.
But not overwhelming.
The Level 3 barely moved.
Then the Level 4 kicked Marcus in the thigh.
Pain shot up his leg.
Marcus fell to one knee.
The Level 4 crouched slightly.
"You're not bad for Level 2," he said calmly. "But stay in your place."
They walked away laughing.
Marcus stayed on the ground for a few seconds before standing up slowly.
He looked at his shaking hands.
"Two isn't enough," he said quietly.
Adam opened his shop again.
He wasn't sure if customers would even come today. Surprisingly, three people were already waiting outside.
One woman with a broken tablet.
A man holding a damaged phone.
And a teenage boy who kept looking around nervously.
When Adam unlocked the door, they rushed in.
"You're still open?" the woman asked.
"Yes," Adam replied.
"Good. Not many places are," she said.
The teenage boy suddenly spoke.
"Are you really Level 0?"
Adam looked at him. "Yes."
The boy looked confused. "How are you still open?"
Adam didn't answer that.
He just said, "What's wrong with the device?"
Work helped distract him.
Screws. Circuits. Wires. Real problems that had real solutions.
Not numbers floating in the air.
Around 10:30 a.m., shouting erupted outside again.
Adam stepped out to look.
Two Level 3 men were arguing with a delivery driver.
The driver was Level 1.
"You scratched my car," one of the Level 3 men said.
"It was tight space," the driver replied nervously.
"Not my problem."
The Level 3 grabbed the driver's collar and slammed him against the truck.
Adam's jaw tightened.
Marcus appeared from the corner, walking stiffly.
He had a bruise forming near his jaw.
"You okay?" Adam asked quietly.
Marcus nodded once.
Then they both watched.
The Level 3 raised his fist.
Before it could land, someone else stepped in.
A woman.
LEVEL: 5
She moved fast.
She grabbed the Level 3's wrist mid-swing and twisted it sharply.
A cracking sound echoed.
The man screamed and dropped to his knees.
The other Level 3 stepped back.
The woman looked calm.
"Pick on someone your own level," she said flatly.
The second Level 3 hesitated.
Then he backed away.
The woman released the injured man.
He fell to the ground holding his wrist.
She turned to the delivery driver.
"Go," she said.
He didn't argue. He drove off immediately.
The woman walked away like nothing happened.
Marcus exhaled slowly.
"So that's how it's going to be," he said.
Adam nodded.
Power answered power.
Nothing else mattered now.
_
Five individuals stood around a metal table.
All Level 6 and above.
Elena Cruz stood among them.
A tall man with short gray hair spoke first.
"We need structure," he said. "If we don't organize, this city will collapse."
Another man crossed his arms. LEVEL: 8.
"Collapse benefits the strong."
Elena spoke calmly.
"Chaos attracts attention. Government will respond. Military too."
Silence followed.
The Level 8 man looked at her.
"You're suggesting control."
"I'm suggesting balance," Elena replied.
"And who leads?"
No one answered immediately.
Finally, the gray-haired man said, "For now, we observe. We gather strong individuals. No unnecessary public displays."
The Level 8 smirked. "Too late for that."
He walked to a broken window and looked down at the city.
"People are already fighting over sidewalks."
Elena's thoughts drifted briefly.
To a small repair shop two blocks from yesterday.
Level 0.
She didn't know why she remembered that.
_
Business slowed.
Marcus sat on a stool behind the counter.
"You noticed anything strange?" Marcus asked.
Adam paused.
"Like what?"
"I don't know. When you're around."
Adam frowned. "What do you mean?"
Marcus hesitated.
"Yesterday… when that Level 4 pushed you. For a second, I thought his number flickered."
Adam looked at him carefully.
"That doesn't make sense."
"I know."
They both stayed quiet.
Suddenly, a loud crash came from inside the shop.
Both turned.
A customer had tripped over a loose cable.
He fell hard.
"Sorry!" the man said, embarrassed.
Marcus walked over to help him up.
Adam noticed something again.
The man's glowing number above his head flickered faintly.
LEVEL: 2
For a split second—
LEVEL: 1
Then back to LEVEL: 2.
Adam blinked.
"…Did you see that?" he asked quietly.
Marcus turned. "See what?"
Adam didn't answer.
Maybe it was stress.
Maybe he imagined it.
He went back to work.
The same Level 4 from yesterday returned.
