It was raining outside; the weather lately had been strange. Not like last month — sunshine and rain were erratic. Like a human mood: sometimes sad, sometimes happy, impossible to predict. This rain was heavy; nobody went outside, except for those who had urgent business. Life in this world was just like that. In the morning you wake up, do your hygiene, eat breakfast, go to work. The children are still young, so they go to school or hang out with their friends.
In the pouring rain, Draven still headed to his usual bar like every day. He stepped inside, soaked through.
"Ah, hello Draven!" the bar owner called out."Hello, Mr. Cross…" Draven replied weakly."You're not going on duty with your team today?""No… today I just want to drink!" Draven answered."Hmph, I wish we could go back to those days. I miss when people didn't have that strange power… I'd just be an old man living a relaxed life…""What era are you dreaming about, old man? You could die at any time now!""Haizzz. Who would want to absorb the power of this old man anyway! Hahaha!""You talk big — don't come crying to me when you die.""Hahaha, fine! Here's your drink."
Saying that, Mr. Cross handed Draven a glass full of liquor. Decades ago, a god descended to the world. He granted humanity a special ability. People call it the "Frequency." Everyone has this ability. It's called that because anyone with the ability emits a kind of frequency around their body — the greater the strength, the higher the emitted frequency. The frequency constantly emits and cannot be suppressed. High frequency is also a way to intimidate; if you are near someone with a high frequency, you feel fear and are overwhelmed.
Each person carries a different frequency; no two are the same. Those with low frequencies have weak and ordinary abilities like flying, telekinesis, super strength, cooking talent… Conversely, those with high frequencies have powerful powers like controlling fire, freezing, or emitting high-energy lightning. By killing others, one can absorb their frequency, meaning stealing their power.
Frequencies are divided into tiers as follows:• Tier 1: (Frequency 1–10) Very weak, usually children.• Tier 2: (Frequency 10–50) Average, usually adults.• Tier 3: (Frequency 50–200) Above average, usually warriors, soldiers, elite forces.• Tier 4: (Frequency 200–500) Strong, usually high-ranking people or top fighters.• Tier 5: (Frequency 500–1000) Leaders or national representatives.• Tier 6: (Frequency 1000+) Those who can destroy the world.
The emergence of frequencies caused nations to start holding power tournaments. The strong obtained special positions and governments paid attention to them; they would have power, money, and luxurious lives.
Back to Draven — he was watching the news. As usual, the "Dark Skull" gang was still wreaking havoc over Azeloria. The nation of Azeloria tried everything, but these guys were truly hard to defeat.
"Dark Skull must be really strong, huh?" Draven exclaimed."Definitely. We've allied with Noxvalen and still couldn't defeat them!" Cross replied."Then why do they send weaklings to fight them? Why not send their strongest and finish them off?" Draven asked confusedly."They're hiding a lot of strong cards right now, Draven. We don't even know what else they have.""Hmm, and isn't the national tournament about to be held?" Draven asked."That's right. Are you going to participate?" Cross answered."I'm only a tier-3, and my ability hasn't awakened yet. I don't know if I can join." Draven said."It's strange that your ability hasn't manifested, but surely it'll be pretty strong.""Maybe…"
No sooner had he finished speaking than the bar's door exploded open. A man in black swaggered in.
"Give me all the money! Or I'll smash this place!" he shouted.
He displayed his power. He could turn anything he touched into a bomb and detonate it at will. He grabbed a nearby chair, touched it. With just a thought, the chair exploded into nothing. He pointed at Mr. Cross and said loudly:
"See that, old man? Hand over all the money and I'll give you a painless death! Otherwise I'll blow your body apart piece by piece."
"Haizzz, who are you?" Mr. Cross answered with a bored, calm expression.
Feeling insulted, the thug lunged at Cross. He threw small metal pellets toward him. Cross did not look frightened; he calmly raised a hand. Small black holes appeared in the middle of the room, sucking up all the pellets the thug had thrown.
"W-what is this!?" the robber exclaimed."Black holes, just black holes," Cross answered.
Before the robber had time to react, two large black holes the size of a table appeared behind him. They shot out two beams of light at him. The robber easily dodged and threw more pellets at Cross. This time he detonated them immediately; from those pellets more small pellets burst out. Cross couldn't react in time and was hit by dozens of pellets.
Cross coughed up blood. He summoned four black holes around the thug. From the four black holes shot dazzling beams. The robber still dodged, but this time his legs got melted by extreme heat.
"What?... What the hell is this? It's so hot!""Temperature — the temperature of the sun," Cross answered the robber's question.
"How do you have such abilities?" Draven asked."From someone who used light and someone who manipulates temperature. Back when I used to be in the international arena," Cross replied.
Cross summoned another black hole and used it to remove the robber's left arm. The thug screamed as if being tortured. Cross sucked the entire body of the thief into the black hole. At that same moment, over at the junkyard more than ten kilometers away, a white hole appeared. Inside it fell a mangled dead body.
Cross remained there; a speck of light flew toward him. He caught it in his hand and put it into his mouth.
"A new ability," Cross said.
