That cry lit the fuse. The silent hall erupted. Students leapt to their feet, benches clattered over, the roar of voices rolled like a storm.
John staggered inside the blazing gold. Light poured into every pore, his heartbeat thundered like war drums. His whole body felt weightless, as if he might rise and soar with the divine beam.
"SSS ability, first in the academy's history!" a guest screamed, clutching his head in shock.
"This is… the 'Legendary Trainer'! A mythical ability!" the overseer declared, eyes bloodshot, on the verge of madness.
Below, Rachel's eyes were wide, brimming with pride and admiration. Her gaze pierced the golden veil, locked onto John, as if saying: We… we'll be legends together.
John's heart raced, filled with joy and burning resolve. He saw the future laid open before him, a pair of S and SSS, humanity's pride.
But right as glory crested, a strange chill seeped into the light. His ears caught an odd sound, a faint hiss, sharp and bitter, slicing through the cheers.
In the crowd below, a plain-looking man lifted his hand. A thread of deep violet, thin as silk, cut through the air. No loud noise, just a creeping, icy sense of death crawling across the skin.
Before John could react, the golden pillar convulsed. The brilliance shrank, black cracks spiderwebbing through it. A strangled detonation broke.
Boom… crack!
The SSS light shattered, falling away in fragments, dissolving like broken glass. Silence crushed the hall. In an instant, the majestic gold was gone, leaving only a weak, trembling blue glow clinging to John's body.
"W-what the hell?" a student screamed.
"No way! That was SSS just now…" a teacher stammered, face pale.
John stood frozen. His body still thrummed with the echo of divine power, but all that remained around him was that pathetic blue aura. Pain stabbed his chest, like someone had ripped out the most precious part of him.
The guards lunged into the crowd, pinning down a man with an ordinary face. They forced him to the ground, but black froth spilled from his lips, his body convulsed, then went limp.
Shouts burst out everywhere.
"Otherworld spy!"
"He killed himself!"
"Was it because of him…?"
On the stage, the overseer wavered, staring at the orb, then at John. His throat worked dryly. At last, his voice came out stiff and hollow:
"John Markus… ability crippled… downgraded to rank B. Title: 'The Legendary Chicken Breeder.'"
The words struck like a hammer blow.
"Ch-chicken breeder?" a student blinked, then let out a dry laugh.
"From SSS down to B?" another voice cracked, mixing pity with scorn.
Whispers, mockery, pity, they came from all sides, stabbing into his back like needles.
John went rigid, eyes wide, staring at the dim blue light wrapped around his hand. Every laugh, every stare pressed into him like salt on an open wound.
Below, Rachel stood still. Her eyes no longer burned with pride. Surprise, disappointment, and at the end… a faint, cold gleam flickered deep in the blue.
Under that fragile glow surrounding the boy, all the pride from moments ago collapsed. Only a heavy, suffocating emptiness hung in the air.
The phone buzzed as John walked along the sidewalk, the dull glow of streetlamps washing over his silent face.
The screen lit up. A short message appeared.
Rachel Anderson: "Let's break up. Our paths are different now."
His finger froze above the glass, icy like someone had dumped a bucket of cold water on him. Around him, people still chattered about the Awakening Ceremony, no one noticing the boy who had just taken the second crushing blow of the day.
He drew in a deep breath, slipped the phone back into his pocket, and kept walking. His shoes tapped steadily against the bricks. No rush, no stumble.
When he got home, he shut his bedroom door and pulled the curtains closed. Darkness filled the room except for the faint glow of the wall screen. John sat down, leaning against the chair, hands clasped together.
No sobs. No complaints. His eyes were steady, lit with a sharp glint.
"They had to sacrifice their lives just to cripple my potential…" he muttered, voice low, "that means they're terrified of me to their core."
His chest rose and fell, then slowly eased. He shut his eyes. A soft tick sounded inside his mind, like a hidden system powering on.
A floating panel appeared before his eyes:
[Ability: Legendary Chicken Breeder (Rank B)]
Number of chickens you can raise: 1/1
Blessing of the Legendary Breeder: the chicken you raise will break past its species' limits.
Master Link: The breeder gains 50% of all stats from the chicken.
John opened his eyes, reading every glowing word. His lips curled into a smile, bitter yet tinged with excitement.
"Rank B? Chickens?" he let out a quiet laugh. "The perfect joke… except this joke is actually SSS in disguise."
After the laugh faded, his gaze sharpened. Nothing left to regret.
The next day, John began combing the city. From tiny chicken pens in the suburban markets to the industrial farms out on the outskirts, he visited them all. A seventeen-year-old in his school uniform, standing among the stench of droppings and the endless clucks, looking both out of place and strangely resolute.
"Kid, looking to buy a chicken? What kind?" a farmer asked, curious.
John just shook his head. "I only want to look."
"Look? Weird kid." The man shrugged and left him to it.
John walked row after row of cages, scanning the hundreds of fluffy yellow chicks chirping nonstop. They all looked the same. Nothing special.
The first day passed, empty-handed.
The second day, he went again. Mud clung to his shoes, the smell to his clothes, but his eyes never wavered.
On the third day, he arrived at a large farm on the outskirts. The sound of clucking rolled out in waves, cages packed full. Amid the crowded mass of chicks, one blazing red spot caught his gaze.
A tiny rooster chick. Smaller than his palm, yet standing proud. Every time another chick neared the feed, it pecked ferociously, driving the rest back. Atop its head, a tuft of feathers glowed red like a flickering flame, strikingly vivid against the sea of pale yellow.
"This one…" John whispered, eyes flashing.
The farmer chuckled. "That little guy's trouble. Always picking fights, bullying the others. Folks say he's too wild to raise."
John crouched, eyes locked on the tiny creature. Amid the noisy chorus of chirps, he heard only the fierce pounding in his chest.
This is it. This is my partner.
He reached a finger through the bars. The chick tilted its head, round eyes gleaming with defiance, and struck with a sharp peck. The sting in his fingertip was small, but solid.
John laughed. Not loud, not long, but full of relief and resolve.
"It's you."
The farmer blinked. "You really want that one?"
"Yes." John nodded, gaze still fixed on the chick.
After paying, he carried the small cage outside. The afternoon sun spilled down on the thin boy's face. Inside the cage, the fiery-tufted rooster chick flapped its wings and screeched with unruly pride.
John Markus looked at the arrogant little bird. To him, it wasn't just a fragile animal. It was his partner, the missing half of his strength. With his knowledge from Earth, and this creature of limitless potential, he would begin again.