He was not alone. Two others followed him.
LEVEL: 3
LEVEL: 4
He stood in front of the shop entrance.
"Level 0," he called out loudly.
Adam stepped outside.
Marcus followed.
"You embarrassed me yesterday," the Level 4 said calmly.
"You shoved me," Adam replied.
"You stepped in."
Marcus moved slightly in front of Adam.
The Level 4 laughed.
"You think Level 2 protects Level 0?"
One of the other men kicked over a trash bin near the entrance.
Metal clanged loudly.
People nearby stepped back to watch.
The Level 4 rolled his shoulders.
"I'm not here to talk."
He lunged forward suddenly.
Marcus reacted first.
He threw a straight punch toward the Level 4's face.
The Level 4 blocked easily and countered with a hook to Marcus's ribs.
Marcus gasped.
Adam stepped forward without thinking and shoved the Level 4 from the side.
It wasn't strong.
But it interrupted his balance.
The Level 4 turned and punched Adam directly in the stomach.
Air left Adam's lungs instantly.
He dropped to his knees.
Marcus tackled one of the Level 3 men.
They rolled on the pavement, trading rough punches.
The second Level 4 grabbed Adam by the collar and lifted him halfway up.
"You're nothing," he said.
Adam's vision blurred.
The glowing number above the man's head felt too bright.
LEVEL: 4
Then—
For less than a second—
LEVEL: 3
The man froze.
"What—?"
His grip weakened slightly.
Adam felt it.
The number flickered again.
LEVEL: 4
The man shook his head.
"You trying something?" he growled.
Adam didn't understand what was happening. He only knew the grip felt weaker than before. Marcus broke free from his opponent and slammed into the Level 4 holding Adam.
All three fell.
Fists flew.
A police siren approached in the distance.
The Level 4 stood quickly.
"This isn't over," he said coldly.
They retreated down the street.
Marcus sat on the pavement breathing heavily. Adam stayed on his knees, holding his stomach.
"You okay?" Marcus asked.
Adam nodded slowly.
"…His level changed," Adam said quietly.
Marcus stared at him.
"What?"
"For a second."
Marcus looked toward where the men had run.
"Adam… that's not normal."
Adam knew that.
He just didn't know what it meant yet.
The police arrived too late to catch anyone. Two patrol cars stopped near the shop. Officers stepped out carefully. Their levels were visible too.
LEVEL: 2
LEVEL: 3
Not very high.
One officer looked at Adam and Marcus sitting on the pavement.
"What happened?"
Marcus answered first. "Street fight. They left."
"Levels?"
"Four and three," Marcus replied.
The officers exchanged looks.
"We'll file a report," one of them said, but his voice lacked confidence.
Adam noticed it. Even law enforcement did not feel secure anymore.
The numbers changed everything.
After giving a short statement, Adam and Marcus went back inside the shop.
Marcus leaned against the wall.
"You need ice," Adam said.
"You need a doctor," Marcus replied.
Adam shook his head. "I'm fine."
He wasn't fine.
His stomach hurt badly. His ribs felt tight when he breathed.
But something else bothered him more.
The flicker.
He saw it clearly this time.
LEVEL 4 became LEVEL 3.
Just for a moment.
He sat down slowly.
"Marcus."
"Yeah?"
"Don't tell anyone what I said earlier."
Marcus looked at him carefully. "About the level?"
"Yes."
Marcus didn't joke. Didn't smile.
"…You think you're doing that?"
"I don't know."
Marcus crossed his arms.
"If that's true… that's dangerous."
Adam already knew.
The Level 4 man who attacked Adam was named Victor Hale. He and his two friends stopped inside an empty parking structure a few blocks away.
Victor leaned against a concrete pillar.
"Something's wrong," he muttered.
"What do you mean?" one of the Level 3 men asked.
Victor looked up at his own number.
LEVEL: 4
It looked stable.
But earlier—
He was sure.
For less than a second—
LEVEL: 3.
"I felt weaker," Victor said.
The Level 3 laughed. "You got distracted."
"No," Victor replied firmly. "It dropped."
"Levels don't drop," the other Level 4 said. "We just got them yesterday."
Victor clenched his jaw.
"I'm telling you. When I grabbed him… something changed."
"Level 0?" the Level 3 asked.
Victor nodded slowly.
