Kairo walked towards the city, but he didn't actually enter the city.
Before, it was just theoretical, but after what he did to that gang, he confirmed that his power was not some delusion. It was not a dream. It was real.
He was truly an Awakened warrior now.
He could fight for himself now, which meant he could seek power too.
Just like they say you need money to find money, so also did it work with power in this world. In a world of Demons, Orcs, Elves, and Dwarves, power reigned above all. And just like money, to seek power you need power.
Now, Kairo finally crossed the threshold. He finally had the foundation to seek power.
Even in mundane martial arts competitions like MMA and Boxing, not any random mofo can go pick up gloves and say he wants to be a World Champion.
Yes, the determination is there. Yes, the hard work is there, but without the talent which is the overriding factor, you could never be a boxing champion.
The same thing applied in Kairo's case.
He didn't care if his ability was unranked, he didn't care if people laughed at it, let them laugh. What mattered was that he finally had a foundation to work on, the bare minimum and he was satisfied with it.
In the far reaches of the outer ring, just outside the city walls, where the cobbled roads dissolved into cracked stone and sewage-choked alleys, a crooked shack leaned into the morning breeze like it was too tired to keep standing.
Mold crept along the walls as the roof sagged with every gust of wind. Rats scurried in and out through a hole in the back wall.
It was dilapidated.
This was where Kairo was. Inside, he sat motionless on the bare floor with his legs crossed and eyes closed.
He wasn't meditating, he was remembering.
It was 8 years ago but he still vividly remembered it like it was just yesterday; the scream of brakes… the crunch of shattering wood… his sister's hand, so small in his, slipping free as the white-robed strangers pulled her away.
Then, he was just 8. She was 6.
"Kai!" She'd called, tears streaming down her face and yet, he could do nothing. He was helpless.
Her voice still rang clearly in his ear.
Then, he could only make a promise. "I'll come find you, I swear".
She was not kidnapped. Shortly after their parents died 8 years ago in an accident, she was adopted.
At the tender age of 8, suddenly losing both his parents, Kairo was forced to face the cruel realities of life early. The only thing that kept his sanity was his sister; fighting for her… fending for her… and yet even that was taken from him.
Since then, he vowed. 'I'll find her, no matter what'.
This was his determination. It was his drive for power.
For 8 years, it was only a distant dream, but now, after awakening, it no longer seemed so distant anymore. For the first time in almost a decade, Kairo saw a clear route forward.
Sunlight slowly trickled through a crack in the world, slowly illuminating the dilapidated shack where he spent the night.
He stood up and walked outside.
Outside, the slums buzzed with activity as usual. Vendors shouted halfheartedly as smoke drifted from old cookfires. Children ran barefoot through puddles, laughing until they hit the smell of dead gutters and went silent.
Drunks slept in corners, a preacher screamed about redemption near a broken statue of a man nailed to a cross.
Kairo ignored it all.
He made his way to the central message post, a massive metal board bolted into the side of a collapsed watchtower. It glowed softly with old magic.
Messages showed across it, updating every dawn, ranging from bounties to market shifts, to territory disputes, to missing persons, and to even information about major events in the other races.
At the moment, one announcement caught Kairo's attention.
["ENTRANCE OPEN FOR THE ACADEMY TOURNAMENT."]
The letters glowed golden, animated with runic fire.
A teenage boy near the board gasped. "The Nexus Academy tournament…! It's really starting!"
This was the real reason why Kairo decided to come to the city, Nexus Academy, the biggest martial Academy in the human domain.
He'd built the foundation finally by awakening an ability.
If he wanted to turn his foundation to power, Nexus Academy was the best place to do it, but as the best martial Academy in the human domain, it was not easy to get admission in.
Luckily for him, it was not all about money. He could win a scholarship, and it was through the Academy Tournament.
[MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT: NEXUS ACADEMY ENTRANCE TOURNAMENT – ARCANUM NEXUS]
>Open to all citizens awakened within the last 30 days.
>Prove your worth. Rise through the trials and claim a place in the most prestigious institution across all Six Realms.
[Rewards:]
*Nexus Academy Admission.
*Full sponsorship from the Hero Union.
>Tournament Phases:
*Trial of Steel.
*Combat Phase.
*Written Examination.
[Out of ten thousand Candidates, only ten will be chosen. Only one will be crowned Nexus Champion.]
[NOTE: Nexus Champion will receive a scholarship bonus reward of 1,000,000 Arcanum credits.]
[NOTE: The tournament will start in 7 days. If you've registered, you can report to the F-rank public training ground for final preparation.]
["Awakened or not… Genius or Slumrat… if you stand on that stage, you will be seen"]
Kairo exhaled. This was it.
"This is my path forward," he muttered, breathe hot with determination. "This is the key to strength, wealth, and maybe finding my sister".
"I will definitely find her!" He clenched his fists tightly.
And then he moved.
Quickly crossing the opened gates to the city, he walked without looking back till he arrived at the walls of Nexus Academy. The Academy ground was gigantic, almost as big as 2 football stadiums.
Its walls were gigantic, even bigger than the city walls.
The F-Rank training grounds were erected outside the Academy walls. This was where applicants who couldn't afford entering the best human Academy the normal way would fight for the 10-slot scholarship.
10,000 applicants, only 10 winners…
Kairo grinned. "Competition, just my style". He cracked his knuckles and walked in.