Thwack.
"AAArrrghhhhh!!!"
A chilling scream tore out of the man's throat as his wrist bent in a direction it was never meant to go.
The goon collapsed to his knees, clutching his snapped hand while trembling in shock and pain. For a moment, the entire street fell silent.
A fourteen-year-old boy stood in front of him, calm as still water. Will didn't even look strained.
The crowd gasped.
"Holy… impressive! Mister Will is a warrior too!" a young woman shouted, eyes wide with excitement.
"Wait, isn't he unawakened?" someone else whispered.
"That's what I heard. Kid hasn't even awakened yet!"
The murmurs grew louder. Just a moment ago, everyone thought Will was doomed against the muscle-heads who came to harass him again. But now those same goons were lying all over the ground, groaning and twitching like broken dolls.
And Will? Not a scratch. Just casually dusting off his hands like he had swatted a few flies.
Then a heavy voice boomed through the air.
"Move aside!"
The crowd instantly parted, revealing a knight marching toward the mess. His armor clanked with each step, and his eyes widened the moment he saw the bodies on the ground and the boy who stood over them.
Shock flickered in the knight's eyes. He knew Will. Everyone in the outer ring knew Will. And everyone also knew this knight rarely lifted a finger whenever trouble came to Will's doorstep.
But now that Will fought back, suddenly he cared.
"You need to come with me, kid," the knight said, trying to sound righteous. "For fighting and injuring these citizens."
The entire crowd twitched. They had seen this hypocrisy for two years. Every time the goons caused trouble, this knight pretended he saw nothing.
But the moment Will defended himself?
Oh, now he was doing his job.
Will looked at the knight, smiling politely.
"kind mister," he said lightly, "but I didn't injure them. They just tripped."
The knight's brows slammed together.
"Do you think lying will save you today?" he snapped. "We all saw you beat these poor souls without a reason!"
His tone rose, expecting the crowd to back him up. But Will didn't flinch. His expression remained calm, almost amused.
"We?" Will repeated. "Let's ask the crowd then."
The knight blinked, confused for a moment. Then panic flickered in his eyes as he realized what Will was trying to do. The boy turned to the people surrounding the shop.
"Guys," Will asked sweetly, "did you see me beat these people?"
For a heartbeat the street was quiet. Then it erupted.
"Yes, Mr. Knight!" one man shouted.
"They just tripped. Very clumsy bunch."
Another woman raised her hand. "Yes sir, William is telling the truth. We all saw it."
Within seconds, everyone voiced the same thing, loud and firm, protecting the boy who had become beloved in their little community.
The knight's knees trembled. His face turned red with anger and embarrassment as if Will had done his mum in front of him.
He had no power here.
"You… just you wait!" he spat at Will. Then he turned and stormed away, armor rattling angrily as the crowd laughed and jeered behind him.
Will simply smiled, watching him go.
***
Evening eventually arrived and the shop finally closed, the last customer stepped out as Will locked the door behind them before heading upstairs to the small one-room living space he called home.
After taking a warm bath to wash away the scent of chocolate, sweat and the lingering traces of the day's chaos, he now lay resting on the couch, staring idly at the dim lantern swaying near the window.
The faint noise of the capital flowed in from outside, muffled and distant, giving the entire room a strangely calm aura.
By now, he had accumulated a total wealth of five hundred gold coins, an amount that easily placed him far above the average residents of the outer circle.
To anyone else living in this district, such money would be enough to change their fate, perhaps even enough to live luxuriously for several years without lifting a finger again.
But to Will, this number meant absolutely nothing.
Wealth was never his goal. Wealth did not satisfy him. Wealth did not give him what he truly wanted: influence, power, and the ability to move freely through the world without being hindered by anyone.
His ambition lay in the inner circles of the capital, where nobles, elite merchants, powerful mages, and prodigies walked with arrogance etched into their every step, a place where true opportunities existed but also where the most dangerous enemies resided.
Unfortunately, those same nobles and merchants had already used their authority to suppress him at every turn, never daring to confront him openly but constantly placing obstacles in his path, quietly blocking him from establishing a shop in their circles and limiting his reach.
Their actions though small were enough to irritate him. He knew what they were doing, and today he finally decided that the time to crush their influence was approaching.
His awakening day loomed close. In two days, he would turn fourteen, the official age when one's elemental affinity and talent were revealed.
His grandparents had decided on this birthday date long ago when they first discovered him as a newborn, covered in blood with fragments of a dried umbilical cord still attached to his skin, making it painfully obvious that he had been abandoned just moments after birth.
They took him home that day, named him, and raised him as their own, which made that date significant to him.
Even the system had acknowledged that this day correctly aligned with his soul's rebirth cycle, confirming that it was indeed the appropriate awakening date.
This year, however, his birthday meant more than a sentimental memory. Not only would he awaken, but so would the rest of the main cast of the novel.
The prodigies, villains, hidden geniuses, and future monsters of the world were all approaching their awakening period.
For Will, this was nothing short of a treasure mine waiting to explode. He had already placed binders on four of them, ensuring that every rise in their talent and strength would feed directly into his own growth.
He glanced toward the faintly glowing system panel hovering beside him.
[binders placed – 4/4]
A small smile tugged at his lips. Ethan was naturally the first, but the other three were individuals he had quietly tracked within the capital and tricked them to consume his blood just like he had done with Ethan. [How he did will be discussed in separate chapters]
Will shifted slightly on the couch, resting an arm behind his head as he gazed at the ceiling with a calm yet determined expression.
With money secured and everything in place all he had to do was make plans for the next year and also prepare for the entrance exam .
Soon, he would make his move. Soon, the world would learn his name.