In the year 2025, on his eighteenth birthday, Wylan Solthane, a young man fresh out of high school, prepared to embark on his journey into the workforce. Determined to ease the financial strain on his parents and siblings, he set out with a goal of finding a job to contribute to his family.
Wylan boarded a bus downtown and began applying to every store displaying a help-wanted sign. Some places gave him hope with promises to call back, while others dismissed him outright, deeming him too inexperienced for even an entry-level position.
As the sun dipped below the horizon, painting the sky in hues of orange and pink, Wylan finally completed his rounds of submitting applications and attending interviews. Exhaustion coursed through him, his legs aching as though lightning bolts were striking up from his ankles after a day spent tirelessly on his feet.
"I can't wait to get home and see what's for dinner. I wonder what mom cooked tonight!" he thought, his stomach growling as he longed for the comfort of home.
He arrived home with a zombie-like gait, and when he cracked the front door slightly, the succulent and amazing smell of food made with love and care wafted out, and if he were a cartoon or anime character, he would now be floating towards the smell.
"Mom, Dad, I'm home!" Wylan called out enthusiastically. From the kitchen, a matronly woman with warm green eyes and an ever-present smile leaned out and waved at him cheerfully. "Dinner will be ready in just a few minutes," she said. "Can you go and fetch your father?"
After a warm and cheerful family dinner, Wylan took a shower to wash away the day's grime before heading downstairs to his spacious garage-turned-bedroom. With a leap reminiscent of an Olympic diver, he landed on his bed, which felt unusually comfortable in his state of exhaustion. Unable to resist the overwhelming pull of sleep, his thoughts faded away as his subconscious took over, and he drifted into a world of dreams.
In his dreams, Wylan wielded extraordinary magical abilities, facing countless faceless adversaries in intense battles, each hurling spells in his direction. Their attacks were in vain, as Wylan's dream form gracefully evaded every strike. With a burst of untamed, chaotic energy, he unleashed a powerful force, obliterating the surrounding faceless entities into mere dust before propelling himself to new locations to continue the exhilarating encounters.
Days turned into weeks, and soon the end of the year arrived, with Wylan still struggling to find a job. Despite being a recent high school graduate with some promising prospects, he kept being overlooked for positions. Time and again, other candidates, equally young and inexperienced, secured the roles, not because of their skills, but because they had connections with the hiring manager or someone higher up in the company. This left Wylan feeling frustrated as he watched opportunities slip away to those with the right contacts rather than the right qualifications.
Without anyone's knowledge, as the year drew to a close, a thin white line emerged at the very heart of Africa. It grew steadily in length until it finally touched the ground. Upon making contact with the earth, the white light began to radiate outward, pushing aside soil, rocks, and vegetation as it expanded across the terrain.
As it grew to its full size, the top underwent a remarkable transformation, gradually forming into a radiant, luminous gate that appeared to open into the infinite mysteries of the unknown.
From within the brilliantly glowing surface of the gate, cracks began to form in its surface as if something was trying to break through from the other side.
CRACK!
The glowing surface appeared to bleed a solid form of space as the pressure increased, and the very air began to thrum with chaotic levels of energy.
Soon, the pressure from the other side became too much, and as if the gate was made of flimsy glass holding back a tidal wave, it shattered into countless particles.
BOOOOOOOOSH!
Brilliant multicolored lights erupted from both ends of the gate with such intensity that they gouged deep ravines into the ground as the energy radiated outward. The phenomenon was swiftly noticed by locals and government officials responsible for monitoring sudden changes in the area. The African government responded promptly, taking measures to secure and cordon off the enigmatic gate-like structure.
Nevertheless, it didn't take long for information to surface on social media. Within hours of its emergence, news outlets and the internet were flooded with both accurate reports and wild speculation. Some described the gateway as a portal to a higher dimension, while others, viewing it through a religious perspective, labeled it as a doorway to either heaven or hell, depending on their beliefs.
