The world changed fifteen years ago.
The first dungeon tore through the sky above Tokyo, cracking reality like glass. Monsters poured in—creatures of chaos and ruin. Humanity fought back, but not with guns or tanks. We evolved. Magic awakened. A new system was born.
Those with power climbed ranks.
Those without… were left behind.
---
Kael Vireon stared blankly at the holographic screen floating above his desk.
> [Magic Aptitude: Null]
[Combat Rank: E-]
[Awakened Skills: None]
Even the system hated him.
The classroom buzzed with excitement. Final rankings had just been released, and every other student was either comparing stats or flexing their Awakening.
"Yo, check this out! C-Rank Lightning Manipulation!"
"Bro, I'm already signed with a private Hunter guild!"
Kael quietly shut his screen and looked out the window.
Beyond the academy walls, the city shimmered—floating monorails, silver towers, and protective mana domes that separated them from the D-Class dungeons in the lower zones. It was beautiful… and out of reach.
"Still a Zero, huh?"
Kael turned. A boy in a red blazer smirked at him—Lucen Derith, heir of the Derith magic clan, and walking arrogance personified.
Kael didn't respond.
Lucen stepped closer, lowering his voice. "You should drop out. Join the waste unit. Be a janitor. At least then you'll be useful."
Kael didn't flinch.
Because today… he didn't care.
Not about rankings. Not about Lucen. Not about the world that forgot he existed.
Because last night, something impossible happened.
In the ruins beneath Old Sector 9… Kael had bled.
And the blade had bloomed.
---
His hand trembled as he reached into his pocket. A faint shimmer pulsed from the object wrapped in cloth—cold, alive, waiting.
> [Relic Detected: ???]
[Warning: Unregistered Artifact. Class: ???]
A flower-shaped hilt. No blade. Just a void.
When he gripped it, the void whispered.
> "One kill, one bloom."
"One bloom, one price."
The petals were crimson.
---
The academy bell rang.
Kael stood. Behind him, Lucen sneered. "Enjoy your loser life, Zero."
Kael didn't turn around.
Because deep inside, something had already changed.
He wasn't Kael the powerless anymore.
He was Kael, the one with the blade that blooms with death.
And soon… the whole academy would know.