He then grabbed a glass and tossed it out the door. The glass instantly exploded with Cross's thought.
"Looks pretty strong!" Cross shouted excitedly."And how will you treat that wound, old man?" Draven asked."Oh that? Elena can help," Cross replied.
Cross took a phone from his pocket and called someone. Not long after, a beautiful young woman ran in.
"Oh my! What just happened?" she exclaimed."Nothing, Elena! Treat this old man's wounds," Cross said with a laugh."All right, Mr. Cross. Next time don't fight, okay?" Elena said while treating him.
Her hand touched Cross's body, and a soft green light glowed. It wasn't blinding; it made everyone in the bar feel comfortable and temporarily forget their pain. The pellets embedded in Cross's body gradually recovered and were removed without causing him pain. The process finished and Cross quickly regained strength, his body rejuvenated to the age of twenty.
"And you are..?" Elena looked at Draven."Ah, I'm Kael Draven, full name Joe Kid Kael Draven! A former noble exiled. Now, I'm a homeless mercenary," Draven replied."Exiled? What do you mean?" Elena looked puzzled."Oh, that's the past. I don't want to bring it up…" Draven's voice turned low."Oh! I'm really sorry! It wasn't on purpose, please forgive me—" Elena hurried to say."No problem!" Draven smiled."Well, goodbye everyone! See you!" Draven said.
After that, Draven left. The night sky was pitch black; no one was outside. The appearance of the Dark Skull gang had scared people so much they locked themselves indoors. Only scoundrels like Draven or genuinely powerful ones dared to go out.
Draven was used to wandering — by day he earned money, hustled to survive; by night he rented a hotel room to sleep. Life repeated itself, and the monotony made Draven occasionally want to let go — hence the alcohol.
Draven's real name was Joe Kid Kael Draven; he was once a scion of the Kael family. As a child he had excellent physique, respected and expected to be powerful in the future. However, after age sixteen (the age when abilities usually manifest), it was discovered that he couldn't awaken any ability despite all efforts. Someone spread the rumor that Draven's nature was too inferior to awaken. Ashamed, his parents expelled him.
He was cast out at seventeen; life became very difficult. "Hustling" wasn't exactly the right word — he stole and did protection work, earning barely enough and never enough to buy a house. Harsh life made him cunning, brutal, and ready to do anything to survive.
One day, while fighting someone over food, he was beaten to disability and left to die in a trash bin. A savior came — Mr. Cross. Cross took him in and gave him temporary shelter. That left a deep impression on a seventeen-year-old like him.
To repay Cross, he guarded the bar every day and kept its security good. Cross noticed and invited Draven in every day to feed him. Gradually it became routine to this day.
Draven walked in the rain with a gloomy expression. Suddenly he bumped into someone. By habit he shouted and cursed. The person didn't react. Angry, he was about to punch the guy. He swung a punch filled with rage — the punch was extremely fast, faster than the blows of fighters. Just when the punch neared, the man vanished. Draven panicked and looked around. The mysterious man was suddenly behind him and touched him. Before he could react, an electric current entered Draven's body. He felt it burn; then he convulsed. Draven struggled and eventually regained control.
He knew this man wasn't his match; he ran into a nearby alley. But the man transformed into electricity and slipped into a pipe. Immediately he reemerged from a drain behind Draven. He fired a beam of electricity at Draven. Draven barely dodged; somehow the beam curved and returned toward him. Looking back, he saw the attacker charging at him, electricity glowing in his hands.
At that moment, he knew he had to choose quickly and well. In that life-or-death instant a thought flashed into his mind. He smiled wryly; the other man was shocked too. This time Draven didn't dodge; he stepped back toward the attacker. The attacker was startled but then laughed. He controlled the lightning to speed toward Draven.
When the lightning was about to strike him, Draven took a metal rod and stabbed it through his own belly. The rod pierced him and also lightly pierced the attacker. Unexpectedly, stepping back near the attacker blocked the latter's sight and confused where the lightning would hit on Draven's body. As Draven had guessed, the lightning struck the rod's end. Immediately the current flowed from one end to the other. The attacker was electrocuted until he glowed; after a while his body charcoal-blackened, but then he quickly transformed into a stream of electricity and flew back at Draven.
"What?! How are you still alive?" Draven gasped."Huh, do you think electricity can kill electricity? Sounds ridiculous!" the attacker said.
He finished speaking and Draven quickly stood up and threw dozens of small daggers from his coat toward the attacker. The knives passed through him leaving no wounds. Draven realized that he had become a stream of electricity and tried to form a body to deceive him. Draven rushed in, bracing to throw a punch.
"That's right! Hit me! DRAVEN!!""…How do you know my name?…" Draven hesitated."Ha, I've heard of you many times. A failure from my clan!""N-no way! Y-you are…""Right! I'm Uvahala!""You bastard! It's because of you that I lost everything — my family who loved me, my future and my life! Because of you! BECAUSE OF YOU!!!""HAHAHA! Don't just spew those words, fight me!"