While all this unfolded, Wylan remained asleep. However, just a few hours into the night, a nearly imperceptible beam of light emerged from the portal and traveled across the planet, seemingly searching for a specific target. The beam eventually arrived in Wylan's neighborhood in Owasso, Oklahoma, passing through the walls of his house as though they didn't exist before merging into Wylan's sleeping form. Oblivious to the event, Wylan continued to sleep, unusually deeply, due to his exhaustion.
Wylan awoke to a peculiar, soft trilling sound resonating faintly in the back of his mind. As he opened his eyes, the sight before him startled him so much that he instinctively jumped backwards onto the bed, only to lose his balance and tumble off the other side.
"Ugh... ouch," Wylan groaned as the impact sent a sharp pain through his body. However, the memory of what had shocked him moments ago quickly resurfaced, prompting him to open his eyes again. The strange phenomenon was still there, hovering in his vision.
[Congratulations! You have been chosen as the master of the Codex system!]
"The Codex System? What exactly is the Codex System?" Wylan muttered, his confusion clear.
As if in response to his unspoken inquiry, another message appeared before him.
[The Codex serves three primary roles:
1. Record Keeper – It meticulously chronicles every ability, breakthrough, and evolution, documenting your entire cultivation journey.
2. Judge & Gatekeeper – It assesses your worthiness for advancement. Breakthroughs require not only energy but also the successful completion of Codex Trials.
3. Pathway to Power – The Codex provides hints, quests, or cryptic guidance for progression, but always at a cost.]
"Cultivation? What does that even mean..."
Before he could finish the thought, a plain stat panel materialized in front of him, displaying his status.
[Codex System
User: Wylan Solthane, 18-year-old human male
Stage: Unawakened
Would you like to awaken (Y/N)?]
Wylan felt an inexplicable pull toward the yes option and almost instinctively made his choice.
"YES!" he exclaimed, his voice slightly louder than intended, tinged with cautious excitement.
As the words left his mouth, his knees gave way, and he collapsed into a fetal position. Within his chest, an organ both corporeal and ethereal began to materialize next to his heart. It settled perfectly into an empty cavity, and luminous cerulean arteries unfurled, threading intricately through his body and integrating flawlessly with his circulatory system.
CRACKLE!
Delicate arcs of electricity flickered around the core, and even in his unconscious state, Wylan was consumed by excruciating pain as the immense energy within him triggered profound transformations and enhancements.
CRACKLE!
A sudden burst of electricity surged from his hand, destroying his desk lamp before coursing through the cord into the outlet, resulting in a complete power outage for the entire block.
Before his eyes, a series of prompts appeared.
[Congratulations on awakening a Static Core and beginning your ascent up the cultivation ladder, heralding the start of a thrilling and transformative journey.]
Across the globe, as the dense energy from the newly christened Heart of Mana permeated the atmosphere, countless individuals began experiencing similar transformations, each with unique and varied outcomes.
"AAAAAHHHHH!" A young teen with spiky blonde hair cried out in anguish as a powerful wave of pain surged through his body. Intense streams of fire burst uncontrollably from his hands, searing the ground below and leaving it scorched and blackened almost instantaneously.
A man, desperate and at his wit's end, held a gun to his head and pulled the trigger, only to collapse to the ground with an intense headache. Confused, he touched the sore spot and discovered a slab of hardened bone-like material protruding from his skin. Panic set in as he thought he had disfigured himself instead of ending his life. Rushing to the bathroom to examine his condition, he was shocked to see the bone-like material slowly receding back into his skin, as though it was melding into his pores. The sudden clink of the bullet hitting the floor jolted him out of his stunned thoughts.
Meanwhile, in Japan, a schoolgirl found herself being harassed by a gang of delinquents. In a moment of anger and desperation, as one of them grabbed her, she thrust her hand forward into the chest of one of the young men. To her astonishment, and to the shock of the others, a beam of light erupted from her palm, sending the hooligan hurtling several meters away until he crashed into a pile of refuse. The surreal sight left everyone present in stunned silence.