They were silent for a few seconds.
Then the other Level 4 shrugged.
"Even if it did flicker, it came back. Don't overthink it."
Victor wasn't convinced.
"I'm going to test something tomorrow," he said.
Adam closed the shop earlier than usual. The street was quieter now, but not peaceful. Groups had formed across different corners of the district.
Level 5 and above were beginning to move with confidence. Level 1 and 2 individuals avoided eye contact.
Adam locked the door and started walking home with Marcus.
"You going to be okay alone?" Marcus asked.
"I've been alone before," Adam replied.
"That was before everyone got superpowers."
Adam gave a small nod.
They reached the intersection where they usually separated.
Marcus hesitated.
"Adam."
"Yeah?"
"If what you think is real… you can't stay Level 0 forever."
Adam didn't answer that.
They parted ways.
Elena stood on the same rooftop as yesterday.
Her phone was open.
A private group chat filled the screen.
Names. Levels. Reports.
One message caught her attention.
"Unstable reading reported during street altercation. Level 4 temporarily displayed as Level 3. Witness unsure."
Elena narrowed her eyes.
"Location?"
The reply came quickly.
"District 11. Near Vance Electronics."
She looked up slowly.
"Vance…"
She remembered the shop sign.
She remembered the Level 0 man who stepped forward without hesitation.
She didn't jump to conclusions.
But she noted it.
"Monitor the area," she typed.
Then she put her phone away.
"If there is an anomaly," she said quietly, "someone will notice."
Adam lay on his bed staring at the ceiling again.
His body ached.
But his mind was active.
He replayed the moment in detail.
The grip on his collar.
The glowing number.
The flicker.
He closed his eyes and focused.
Nothing happened.
No screen.
No change.
He stood up and looked at his reflection.
"Level 0," he said softly.
He extended his hand toward the mirror like he had done toward the floating screen yesterday.
Nothing.
He lowered it.
Maybe it was coincidence.
Maybe stress.
But deep down, he didn't believe that.
_
Two college students sat inside a small convenience store down the street from Adam's apartment.
Both were Level 1.
They whispered nervously.
"Did you hear about the fight earlier?"
"Yeah. They said a Level 4 dropped."
"That's impossible."
"That's what I thought."
The cashier, Level 2, leaned closer.
"Dropped to what?"
"Three."
The cashier frowned. "Levels don't go backward."
"That's what everyone says."
They all went quiet.
Outside, a group of Level 5 individuals walked past confidently.
The atmosphere shifted whenever higher levels appeared.
The store felt smaller.
Safer indoors.
But not safe enough.
_
Victor stood alone in an empty alley. He found a stray Level 2 man leaning against a wall.
"You," Victor said.
The man looked nervous.
"What?"
"Hit me."
The Level 2 blinked. "What?"
"Punch me."
The man hesitated but obeyed. The punch landed weakly.
Victor barely moved.
"Again."
The Level 2 punched harder.
Victor grabbed his wrist easily.
LEVEL: 4 glowed steadily.
No flicker.
Victor released him and stepped back.
The Level 2 ran.
Victor stared at his number again.
"It only happened near him," he muttered.
His expression hardened.
"Level 0…"
Adam was finally starting to drift into sleep when something strange happened. For a brief second, the blue system screen appeared again.
But this time, it wasn't the same.
It didn't show his level.
It showed a single line:
STATUS: UNDEFINED
Then it vanished.
Adam sat up instantly. He looked around the dark room.
Nothing.
He touched his chest as if checking his heartbeat.
"Undefined?" he whispered.
He didn't know what it meant.
But he knew one thing clearly now.
He wasn't normal.
Not even as a Level 0.
The street outside his apartment was empty.
Streetlights flickered.
Somewhere in the city, high-level individuals were organizing.
Some were planning protection.
Some were planning control.
And some were simply enjoying the new power.
In a small apartment above a repair shop district, a Level 0 man sat awake in the dark.
Unaware that, one level 4 was already suspicious of him, one level 7 was quietly monitoring the area. Rumors had started about a "glitch" in the system. And something inside the system had labeled him differently.
Adam Vance did not feel powerful.
He did not feel special.
He felt tired.
Bruised.
Uncertain.
But tomorrow, the city would be more unstable than today.
And people would begin testing limits more seriously.
The world had changed in one day.
Now it was going to change again.