"This is 78 years after the peace between humans and Xal. The world leaders are soon going to meet with a delegation of the Xal and other races for a better future for all lives in this world."
Ren watched the TV with focus, sipping ramen from his bowl. He was so absorbed that he didn't notice the broth staining his clothes.
"The new military academy session is about to begin, and the fresh batches of young awakeners are ready to become pillars of our human society."
Ren noticed his ramen was finished, but he still felt hungry. There was nothing left to eat except the empty pack he had just finished. With his lifeless eyes, he looked back at the TV, but nothing interested him now. Hearing the anchor talk about peace only made him curse. "If there really exists peace, then I wouldn't have lost my parents."
He cursed and shut off the TV, then looked at the clock, which showed that his time for awakening was near.
Seven years ago, Ren's parents left for a government mission and never returned. He was only eleven, and there was no one to comfort him in his dark time. He hated the Xal, he hated the government, and he hated his parents for leaving him alone. The damage was already done.
There were times he thought about revenge, but after reading about how even S-rank awakeners were slain by the Xal, he gave up on the idea. His thoughts were simple: When an S-rank couldn't do much against the alien race, who was he to think of himself as some main character of a web novel? No, he didn't think like that.
Today was the day he would awaken, but the feeling inside him wasn't great. When Ren was a kid, he wanted to be an awakener just like his parents and work for humanity, but after losing them, he lost those childhood ambitions.
His trust was broken, especially since he never got to find out what actually happened to his parents. He never knew what they did for the government, except that they went on missions that required them to stay away from home for long periods.
He always waited for their return. Just like that, he waited that day, but they never came back. He was just told that they were dead. That was all. No details, no information, nothing. He couldn't even see their faces one last time.
Ren sighed, 'I have to spend just three years in that place, but after that? I don't know what I will do with my life.'
For the next three years, he'd have to spend time in the military academy, where they teach the youth survival skills and how to raid dungeons. Those who were at the top of their batches even got to enter portals that were connected to other dimensions.
99 years ago, the Xal first came to this world when the first portal manifested. Then, one after another, they kept respawning, and the Xal's army kept coming to invade the planet.
For 21 years, both sides fought a hard-fought battle until peace was established. But even after that, other small and large alien races also stepped foot into this world.
Luckily, the day a portal first manifested, humans also began awakening. But only those who were past 18 were awakened, which became a pattern ever since.
Today, Ren would also hit his 18th birthday. With no joy on his face, he sat on the same sofa where he had just finished his late dinner. It was already 11:50, and in just 10 minutes, he was going to find out what his destiny had in store for him.
11:55...
11:59...
As he waited for the clock to strike exactly 12, Ren sat with no thoughts in his mind. He just wanted to get it over with and go to sleep. His excitement for the awakening was the same as a diabetic patient's craving for sugar.
Once it was exactly 12, he closed his eyes and waited... waited... waited. Just then, he heard a small commotion outside his apartment door. 'Who could it be? Maybe neighbors,' he thought.
He thought the neighbors must be returning from a late-night party, so he chose to ignore the sounds. 'Let's focus on the awakening.'
Suddenly, it ruined his focus again. This time, he knew something wasn't right. As he was about to go and check for himself, "click!" His door opened, and a man with a big build entered his apartment.
Ren was shocked and alarmed because he had locked the doors earlier. He wondered, how could a stranger enter his room?
The man looked at Ren's face, then with a satisfied grin, he spoke, "Nothing personal, kid."
He kicked Ren, who was thrown onto his sofa with a pained expression. "Who are..." Before Ren could continue, the man punched him in the face, and blood splattered out as Ren's face turned numb.
"Come here, kid." The man then pulled Ren into the air, letting Ren know that he wasn't an ordinary person but an awakener. However, Ren didn't care about that; he just wanted to save himself.
With that thought, something came into his hands as he tried to find a grip.
"THUD!"
Ren smashed the flower pot he had grabbed on the man's head. A drop of blood dripped from the man's head as his eyes turned cold.
"I was just about to let you have your limbs intact, but it seems you don't need them." His one hand lifted Ren while his other hand glowed, ending with him punching Ren's gut.
"AHH!"
Ren cried out in pain, with tears rolling from his eyes. He felt helpless, especially since the man was an awakener while he was just a normal human. His mouth and even his nose started bleeding.
The man didn't hold back, causing internal damage to Ren. But he didn't stop there. He landed a few more kicks, cursing Ren for fighting back. "You swine, how dare you injure me. Let's see what you can do now!"
This brutal attack left Ren half-conscious. The pain was so severe that his body went numb, and he couldn't keep up with his surroundings.
As for the man, he didn't stop. He raised his leg for another kick but then pulled back, upon seeing strange things happening to Ren's body.
He saw dark, ink-like spots spreading fast on Ren's body, and within a few seconds, Ren's entire body was covered in dark ink.
"What's going on... his body, it shouldn't be like this!" he stepped back, as his instincts were alarming him of something sinister. But just as he stepped back a few more steps, something changed.
The lights began to flicker. He saw the ink was now turning into a dark smoke engulfing Ren's body.
"L...leave, I have to leave this place," he muttered and turned. But then, something clutched his legs, stopping him from moving further.
The man looked back to see a tentacle made of dark material, resembling black smoke, holding his legs. He used his skill, "Enhanced Strength," to break free, but he failed even after trying so hard.
"Leave me!" he yelled, but the next moment he was dragged back into the dark smoke. After a few seconds, the dark smoke began receding back inside Ren's body. When everything returned to normal, there was no sign of the man who had attacked Ren.
...
Ren, oblivious to this, woke up, but it was already morning. With a vague memory of last night, he opened his eyes to find a game-like screen in front of him.
[Skill: Enhanced Strength]
"Is this the skill I have awakened?" he thought, believing the skill was his own.
He then tried to remember what happened to him last night, but he could only recall the moment he was punched in the gut; after that, everything went blank. He tried to remember again, but when his eyes landed on the clock, Ren's eyes widened.
"Ten forty!" he exclaimed in an alarmed tone.
The Awakener Association had strict rules. Every person was given a specific time to reach the Association and register their skill. His deadline was exactly eleven in the morning. Being late would affect his future in the military academy and beyond.
People who were late were listed as suspicious, and their names would be permanently grayed out in the Association's books. It was a crystal-clear rule everyone had to follow, and now Ren was going to be late.
"No, this can't be!" He jumped up, splashed water on his face, changed his stained shirt, and ran out the door.