Draven charged Uvahala, hands clenched, eyes full of rage and a burning desire for revenge. He struck from the left with extreme speed and launched hundreds of punches at the attacker. Uvahala wasn't a pushover: he turned his whole body into electricity, letting every punch pass through. He clenched his fist, gathering a radiant charge, and threw a punch at Draven. Not able to avoid it, Draven took it full force.
The punch was so powerful it sent him flying tens of meters into the window of a nearby shop. The electricity also entered his body; it burned so intensely he felt like he was being roasted. Convulsions began; Draven couldn't stand or think normally. It seemed the electric current had disrupted his brain.
"Idiot! I knew you could dodge that, maybe you're just too dumb!""Ha… Not sure who's the idiot, Uvahala…""!!?"
A beam of light shot toward Uvahala. The beam melted and left a large hole in Uvahala's body. He couldn't believe such an immense power existed. Though startled, he used his frequency energy to heal the wound.
Cross stepped out of the smoke and threw dozens of throwing knives at Uvahala. The knives immediately detonated, turning Uvahala's whole body into a meat mess. But he had used energy to regenerate 0.1 seconds before the knives exploded.
"Impossible! You should have died," Draven exclaimed in disbelief."Idiot! I regenerated 0.1s before those knives blew," Uvahala said.
Uvahala turned into electricity and charged toward Cross. Cross dodged quickly and hurled more knives around Uvahala. The knives exploded; thousands of glass shards flew, but Uvahala turned to electricity and nullified physical damage. He shot two bolts of electricity from his hands at Cross.
"This light… it's blinding… it's too hot…" Elena murmured from inside the bar.
Cross quickly summoned a black hole in front of him. The two beams slipped through but the hole sucked them in and blocked them from coming out. Uvahala was slightly surprised but recovered his composure. He launched thousands of electric hands to grab nearby objects and hurled them with terrifying speed. Objects flew at Cross from all directions.
Cross summoned a large black hole in the middle of the battlefield; it immediately swallowed everything in its radius, leaving a big hole in the ground. Cross took out dozens of knives from his coat and flung them at Uvahala. Uvahala turned to electricity; the knives passed through him.
"I told you physical attacks normally can't kill me."Cross stayed calm; after the knives passed through Uvahala they unexpectedly detonated. Thousands of tiny glass fragments shot out, leaving Uvahala unprepared. His body was pierced everywhere like a two-legged hedgehog. He crawled to his feet and shouted
Draven quickly helped everyone run to a hiding place. Elena and Cross fainted from contact with that shockwave, except Draven. The wave seemed to have stunned people's brains, causing temporary unconsciousness and loss of connection.
"Hahaha, come out now Draven!" a voice called from behind him. He turned quickly and saw Uvahala standing there. His body had transformed into an electric monster. His head looked like a shark, constantly emitting lightning. His whole body was electricity; his appearance was both cool and terrifying. Draven was continuously struck by bolts from him and stepped back. But the bolts made his body harder to control.
"Uvahala, it's time for me to use that thing. I've always hidden it, even when my parents cast me out for having no ability, I kept hiding it. But now it's time to use it.""Right! Use it! I want to be beaten, use it and kill me! DRAVEN!"
A strange light glowed around Draven's hands. He punched a nearby frog and it immediately turned to dust; its whole body crumbled to ashes. Uvahala's face brightened; he ran behind and threw an electric punch at Draven's back. Draven turned around, his face full of anger, and punched Uvahala's electric arm.
"Stop being stupid! My punches are useless on you!" Uvahala said.As he spoke, the electric arm he thought was immune to strikes melted away. He cut off his own arm in horror. He turned to electricity and flew off.
"You still look down on me like before, huh? I don't just dissolve living matter; I can also punch directly at their powers; no matter what, those attacks are nullified because they are dissolved — and the owner too. Smart move cutting off your arm!"Draven lunged at Uvahala; every blow he landed caused Uvahala's death. Uvahala formed a stone wall to block Draven's punch, but it immediately dissolved; his remaining hand did too. He severed the disintegrating limb and regenerated. He made two electric arms intending to throw Draven, but Draven dodged and touched one arm.
They melted immediately, same as before; Uvahala chopped off the melting part and regenerated.
"Hmph, if I can't beat you, I must use another move."
He shot small electric bolts into Cross's brain and controlled Cross to stand up and hold a knife to his own throat. He threatened that if anyone touched him he would kill Cross. But Draven still rushed in; Uvahala slashed Cross's throat at once. A light shone right after Cross's throat was cut. Elena had regained consciousness and healed Cross just in time. Draven knew that, which made him confident. With no way to avoid it, Uvahala took a full punch to the face.
His entire body dissolved, pieces of his flesh turned to ashes.
"No! You… Dark Skull! We won't forgive you! You killed me! You killed my people!""?!! Dark Skull?""Yes… Draven. You killed their people; you declared war on them!" Cross said."All right… thank you for accompanying me. Now that Dark Skull will hunt me down for sure, I'll fight them — don't worry about me.""No! I won't leave you. This old man wants to experience something new. I don't have long to live; I'll… go with you."
~End chapter 1~