In a dark room, mysterious figures carrying mythic auras sat with confidence, watching the screen. They saw numerous cadets battling hard against the humanoid beasts.
"I told you not to increase the difficulty," the calm one said.
"It wasn't me. Upon receiving the news that we had twenty S-rankers, Master Chief decided to increase the level," the bold one replied.
Upon hearing that name, silence fell. It carried weight.
"Eh," the youngest of them scoffed. "I don't even care about the S-rankers. I already have my eyes on someone." The young one smiled playfully.
"Don't tell me you're recruiting low-rankers again," the calm one asked with interest.
"Darius, I heard your son Alex is in this trial. Let's hope Master Chief doesn't set his sights on him," he said, changing the topic.
"Eh, none of your business," Darius smiled, sipping a goblet of wine.
On the screen, a drone hovered above a government building. The inside was dark. Looking at the broken marble door, they couldn't help but wonder who had ripped it open with such force.
---
Back at the government building, Ethan moved close to the man weeping in the dark corner. He sighed. Only the gods knew how much trauma this one had endured.
Clasping her hands behind the guys back, Gloria stepped closer. "It's okay. It's over now," she said softly.
"No—no! Leave me alone! You weren't there!" the man screamed.
"It's no use. His mind is already broken. You can't help him," Lynx said, arms crossed.
"You know nothing. I'm sure he can still recover," Gloria shot back.
Ethan stayed silent. He knew how cruel this world was. In his past life, he'd seen many young awakened break down mid-battle. PTSD, they called it. Even an awakened was still human. Power didn't make you any less fragile.
"God… what's going on?" Freddy groaned, sitting up. To his surprise, not a single scratch remained—his injuries had vanished as if they were never there.
"You got knocked out. Be careful next time. Any mistake could cost your life. And one more mistake—I'll leave you behind," Ethan said sternly. What if Freddy had died?
"I'm sorry, dude. I just couldn't handle it then," Freddy said, scratching his head.
"No more talk. Let's move," Ethan said as he exited the building.
Soon after, the others followed.
The drone above the government building floated inside. From the screen, the mysterious figures saw the horror of the scene.
"Gods… how are kids this young able to endure such carnage?" the bold one murmured, impressed.
"No. Look at that boy," the calm one said, smiling faintly. "Bring him in. We need to check something."
---
BOOOOOOM!
A loud explosion shook the ground. Four figures were seen chasing three flying insects with long arms and curved torsos. Their skin was dark green, radiating toxic fumes strong enough to melt bone and flesh. Anyone watching would've called the four lunatics.
"Gods, they're slowing me down. If I were alone, I'd have slaughtered some bosses by now," Ethan thought grimly. Of course, he couldn't ditch his teammates.
"This is suicide. These beasts are at least at the Mutant level. Their boss must be Sacred level," Lynx said.
"Of course," Ethan replied calmly, which made Lynx glance at him in surprise.
Ethan's speed far surpassed the others. He was holding back. His true speed could rival an early-stage Ascended, but currently, he was only at the early Awakened stage. Most would mistake him for a late-stage Awakened.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Gloria hurled fireballs at the beasts. Luckily, fire was effective against poison, restricting their movement—but they were still fast.
Drawing his Death Blade, Ethan moved again. Just as he was about to strike the nearest beast, a figure appeared and sliced its neck cleanly. Ethan saw it clearly but chose to step back.
"Who dares cause such a ruckus here? Do you know your explosions are attracting humanoid beasts?"
A handsome young man with green hair and piercing emerald eyes stood above a pole, smirking.
"And who the fuck are you?" Ethan asked, reluctantly sheathing his Death Blade. He had wanted it to taste blood.
"Oh, that's rude. Not a nice way to talk," the stranger grinned.
"I think you should slap him for such disrespect," said a burly man beside him—the one who had stolen Ethan's kill.
"Shut up, doofus. That's no way to treat our guest," the green-haired youth said casually, resting a thin katana on his shoulder.
"Pardon my manners. I'm Alex," he said with a smug smile.
"And how do I care?" Ethan replied flatly.
The sting hit Alex like a blade. Everyone he met usually tried to impress him—but not this one. Even his friends exchanged puzzled glances.
"You've got to be careful. It's said Alex is a meticulous person," Lynx whispered.
"Fine then," Alex said calmly. "If you don't want to be nice, I won't complain."
He jumped down with graceful control.
"Such perfect mana flow… he's an S-rank aspect user," Gloria muttered.
Ethan already knew. Using his [Third Eye], he scanned the surroundings and found ten figures hidden nearby—all between mid to peak Awakened stage.
[ New Quest Received ]
[ Save your friends from the onslaught of the Proud Prodigies and kill their leader. ]
[ Reward: Space Dominance ]
"Uh… it triggered a quest," Ethan muttered. The system rarely handed him missions, which meant this one would be tough—and the reward was a skill.
"I can't use my space-time aspect carelessly. Too many eyes are watching," Ethan thought, spotting five drones hovering nearby, recording everything. His friends were only early Awakened, and Lynx was mid-tier at best.
"Fuck it," Ethan said as he blurred out of sight.
Bang!
Ethan struck Alex with blinding speed. Alex barely managed to parry the blow, shock flickering in his eyes.
"As expected of peak Awakening… give him a few months, and he'll ascend," Ethan thought.
To reach the Ascended stage, one's attributes had to surpass 100—and awaken their soul weapon. Alex was clearly at the peak of Awakening.
"Fool! How dare you attack our boss!" the burly man roared, performing a fist technique.
Ethan met it head-on with First Dragon Subduing Palm.
Bang!
The burly man staggered backward, his arm shaking—but not broken. His aspect was Golden Body, a main ability from the Golden Dawn Guild.
Ethan's eyes narrowed.
"Interesting…" he murmured.