The Rise of the Demigod
Chapter 2: A Changed World
The day the modern world changed forever began like any other.
Then the monsters appeared.
They came from nowhere, roaming across cities, forests, highways, and every corner of the Earth. People were terrified. Entire communities were destroyed within hours.
The monsters were creatures humanity had never seen before.
They attacked without warning, and for several hours, the world was completely overwhelmed.
Thousands of people died.
Millions more were forced to hide.
But as time passed, humanity began to adapt.
New governments were formed.
Humanity developed advanced strongholds and powerful weapons.
Then something even more unbelievable happened.
A new power system appeared.
It granted ordinary humans abilities based on powers they had once only seen in movies, television shows, video games, manga, and anime.
People who had once been powerless could suddenly control fire, summon weapons, manipulate energy, fly, heal wounds, or possess incredible physical strength.
Humanity had entered a new era.
The government quickly established a ranking system to determine the strength of these awakened people.
The higher the rank, the greater the person's abilities.
But even with this new power, humanity wasn't completely safe.
Sometimes, people inside the strongholds went insane.
Some awakened humans became obsessed with their powers and attacked others.
I guess when someone suddenly receives incredible abilities, there's always a chance they might lose themselves.
POV: Me
I was on my way to the academy when my system suddenly notified me.
DING!
[SYSTEM UPDATE AVAILABLE.]
I stopped walking.
"Huh?"
A new notification appeared.
[NEW HIGH-CLASS FUNCTION DETECTED.]
I stared at the screen.
The update was classified as a Higher-Class Function.
Not everyone received it.
Only certain awakened individuals qualified.
The news spread throughout the city almost immediately.
People were talking about the new classes everywhere.
But there was one class everyone wanted.
The Demigod Class.
Unfortunately, obtaining it wasn't simple.
The requirements were unbelievably difficult.
You needed an extremely high level, exceptional combat ability, and a powerful enough core to survive the transformation.
Most people weren't even remotely qualified.
Science Class
The teacher stood at the front of the classroom, staring at the results on the holographic screen.
"How is this even possible?"
The entire classroom became silent.
Nobody knew what to say.
Then—
RIIIIING!
The school bell rang.
The teacher sighed.
"We'll continue this discussion tomorrow."
Students immediately began leaving the classroom, talking excitedly about the new system update.
Three Weeks Later
Three weeks had already passed.
My level had reached 156.
I was getting stronger every day.
I trained whenever I had free time.
I studied monster behavior.
I practiced my abilities.
I fought increasingly powerful creatures.
Then, four months after the system update—
I achieved something nobody in Glory City had accomplished before.
Demigod Rank.
I stared at the notification.
[CONGRATULATIONS.]
[DEMIGOD CLASS UNLOCKED.]
I stood there quietly.
I was the first person in Glory City to reach the Demigod Class.
According to the rules, I immediately reported my achievement to the Noble Leader.
When I arrived, several important figures were waiting.
The moment they saw my status, their expressions changed.
"You became a Demigod?"
The Noble Leader looked at me in disbelief.
"You're the first person in Glory City to accomplish this."
News spread throughout the city.
Soon, the Noble Leader announced a massive ceremony.
Thousands of people gathered.
Everyone wanted to see the first Demigod of Glory City.
When my name was announced, the entire city erupted in cheers.
I couldn't believe it.
I was just an ordinary middle-class citizen before all of this started.
Now everyone was looking at me like I was some kind of legend.
Two Years of Training
One of the Noble Leader's top-ranked warriors became my personal training instructor.
He was one of the strongest people in Glory City.
From that day forward, my training became brutal.
Day after day.
Night after night.
For two entire years, I trained under him.
He pushed my body beyond its limits.
Every time I thought I had become strong enough, he proved me wrong.
There was one lesson he repeated constantly.
"Never underestimate another person's power."
I eventually understood why.
Power wasn't always visible.
Someone could look weak and still possess an ability capable of killing you.
That lesson stayed with me.
The God of Heroes
Eventually, the people of Glory City began giving me a nickname.
The God of Heroes.
At first, I thought it was ridiculous.
I wasn't a god.
I was simply someone who wanted to protect people.
But the Noble Leader admired my actions and kindness.
He eventually commissioned a statue in my honor and placed it in the central hall near the shipping district.
Every time I walked past it, I still couldn't believe it was supposed to represent me.
The Other Demigods
Eventually, two more people reached the Demigod Class.
The first was a girl from a powerful and well-known clan.
She was incredibly talented and had been trained from childhood.
The second was a boy from one of the wealthiest families in the city.
He had access to the finest equipment, resources, and training available.
And then there was me.
A middle-class kid who had somehow become the first Demigod.
Despite our different backgrounds, we became close friends.
We trained together.
We hunted monsters together.
We went on quests together.
And occasionally, we fought each other just for fun.
None of us wanted to lose.
After Class
One afternoon after class, I went down to the lake.
I had recently created a new ability, and I wanted to test it.
I closed my eyes.
Energy began gathering around my body.
"Let's see what this can do."
Suddenly—
RED ALERT!
RED ALERT!
THIS IS NOT A DRILL!
A government announcement echoed throughout the city.
"A Core Nine-Rank Dragon has been detected approaching Glory City!"
My eyes widened.
"A Nine-Rank?"
That was bad.
I immediately turned around and started running toward the city.
People were already panicking.
Sirens echoed through the streets.
I heard someone shout from behind me.
"Look!"
"That's him!"
"The God of Heroes!"
"He's going to save us!"
I stopped.
Energy surged through my body.
My Demigod power awakened.
Purple lightning exploded into the sky.
I raised my hand.
"Come on."
The lightning gathered around me.
A massive purple dragon formed from thunder and energy.
ROAAAAAR!
The Thunder Dragon launched into the sky.
The battle began.
The Battle
The Nine-Rank Dragon descended upon Glory City.
Its roar shook the entire battlefield.
Buildings trembled.
People fled into the strongholds.
I flew toward the dragon.
The purple Thunder Dragon followed behind me.
We collided with the monster in the sky.
BOOM!
The battle lasted for nearly an hour.
Lightning covered the clouds.
The dragon's flames turned the sky red.
Every attack shook the surrounding area.
But eventually, I defeated it.
The massive creature crashed outside the city.
Silence followed.
Then the entire city erupted in celebration.
I landed safely.
I was exhausted.
"That's enough excitement for one day."
That Night
I returned home.
I didn't even bother doing anything else.
I collapsed onto my bed.
"Tomorrow…"
I closed my eyes.
"…I'll deal with tomorrow."
Within minutes, I was asleep.
Somewhere Else — Tempest Hall
Far away from Glory City, beyond the reach of ordinary humans, a massive hall floated within a mysterious dimension.
Tempest sat upon his throne.
A gigantic screen displayed everything that had happened.
The first Demigod.
The three friends.
The battle against the Nine-Rank Dragon.
Tempest watched silently.
Then he smiled.
"So…"
He leaned back in his throne.
"The first Demigod has finally appeared."
The God of Life stood nearby.
"Was this part of your plan?"
Tempest smiled.
"Not exactly."
The Goddess of Death looked toward the screen.
"Then what comes next?"
Tempest looked at the countless worlds beyond the hall.
His expression became serious.
"Now…"
"…we find out how far humanity can really go."
The screen suddenly flashed red.
[NEW WORLD EVENT DETECTED.]
Tempest's smile disappeared.
"Oh?"
He looked at the notification.
"Things just became interesting."
To Be Continued…