The early afternoon sun spilled golden light through the reinforced windows of Central High School in Base City 5. Dust motes drifted lazily through the air, glinting in the soft radiance. But despite the warmth, the room was still, the air heavy with quiet attention.
At the front stood Instructor Kellan, tall, composed, and severe. Behind him, a sleek holographic board projected the words in clear, silver text:
The Great Calamity of 2000
"Fifty years ago," Kellan began, his voice calm but edged with gravity, "the sky split open."
He paced slowly before the class, hands clasped behind his back. "A rift—vast, radiant, and silent—tore through our atmosphere. Within hours, the Earth was shrouded in a luminous mist. That day marked the end of the old world."
No one spoke. They'd heard this story dozens of times, yet it never failed to silence them.
"That mist," Kellan continued, "was later called Cosmic Energy. It was power itself—raw, untamed, and alive. It changed everything it touched. Beasts, plants, even the ground beneath our feet began to mutate."
He gestured toward the holographic display, which now showed images of warped landscapes and monstrous creatures. "Our cities fell. The old nations vanished. A billion people died in six months."
He paused, eyes narrowing slightly. "In desperation, humanity unleashed its deadliest weapons—nuclear bombs."
The projection flared white with massive explosions. "It did nothing. The world burned. Radiation spread. Civilization nearly ended."
A few students looked away, the horror too much to imagine. Kellan's tone softened as he tapped his wristband, shifting the image again.
A massive, half-buried alien vessel appeared above the desk in three-dimensional hologram, faintly glowing with runic patterns.
"But within the ashes, we found hope," he said. "This ruin was discovered fifty years ago, off the coast of what was once the Atlantic. Inside it was knowledge—foreign, powerful, ancient. From that knowledge came Martial Energy Techniques. The first humans who learned them became the world's first Martial Artists."
That statement made every student straighten unconsciously. This was what they all trained for, what they dreamed of.
Kellan smiled faintly, just for a moment. "With the rise of martial artists, humanity regained its footing. Fortified Base Cities were built. Mutated beasts were driven back. Slowly, we began to survive again."
Then his expression darkened. "But arrogance has always been our curse."
The projection shifted to show the oceans—deep, endless, and dark. "We thought we had reclaimed our planet. But we had forgotten the sea."
The hologram zoomed in, showing monstrous shapes rising from the depths—sharks the size of ships, crustaceans that could crush steel. Then, the final image appeared: a gargantuan octopus-like creature, its eyes glowing with cold intelligence.
"The Ocean Emperor," Kellan said, his voice low. "When it surfaced, entire cities were wiped away overnight. Humanity's mightiest weapons did nothing."
He let the silence stretch before speaking again." And then, he appeared. Humanity's strongest—Dragon."
The screen lit with the image of a lone man standing atop a storm-tossed ocean, a massive blade in his hands, facing the colossal beast.
"For three days and three nights, they fought," Kellan said softly. "Neither won. But in the end, an agreement was made. Dragon swore never to step into the sea, and the Ocean Emperor promised never to set foot on land."
The projection faded, and the classroom fell into silence once more.
"That was twenty years ago," Kellan said, folding his arms. "Since then, humanity has rebuilt. We stand strong again, but the balance remains fragile. In one month, you will all take your College Entrance and Martial Exams. To qualify, you must first become Quasi-Warriors. Only then can you awaken your genes and begin cultivating true martial strength."
His gaze swept across the class. "Train well. Our future depends on you."
With that, he dismissed them. The door slid open, and as he left, the tension dissolved instantly.
"Same speech every year," someone muttered. Another yawned. "Still makes me nervous every time."
Laughter trickled through the room. But at the back, Aiden Cross didn't move.
He sat frozen, staring blankly at his desk, his heart pounding wildly in his chest.
Where… am I?
The thought hit him like lightning. His mind was a storm of confusion. He remembered standing on a crosswalk. The screech of tires. Pain. Then darkness.
He swallowed hard, trembling.
I died.
Panic clawed at his chest. This wasn't Earth. The language, the technology, the talk of martial energy—it was all wrong.
His breathing grew ragged. A sharp, burning pain shot through his head, and before he could even cry out, everything went black.
When Aiden woke, he was lying in the infirmary. The lights overhead were dim, and the faint scent of antiseptic filled the air.
"Aiden! You're awake!"
He turned his head. Darius Vale, his tall, broad-shouldered classmate and best friend, was hovering nearby with a worried look. "Man, you scared the hell out of us," Darius said. "You just collapsed in the middle of class!"
Aiden blinked slowly. His voice came out weak. "I'm fine. Just a headache."
Darius exhaled. "Don't do that again, okay? Instructor Kellan nearly had a stroke."
Aiden gave a small, reassuring smile, though his pulse was still racing. "I'll try not to."
When Darius left to grab water, Aiden sat up carefully. His hands trembled. His memories—the new ones—spilled through his mind like a flood. He saw his parents' faces, his home, his school schedule.
All of it was real.
He was Aiden Cross, student of Central High, son of Mira and Calen Cross.
But deep down, he was still someone else—someone who had died on Earth.
And now, somehow, he had been reborn here, in a world of monsters and martial power.
A new world. A new life.
A nervous laugh escaped him. "So this is it... an isekai."
The thought was absurd, but the reality before him was undeniable. And then—
A sharp chime echoed inside his mind.
A sound that didn't belong to this world.
[Ding! The Infinite System has been successfully activated.]
Aiden froze. His breath caught. His pulse roared in his ears. That voice... mechanical, emotionless, familiar.
No way...
He focused, almost instinctively, and a translucent panel appeared before his eyes.
[Host: Aiden Cross]Physique: 0.1Spirit: 0.1Talent: Unawakened
He stared. No flashy stats. No golden numbers. Just two attributes and an empty line.
His disappointment lasted only a heartbeat.
[System Function: All Attributes Double Automatically Every 24 Hours.]
Aiden blinked. Then blinked again.
"Double… every day?"
His mind raced. Today—0.1.Tomorrow—0.2.Then 0.4. 0.8. 1.6. 3.2. 6.4…
It wasn't a slow rise. It was exponential. In mere days, he'd surpass the human limit.
A shaky laugh escaped his lips. He pressed his palm against his chest, feeling the steady rhythm of his heart.
This is insane.
In a world ruled by strength, he'd been handed the one thing everyone dreamed of—limitless growth.
He closed his eyes and whispered, "Guess I just need to survive long enough to see what happens."
When he opened them again, the light in his gaze had changed.
He no longer looked lost or frightened. Only calm. Focused.
Outside, the last rays of the sun faded behind Base City's silver towers. Drones hummed through the streets, neon signs flickering to life one by one.
Aiden sat in silence, the faint hum of the infirmary filling his ears. He had no idea how or why this system had chosen him. He didn't know what dangers this world held. But one thing was certain:
He was no longer ordinary.
And this time, he wouldn't waste the chance.
Every day, I'll grow stronger. Every day, I'll climb higher. And someday… I'll see how far infinity can go.
He smiled faintly, a quiet spark of determination flickering behind his calm eyes.
[System Initialization Complete. Doubling Cycle Begins.]
The numbers on the panel glowed softly. His strength would double by dawn.
Unseen beyond the walls of the infirmary, the night wind carried the faint pulse of energy stirring in the distance—a new rhythm awakening in the veins of the world.
And somewhere deep within Aiden's soul, a spark of infinite comprehension shimmered quietly to life.
The world of Blue Star had no idea what was coming. But tomorrow… it would begin to change.