The air in the Grand Awakening Hall of Eridon buzzed with a unique blend of terror and fervent hope. It was a feeling every citizen knew, a rite of passage that separated the children from the adults, the farmers from the warriors, the mundane from the magnificent. Today was the day the System would descend upon them.
And for Ren, it was his sixteenth birthday.
Standing amidst the throng of nervous teenagers, Ren was an anomaly. In a crowd of anxious faces, his was calm, a small, amused smile playing on his lips. He was an orphan, a boy with no family name, yet he possessed a face that could have belonged to a celestial prince. Hair like spun gold fell across a brow, and his eyes were the color of a deep, summer sky. He looked less like a boy who grew up on watery orphanage stew and more like an angel who had accidentally wandered into the wrong realm.
"Just breathe," a boy next to him muttered, his hands shaking. "My brother got a D-Rank. He's a city guard. I just want a D-Rank."
Ren glanced at him. "Aim higher, friend. Why be a guard when you can be the guy the guards protect? Personally, I'm hoping for the 'Galactic Dragon Slayer' Rank. Seems like a solid career path."
The boy stared at him, bewildered, before turning away. Ren chuckled to himself. For sixteen years, he'd had only his wits and a relentless determination to keep him going. While other kids played, Ren trained. He ran until his lungs burned, did push-ups until his arms gave out, and swung a heavy wooden sword until his hands were covered in calluses. He knew that the body's foundation could influence the System's gift. A normal person started with stats around 10. Ren was betting his years of sweat had earned him at least a 12 or 13.
"Next! Elara from the House of Veridia!" the officiant called out.
A girl with silver hair stepped forward and placed her hand on the large, black Awakening Stone. It hummed, glowing with a soft blue light visible to all.
"Rank B, Elementalist! A fine Awakener!"
The crowd applauded politely. A 'B' Rank was respectable. It guaranteed a life of comfort and strength.
One by one, the teenagers took their turn. C-Ranks, D-Ranks, a few disappointing F-Ranks. Then, a muscular boy named Kael stepped up. The stone flared with a vibrant purple light.
"Rank A! Berserker! An elite has been born in Eridon!"
The hall erupted in cheers. Kael puffed out his chest, a picture of pride. 'A' Ranks were the nobility of the new generation, destined for fame and glory.
Ren watched it all with a sharp focus. He felt no jealousy, only a burning desire for his own turn. My turn. My chance to be more than just the pretty orphan boy. My chance to become a Hero.
"Next! Ren, of the Sunstone Orphanage."
The announcer's voice was flat. No house name, no prestige. Just another orphan. The hall's chatter died down, but it was a murmur of indifference, not anticipation.
Ren walked forward, his steps light and confident. He ignored the pitying and dismissive looks and placed his hand on the Awakening Stone. Its surface was smooth and cool. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Alright, System. Sixteen years of waiting. Show me what you've got.
A jolt, not of electricity, but of pure information, shot up his arm, visible only to him. It was a dizzying sensation, like having an entire library downloaded directly into his soul. In the darkness of his mind, a holographic blue screen flickered to life, a secret between him and the universe.
[System Initializing... Welcome, User.]
[Name: Ren]
[Age: 16]
[Level: 1]
His stats began to populate the screen.
[Strength: 15]
[Agility: 14]
[Stamina: 16]
[Intelligence: 13]
Fifteen! His training had paid off more than he could have ever imagined! A grin spread across his face.
[Bloodline: [Unknown]]
[Talent: [Conceptualization]]
Then came the most important line. The line that would define his future. The letters began to flicker rapidly, a silent, personal light show.
[Rank: F... E... D... C... B... A... S... SS... SSS...]
He was an SSS-Rank! The highest rank known to man! A silent laugh of pure joy echoed in his mind. He was going to be a legend!
But it wasn't over.
The three SSS characters trembled on his private screen, and then, they dissolved. New letters elegantly wrote themselves into existence.
[Rank: Mythical]
Ren's mind went blank. Mythical. It wasn't in any textbook. It wasn't supposed to exist.
While Ren was witnessing this world-breaking event in his mind, the crowd saw something very different. As Ren touched the stone, it began to glow, shifting from white to green, then blue, then a vibrant purple. The crowd gasped. He was an A-Rank, just like Kael!
But then, just as the light was about to intensify further into the gold of an S-Rank, the stone sputtered. The purple light flickered violently and then died with a pathetic fizzle. A thin wisp of smoke curled up from its surface. The stone went dark.
The officiant stared. He tapped the side of the stone, then looked at his diagnostic monitor. He frowned, his face a mask of confusion.
"What happened?" someone whispered.
The officiant cleared his throat, an awkward flush on his cheeks. "Apologies. We have an Awakening Stone Malfunction. The reading is... inconclusive." He looked at Ren with a pitying expression. "As per protocol for equipment failure, the user is assigned a default rank. Rank... F. Please proceed to the maintenance desk to file a report, son."
The hall, which had been on the verge of erupting for a second A-Rank, fell silent for a moment before a wave of whispers and stifled snickers washed over the room. The orphan boy was so unlucky his Awakening broke the stone. An F-Rank. A failure. Kael, the Berserker, let out a loud, mocking laugh.
Ren didn't move. He stood there, the jeers of the crowd fading into a dull hum. They saw him as a failure, an error. But on the screen only he could see, the truth shone with a light brighter than any star.
[Rank: Mythical]
A slow, dangerous grin spread across Ren's angelic face. He bowed slightly to the bewildered officiant and walked away from the stone, his head held high. The world thought he was nothing. A glitch.
Let them think that, he thought, a laugh bubbling in his chest. It'll be much more fun this way.