A sniper lay in wait, his sights locked on the target's destination, ready to execute a clean and silent kill. But suddenly, his vision transformed into that of a hawk's, and with a startled gasp, he found himself seeing through the eyes of a hawk soaring above the building. Overwhelmed yet cautious, the sniper quickly adapted to this extraordinary perspective.
With this newfound advantage, he scanned the area from multiple angles, effortlessly locating his target. Confidence surged within him as he prepared for the shot, knowing he could eliminate the target before he even stepped outside.
BOOM!
The muffled yet powerful crack of his rifle echoed as he squeezed the trigger. His sharp gaze followed the 7.62x51mm bullet, striking the target squarely in the heart just as the man closed the door to his bathroom.
The sniper blinked, and the strange sensation vanished. Unaware, his eyes returned to normal. Without hesitation, he stood up, gathered his equipment, and began his exfiltration from the scene, all the while questioning just what the hell had happened.
Numerous unusual events took place that night, prompting news stations to receive hundreds of concerned calls as these incidents continued to unfold.
Wylan woke with a start, a line of drool pooling under his face, but that did not matter as it was the flashing prompts that caught his attention the most.
[Congratulations on awakening a Static Core and beginning your ascent up the cultivation ladder, heralding the start of a thrilling and transformative journey.]
"Static Core? What is that? What happened to me?"
[Codex System
User: Wylan Solthane, 18-year-old human maleRealm: Mana-Gathering Realm 1/100Elemental Core: Static Core – Saturation: 0%]
Wylan's chest heaved with uneven breaths as the flickering glow of the screen danced before his eyes. Beads of sweat rolled down his temples, stinging his vision, but he couldn't tear his gaze from the hovering text.
[Realm: Mana-Gathering Realm 1/100 Elemental Core: Static Core – Saturation: 0%]
He blinked, struggling to determine whether he was awake or trapped in some surreal dream. Yet, the faint hum coursing through his veins told a different story. It wasn't just energy coursing through him, it was pressure, as though his very blood had been infused with some potent force.
"Static… Core?" he murmured, his voice barely above a rasp. Tentatively, he pressed his palm against his chest, half-expecting to feel some alien organ pulsing beneath his skin. But instead, his heart's rhythm felt stronger, steadier, almost enhanced.
Then, without warning, a sharp crack snapped through the air.
A tiny spark leapt from his fingertips, and he recoiled with a startled yelp, clutching his hand. The faint blue glow lingered, dancing between his fingers like playful fireflies. His breathing grew rapid and shallow.
"This isn't real. This can't be real…"
He staggered toward his desk, but the sight of the scorched lamp brought a sinking realization. The memory of the last surge hit him like a blow. He hadn't imagined it. He'd blacked out the entire block.
His pulse roared in his ears as he flexed his fingers once more, desperately trying to suppress the sparks. Another arc leapt from his knuckles, crackling against the metal leg of his desk with a sharp snap. The faint sting lingered, leaving his skin buzzing with residual energy.
"Okay… okay, breathe…" he murmured, forcing himself to steady his trembling hands. "I can figure this out. Just… calm down."
The Codex glowed faintly, pulsing in response to his plea.
[Warning: Static Core unstable. Recommend stabilization sequence.]
"Stabilization sequence?" Wylan rasped, his voice dry and cracked. "What does that even mean—"
The text shifted abruptly.
[Stabilization requires immediate practice in Mana Circulation. Failure to comply may result in uncontrolled surges.]
A chill ran down his spine. Uncontrolled surges? His gaze darted to the shattered lamp and the charred mark still smoldering on the carpet. His heart raced as the thought of setting the entire garage ablaze, and his parents upstairs, flashed through his mind.
"No. No, I can't let that happen," he said firmly, shaking his head. "Fine. Show me what to do."
[Initiate Beginner Guidance? (Y/N)]
His jaw tightened, but inevitably, he relented. His hand, as though acting of its own volition, moved toward one of the choices. "Yes."